Radiation
| Type | Pollution |
| State | Virtual |
| Transported by | Magic |
| Stored in | Ethereal plane |
| Created in | None |
| Used in | None |
Radiation is a kind of pollution produced by overheated Nuclear Reactors (Nuclear Meltdown) or the open storage of spent radioactive fuel. Radiation can be avoided by properly storing spent fuel in a functioning Radioactive Waste Storage or reprocessing it. A nuclear meltdown, and subsequent radiation release, can be avoided by preventing reactor heat from maxing out which is usually caused by a overflow of Steam (High) or Steam (Super) and lack of cooling water.
Radiation will apply a large negative modifier to a settlement's Growth, potentially overcoming any positives (such as from Growth Boost Edicts) leading to the instant death of citizens.
Radioactive Waste
Various byproducts of nuclear fuel processing are radioactive. These materials produce radiation whenever they're outside of a Radioactive Waste Storage facility, including while being transported by belt or by truck and when stored in the Shipyard. A certain amount of radiation can be endured without harm, but too much will cause a health penalty. Each radioactive material has a Radiation Level, and the sum of the radiation levels of all exposed materials determine the health impact.
| Material | Radiation Level |
|---|---|
| Spent Fuel | 2 |
| Spent MOX | 2 |
| Plutonium | 2 |
| Fission Product | 4 |
Here are some tips for handling radioactive material safely:
- Build the reactor, reprocessing plant, and waste storage as close together as possible.
- Keep belts short, and use only Tier I belts.
- When transporting by truck, assign a single small truck to do the work.
Take particular care if you need to move a storage full of waste from one place to another. If your fleet of trucks descends to move it all at once, the result could be disastrous.
