1. Nuclear Radiation Today: lec 9.3 Lecture 9.3 Sprint nuclear missile

2. Where is radiation? Background radiation is everywhere Our bodies have adapted to it Smoking increases radiation exposure

3. Radiation exposure Altitude increases exposure Flying in planes increases exposure Radon, medical X rays, diagnostic tests also increase exposure (To find your radon exposure, visit www.dhs.ca.gov/radon/default.htm click “radon exposure by ZIP code”)www.dhs.ca.gov/radon/default.htm

4. Beneficial Uses Smoke detectors use Americium When smoke interrupts the sensor, an alarm rings

5. Nuclear Medicine 1 out of 3 people admitted to a hospital undergo some form of nuclear medical procedure Treatments, diagnosis CAT scan: Computer Axial Tomography

6. A real cat scan?

7. MRI- magnetic resonance imaging Images of internal organs can be viewed Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, cancers can be made

8. MRI images liver brain

9. Radiation therapy : cancer treatment Rotating machine delivers precise doses from varied angles to kill cancerous tumors

10. Diagnosis and treatments using radiation Radioactive “seeds” treat prostate cancer Radioactive tracers allow MRI, PET scans to image soft tissue, showing disease and helping diagnosis MRI PET scan

11. Nuclear Risks Because radiation ionizes atoms, it can cause cancer in living things Dosimeters record a wearer’s exposure over time Chernobyl reactor

12. Nuclear Power Benefits: Reactors generate electricity without air Pollution or greenhouse gases. There is more energy in Uranium than in coal or gas. Problems: reactors create radioactive waste with very long half-lives ( U 238 is 4.5X 10 9 years)

13. Nuclear waste storage: where will it go? 14 tons of Uranium

14. Fusion research 1 lb of Hydrogen could yield the energy of 16,000,000 lbs of coal Water would be the source for H Problem: releases neutron radiation Still in research stage