RADIATION What You Need To Know UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Transcription

1 RADIATION What You Need To Know UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

2 Radiation... IS NEITHER GOOD NOR BAD; IT IS SIMPLY A FORCE OF NATURE, LIKE GRAVITY.

3 Number one thing to remember about radiation THERE ARE TWO KINDS IONIZING NON-IONIZING ENERGY SPECTRUM

4 THE WORD RADIATION USUALLY REFERS TO IONIZING RADIATION Number two thing to remember about radiation ALL IONIZING RADIATION IS NOT THE SAME 3 TYPES OF EMISSIONS ALPHA PARTICLES BETA PARTICLES GAMMA RAYS

5 STRONTIUM 90 DIFFERENT ELEMENTAL ISOTOPES EMIT DIFFERENT TYPES OF RADIATION PLUTONIUM 239 COBALT 60 CARBON 14 POTASSIUM 40 URANIUM 238 IODINE 131 CESIUM 137

6 TYPES OF PENETRATING POWER VARIES WITH ENERGY OF EMISSION Ionizing Radiation ALPHA PARTICLES BETA PARTICLES GAMMA RAYS

7 What does this mean? GAMMA RAYS CAN CAUSE RADIATION BURNS LOW ENERGY ALPHA AND BETA PARTICLES ARE NOT AS DANGEROUS UNLESS THEY ARE INGESTED OR INHALED

8 Number three thing to remember about radiation IT IS CALLED BACKGROUND RADIATION AND IT COMES FROM NATURAL SOURCES

9 Cosmic Rays CONSTANTLY BOMBARDING THE EARTH

10 We are exposed to cosmic rays during commercial airline flights.

11 The sun is a source of exposure to both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

12 Radiation OCCURS NATURALLY IN... Food and Drink

13 Is my banana radioactive? SORT OF, AND HERE IS WHY: BANANAS CONTAIN POTASSIUM, SOME OF IT (0.01%) IN THE FORM OF K-40, AN ABUNDANT AND NATURALLY OCCURING ISOTOPE. DON T WORRY. BANANAS ARE PERFECTLY SAFE AND POTASSIUM IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT. EAT THEM AND ENJOY!

14 THE EARTH ITSELF Rocks and Soil

15 Our Homes RADON IS MORE PREVALENT IN SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTRY THAN OTHERS

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17 NATURAL URANIUM RADIUM RADON GAS BREAKS DOWN BREAKS DOWN

18 WE ALSO RECEIVE RADIATION FROM X-rays and other medical procedures

19 Tobacco Smoke ANOTHER GOOD REASON TO QUIT!

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21 TRITIUM IN SELF-ILLUMINATING EXIT LIGHTS VINTAGE URANIUM GLASS Incidental Sources usually resulting in little or no significant exposure

22 However! THERE ARE THINGS OUT THERE THAT CAN HURT YOU! ORPHAN SOURCES ORPHAN SOURCES AN ORPHAN SOURCE IS A SELF-CONTAINED RADIOACTIVE SOURCE THAT IS NO LONGER UNDER PROPER REGULATORY CONTROL; SOMETIMES FOUND IN ABANDONED FACTORIES OR IN LANDFILLS

23 Do Not Touch!

24 EXPOSURE TO Orphan Sources HAS CAUSED INJURY AND DEATH!

25 ALCHEMISTS LONG DREAMED OF CHANGING ONE ELEMENT INTO ANOTHER. THEY NEVER SUCCEEDED.

26 RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS ACHIEVE THIS SPONTANEOUSLY. RADIOACTIVE EMISSIONS ARE THE BYPRODUCTS OF A BREAKDOWN PROCESS. THE BREAKDOWN PROCESS IS CALLED RADIOACTIVE DECAY. THE TIME AN ELEMENT TAKES TO DECAY IS MEASURED IN HALF-LIVES. AMERICIUM 241 NEPTUNIUM 237

27 Half-life THE TIME IT TAKES FOR HALF THE RADIOACTIVE ELEMENT TO DECAY TO ITS DAUGHTER PRODUCT AFTER TEN HALF-LIVES, DECAY IS CONSIDERED COMPLETE DAUGHTERS MAY ALSO BE RADIOACTIVE AND DECAY FURTHER

28 Different elements have different half-lives.

29 Remember The dose makes the poison. Paracelsus

30 UNIT FOR MEASURING RADIATION DOSAGE IS THE REM ROENTGEN EQUIVALENT IN MAN TOTAL DOSE OF REMS DETERMINES HOW MUCH HARM A PERSON SUFFERS OUR ANNUAL DOSE FROM ALL SOURCES IS TYPICALLY ABOUT REM

