Nuclear Energy & Radio Isotopes

Uses

-Scientific Uses

Researchers in nearly all fields of science use radioisotopes in their

work. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires all new drugs to
be tested for safety and effectiveness. More than 80 percent of those
drugs are tested with radioisotopes.
Radioisotopes also are essential to the biomedical research that seeks
causes and cures for diseases such as AIDS, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers also use radioisotopes in metabolic studies, genetic engineering and
environmental protection studies.
Carbon-14, a naturally occurring, long-lived radioactive substance, allows
archaeologists to determine when artifacts containing plant or animal material
were alive, created or used.

-Medical Use

The medical use of nuclear energy & radio isotopes have opened up an entire
new field of medicine called nuclear medicine. In nuclear medicine, medical
professionals inject a tiny amount of a radioisotope—a chemical element that
produces radiation—into a patient’s body. A specific organ picks up the
radioisotope, enabling a special camera to take a detailed picture of how that
organ is functioning. For example: 
Myocardial perfusion imaging maps the blood flow to the heart,
allowing doctors to see whether a patient has heart disease and
determine the most effective course of treatment.
Bone scans can detect the spread of cancer six to 18 months earlier
than X-rays.
Kidney scans are much more sensitive than X-rays or ultrasounds in
fully evaluating kidney function.
Imaging with radioactive technetium-99 can help diagnose bone infections at the
earliest possible stage.
These kinds of diagnostic procedures involve very small amounts of
radioisotopes. In higher doses, radioisotopes also help treat disease. For
example, radioactive iodine’s widespread use in therapy for thyroid cancer
results in a lower recurrence rate than drug therapy. It also avoids potentially
fatal side effects, such as the destruction of bone
marrow. Sealed sources of radiation placed inside the
body, or radiation directed from external sources, are
effective in treating various cancers. Nearly half of all
cancer patients in the United States receive radiation
treatment at some point in their therapy. Hospitals also
use radiation to sterilize materials, thus helping to
prevent the spread of diseases. Exposing these
materials to radiation does not make them radioactive.
-Industrial Use
Today, practically every industry uses radiation in some way. Manufacturers use
radioisotopes to improve the quality of goods in thousands of industrial facilities
around the world.
 
Radiation loses energy as it passes through substances. Industry has used
radioisotopes to develop highly sensitive gauges to measure the thickness and
density of many materials. It also has used radioisotopes as
imaging devices to inspect finished goods for weaknesses
and flaws.
 
Manufacturers commonly use small amounts of
radioisotopes as tracers in process materials. The tracers
make it possible to track leakage from piping systems and
monitor the rate of engine wear and corrosion of processing
equipment. They also make it possible to observe the
velocity of materials through pipes and to gauge the efficiency of filtration
systems. 

Radioactive materials also are used in industry to inspect metal parts and welds
for defects; to measure, monitor and control the thickness of sheet metal,
textiles, paper napkins, newspaper, plastics, photographic film and other
products; to calibrate instruments; to manufacture ceramics and glassware; and
to generate heat or power for remote weather stations, space satellites and other
special applications.

Industries that use radioactive materials include:

 the automobile industry, to test the quality of steel in vehicles
 aircraft manufacturers, to check for flaws in jet engines
 mining and petroleum companies, to locate and quantify oil, natural gas
and mineral deposits
 can manufacturers, to obtain the proper thickness of tin and aluminum
 pipeline companies, to look for defects in welds
 construction crews, to gauge the density of road surfaces and subsurfaces.

-Issues with the Use of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear explosions produce radiation. The nuclear

radiation harms the cells of the body which can
make people sick or even kill them. Illness can
strike people years after their exposure to nuclear
radiation.
One possible type of reactor disaster is known as a
meltdown. In such an accident, the fission reaction
goes out of control, leading to a nuclear explosion
and the emission of great amounts of radiation.
In 1979, the cooling system failed at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor near
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Radiation leaked, forcing tens of thousands of people
to flee. The problem was solved minutes before a total meltdown would have
occurred. Fortunately, there were no deaths.
In 1986, a much worse disaster struck Russia's Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
In this incident, a large amount of radiation escaped from the reactor. Hundreds
of thousands of people were exposed to the radiation. Several dozen died within
a few days. In the years to come, thousands more may die of cancers induced by
the radiation.
Nuclear reactors also have waste disposal problems. Reactors produce nuclear
waste products which emit dangerous radiation. Because they could kill people
who touch them, they cannot be thrown away like ordinary garbage. Currently,
many nuclear wastes are stored in special cooling pools at the nuclear reactors.
The United States plans to move its nuclear waste to a remote underground
dump by the year 2010.
In 1957, at a dump site in Russia's Ural Mountains, several hundred miles from
Moscow, buried nuclear wastes mysteriously exploded, killing dozens of people.
Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years.

-Conclusion
All in all, nuclear energy is certainly the way of the future but must require more
safety procedures in order to cancel any chance of accidents from occurring.

From: Rukshan Useelananthan