Chemistry Grad PBAT SY 2020-21 Doucoure

Chemistry Graduation PBAT

SY 2020-21

Gamma Radiation Simulation Project

Student: Hatouma Doucoure

School: International Community High School

Subject: Chemistry

Teacher: Annette Irmgard Kuhn Ritz

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 Chemistry Grad PBAT SY 2020-21 Doucoure

Introduction

Nuclear chemical change is a change that occurs to an organism during the radioactivity

of an unstable element that emits gamma rays. We learned about radioactivity from the video

‘What Does a Nuclear Bomb Feel Like’ (Motherboard, 2018) that the life of veterans that were

chosen for testing the nuclear bomb changed forever. They were young and their future was

ruined. They were just told that they will test a bomb but they didn’t know anything extra about

what will happen and the consequences. They were tricked by the government. During the

testing, the veterans were able to see every bone in their hand and even their blood vessels

(Motherboard, 2018). It affects their entire life and their descendants too. None of the veterans

died of natural causes, they died because of cancer and other diseases related to the explosion of

the nuclear bomb. From this information I generated a series of research questions that are the

followings:

1.What are the consequences of a nuclear bomb?

2.How does a nuclear bomb affect a person’s health?

3.How is a regular bomb and nuclear bomb different?

4.What are the components of a nuclear bomb?

Radioactivity is the emission of alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays due to the

disintegration of an unstable isotope that means the breakdown of an isotope. Alpha radiation is

the result of the breakdown of an unstable isotope to an atom with 2 protons and no electron that

correspond to the helium atom and one other element that is more stable. The Alpha particle has

a positive charge. For example

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235 4 231

U → He + Th

92 2 90

In this equation, the U (uranium) is the unstable isotope that breaks down in He (helium) the
alpha particle and Th (thorium) the more stable element.

Beta radiation is an electron (negative charge) that was ejected from the nucleus when a neutron

also changes into a proton. In the equation we can notice that the element that is emitted in

addition to the beta radiation has the same mass number as the radioactive element because of

the new proton maked. For example:

131 0 131

I → e + Xe

53 -1 54

In this equation, the I (iodine) is the element that emits beta particles. The e represents the
electron rejected meaning beta in addition to the Xe (xenon) more stable.

Gamma radiation is emitted by a radioactive element that has a very high energy density. The

element that emitted the gamma rays breakdown to gamma rays and the same element without

any energy because the energy is the gamma rays. For example:

60 60

Co* → gamma rays + Co

27 27

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In this equation, the Co* is the high energy element that contains gamma rays that break down

and release the gamma rays in addition to the same element but now completely safe without any

energy.

Radioactivity is harmful to the human body because it can cause serious injury to his organism,

especially the DNA, that can lead to diseases like cancer, infertility and others.

The video “The Effects of Radiation on our Health” (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete

Nucleaire, 2013) described the DNA, how radioactivity damages it and types of effect of

radioactivity. The DNA is a molecule formed by a double helix coding for instructions to make

up our inherited traits meaning traits that we received from heredity. Aggressive agents like

ionizing radiation damage DNA directly or indirectly because the water in the cell consists of

free radicals that have a very high rate of reactivity. This damage of DNA can have the following

consequences that are a single strand break, a double strand break, the destruction of the bases,

the modification of the bases, and the connection between two adjacent bases. Deterministic

effects of radioactivity are when cells die in great numbers due to the radiation dose being high.

It also demonstrated that the longer the organism is exposed to radiation, the more the effect will

be and the shorter the less effect. Compared to deterministic effects, stochastic effects of

radioactivity don't necessarily affect each person, however they still have the danger of

developing diseases later on. The intensity depends on the dose, the organs, and the side of the

body which has been exposed to it. The occurrence of cancerous cells is a stochastic effect,

however it can’t be predicted at the scale of an individual but the risk of attraction by an

individual can be estimated. Epidemiologists did the following investigations on the radium

workers (1930), uranium miners (1950), the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) and the

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groups of patients treated by radiotherapy. In detail, the investigation about uranium miners

showed that the air breathed by the workers was contaminated with radon. That means the

miners were dangerously exposed to elements unknowing their radioactive property that led to

so many cancer cases at that time. Radioactivity is the emission of radiation by certains elements

that can result in cancer, other damages or even be useful.

