Benefits

1
Benefits Dangers of
Radioisotopes
2
Dating (not that kind)

• C-14 used to date organic (previously living)
  materials
• living organisms incorporate C-14 into their
  structure, along with C-12
• C-14 decays with known half-life
• 146C ? 147N 0-1?
• comparing ratios of 14C 12C
• figure how many half-lives gone by since died
• helps determine age of substance

3
ROCKS

• U-238
  decays to
• Pb-206
  (manysteps)
• over time amount U ? amount Pb ?
• - scientists compare ratio of U-238 to Pb-206
  
• to date rocks

4
Chemical Tracers

• detect radioactive materials decay products
• tracer radioisotope used to follow path of
  material in system
• P-31 determines P uptake in plants
• C-14 maps C in metabolic processes
• C-14 maps organic molecules figures out
  reaction mechanisms

5
Industrial Applications

• tracers kill bacteria and spores in food and mail
• Medical Applications
• Co-60 Cs-137 destroys anthrax bacilli
• Co-60 kills bacteria in foods
• Tc-99 treatment of brain cancer

6
Medical Applications

• radioisotopes with short half-lives (quickly
  eliminated from body)
• for medical diagnosis
• diagnose treat cancers
• I-131 diagnosis treat thyroid disorders
• Co-60 gamma emitter
• used to kill cancerous tumors

7
Power Plants

• radioactivity used as fuel source to generate
  electricity
• advantages
• no contributions to greenhouse gases
• no mercury contamination of atmosphere

8
Radiation Risks

• damage normal tissue
• high doses can cause illness death
• cause DNA mutations
• disposal of waste is difficult
• especially from nuclear power plants
• fuel rods are mix of many radioactive substances
• storage transportation both problematic