Industrial Uses of Radiation

& Radioactive Material

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

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

Medical
research

More diseaseresistant crops

Medical diagnosis
& treatment

Uses of Radiation

Manufacturing
processes

Consumer
goods &
services

~20% of Americas
energy from
nuclear power

Economics
America derives substantial economic and
employment benefits from the use of
radiation and radioactive materials:
4,000,000 jobs

$330.7 billion
annually in total
industrial sales

$60 billion in tax

revenues to local,
state & federal
governments

Economics
Nuclear energys direct and indirect
economic impacts in the US:
442,000 jobs

$90 billion in
total sales of
goods & services

$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:
Universities

Hospitals

Laboratories

Industries

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

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
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

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
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

Industrial Uses
Oil gas & mining companies use
isotopes 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

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

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

Consumer Products & Services

103 US nuclear power plants
provide ~20% of electricity

Smoke detectors installed in

~90% of Americas homes rely
on 1-2 Ci of 241Am to monitor
for smoke to signal a fire

Computer disks retain data

better when treated with radiation

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

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 Howell
Radiation Safety Officer
Wake Forest University
Baptist Medical Center

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

1942
November 1942: Los Alamos, NM
is 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

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 worlds
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?

Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan

Russia

Canada
USA

China
Mongolia

Niger

Brazil
Australia
Namibia

South
Africa

How is Uranium Processed?

World Dependence on
Nuclear Power

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Nuclear Energy 2001

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

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0%

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: 226,545,805
2000 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