Method

Gamma radiation is (Nasa Goddard, 2013) emitted by unstable elements with high

frequency, and have shorter wavelengths that makes it very energetic. The scientific reasoning

using UV rays instead of gamma rays for the experiment was that ultraviolet rays and gamma

rays are similar in the way that they are all electromagnetic radiation and have energy with high

frequency (Nasa Goddard, 2013). They are also different because ultraviolet is emitted by hot

objects in space like the sun but gamma rays are emitted by unstable isotopes. The project is a

simulation because it’s an experiment to see how gamma rays work and affect health but instead

we are using X Rays because they have similar properties.

The hypothesis for the Gamma Radiation Simulation Project is if we expose E. Coli

bacteria to UV rays longer then the E. Coli bacteria will have a lower survival rate (Kuhn, 2020

semester 1), because the DNA damage will be higher. We defined the independent variable as the

UV rays exposure time. Furthermore the dependent variable was E. Coli bacteria survival rate.

The independent variable and the dependent variable are connected in the following way that the

independent variables are the one that affect and have an impact on the dependent variables

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during the experiment (Khan Academy, 2018). The control group was E. Coli bacteria not

exposed to UV rays. Additionally the experimental group was E. Coli bacteria exposed to UV

rays. The following controlled variables were identified as the same UV chamber, E. Coli

bacteria, location, temperature, sterile applicator and the same petri dishes. The reasons to

identify the controlled variables were to put all the bacterias in the condition so the results could

be more precise and reliable (Khan Academy, 2018).

Procedure

The class-wide procedure had the following steps:

1. Take 4 Petri dishes, 3 Petri dishes for the experimental group, 1 for the control group.

2. Apply E. coli bacteria on 4 Petri dishes with a sterile applicator in zig-zag motion.

3. Close each Petri dish with a lid.

4. Label 4 Petri dish with student initials, class and exposure time to UV rays with waterproof

pen.

5. Expose E. coli bacteria to UV rays in the UV chamber according to each exposure time of the

experimental group.

6. Put 4 Petri dishes in the incubator at 37 celsius for 24 hours.

7. Take Petri dish out of the incubator after 24 hours.

8. Count E. coli bacteria using the grid method.

For this procedure the following materials were used:

- Escherichia coli bacteria

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- 4 Petri dish with lid

- sterile applicator

- waterproof pen

- UV ray chamber with timer

- Incubator

- Grid paper

Error

An error in an experiment (Khan Academy, 2018) is a mistake that can happen during an

experiment. Sometimes when you are not very attentive, you can take the data incorrectly or

disorganize some numbers. In evaluating the procedure of our Gamma Radiation Simulation

Project the following error could be identified. One error would be that the petri dishes didn’t

complete 24 hours in the UV chamber. Another one that the control group Pedri dish was

labelled as an experimental group and an experimental group petri dish labeled as a control

group. Also maybe all the E coli bacteria were not counted using the grid method.

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Data

The chemistry students of International Community High School collected the data used in this

scientific paper in semester 1 of the school year 2019-20. The students used the grid method

(Kuhn, 2020 semester 1). The grid method is the method used in this experiment to help count

the E. Coli bacterias.

