Name Prasanna Patil

Grade 10
MYP5 Physics- Criteria D

Case Study - Uses and dangers of radioactivity

Date: 2/11/22
__________________________________________________________________________________________

The Tasks:
• Research the topic of how radioactivity works and its possible dangers before drafting
your answers
• Write no more than 200 words in total for both questions in MS Word Calibri font
size 12, but diagrams can be included in addition to the words
• Remember to use scientific keywords appropriately throughout your answers to pass
criterion D(iii)
• You MUST provide citations for all your sources of information and pictures/video
clips etc. that you download from the internet
o Citations are required to pass criterion D(iv)
o Please use the APA citation method consistently.
o See the last page for an example citation from the Wikipedia entry on Pierre
Curie that I used.

1. Research and describe how radioactivity is used in industry or medicine.

Hints to get you thinking:

What is radioactivity?

How much penetrating power does each type have?

How does the example you have picked work?

Can you explain why the example you selected works in the example use you have picked?
(Criterion Di/iii)

Answer) Radioactivity is the emission of particles from unstable nuclei found in unstable isotopes. There are
3 most common types of radiation: alpha, beta and gamma.

The penetrating power of these are vastly different, where alpha particles, having the largest mass out of
the 3, can be blocked by a few pages of papers stacked together. Beta particles can pass through the paper
but are blocked by aluminium foil. Gamma rays have the most penetrating power and can only be stopped
concrete, lead or other heavy shielding materials to block them.

“Gamma knife” is an example of radioactivity being used in medicine. Gamma radiation, as the name
suggests, is a type of electromagnetic radiation where the gamma particles are in the form of rays. It is used
to kill cancerous tumours deep inside the body. Gamma knife works by aiming the gamma rays at the tumour
to maximise the dosage of radiation on the tumour and minimally affect the dosage on the surrounding
 -2- Case Study - Radioactivity 2022-23

healthy tissue. Gamma knife works because gamma radiation has the most penetrating power due to its
small mass and can reach deep parts of the body without impediments.

Citation:

1. Anonymous. (n.d.). Some uses of radioactivity: In medicine - the dangers and uses of radiation - CCEA -
GCSE combined science revision - CCEA single award - BBC bitesize. BBC News. Retrieved
November 2, 2022, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpjy3j6/revision/1

2. Cognito. (2019, October 27). GCSE physics -Using radiation in medicine . YouTube. Retrieved
November 2, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDrR_dVmqZk

2. Research the effects of radioactivity on the human body.

Hints to get you thinking:

Did the United States Radium Corporation protect their workers?

Were the company or the workers aware of the dangers of Radium, or was it a new technology that was regarded as a miracle material?

Evaluate and discuss whether the soldiers in the Balkans war and the radium dial painters were similarly misled about the effects of the
radioactive materials they were handling in their jobs.
(Criterion Dii/iii)

Answer) Radioactive materials are hazardous. Radioactive emissions are dangerous as they cause ionization
by removing electrons from atoms.
If ionization occurs in molecules of living cells, the DNA or the cell’s genetic code is damaged. This can lead
to cancer. Radiation also has the ability to deposit large amounts of energy into the body, leading to
complete damage or destruction of the cells.
The main aspects of effect of different types of radiation and their effect on the human body are –

• Alpha radiation cannot harm the body if its source is outside the body, because it cannot pass through
the skin and is unable to reach the cells inside the body.
• Beta and gamma radiation can bypass the skin and cause damage to the cells inside the body.
• Alpha radiation can damage internal cells if the source of radiation has been inhaled in or swallowed.
 -3- Case Study - Radioactivity 2022-23

“Radium Girls” is an example of a case study of effects of radiation on the human body.
During World War 1, many factories across the United States started to produce watches and military
dials that were painted with a material containing radium, which is a radioactive element that is
phosphorescent in nature.
Hundreds of women were hired for the painting jobs because their small hands were the best for detailed
painting. The women who were hired to paint dials came to be known as “ghost girls” because the radium
dust to which they were exposed to, made their skin literally glow. Many of the women also congested
radium because they were instructed to use their lips to bring their paint brushes to a fine point. What
the women didn’t know was that radium was highly dangerous, especially with repeated exposure.
Therefore, after continuous exposure to radium, the women’s bodies were slowly being destroyed from
the inside. Symptoms like painful ulcers bleeding, and pus were developing inside the women’s jaws.

