NMC - Nuclear Facts - Radiation - Medical and industrial uses of radioactive materials

n	America's advanced industrial economy and high standard of living would not be possible without the use of radioactive materials. They make it possible to do many jobs better, easier, quicker, cheaper and more simply. In some cases, there are no alternatives to radioactive materials.
n	Radioactive materials are used extensively in medical diagnosis and treatment; research into cures for disease; the development of new drugs; hardier, more disease-resistant crops; everyday consumer goods and services; and the nuclear energy that supplies about one-fifth of our electricity—to name just a few.
n	Radioactive materials also provide substantial economic and employment benefits to Americans. Every year, radioactive materials—not counting those related to the generation of electricity—are responsible for approximately $330.7 billion in total industry sales; four million jobs; and $60 billion in tax revenues to local, state and federal governments. The direct and indirect economic impact of nuclear energy for generating electricity totals $90 billion in total sales of goods and services; 442,000 jobs; and $17.8 billion in federal, state and local government tax revenues.

Where do radioactive materials come from?
Some radioactive elements, such as radium, are found in nature, but most radioactive materials are produced commercially in nuclear reactors or cyclotrons—also called particle accelerators. A cyclotron uses electric current to accelerate atomic particles, which strike the non-radioactive "target" material, turning it into a radioactive isotope—or variant—of its original structure.

For example, when the non-radioactive "target" element cobalt is struck by neutrons in a reactor, it is transformed into a radioisotope—cobalt-60—which is used to treat cancer and sterilize medical and consumer products.

Usually only one type of radionuclide can be produced at a time in a cyclotron, while a reactor can produce many different radionuclides simultaneously. With nuclear reactors and cyclotrons, it is possible to make useful amounts of radioactive material safely and at low cost.

Once radionuclides are produced, they are packaged and safely shipped to users throughout the country, including hospitals, laboratories, universities and manufacturing plants.

Companies that produce and sell radioactive materials are licensed and inspected by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or the state regulatory agency, and—if the product is a pharmaceutical—by other agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration.

How radioactive materials are used
Medicine—Every year, one in three of the 30 million Americans who are hospitalized are diagnosed or treated with nuclear medicine techniques. Radionuclides are used in more than 11 million nuclear medicine procedures every year in the United States. They also are used in 100 million laboratory tests on body fluid and tissue specimens.

Diagnosis is one of the main uses of nuclear medicine. It is made possible by the tendency of some natural elements to concentrate in certain parts of the body: iodine in the thyroid, phosphorus in the bones, potassium in the muscles. When a patient is injected with a radioactive element, a special camera can take pictures of the internal workings of the organ. For example:

Radionuclides—in a stronger form—also can be used to treat disease. When President and Mrs. Bush suffered from Graves' disease, a thyroid condition, they were cured by drinking a form of radioactive iodine that concentrates naturally in the thyroid and destroys the diseased portion. This treatment is so successful that it has virtually replaced thyroid surgery.

Radioactive iodine is also widely used to treat thyroid cancer. Compared to drug therapy, it has a lower recurrence rate and avoids potentially fatal side effects like destruction of bone marrow.

Scientific research—The Food and Drug Administration requires all new drugs to be tested for safety and effectiveness. More than 80 percent of those drugs are tested with radioactive materials.

Radioactive materials also are essential to the biomedical research that seeks causes and cures for diseases like AIDS, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Radionuclides are used extensively in metabolic studies, genetic engineering and environmental protection studies.

Carbon-14, a naturally occurring, long-lived radioactive substance, makes it possible for archaeologists to tell when artifacts containing plant or animal material were alive, created or used. For example, carbon-14 dating showed that the Shroud of Turin did not belong to the period when Christ was alive.

Criminal investigators use radiation to examine physical evidence and to link suspects to crimes. Museums rely on radioactive materials to verify the authenticity of paintings and art objects.

Industry—Today, practically every industry uses radioactive materials. Because radiation loses energy as it passes through substances, industry has been able to develop highly sensitive gauges to measure the thickness and density of many materials, as well as imaging devices to inspect finished goods for weaknesses and flaws.

Small amounts of a radioactive substance are commonly used as tracers in process materials. They make it possible to track leakage from piping systems, monitor the rate of engine wear and corrosion of processing equipment, observe the velocity of materials through pipes and gauge system filtration efficiency.

Radiation detection instruments are widely used, because they make it possible to take measurements without direct physical contact with the substance being measured, and they provide excellent cost savings. For example, level gauges containing radioactive sources are used where heat, pressure or corrosive substances, like molten glass or metal, make it difficult or impossible to use direct contact gauges.

Agriculture—Radionuclides are a basic tool for agricultural scientists around the world. Among their many uses:

Consumer products and services—Radioactive materials supply necessities and conveniences that virtually everyone depends on.

Economic and employment benefits of radioactive materials
Each year in the United States, radioactive materials—not counting those involved in the operation of nuclear power plants-are directly and indirectly responsible for about $330.7 billion in total industry sales, four million jobs, and $60 billion in federal, state and local government tax revenues. The states reaping the greatest economic benefits from radioactive materials are Pennsylvania, Virginia, Oregon, California, Tennessee, Minnesota and Washington.

The use of nuclear energy to produce electricity also has a significant impact on the economy. It accounts for $90 billion in total sales of goods and services, 442,000 jobs, and $17.8 billion in federal, state and local government tax revenues.