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Industrial Uses of Radiation & Radioactive Material
David C HowellRadiation Safety OfficerWake Forest UniversityBaptist Medical Center
Uses of Radiation
America’s advanced industrial economy
and high standard of living wouldn’t be
possible without the use of radiation
and radioactive materials:
Medical diagnosis& treatment
Medical research
More disease-resistant crops
Uses of Radiation
~20% of America’s energy from
nuclear power
Manufacturing processes
Consumer goods & services
Economics
America derives substantial economic and
employment benefits from the use of
radiation and radioactive materials:
$60 billion in tax revenues to local, state & federal governments
$330.7 billion annually in total industrial sales
4,000,000 jobs
Economics
Nuclear energy’s direct and indirect
economic impacts in the US:
$90 billion in total sales of
goods & services
442,000 jobs
$17.8 billion in local, state &
federal tax revenues
Origin
Some radioactive materials occur in
nature...
...most are produced in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators
Destination
Once they are produced, they
are packaged and shipped
safely to users throughout
the United States; users are:
Hospitals
Laboratories
Universities
Industries
Medical Uses
One-third of the 30 million hospitalized
Americans are diagnosed or treated with
radionuclides (e.g., 99mTc, 67Ga, 111In and131I)
Normal bone scan Bone metastases
Medical Uses
Hyperthyroid conditions
in humans and cats can
be successfully treated
with radioiodine therapy
Brachytherapy (Greek for “short distance”) is used for intracavitary, interstitial and superficial treatment of tumors; small radioactive sources are placed near the tumor
Medical Uses
Radioactive materials are
used in 100 million lab tests
on tissue specimens and body
fluids
More than 11 million nuclear
medicine procedures are
performed each year in the
United States
Scientific Research
The FDA requires that all new drugs be tested for safety and effectiveness; more than 80% are tested with radioactive materials
Radioactive materials are also used in biomedical research, metabolic studies, genetic engineering and environmental protection studies
Scientific Research
Archaeologists use 14C to date
artifacts containing plant or
animal material
Criminal investigators use radiation to examine evidence
Museums rely on radioactive materials to verify authenticity of art
objects and paintings
Industrial Uses
Mining & petroleum companies use isotopes to locate and quantify geological mineral deposits
Aircraft manufacturers use radiation to check for flaws in jet engines
Automobile industry makes use of isotopes to test the quality of steel in cars
Industrial Uses
Construction crews use radioactive materials to gauge soil moisture content and asphalt density
Oil gas & mining companies useisotopes to map geological contours
(using test wells) and mine bores and to determine presence of hydrocarbons
Pipeline companies utilize radioactive isotopes to look
for defects in welds
Agricultural Uses
Radioactive materials pinpoint where illnesses strike animals to breed disease-resistant livestock
Nutritional value, baking and melting
qualities of some crops and cooking times have been improved using isotopes
Hardier and more disease resistant crops (peanuts, tomatoes, onions, rice, soybeans, barley) have been developed using radioactive materials in agricultural research
Agricultural Uses
Isotopes help farmers and scientists control pests; e.g., California has used radiation sterilization since the mid-70s to control Mediterranean fruit fly infestations
Radioactive materials show how plants absorb fertilizer; this helps researchers figure where and how much to apply to crops for maximum yield
Consumer Products & Services
Computer disks retain data better when treated with radiation
Smoke detectors installed in ~90% of America’s homes rely on 1-2 μCi of 241Am to monitor for smoke to signal a fire
103 US nuclear power plants
provide ~20% of electricity
Consumer Products & Services
Cosmetics, hair products and contact lens solutions are sterilized with radiation to remove irritants and allergens
Photocopiers and plastic manufacturers use small amounts
of radiation to eliminate static and prevent jamming
Non-stick pans are treated with radiation to retain the coating
Consumer Products & Services
Radioactive materials are used to sterilize medical bandages and implements as well as foodstuffs to kill pathogens
1930s Fiestaware contains uranium in the ceramic glazes
To maximize light output, some lantern mantles contain radioactive thorium nitrate
Nuclear Power
David C HowellRadiation Safety OfficerWake Forest UniversityBaptist Medical Center
1941-42
December 1941: The United States enters World War II when Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
September 1942: The Manhattan Project is formed to secretly build the atomic bomb before the Germans build one
August 1942: The first pure sample of plutonium was isolated
1942
By December, the first nuclear reactor was assembled in a squash court under the stands of Stagg Athletic Field at the University of Chicago; on December 2, 1942, the first atomic reactor was brought to criticality
November 1942: Los Alamos, NMis selected as the site for the
US atomic bomb laboratory
1942-45
1942-45: Oak Ridge National Laboratory is built in Oak Ridge, TN; plutonium production begins
1943-45: Hanford Site is built in Richland, WA; first reactor begins plutonium production in September 1944
April-May 1945: US troops liberate concentration camps; Germany surrenders
1945
July 16, 1945: US explodes
first atomic device near Alamagordo, NM
August 6 & 9, 1945: United States bombs Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
Late 1940s-50s
1946: Oak Ridge ships first nuclear reactor produced radioisotopes for civilian use to the Barnard Cancer Hospital in St. Louis
Dec. 20, 1951: Experimental Breeder Reactor 1 lighted these four bulbs with the world’s first usable amount of electricity from nuclear energy
1950s
1953: President Eisenhower proposes joint international cooperation to develop peaceful applications of nuclear energy in his “Atoms for Peace” speech
January 1954: The first nuclear powered submarine, USS Nautilus, is launched; was the first boat to visit the North Pole; steamed 500,000 miles in 25 years
Where is Uranium Found?
Canada
USA
Brazil
AustraliaNamibia
South Africa
Russia
MongoliaChina
KazakhstanUzbekistan
Niger
How is Uranium Processed?
World Dependence on Nuclear Power
Nuclear Energy 2001
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
US Nuclear Reactors
Pressurized Water Reactor
Three Mile Island - 1979
A minor reactor malfunction caused the temperature in the primary coolant to rise, automatically shutting down the reactor. Unfortunately, one of the relief valves failed to close and most of the primary coolant drained away, leaving the reactor core at a very high temperature. The fuel rods were damaged and radioactive material was released into the cooling water. No explosion resulted from this. The problem was contained in the reactor building, as designed. However, it did cause a lot of public concern and loss of confidence in the nuclear power industry.
Chernobyl - 1986
A power surge, during a test to determine how long the turbines would spin after a power loss, caused steam to lift the cover plate off the reactor, and an intense fire spread fission products into the atmosphere. This accident was caused by human error and a poorly designed and engineered reactor. The accident caused the deaths of 30 power plant employees and firemen, while another 134 emergency personnel experienced acute radiation sickness.
The Future?
1980 US population: 226,545,8052000 US population: 281,421,906 Increase of 54,876,101 people (~24.2% change)
No new nuclear power plants have been licensed or built since the early 1980s
Brownouts in California, increased electrical usage in Silicon Valley, PCs, warmer summers demand more A/C, etc.
Building gas turbine and fossil fuel plants; limits on solar/hydro/wind power
Politics & public opinion will determine nuclear power’s future in the US
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