What are the positive and negative effects of radioactivity in society today?
Certain elements are radioactive, some occur naturally like uranium, and some are made in labs artificially. When atoms of an element decay they release radiation, this process is known as radioactivity. The remains of the broken atoms become smaller atoms of a different element.
Radiation occurs when radioactive elements break apart. Radiation is very dangerous because it damages living things. There are three types of radiation, these are alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. They are the first three letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha (a), beta (β), and gamma (ϒ). These particles and rays are produced by radioactive elements. Alpha particles are made of 2 protons and two neutrons that have separated from the nucleus, they are positively charged. Beta particles are usually made of one electron and a neutron, and have a negative charge. Gamma rays are a different sort of radiation. They are made of a stream of tiny particles called photons. Photons include the same particles that make up rays of light and are packets of energy. Gamma rays are very dangerous because they carry a lot more energy than the light people can see but are still invisible. Also released by radioactive elements are X-rays, they are similar to gamma rays but contain less energy.
The purpose of this essay is to explain the positive and negative effects of radioactivity in society today.
Main Body
Radioactivity is used in many ways today. Some of these ways include Nuclear power plants, X-rays, sterilization of medical instruments and food, and some of the isotopes are used in the treatment of cancer.
Nuclear Power plants run on nuclear fuel. Nuclear fuel is commonly ...
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...therapy during the course of their treatment.
Radiation therapy only provides one major positive ethical effect. This effect is that radio therapy lowers risk of relapse and distant change.
However Radio therapy provides multiple negative ethical effects. Radio therapy increases the risk of observational problems. Delay of surgery may cause anxiety in some patients
Conclusion
In conclusion radioactive substances are used in many ways today. These ways include the productivity of electricity, sterilization of items, and in the treatment of some cancers
I believe that radioactive substances shouldn’t be used, even after considering the help it gives us. The risks of using radioactivity outweigh the benefits they provide to us. For example nuclear power plants cause catastrophic health risks on miners. These risks are as bad as death due to exposure to radioactivity.
(Brown 166). This radioactive element that workers produce is not just affecting the environment, but is also affecting the workers and their families. Brown has given an immense amount of evidence to explain to the readers how it affected so many of the workers’ health; she gives a vivid picture of how the radioactivity and particles of plutonium linger in the air. The effects to the workers and their family range from cancerous cells to organ deterioration, when a pregnant woman is exposed to it, the health of her baby is also at risk. The fourth and last part of the book is “Dismantling the Plutonium Curtain,” this curtain is the curtain of secrecy.
In 1917 a young female right out of high school started working at a radium factory in Orange, New Jersey. The job was mixing water, glue and radium powder for the task of painting watch dials, aircraft switches, and instrument dials. The paint is newly inventive and cool so without hesitation she paints her nails and lips with her friends all the while not knowing that this paint that is making them radiant, is slowly killing them. This was the life of Grace Fryer. Today there are trepidations on the topic of radiation from fears of nuclear fallout, meltdowns, or acts of terrorism. This uneasiness is a result of events over the past one hundred years showing the dangers of radiation. Although most accidents today leading to death from radiation poisoning occur from human error or faults in equipment, the incident involving the now named "radium girls" transpired from lack of public awareness and safety laws. (introduce topics of the paper)
Nuclear energy is used today for energy supply and about 15% of the world’s energy comes from nuclear power plants some forms of medicine such as nuclear medicine rely solely on nuclear technology. This technology was developed through the process of creating the first atomic bomb and would not exist if not for the advancements made during the Manhattan project.
Kai Erikson argues that radiation and other forms of radioactive waste are a new species of trouble (Erikson, 1994). Nuclear waste disposal is a pressing issue of extreme importance. Nuclear waste is material that either contains a radioactive substance or has been contaminated by radioactive elements and is no longer useful. With all of the dangers surrounding nuclear waste and a half-life of one hundred thousand years this issue must be solved with complete certainty. Any mistakes or miscalculations can destroy the environment.
...nce World War II to the present day, the technology of nuclear power has increased significantly in terms of energy output and safety. The energy efficiency of nuclear power is far superior to its counterpart fossil fuel and renewable energy. Compared to fossil fuels, tiny amounts of fuel used by nuclear reactors is equivalent to a large sum of coal. This is a no brainer. Why mine a ton of coal when a little uranium can be used to gain the same amount of energy? Not only is it efficient, it’s safe to use. Used fuel is packed away in storage safely, so there isn’t any chance of radiation leaking out. In the present day, nuclear power incidents haven’t been occurring lately. Advancements in technology and equipment used have made nuclear energy a very reliable and safe source of energy. With today’s energy needs, nuclear power has the ability to keep up in the race.
