Unexpected Uses of Radioisotopes and Nuclear Technologies

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Unexpected Uses of Radioisotopes and Nuclear
Technologies
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Household Consumer Products

• Smoke Detectors
• Non-Stick Cookware
• Textiles
• Irradiated Foods
• Cosmetics, hair products, and contacts solution
  sterilization processes

• Polymerization of polymers
• Photocopiers
• Some types of ice cream

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Smoke Detectors

• Alpha radiation ionizes air particles, which
  conduct electrical current
• Smoke attracts the ionized particles and reduces
  the electrical current
• When smoke is present, the lower electrical
  current causes an alarm to sound

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Antique Household Products

• (No Longer Manufactured)
• Radium Dial Watches
• Fiesta Ware
• Vaseline Glass
• Camping Lantern Mantels

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Industrial Applications

• Imaging Applications
• Looking at clogged pipes
• Checking sealed cans for level of contents
• Looking for microcracks in mechanical parts,
  bridges, and welds
• Oil, gas, and mining companies map contours of
  test wells and mine bores

• Measurement Applications
• Measuring egg shell thickness
• Maintaining constant thickness for paper, metal,
  or fabric sheets
• Oil well logging
• Regulate blast furnaces, liquid metal in molds,
  and kiln load levels
• Road surface density gauges

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Sheet Thickness Control

• If too much radiation gets through, the sensor
  triggers a weakening of the rollers, so the sheet
  comes out thicker.
• If too little radiation passes, the sheet is too
  thick - so the sensor makes the rollers press
  harder. This feedback keeps the thickness the
  same.

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Industrial Applications contd

• Production of coated paper
• Production of heat and chemical resistance wire
  and cable
• Wear and corrosion testing of engines
• Toughen plastics and electronic components
• Production of luminous paint and products such as
  exit signs, runway lights, lights, dials, gauges,
  and watches

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Identification and Authentication

• Artwork authentication
• Criminal Forensics
• Scan luggage to detect explosives or concealed
  weapons at airports
• Identification of chemical elements in debris
  from space
• Carbon-14 dating

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Radioactive Tracers

• Label molecules to trace them through metabolic
  processes
• Used to track water flow in areas around
  landfills and waste sites
• Weapons fallout acts as a global tracer for
  biogeochemical cycles
• Measure internal combustion engine component wear
  

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Agricultural Uses

• Reduce post-harvest losses by suppressing
  sprouting and contamination
• Breed disease-resistant livestock and plants
• Preserve food products and seeds
• Insect/pest control using sterilization rather
  than chemicals

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Medical Science

• Disease diagnosis and treatment (99mTc, 60Co,
  131I)
• Testing of new pharmaceuticals
• Biomedical research - human genome project,
  cancer cell biology, AIDS and Alzheimers
  research
• Positron Emission Topography PET (18F)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI
• X-rays
• Sterilization of disposable medical supplies

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Space Exploration

• Small, nuclear powered generators, RTGs

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New Technologies and Applications

• Ion Implantation
• Artificial implants
• Improved wear resistance of mechanical parts
• Plasma Processing
• Computer chip manufacturing
• Semiconductor and thin film processing