Industrial Uses of Radiation & Radioactive Material David C Howell Radiation Safety Officer Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

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