Industrial Uses of Radiation

1
Industrial Uses of Radiation Radioactive
Material

• David C Howell
• Radiation Safety Officer
• Wake Forest University
• Baptist Medical Center

2
Uses of Radiation

• Americas advanced industrial economy
• and high standard of living wouldnt be
• possible without the use of radiation
• and radioactive materials

More disease-resistant crops
Medical research
Medical diagnosis treatment
3
Uses of Radiation
Manufacturing processes
Consumer goods services
20 of Americas energy from nuclear power
4
Economics

• America derives substantial economic and
• employment benefits from the use of
• radiation and radioactive materials

4,000,000 jobs
60 billion in tax revenues to local, state
federal governments
330.7 billion annually in total industrial sales
5
Economics

• Nuclear energys direct and indirect
• economic impacts in the US

442,000 jobs
17.8 billion in local, state federal tax
revenues
90 billion in total sales of goods services
6
Origin

• Some radioactive materials occur in
• nature...

...most are produced in nuclear reactors or
particle accelerators
7
Destination

• Once they are produced, they
• are packaged and shipped
• safely to users throughout
• the United States users are

Universities
Hospitals
Industries
Laboratories
8
Medical Uses

• One-third of the 30 million hospitalized
• Americans are diagnosed or treated with
• radionuclides (e.g., 99mTc, 67Ga, 111In and
• 131I)

Normal bone scan
Bone metastases
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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
10
Medical Uses
More than 11 million nuclear medicine procedures
are performed each year in the United States

• Radioactive materials are
• used in 100 million lab tests
• on tissue specimens and body
• fluids

11
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
12
Scientific Research

• Archaeologists use 14C to date
• artifacts containing plant or
• animal material

Museums rely on radioactive materials to verify
authenticity of art objects and paintings
Criminal investigators use radiation to examine
evidence
13
Industrial Uses
Automobile industry makes use of isotopes to test
the quality of steel in cars
Aircraft manufacturers use radiation to check for
flaws in jet engines
Mining petroleum companies use isotopes to
locate and quantify geological mineral deposits
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Industrial Uses
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
Construction crews use radioactive materials to
gauge soil moisture content and asphalt density
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Agricultural Uses
Hardier and more disease resistant crops
(peanuts, tomatoes, onions, rice, soybeans,
barley) have been developed using radioactive
materials in agricultural research
Nutritional value, baking and melting qualities
of some crops and cooking times have been
improved using isotopes
Radioactive materials pinpoint where illnesses
strike animals to breed disease-resistant
livestock
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Agricultural Uses
Radioactive materials show how plants absorb
fertilizer this helps researchers figure where
and how much to apply to crops for maximum yield
Isotopes help farmers and scientists control
pests e.g., California has used radiation
sterilization since the mid-70s to control
Mediterranean fruit fly infestations
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Consumer Products Services
103 US nuclear power plants provide 20 of
electricity
Smoke detectors installed in 90 of Americas
homes rely on 1-2 µCi of 241Am to monitor for
smoke to signal a fire
Computer disks retain data better when treated
with radiation
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Consumer Products Services
Non-stick pans are treated with radiation to
retain the coating
Photocopiers and plastic manufacturers use small
amounts of radiation to eliminate static and
prevent jamming
Cosmetics, hair products and contact lens
solutions are sterilized with radiation to remove
irritants and allergens
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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
20
Nuclear Power

• David C HowellRadiation Safety OfficerWake
  Forest UniversityBaptist Medical Center

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1941-42
December 1941 The United States enters World War
II when Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
August 1942 The first pure sample of plutonium
was isolated
September 1942 The Manhattan Project is formed
to secretly build the atomic bomb before the
Germans build one
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1942
November 1942 Los Alamos, NMis selected as the
site for the US atomic bomb laboratory
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
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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
24
1945
July 16, 1945 US explodes first atomic device
near Alamagordo, NM
August 6 9, 1945 United States bombs Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, Japan
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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 worlds first
usable amount of electricity from nuclear energy
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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
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Where is Uranium Found?
Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan
Russia
Canada
USA
China
Mongolia
Niger
Brazil
Australia
Namibia
South Africa
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How is Uranium Processed?
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World Dependence on Nuclear Power
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Nuclear Energy 2001
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US Nuclear Reactors
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Pressurized Water Reactor
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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.
34
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.
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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 powers future in the US