Uses of Radiation

1. For Medical Use Ex. a) X-Ray Machine- Most people at some time in their lives have an X-Ray examination to help the physician diagnose disease or damage in the body. Radiation doses are generally low, although they can be appreciable in certain procedures. b) Radiation Therapy- is the medical use o ioni!ing radiation, generally as part o cancer treatment to control or "ill malignant cells. Radiation therapy may be curative in a number o types o cancer i they are locali!ed to one area o the body. #. For Electricity Generation Ex. $uclear %ower %lants- Electricity produced by nuclear ission & splitting the atom & is one o the greatest uses o radiation. The purpose o a nuclear power plant is to boil water to produce steam to power a generator to produce electricity. '. For Agricultural Applications Ex. Radioisotopes- are usually used as tracers. (ertili!ers doped with radioisotopes provide a means to ind out the amount o ertili!er up ta"en by crops and the portion that is lost. )n addition, radiation can be used to exterminate insects. *. For Industrial Applications Ex. radiation is widely used in automatic +uality control systems in production lines, such as to gauge luid level in beverage cans or density o tobacco in cigarettes. ,. For Academic and Scientific Applications Ex. -niversities, colleges, high schools, and other academic and scienti ic institutions use nuclear materials in course wor", laboratory demonstrations, experimental research, and a variety o health physics applications. (or example, .ust as doctors can label substances inside people/s bodies, scientists can label substances that pass through plants, animals, or our world. This allows researchers to study such things as the paths that di erent types o air and water pollution ta"e through the environment. 0. For Security Uses Ex. 1abinet x-ray systems are one o the more common devices used or security. They are ound primarily at airports 2the devices that carry-on bags are sent through or x-ray examination), although you might see them at the entrances to some ederal and state agencies and courthouses.

Effects of Radiation

Radiation doses o di erent si!es, delivered at di erent rates to di erent parts o the body, can cause di erent types o health e ect at di erent times. 3 very high dose to the whole body can cause death within wee"s. Radiation specialists use the unit 4rem5 2or sievert) to describe the amount o radiation dose someone received. )t is enough to "now that it indicates a measure o how much radiation energy is absorbed in our body. (or example, an absorbed dose o , rem or more received instantaneously would probably be lethal, unless treatments were given, because o damage to the bone marrow and the gastrointestinal tract. 3ppropriate medical treatment may save the li e o a person exposed to , rem, but a whole body dose o , say, #6 rem would almost certainly be atal even with medical attention.

3 very high dose to a limited area o the body might not prove atal, but other early e ects could occur. (or example, an instantaneous absorbed dose o , rem to the s"in would probably cause erythema & pain ul reddening o the s"in & within a wee" or so, whereas a similar dose to the reproductive organs might cause sterility. These types o e ect are called deterministic e ects7 they occur only i the dose or dose rate is greater than some threshold value, and the e ect occurs earlier and is more severe as the dose and dose rate increase.

8 rem received in a short period or over a long period is sa e&we don9t expect observable health e ects. 86 rem received in a short period or over a long period is sa e&we don9t expect immediate observable health e ects, although your chances o getting cancer might be very slightly increased.

866 rem received in a short time can cause observable health e ects rom which your body will li"ely recover, and 866 rem received in a short time or over many years will increase your chances o getting cancer.

8,666 rem in a short or long period o time will cause immediately observable health e ects and is li"ely to cause death.