Citation:

1. Anonymous. (n.d.). The effects of radiation on the human body - the dangers and uses of radiation -
CCEA - GCSE physics (single science) revision - CCEA - BBC bitesize. BBC News. Retrieved
November 2, 2022, from
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6k6cqt/revision/1#:~:text=Radioactive%20isotopes%20can%2
0sit%20in,irradiate%20for%20a%20long%20time.&text=High%20doses%20can%20cause%20sterilit
y%20or%20mutations.&text=Radiation%20can%20burn%20skin%20or%20cause%20cancer.&text=R
adiation%20can%20cause%20leukaemia%20and%20other%20diseases%20of%20the%20blood.

2. Vaughan, D. (2020, June 5). Radium girls: The women who fought for their lives in a killer workplace.
Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.britannica.com/story/radium-girls-the-women-who-fought-for-their-lives-in-a-killer-
workplace
 -4- Case Study - Radioactivity 2022-23

Achievement Year 5 Level descriptor: Criterion D -

Level What you have to do
Reflecting on the impacts of science
0 The student does not reach a standard described by any of
the descriptors below.
The student is able to:
i. state the ways in which science is used to address a i. State an example of radioactivity
specific problem or issue ii. State examples/reasons why radioactivity
ii. state the implications of using science to solve a can be dangerous
1–2 specific problem or issue, interacting with a factor iii. Use some keywords with help
iii. apply scientific language to communicate iv. Provide a citation/link to your information
understanding but does so with limited success source with help
iv. document sources, with limited success
The student is able to:
i. outline the 3 types of radioactivity using
i. outline the ways in which science is used to address a
examples of their penetrating power
specific problem or issue
ii. outline examples/reasons why
ii. outline the implications of using science and its
radioactivity can be dangerous, using the
3–4 application to solve a specific problem or issue,
story of the radium girls/Balkans war
interacting with a factor
iii. Use some keywords
iii. sometimes apply scientific language to communicate
iv. Provide a citation/link to your information
understanding
source
iv. sometimes document sources correctly
i. list - with details – how the 3 types of
The student is able to:
radioactivity are used in medicine or
i. summarize the ways in which science is applied and
industry
used to address a specific problem or issue
ii. describe the problems of using radioactivity
ii. describe the implications of using science and its
are in medicine or industry, referring to
5–6 application to solve a specific problem or issue,
their penetrating power/half life
interacting with a factor
iii. Use the correct keywords and sentences for
iii. usually apply scientific language to communicate
most answers
understanding clearly and precisely
iv. Provide citations/links for some of your
iv. usually document sources correctly
information sources using APA citation
i. describe how the 3 types of radioactivity
The student is able to: are used in medicine or industry, referring
i. describe the ways in which science is applied and to/using examples of their penetrating
used to address a specific problem or issue power
ii. discuss and analyse the implications of using science ii. discuss and analyse how workers in these
7–8 and its application to solve a specific problem or industries/fields of work can be protected
issue, interacting with a factor from the effects of radioactivity
iii. consistently apply scientific language to iii. Use the correct keywords and sentences
communicate understanding clearly and precisely in all answers
iv. document sources completely iv. Provide citations/links for all your
information sources using APA citation
 -5- Case Study - Radioactivity 2022-23

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Curie under the section about his death;

43. Mould, R.F. (2007). "Pierre Curie, 1859–1906". Current Oncology. 14 (2): 74-
82. doi:10.3747/co.2007.110. PMC 1891197. PMID 17576470.
44. ^ Tasch, Barbara (31 August 2015). "These personal effects of 'the mother of modern physics' will be
radioactive for another 1500 years". Business Insider. Retrieved 9 July 2016.

45. ^ Concasty, Marie-Louise (1914-1977) Auteur du texte; texte, Bibliothèque nationale (France) Auteur du
(1967). Pierre et Marie Curie : [exposition], Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, [octobre-décembre] 1967 /
[catalogue réd. par Marie-Louise Concasty] ; [préf. par Étienne Dennery].

46. ^ Redniss, Lauren (2010). Radioactive : Marie And Pierre Curie : a tale of love and fallout (1st ed.). New York:
HarperEntertainment. ISBN 978-0061351327.

47. ^ Bartusiak, Marcia (11 November 2011). ""Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie – A Tale of Love and Fallout" by
Lauren Redniss". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 July 2016.