Student Groups Results Raw Data

Control group - not exposed to UV rays

Exposure time to UV rays 0 seconds

Number of grid squares with bacteria 61, 68, 90, 109, 100, 80, 51, 106, 94

Experimental groups - exposed to UV rays

Exposure time to UV rays 30 seconds

Number of grid squares with bacteria 1, 0, 0, 91, 0, 67, 0, 45, 0

Exposure time to UV rays 60 seconds

Number of grid squares with bacteria 0, 0, 0, 73, 9, 66, 0, 42, 2

Exposure time to UV rays 90 seconds

Number of grid squares with bacteria 0, 0, 0, 86, 1, 59, 0, 0, 36

Exposure time to UV rays 120 seconds

Number of grid squares with bacteria 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0

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 Chemistry Grad PBAT SY 2020-21 Doucoure

Table: E. Coli Bacteria at different exposure time to UV Rays

Exposure
Time to UV 0 seconds 30 seconds 60 seconds 90 seconds 120 seconds
rays

Number of 61, 68, 90, 1, 0, 0, 91, 0, 0, 0, 0, 73, 9, 0, 0, 0, 86, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0,

Grid
Squares 109, 100, 80, 67, 0, 45, 0 66, 0, 42, 2 59, 0, 0, 36 2, 0, 0, 0
with
Bacteria 51, 106, 94

Mean
Number of
Grid 84.33 22.66 21.33 20.22 0.33
Squares
with
Bacteria

Median
Number of
Grid 90 0 2 0 0
Squares
with
Bacteria

Range
Number of
Grid 58 91 73 86 2
Squares
with
Bacteria

Caption: Based on the exposure time to the UV rays, we can conclude that the longer the E-Coli

bacteria is exposed to it the less likely it is to survive.

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Graph

Caption:

According to this graph, the E-Coli Bacteria not exposed to the UV rays has the highest survival

rate compared to the ones exposed to the UV rays.

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 Chemistry Grad PBAT SY 2020-21 Doucoure

The mean is the average number of a data set, meaning the number resulting from the

sum of all the data values divided by the number of data given. For example if we take the data

of the bacteria not exposed to UV rays we had 61, 68, 90, 109, 100, 80, 51, 106, 94. The sum is

759. There are 9 data sets so we divide 759 by 9 that is equal to the mean 84.33. The median is

the middle value of a data set when organized from the smallest to the greatest. If we take the

data of the bacteria exposed to UV rays for 60 min, we get 0, 0, 0, 73, 9, 66, 0, 42, 2. The

numbers after organized give 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 9, 42, 66, 73 and from this we can deduce that 2 us the

median. The range is the difference between the highest and lowest data value in a data set. The

range is found by repairing the highest and lowest value of a data set and then subtracting both.

If we take the same example of the bacteria exposed to UV rays for 60 second, the values were

0, 0, 0, 73, 9, 66, 0, 42, 2. The highest value is 73 and the lowest value is 0 so if we subtract

them we get 73 which is the range.

Discussion

The class data for the E-Coli bacteria exposed to the UV rays over 120 seconds were the

following: 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0. These data showed that the bacteria exposed, the longest time

in this experiment which was 120 seconds, that only three grid squares contain surviving

bacteria at the end of the experiment. The relationship between the exposure time to the UV rays

and the grid square method is that the shorter the organism is exposed to UV rays , the higher its

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chance to survive. For 0 second, the mean was 84.33 but for 30 second, the mean was 22.66

meaning that there’s a big difference according to the exposure time.

Based on my analysis of the experimental data I can conclude that UV rays have a high

energy that can affect organisms and damage their DNA. The hypothesis of the experiment was

if we expose E. Coli bacteria to UV rays longer then the E. Coli bacteria will survive less, have a

lower survival rate, because the DNA damage will be higher. The class data support the

hypothesis because in the experiment we saw that the E. Coli bacteria that were exposed for 120

seconds to the UV rays had a lot of damage that led to their death. When recorded only 3 bacteria

survived to the rays. I predict that these survivors’s DNA were very damaged and that if they

were exposed even a little longer to the UV rays they would be dead too.

My research question for the Gamma Radiation Simulation Project was: How does a nuclear

bomb affect a person’s health? I will answer this question now. A nuclear bomb is a bomb that

causes an explosion by a sudden release of a massive energy gamma rays. Gamma rays are the

highest energy known in the electromagnetic spectrum. Gamma rays can penetrate anything and

that includes living organism’s body, and the organism’s DNA can be damaged and lead to

cancer and other diseases. Therefore a nuclear bomb can affect a person’s health by causing it

serious diseases and most of the time lead to death.

