Dominant Role Of Radioactive Isotopes In Our Everyday Lives
Isotopes have had a confounding impact on society in terms of the environment, industry, medicine, politics, and numerous other areas. As civilization continues to develop, isotopes play an even more dominant role in our everyday lives. One such isotope is radioactive isotopes.
Radioactive isotopes can be used for many things. We use them in our homes, in industry and in medicine for things such as smoke detectors, detecting leaks in pipes and radiotherapy. Even though there are risks to using radiation, it can be very useful and it has impacted our society in both good and bad ways. Two examples of radioactive isotopes that have impacted our society greatly are Uranium-235 and Cobalt-60. To understand the effect of radioactive isotopes, one must first know the very definition of what an isotope is.
An isotope of an element can be defined as an atom with the same number of protons (atomic number) but with a different number of neutrons (atomic mass) (Biosyn, What is an isotope). All elements have isotopes, in which some are stable and some are unstable. Unstable atoms, also referred to as radioactive isotopes, don’t have enough binding energy (“the energy required to break up a molecule, atom, or atomic nucleus completely into the particles that make it up” (Merriam Webster)) to hold the nucleus together due to either an excess of protons or neutrons (IOP, radioactivity).
To become more stable, radioactive isotopes undergo a process called radioactive decay, by which the nucleus breaks up, resulting in the emission of radiation and the release of energy. Two or three neutrons are also released during the process, to balance the new atomic and mass numbers (BBC, Nuclear fission and fusion). Radioactive substances also release ionising radiation from their nucleus such as, alpha (α), beta (β) and gamma (γ). Ionisation is the process of giving and taking electrons from atoms. This makes an ion with either a negative or positive charge depending on if an electron was lost or gained.
Uranium-235 is a radioactive isotope of uranium that can be used as fuel for nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors that run naval ships and submarines (Emergency.cdc, Radioisotope). It can also be used for nuclear weapons. Uranium-235 is used in nuclear powered devices since it is fissile, i.e., it is able to undergo nuclear fission (Wikipedia). Nuclear fission is a radioactive decay process in which a large unstable nucleus splits into two smaller atoms, to release energy and become stable (BBC, Nuclear fission and fusion). For a nuclear fission to occur the nucleus usually needs to absorb a neutron before splitting.
As mentioned earlier, when an atom splits, two or three neutrons are also released in the process. If the neutrons move slow enough, other atoms can absorb them, causing more fission to occur, leading to a chain reaction. https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zx86y4j/revision/1 Uncontrolled chain reactions quickly lead to massive amounts of energy being released in the form of an explosion; this is how nuclear weapons work. Uranium-235 can also be used in nuclear reactors to fuel nuclear power plants, naval ships and submarines. In nuclear fission, heat is generated from the splitting of uranium atoms, which is then used in nuclear reactors for heating water to produce steam (Wikipedia).
The steam spins a turbine which drives a generator, producing electricity. To avoid uncontrolled chain reactions to occur, the amount of energy produced during a fission reaction needs to be controlled. To do this, control rods are used. http://www.tech-faq.com/how-do-nuclear-power-plants-work.html The control rods are lowered and raised in a nuclear reactor to absorb neutrons, slowing down the chain reaction (Wikipedia, Control rods). Uranium-235 has had a lot of impact on politics, the environment and how we live in our society today. Uranium-235 is used in nuclear power plants which is a clean energy source (this means that it emits low amounts of carbon dioxide), meaning that it has contributed to a decrease in CO2 emissions. Nuclear power plants have therefore contributed relatively little to global warming. However, even though nuclear power plants emit low amounts of CO2, it poses a threat to the environment and all living things. This is because of nuclear power plant incidents, and nuclear waste which is a byproduct of nuclear power generation (Nrc, Radioactive waste) (Wikipedia).
Even after the nuclear fuel has been used, it remains hazardly radioactive for tens of thousands of years and is therefore very difficult to dispose of (World-nuclear). Nuclear waste is encased in glass and kept deep underground (BBC) . Eventually, radioactive materials decay into less harmful elements. But since the process is so long and this has never been done before, we have no way of knowing how secure the storage of the radioactive material is. This is a real uncertainty for future generations and the environment. Nuclear power plant incidents also poses a real threat to humans and the environment.
