RADIOACTIVE ELEMENTS USES AND HARMFUL EFFECTS
USES:There are many practical applications to the use of radioactivity/radiation. Radioactive sources are used
to study living organisms, to diagnose and treat diseases, to sterilize medical instruments and food, to
produce energy for heat and electric power, and to monitor various steps in all types of industrial
processes.Radioactive isotopes are effective tracers because their radioactivity is easy to detect. A tracer
is a substance that can be used to follow the pathway of that substance through some structure.
Radioactive isotopes are useful for establishing the ages of various objects. The half-life of radioactive
isotopes is unaffected by any environmental factors, so the isotope acts like an internal clock.
HARMFUL EFFECTS:Exposure to large amounts of radioactivity can cause nausea, vomiting, hair loss, diarrhea, hemorrhage,
destruction of the intestinal lining, central nervous system damage, and death. It also causes DNA
damage and raises the risk of cancer, particularly in young children and fetuses.Radioactive decay is the
emission of energy in the form of ionizing Radiation with so much energy it can knock electrons out of
atoms. Ionizing radiation can affect the atoms in living things, so it poses a health risk by damaging
tissue and DNA in genes. The ionizing radiation that is emitted can include alpha particles.