Crash Course (Pt 1)
Crash Course Pt 2
Outline the use of one radioisotope as an energy source
Uranium-235 is used in nuclear reactors in a fission reaction to produce energy.
Describe how nuclear fission can result in a chain reaction releasing energy
Because U-235 is unstable, when it is “hit” by a neutron, it becomes U-236 then quickly splits into two “daughter” nuclei and two lone neutrons. These neutrons can then hit other U-235 atoms, creating a chain reaction.
Outline some uses of radioisotopes
Radioisotopes can be used to measure the thickness of paper in a factory, e.g. an isotope emitting Beta particles can be placed on one side of the paper and a radiation measurer can be placed on the other side, if less Beta particles are getting through, the paper is too thick.
They can also be used to sterilise medical instruments, e.g. a radioisotope emitting gamma particles can be used to quickly kill bacteria on all sides of medical equipment at once.
Outline the use of one medical and one industrial radioisotope in detail; evaluate the benefits and problems, including health effects
Cesium-137 has a half-life of around 30.04 years and decays via beta emissions to stable Barium-137. It is used in flow-meters, thickness gauges and moisture-density gauges (though it is only used for density). Exposure to small amount os cesium-137 is unlikely death due to its low radioactivity and low penetrating power. It can however cause acute radiation sickness, burns or an increased risk of cancer. It can also be used to check the authenticity of wines. Cesium-137 is one of the main radioactive isotopes still poisoning the area around the Chernobyl disaster, though as of 2026 only ~25% of the original amount still remains. This continues to poison animals and people in the Red Forest to this day. Cesium-137 can stay in the environment for a long time as it can move easily through air and dissolve easily in water.
Iodine-132 has a short half life of 2.295 hours, making it useful for specific medical functions. Due to its rapid decay, it makes it beneficial for social, ethical and environmental factors despite its few limitations.
Iodine-132 is useful to treat thyroid cancers. The thyroid uses iodine to produce its hormones and cannot distinguish between radioactive and non-radioactive iodine. This means using iodine-132 as a method to treat specific cancers in the thyroid is highly useful and reliable as the rest of the body is less exposed to the radioactive element since the thyroid uses it directly.
Moreover, iodine-132’s incredibly short half life makes it useful for the more vulnerable population. In comparison to iodine-131 with a half life of 8 days, the body is much less exposed to the radiation, meaning children and pregnant women can remain safe when having the treatment. Comparatively, its short life makes it difficult to transport it directly from nuclear power plants, making it difficult for it to be used in medical practices. However, methods such as using another iodine isotope and then creating iodine-132 inside the hospital from the iodine isotype allows us to overcome this issue.
Evaluate how social, ethical and environmental considerations can influence decisions about scientific research into the use of radioisotopes & Evaluate how advances in nuclear chemistry and technologies significantly affect people’s lives, including generating new career opportunities
Radioisotopes are dangerous, but useful items in the world today. They are not only used in generating power, but also in medical and industrial fields, as will be explained soon. It’s important to understand the benefits and risks of using radioisotopes in medical and industrial fields before using them.
Cesium-137 is a good example of how radioisotopes can be used in industrial fields. Cesium-137 is used to create flow-meters, which detect how quickly a liquid flows through a pipe and thickness gauges, which is useful in determining how thick an object is. An example of how this can be used is in paper manufacturing, where thickness gauges are used to determine how thick a piece of paper is, then how much to compress it by, ensuring all paper coming out of the factory is the same, uniform, thickness.
However, Cesium-137 is also dangerous, with a half life of around 30 years it can infect areas for long periods of time. Cesium-137 is produced by nearly all nuclear reactions, such as the Chernobyl disaster, where Cesium-137 continues to infect animals in areas like the Red Forest to this day. Even in small amounts, Ceium-137 can cause acute radiation sickness or burns, and in higher amounts death.
Another radioisotope, Iodine-132 is used extensively in medicine, specifically in treating thyroid cancer. It has a short half life of only around 13 hours, so the body is exposed to it for a very short period of time, but long enough for the thyroid to be targeted by it. This treatment can be life-saving for some people, and there are few other treatment methods.
However, Iodine-132 is still radioactive and as such can cause acute radiation poisoning or burns during its short half life. This is dangerous for both animals and humans exposed to Iodine-132 and as such must be handled carefully.
Overall, radioisotopes are very useful in both industry and medicine. While they are dangerous and can even cause death, so long as these risks are managed to the same standard they currently are, or higher, they should continue to be used, especially in medicine, where they provide life-saving treatment to people.
Use the evaluate text type appropriately
I hope I did.
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