Radioactive pollution primarily impacts health, contributing to the rise of illnesses such as lung cancer, skin cancer and thyroid cancer, along with birth defects and cognitive disabilities. The type and severity of effects from radioactive pollution vary, depending on the quantity of pollution and amount of exposure. Long-term exposure might cause an increase in the number of genetic birth defects and mutations in a population, while acute exposure poses health risks, such as higher incidences of cancer within a population.