5/21/2020 Uses for Beta Rays

Uses for Beta Rays

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Updated April 24, 2017 By Michael Judge

Beta rays, also known as beta particles, are one of the three most common forms of
radiation produced by radioactive materials; the other two being gamma and alpha. The
moderate penetrating power of these particles gives them some useful properties. For
this reason, beta particles are used in many applications in a wide range of elds.

About Beta Radiation

Beta radiation occurs when an unstable element undergoes radioactive decay. During
one form of this decay, known as beta minus, a neutron in an atom of the element breaks
down into a positively charged proton and a negative electron. The electron is ejected
from the atom as beta radiation. Beta particles are in the category of "ionizing" radiation,
meaning that they have enough energy to detach electrons from molecules that they
encounter and so can cause damage to living tissue. Beta particles have moderate

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penetrating power and can pass through, for example, a sheet of paper, although they will
be stopped by a sheet of aluminum foil.

Uses in Medicine
Radioisotopes -- chemicals that emit radiation -- are widely used in medicine. In a process
known as brachytherapy, beta radioisotopes can be used to irradiate areas inside a
patient to prevent the growth of certain tissues. This approach has been used
successfully to prevent the clogging of arterial inserts called stents. Beta particles are
also used in some forms of therapy to kill cancer cells. In addition, the emission of beta
particles is used indirectly in the medical scanning technique known as positron emission
tomography (PET).

Uses in Industry
Beta rays have a number of important uses in industrial processes. Since they can pass
through some materials, they are used to gauge the thickness of lms of material coming
off production lines such as paper and plastic lm. A similar process checks the integrity
of sewn seams in textiles. In another application, the thickness of various coatings, such
as paints, can be deduced from the amount of beta particles scattered back from that
surface.

Tracers
Radioisotopes are commonly used as tracers in chemical and biological research. By
synthesizing molecules containing a radioactive atom, the path and fate of that type of
molecule in a particular reaction or metabolic process can be followed by tracking the
radioactive signal of the isotope. One radioisotope used for this process is carbon-14
which can be inserted into organic or biological molecules and followed by its beta
radiation signal.

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Related Articles

What Uses Do Gamma Rays Have?

What Uses Do Gamma Rays Have?

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5/21/2020 Uses for Beta Rays

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Updated April 25, 2017 By Joshua Wade

The discovery of gamma rays is generally credited to French physicist Henri Becquerel in
1896. A high frequency form of electromagnetic radiation, gamma radiation is known to
cause types of cancer and other medical issues in human beings. Nevertheless, when
used in a controlled environment, gamma rays can be applied to a number of elds from
medical science to food preservation with both bene cial and highly effective results
when administered in low doses.

Medical Treatment Applications

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5/21/2020 Uses for Beta Rays

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Gamma rays ionize living tissue, causing cancer by producing free radicals. However,
because gamma rays also kill bacteria and cancer cells, they have been used to kill certain
types of cancer. In a controlled procedure, gamma rays are employed as a “gamma knife”
consisting of multiple concentrated beams of gamma rays that are focused directly onto
a tumor to kill the cancer cells while leaving the surrounding cells unharmed. Gamma
rays have also been used to sterilize equipment as an alternative to chemical treatments.

Medical Diagnostics Applications

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5/21/2020 Uses for Beta Rays

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Like other electromagnetic waves, gamma rays can be emitted in different ranges. As a
diagnostic tool, gamma rays might be emitted on the same energy range as X-rays. A
patient is injected with a nuclear isomer called technetium-99m, a radioactive tracer that
emits gamma rays. A gamma camera is then used to form an image of the tracer’s
distribution in the body by mapping the gamma rays. This image can be used to diagnose
a number of conditions from the distribution of cancer cells, to brain and cardiovascular
abnormalities.

Industrial Applications

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Gamma rays are used in an industrial setting to detect defects in metal castings and to
nd weak spots in welded structures. In a process known as industrial radiography,
sections of structures are bombarded with gamma rays which safely pass through the
metal. The metal is then observed by portable gamma cameras which show a darkening
of the weak points in the structure on a photographic image. Gamma rays are also used
to examine airport luggage and cargo. Begun in 2002, the Container Security Initiative
has been employing the use of Vehicle and Container Imaging Systems that use gamma
rays in much the same way as diagnostic medicine to take gamma ray images of cargo as
it is being imported and exported from the United States.

Food Industry Applications

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Gamma rays, namely in the form of a radionuclide called cobalt 60, are used to preserve
food in the same way as they are used to sterilize medical equipment in that they
irradiate decay causing bacteria. Cobalt 60 produces low amounts of gamma radiation,
which allows it to kill bacteria, insects, and yeast without causing a lethal dose of
radiation in humans. The process also prevents sprouting and ripening of fruits and
vegetables, while otherwise causing no signi cant changes in the food’s content.

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