The fuel rods inside nuclear power plants need to be kept at a certain temperature and is therefore surrounded by water to cool them down. Nuclear power plant incidents occur when there is a problem with the cooling down of the fuel rods. For example at the Dai ichi Fukushima plant, the water pumps stopped working due to a power failure (Wikipedia, Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster). The fuel rods therefore became hot and started to melt, causing radiation to be released into the open. This is known as a nuclear meltdown (Phys, Nuclear meltdown). Enough exposure to radiation can lead to tissue damage and mutant cells to divide uncontrollably, this being cancer.
Uranium-235 is also used in nuclear weapons which is a very controversial topic in today's society and has impacted not only international politics but our everyday lives. The very first nuclear weapons were detonated by the US over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1995 (Wikipedia). For a long time the US was the only nuclear power, but because of the traumatic effects and damage the bomb caused, other countries started developing their own nuclear weapons. This is what started the nuclear arms race. The nuclear arms race was a competition for superiority in the nuclear fare where several nations obtained and developed nuclear weapons (Wikipedia). This lead to huge protests and has also caused tension and trust issues between countries in today's society (TheHuffingtonPost).
This has impacted international politics and has caused uncertainty in our relationships with other countries and people. Nuclear weapons have also had long-term effects on people's health. Survivors have had to suffer from the effects of the radiation their whole life and still have the risk of developing cancers. The fear of developing cancers and other diseases from the radiation is dominating their lives and the way they live (Blogs.icrc, Life after the atomic bomb). The mutations caused by radiation can also be passed on to the next generation. Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope of cobalt. Cobalt-60 is commonly used in radiotherapy and in the sterilisation of medical equipment and food, as it is a gamma source, i.e, it emits gamma radiation (Pri, What is Cobalt?).
Gamma rays are EM waves with a short wavelength emitted from the radioactive decay of an atomic nuclei. High doses of ionising radiation can kill living cells and is therefore used to treat cancers. This is called radiotherapy. Gamma rays are carefully directed at the site of the cancer with just the right dosage to kill off the cancer cells without damaging too many normal cells. However a bit of damage is inevitably done to normal cells, causing radiation sickness (leading to vomiting, hair loss and tiredness). Gamma radiation is used in radiotherapy since it can penetrate far into materials without being stopped and is weakly ionising. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/ add_gateway_pre_2011/radiation/treatmentrev2.shtml
This means that the gamma rays tend to pass through rather than collide with other atoms, meaning that it will ionise less atoms and molecules within the living cells causing less damage to normal cells. The property of being able to penetrate far into materials is also really important since the gamma rays, unlike alpha and beta with less penetrating power, will go straight through the body. Alpha and beta radiation however will stay inside the body and cause further damage to normal cells.
Gamma rays don’t only kill cells, but bacteria and germs as well. Therefore Cobalt-60 can also be used to sterilise medical equipment such as syringes and other disposable devices. It can also kill the bacteria that cause food to decay. Low doses of cobalt-60 are therefore used to treat foods such as vegetables, meat and fruits. Cobalt-60 is commonly used as a medical and industrial source of radiation and has therefore made a lot of improvements in this area which has impacted our society widely. Killing the bacteria that causes food to decay, for instance, has made it possible for long transportation of food between different countries without the food going bad. This has caused more interaction with other countries and trade between cultures and food.
The sterilisation of medical equipment has also had an impact on medicine since it prevents the growth of bacteria and diseases, making hospitals a lot more hygienic. When any medical tool is used, bacteria comes onto the device. If the equipment is not sterilised then the bacteria will be transferred to the next patient who uses it. This means that diseases that spread through bodily fluids such as blood borne diseases (diseases spread through contamination of blood) will transfer to other patients, making them ill. Before using cobalt-60, hospitals might have sterilized equipment by heating it which is not a very efficient way to get rid of bacteria since it can misshape the metal and plastic tool, making it unable to use.
Heating is also an issue since there is no way of keeping the equipment uncontaminated while it is being moved around and touched. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ gateway_pre_2011/radiation/treatmentrev2.shtm However, if the medical equipment is kept inside a sealed plastic container and gamma rays are used to kill off the bacteria, the equipment will stay sterilized until you open the container (BBC, Uses of radiation). This has caused less people to become sick and die. Treatment of cancer using cobalt-60 has also made hospitals become more effective in their treatment of cancer, also leading to less people becoming sick and dying. This has contributed to population growth and decrease in the risk of an epidemic which has also impacted the economy.
Higher population growth leads to higher economy growth, due to the fact that there are more people to produce and more people to consume. Economic growth is really important and has changed our society for the better since it allows living standards to rise and more people being able to find jobs. However, population growth can also have negative effects on the earth. If the population keeps growing more of the earth’s limited resources are going to be depleted, causing more damage to the earth.