31 100 + REMS NAUSEA VOMITING HEADACHE SOME LOSS OF WHITE BLOOD CELLS AND PLATELETS VULNERABLE TO INFECTION AND HEMORRHAGE REMS TEMPORARY HAIR LOSS SIGNIFICANT INTERNAL HARM DAMAGE TO NERVE CELLS DAMAGE TO CELLS LINING THE DIGESTIVE TRACT INCREASED CANCER RISK REMS HALF WILL DIE SOME SURVIVORS WILL DEVELOP CANCER LATER REMS DEATH IN 2-14 DAYS Radiation Sickness

32 Nuclear Medicine

33 Diagnosis X-RAYS DISCOVERED BY ROENTGEN BONE IS RADIO-OPAQUE

34 Diagnosis Computer Assisted Tomography CAT OR CT SCAN X-RAYS AND COMPUTERS CREATE IMAGES CAN GENERATE 3-D IMAGES IN ANY PLANE CAN GENERATE REALISTIC IMAGES

35 Diagnostic Imaging RADIOACTIVE LABEL ADMINISTERED LABEL HAS SHORT HALF-LIFE AIMED AT A SPECIFIC TARGET OBSERVATION OF AREA OF INTEREST MEASURMENT OF RESPONSE PATIENT MUST TAKE CARE TO PREVENT IRRADIATION OR CONTAMINATION OF OTHERS UNTIL THE LABEL HAS DECAYED AWAY.

36 Cancer Treatment FOCUSED BEAM RADIATION INTENSE GAMMA RAYS KILLS TARGETED CELLS

37 Cancer Treatment SURGEONS MAY IMPLANT RADIOACTIVE SEEDS DIRECTLY INTO TUMOR

38 Nuclear Energy A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO FOSSIL FUEL?

39 No easy answer... THE SUBJECT OF MUCH DEBATE

40 ENERGY INDEPENDENCE LOWER CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS LOWER OPERATING COSTS LARGE GENERATING CAPACITY Pros and Cons TARGET FOR TERRORISM WASTE DISPOSAL ISSUES HIGHER CONSTRUCTION COSTS SAFETY CONCERNS

41 Waste disposal is the largest unresolved issue.

42 How does a reactor work? HEAT GENERATED BY RADIOACTIVE DECAY OF FUEL RODS HEAT USED TO MAKE STEAM STEAM TURNS TURBINE TURBINE TURNS GENERATOR TRANSMISSION LINES CARRY GENERATED ELECTRICITY TO CONSUMER

43 Safety Concerns... Nuclear Power Accidents and Releases US - THREE MILE ISLAND NO DEATHS OR INJURIES PUBLIC EXPOSURE MINIMAL LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS STILL UNCLEAR UKRAINIAN SSR - CHERNOBYL DEATHS; REACTOR STAFF AND EMERGENCY WORKERS EXTENSIVE EXPOSURE TO BELARUS, RUSSIA AND UKRAIN LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS LIKELY TO BE EXTENSIVE JAPAN - FUKISHIMA /DAIICHI 2011 NO DEATHS AT THIS TIME DUE TO REACTOR LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS UNKNOWN

44 Put into Perspective... FROM COAL MINE DEATHS IN US 51,267 COAL MINE DEATHS IN CHINA MANY MORE WILL DIE FROM BLACK LUNG

45 Deep Water Horizon MEN DIED FROM MARINE AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER 161 OIL AND GAS FIELD DEATHS IN USA ALONE UNTOLD DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT

46 BANQIAO HYDROELECTRIC DAM FAILURE ESTIMATES OF DEATHS RANGE FROM 171,000 TO 235,000 11,000,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED BY THE FLOOD PRECEDED BY FAILURE OF SHIMANTAN RESERVOIR DAM UPSTREAM RESULTED IN THE FAILURE OF 60 MORE DAMS IN CHINA S HENAN PROVINCE

47 Calculating the Cost in Human Lives Deaths Per Terawatt-hour (TWH) Of Electricity Generated From All Energy Sources COAL 278 CHINA COAL 15 USA OIL 36 (36% OF WORLD ENERGY) NATURAL GAS 4 (21% OF WORLD ENERGY) BIOFUEL/BIOMASS 12 PEAT 12 SOLAR (ROOFTOP) 0.44 (LESS THAN 0.1% OF WORLD ENERGY) WIND 0.15 (LESS THAN 1% OF WORLD ENERGY) HYDRO 0.10 (EUROPE DEATH RATE, 2.2% OF WORLD ENERGY) HYDRO 1.4 (WORLD INCLUDING 171,000 DEAD IN BANQIAO ) NUCLEAR 0.04 (5.9% OF WORLD ENERGY) 1 TWH = 1MILLION MILLION WATTS ACTING FOR ONE HOUR

48 Energy has its costs no matter the source.

49 SUMMARY Radiation gives us valuable tools. Handle them with care!

50 The Good

51 The Bad

52 The Ugly

53 The Unthinkable THE END (REALLY)