The following error that the petri dishes did more than 24 hours in the UV chamber

(Kuhn, 2020 semester 1), was possible. This error could influence the data in the following way

that some more damaged bacteria died because of the additional time that maybe wouldn’t if

there were take out at time. Additionally, another error that could be made during the experiment

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is that all the E coli bacteria were not counted using the grid method. This other error could

influence the data in the way that for example if all the bacteria exposed 90 seconds to the UV

rays were properly counted but the ones exposed for 60 seconds weren’t then the results could be

similar and be systematically wrong. This error of not counting the bacteria properly could be

avoided by counting the bacteria randomly by each person in the group or by two people at a

time.

Conclusion

Research and experimenter bias in the scientific method could be described (Kuhn, 2020

Semester 1) in the following way that during an experience the researcher influences or changes

the results, either conscientiously or not. Reviewing the investigative plan and the procedure, the

effects of bias could be further reduced by peer reviewing the data and procedure by different

researchers. Methodological limitations could be defined (Price and Murnan, 2004) as something

that can influence the interpretation of data, constrains the generalizability and decreases

applications to practice.

The Gamma Radiation Simulation Project had the following methodological limitations

that are the use of UV rays instead of gamma rays. UV rays and gamma rays have similar

properties and are all highly energetic. The reason why gamma rays weren’t used is because it is

very harmful and can cause serious injury. But by using UV rays we can have similar results as if

gamma rays were. The second limitation is the time constraints, this year because of coronavirus

we were not able to have our regular schedule that allows us to do the experiment ourselves and

take our time analyzing our experiment well.

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I researched the following topic on the ‘Radium Workers’. This topic is about the women

working in the waterbury company. These women were employed to paint the dials and numbers

onto watches, the most precise and finely possible, in order to meet these criterias they used their

mouth to put the fibers together before plunging the brush into the radium. This is related to the

Gamma Radiation Simulation Project for my independent research. In this independent research

I learned that radium is harmful to humans’s health, exposure to it can cause problems like

anemia, sore throat, deteriorating jaw, soft teeth, spontaneous bone fractures, and aches. Also

that the women that just worked for a few months in that position still fight many cancer battles

before death and she was the oldest. My findings are connected to the Gamma Radiation

Simulation Project in the following way that both radium and UV rays have harmful and

dangerous effects on organisms, once put in contact with them. In conclusion of the

Gamma Radiation Simulation Project I identified the following next research questions:

What are the effects of beta radiation on Clostridium Difficile (Longitude Team, 2014)

bacteria?

How long can the Clostridium Difficile resist beta radiation?

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References:

Community High School, Semester 1, 2020

Fontaine, N. (2020) Waterbury’s Radium Girls. CONNECTICUTHISTRORY.org Retrieved from

https://connecticuthistory.org/waterburys-radium-girls/

Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire – IRSN (2013) The Effects of

Radiation on our Health Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq6FDyFeCN0

Khan Academy (2018) Biology and the Scientific Method Review Retrieved from

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-biology-foundations/hs-biolog

y-and-the-scientific-method/a/hs-biology-and-the-scientific-method-review

Kuhn, A. I. (2020) Nuclear Chemistry, lecture notes, Chemistry. International

Longitude Team (2014) 10 Most Dangerous Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Retre

https://longitudeprize.org/blog-post/10-most-dangerous-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria

Motherboard (2018) What Does a Nuclear Bomb Explosion Feel Like? Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y__dxTaGEp0

Nasa Goddard (2013) The Electromagnetic Spectrum Retrieved from

https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/emspectrum1.html

Price, J. H. and Murnan, J (2004). Research Limitations and the Necessity of Reporting Them.

American Journal of Health Education, 35 66-67.

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