Found in the environment (background radiation) Nuclear Radiation Found in the environment (background radiation)

Sources of radiation Sun, heat, soil, rocks, plants Exposure to radiation varies greatly based on location

Activities can increase radiation exposure Smoking 1 ½ packs of cigarettes a day =8000 millirems/year

Flying 720 hours (airline crew) = 276 millirems/year Inhaling radon = 360 millirems/year Giving or receiving medical Xrays = 100 millirems/year

Beneficial Uses of Radiation Medical Diagnoses and Treatment Research Applications Industrial/Manufacturing Applications Food Irradiation Consumer Products/Safety and Security Spacecraft Power Supply Electric Power Generation There are many activities in our everyday lives that would be impossible without the use of radiation or radioactive materials.

Medical Uses Diagnostic Generally low doses Short-time exposures Therapeutic Generally high doses Short to long time exposures Diagnostic purposes - Radioisotopes can be used to provide an image of an internal structure in the human body, or they can allow doctors to visualize various stages in the function of an organ. Radiation from X-rays also fall into the diagnostic category. Therapeutic purposes - Radiation and radioisotopes can be used to damage or destroy abnormal or diseased cells. Therapeutic uses include treatment of cancer and other diseases with ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation can be deposited in the area being treated (the target tissue) or it can be administered externally.

Skeletal Scan of Person After a Tc-99m nuclear Medicine Injection

Food Irradiation Food treatment comparable to pasteurization Kills pests/microorganisms without harming food Controls sprouting Does not make the food radioactive FDA Approved Must be labeled Food Irradiation is a physical means of food treatment comparable to heat pasteurization, canning, or freezing. It does not make the product radioactive. The process involves exposing food, either packaged or in bulk, to one of three types of radiation: gamma rays, machine generated electrons, or X-rays. Food Irradiation promises to improve our ability to preserve food for longer with better retention of the original qualities of the food, while at the same time reducing the incidence of food-borne diseases and infestation problems in bulk foods.

Spacecraft Power Supplies Small radioactive sources have provided heat and electrical power for space probes for decades Radioactive power supplies have allowed space craft to explore the outer solar system, too far from the sun for solar panels to be effective

Consumer Products Safety and Security Smoke Detection Equipment Self-powered Lighting in Exit Signs Lighted Aircraft Instrumentation Pharmaceutical Detection Bomb/Weapons Detection Scanning and Surveillance Equipment Theft Deterrent Systems Radioisotopes can also be used to test for the presence of certain materials. For example, a small amount of americium-241 is found in most smoke detectors used in homes and offices. This radioisotope is part of the sensing unit that triggers an alarm when smoke is present. Radioactive material is used in self-illuminating exit signs and aircraft instrumentation. The radioactive material supplies the energy to stimulate the contained compound to glow in the dark. (The Regulation and Use Of Radioisotopes in Today's World -NUREG/BR-0217)

Electric Power Generation Nuclear Power supplies about 20% of the country’s electric power Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power does not release greenhouse gasses As concern over global warming grows and parts of the country struggle to obtain reliable and affordable electric power, nuclear power continues to meet a significant part of US energy needs. Source of chart: Energy Information Administration Annual Energy Outlook 2000 http://gils.doe.gov:1782/cgi-bin/w3vdkhgw?qryCDAVuliZ_;doecrawl-024700