Radioactivity Uses

Radioactivity uses can be as varied as medicines to scientific research to agriculture. Read this article to enhance your knowledge on different uses of radioactivity.Radioactivity can be defined as a physical process where the elements with unstable nuclei gets disintegrated to form smaller nuclei. During this process, three different types of rays are emitted. They are: alpha (α), beta (β) and gamma (γ) rays. Some commonly found elements that show radioactive properties are uranium, thorium, radium, polonium, etc. When we are talking about radioactivity uses, we mean usage of the radiations that are transmitted by the radioisotopes of various elements. Learn more on what is radioactivity?

How is Radioactivity Used in Medicine?

When the rays of radioactivity is used for the treatment of various diseases, it is termed as radiotherapy. It is an effective treatment for various forms of cancer. Here, a high dose of gamma rays are penetrated through the immature cancerous cells that are growing at a rapid pace in order to destroy them. Thus it will kill the malignant cells without affecting the normal ones. Similar kind of treatment is carried out for the elimination of tumors as well. It is also used for the diagnosis of several diseases. Radioactive pills are used to check if the organs of the body are functioning normally. It helps in the detection of exact location of a tumor or a blood clot in various parts of the body. Radioactive iodine-123 is popularly used for the diagnosis of thyroid problems. Cobalt-67 is useful for diagnosing pernicious anemia. Another important radioactivity uses in medicines is in the sterilization of medical instruments. Know more on radioactive isotopes in medicine.

How is Radioactivity Used to Date Rocks?

The rocks contain traces of carbon-14, which is slightly radioactive in nature. Over a period of time, the unstable nucleus of the radioisotope undergo radioactive decay to form sable isotopes. The original unstable isotope is referred to as parent isotope and the stable isotope product is referred to as the daughter isotope. Comparing the ratio of the quantities of these two isotopes present in the collected sample of the rock, the exact date of the rock is determined. The older the age of the rock, the lesser will be the amount of carbon-14 present in it. Find more on carbon dating accuracy.

What are the Other Radioactivity Uses?

Nuclear reactor is a device that helps to produce radiation in a controlled manner. The huge amount of energy generated during a nuclear fission reaction inside a nuclear reactor is further utilized for production of electrical energy. New useful fission products are also obtained in the process. Radioactivity is widely used for the research and analysis of various physical, chemical and biological processes. Radioactivity has a wide range of uses in various manufacturing industries all across the world. It is used to test the integrity of the manufactured products including pipeline welds, aircraft parts, boilers, etc.

It has various uses in the agriculture research studies. Phosphorus-32 is added to phosphate fertilizer to determine the exact quantity of phosphorus being absorbed by the plants from the fertilizer. Cobalt-60 is used to improve the production of crops both in terms of quality as well as quantity. Radioactivity is used for the sterilization of food. For this, concentrated beams are passed through the food products so that the microorganisms that causes contamination of the food can be killed effectively. This is an absolute safe method and does not cause any radiation poisoning. To know more, refer to radioactive isotope uses.

In this article you have learned about some important radioactivity uses. However, it has to be used in a very controlled manner, as these radiations have potential dangers associated with them. If human body is exposed to excess amount of radiation, it can cause cancer and genetic mutation.
By Bidisha Mukherjee