There are numerous reasons as to why I want to pursue my dream of becoming a radiation therapist. The most important reason is because I love to help other people overcome any problem they are facing. However saving a patient’s life through radiation would be even more amazing. Not to mention, after obtaining the proper education, the salary I receive will be fairly high. Cancer has recently become a part of many families, including my own. I see what a few of my family members are going through and having to struggle with every single day in order to live to see another day, The struggles that they go through have opened my mind in many ways, I wish I was the one that they could come to for a chance of survival, but I can’t, so in order for me to help cancer patients fight for their lives, I will obtain the proper education, licenses, and possess the numerous skills needed by a radiation therapist..
Mining for elements that could be used as a nuclear power were very important in the Cold War. New technology and research for nuclear material was an essential part in building a nuclear weapon. The most important element for making nuclear weapons is uranium. Uranium is used to make plutonium, a very powerful element, by deuteron bombardment of uranium oxide. Uranium, a gray-colored element, is mined from the common uranium ores. Common isotopes, such as, radioactive sulfur (S35), radioactive carbon (C14), radioactive phosphorus (P32) and strontium (Sr90) were a great safety hazard towards the environment and mammals. The amount of time it takes for half the radioactive isotope to disintegrate is called half-life. "Isotopes with a short half-life, measured in seconds, hours, or days, are considered generally less dangerous to the envioronment2." Isotopes with a high half-life are very harmful to our world; for example, plutonium in one of its forms (Pu239) has a half-life of over 20,000 years. There is so much heat given off that, in power reactors, the heat is used to generate electricity. These nuclear elements, mainly plutonium, was used to make the most destructive weapons ever to be built: nuclear missiles.
I. Radiation therapy hasn't always been something everyone found to be safe,usable, or effective.It has been cosidered dangerous and sometimes fatal, some also believe radiation therapy will cause the patient to not to get better but to make get worse and very ill. Some people with open minds ponder the question does radiation therapy really cause you to get worse?Radiation therapy can do you good because it kills of cancer cells which could save your life depending on the severity of it. Radiation therapy doesn’t cause harm.
Nuclear Medicine is the use of radioisotopes for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Radioactive chemical tracers emit gamma rays which provides diagnostic information about a person's anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. Radioisotopes are also utilizes in treatments of diseases such as cancer. It is estimated that approximately one in two people in Western countries are likely to experience the benefits of nuclear medicine in their lifetime.
“Alpha decay (4x2) is a radioactive process in which a particle with two neutrons and two protons is ejected from the nucleus of a radioactive atom.” The mass number is decreased by four and the atomic number is decreased by two. “Beta decay (e-) occurs when, in a nucleus with too many protons or too many
A radioisotope is an isotope that emits radiation as it has nuclear instability(Prostate Cancer; Fusion imaging helps target greater doses of radiation).Those who are not too familiar with radioisotopes may think their use is for harmful radiation, nuclear weapons, and the possibility of turning into a giant, raging, green monster. However, there are much more positive uses for radioisotopes. There have been many medical advances thanks to the benefit and practice of radioisotopes in nuclear medicine. These advances have been able to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases.
Beta radiation/emission – Beta particles are electrons (0-1e) that have been released from the nucleus of a radioactive atom when a neutron decays into a proton and electron. Beta decay/emission happens when the neutron to proton ratio is too high due to excess neutrons. 10n 11p + 0-1e (mass is still conserved as well as number of protons.)
Radiation therapy is used to destroy cancer cells because when an ionizing radiation beam interacts with matter, such as tissue cells, ions produced by the interaction damages DNA (International Atomic Energy Agency, n.d.). Ionizing radiation is produced through the products of radioactive decay. Directly ionization radiation includes alpha decay and beta decay products.
Nuclear energy is generated by a process called fission. Fission occurs within the reactor of a nuclear power plant when a neutron is fired at an atom of uranium causing it to split and release subsequent neutrons.1 These are able to crash into other uranium atoms causing a chain reaction and releasing a great deal of heat energy.
The impact of nuclear power on the modern world has improved Various sectors of the economy and society .i.e. Food and Agriculture, Insect control, Food Preservation, Water Resources, Military, Medicine, Research and Industry. “In 1911 George de Hevesy conducted the first application of a radioisotope. At the time de Hevesy was a young Hungarian student working in Manchester with naturally radioactive materials. Not having much money he lived in modest accommodation and took his meals with his landlady. He began to suspect that some of the meals that appeared regularly might be made from leftovers from the preceding days or even weeks, but he could never be sure. To try and confirm his suspicions de Hevesy put a small amount of radioactive material into the remains of a meal. Several days later when the same dish was served again he used a simple radiation detection instrument - a gold leaf electroscope - to check if the food was radioactive. It was, and de Hevesy's suspicions were confirmed.