By: Krytia Fernandez, Patricia Gatchalian, and Kim Dayto RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS.

By: Krytia Fernandez, Patricia Gatchalian, and Kim Dayto

RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS

ABOUT RADIATION• Is the energy that comes from a source and travels through space and may be able to

penetrate various materials

• Every radioactive material is generally made up of energy

• examples of electromagnetic radiation are x-rays and other nuclear medicines, such as PET and thyroid scans.

• There has always been radioactive materials on Earth — in fact, a million years ago, there was more present than there is today — and people have therefore always been exposed to it.

• Radiation is measured by curie (CI).

TYPES OF RADIATION

ALPHA

•can be extremely harmful to humans when inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through any openings in the body.

•It can travel short distances through air

•we can protect ourselves from catching it by wearing proper gear since it cannot penetrate through clothing or a cover on a probe.

BETA

•Is more difficult to avoid since it is capable of travelling meters by air and is moderately penetrating

•It can cause skin injury

TYPES CONT’DGAMMA

•Electromagnetic radiation

•It is completely penetrating, and is able to travel many meters in air and

centimetres in human tissue

•Detected with survey instruments — low levels can be measured with a standard

Geiger counter, and high levels with an ionization chamber.

•Dense materials are needed to shield gamma radiation. Gear and clothing only

provides little shielding.

TYPES CONT’D

X

•X-radiation is another electromagnetic radiation, as is visible light, but the difference is that X rays can penetrate completely.

• It has a lot of medical uses, although its use can increase the risk of developmental problems and cancer in those exposed.

SIDE EFFECTS

Here are the two types of health effects and how they affect our lives:

STOCHASTIC

•long term

•low- level exposure

•can cause cancer

•can alter DNA blueprints that ensure cell repair and replacement (a.k.a. mutation)

•can genetically be passed on to an offspring

EFFECTS CONT’D

NON-STOCHASTIC

•high level of exposure

•becomes more severe as the exposure lengthens

•short term

•causes burns and radiation sickness

•the symptoms appear quickly

THE ENVIRONMENT AND US

THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster changed the world's opinion about using nuclear reaction for power. On April 26th, 1986, one of the reactors at the nuclear plant near Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded. The explosion released more than a hundred times the radiation of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thirty-one people died right after the explosion, but thousands more were (and still are) expected to die because of the long-term effects of radiation.•http://youtu.be/3u_8frR0IpE

PREVENTIONSome things to consider that can help us to avoid a huge number of radiation go into our system and these includes the following:

•Disposal of radioactive material must be safe and secure (seal it inside corrosion-resistant containers such as stainless steel and locate it deep underground in a stable rock structure).

•Radioactive material should be stored in safe places and must be changed into harmless form.

PREVENTION CONT’D

• Protective garments must be worn by workers who deal with radioactive materials (i.e. nylon coveralls, shoe covers, gloves, hand protection, eye protection, etc.).

• Replace hazardous chemical solvents with formulations not regulated as hazardous or mixed wastes.

• Limit the number of users of radioactive materials in the workplace.

• Limit the number of areas where radioactive materials are used.

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

CONT’D

CONT’D

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT POV• To provide national focus about radiation

• Promote harmonization program about radiation and health and safety

• Identify issues in radiation protection and recommend that in the jurisdiction

• The Canadian government also set standards for workplace exposure to radiation and ensure that the risks are kept to minimum.

• The government also put up a Bureau called, The Radiation Protection Bureau

SOCIETY’S POINT OF VIEW

When you talk about radioactive materials people think about:

•cellphones

•x-rays

•microwaves and even as weird as the radioactive spider in the movie Spiderman.

•People tend to think that every technology has some sort of radiation that can cause cancer, but in reality devices have small dose of radiation that our body can tolerate.

BENEFITSMedicine

•Some drugs contain radioactive materials and they are essential in being able to know the different treatments required for different diseases this could be inhaled or injected

Industry

•Used to improve safety of people in industries like radiography, measuring devices, process control in factories, and checking if there are any leaks or weak gas pipelines•Radioactive materials in the industry are also used to detect explosives

Agriculture

•To improve crops, control the invasion of insects.

BENEFITS CONT’D

Sterilization

•To clean materials used in the medical field after every use such as autoclave.

Environment

•Used to view the environment to see if anything is wrong like the water and pollutants in the environment

•Also measures the movement of pollutants through the rivers, bays, and harbours

BENEFITS CONT’D

In our homes

•Life-saving devices like the smoke detector. It is made to be sensitive to smoke, so if a fire comes up and the people inside the house is sleeping it can detect the smoke and make an annoying sound that indicated that the house is on fire.

•Microwave that is used for reheating foods

•Televisions for our entertainments also uses radiation

SOURCEShttp://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/pdfs/Reading-Room/radiation/Introduction-to-Radiation-eng.pdf

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/branch-dirgen/hecs-dgsesc/sep-psm/rpb-br-eng.phphttp://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/environ/expos-eng.php#rohttp://nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/readingroom/radiation/protecting_canadians.cfmhttp://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Radiation-and-Health/Naturally-Occurring-Radioactive-Materials-NORM/

http://www.ncsu.edu/ehs/radiation/forms/rad_brochure.pdfhttp://www.jefferson.edu/ehs.labguide/LabSecS.htmhttp://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/consumerproducts.htmlhttp://www.radiationanswers.org/radiation-introduction.htmlhttp://www.calema.ca.gov/PlanningandPreparedness/Pages/Radiation-Uses.aspxhttp://nuclearchem.wikispaces.com/How+Radiation+Is+Used+In+Cancer+Treatmentshttp://orise.orau.gov/reacts/guide/injury.htm