Radioactive Elements in Industry

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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Some discoveries are accidents, like the discovery of penicillin to treat infections!

Some discoveries are the result of careful studies, like the application of radioactivity in a wide range of uses from agriculture to medicine. Radioactive elements are used in many common industrial processes that protect the environment and consumers.

Industries like the automobile and aircraft industries use radioactive isotopes and gamma radiation to check for weaknesses in the steel and metals used in the engines.

If the rays are able to penetrate the metallic surface, the material might be damaged. This protects the consumer from having engine failure once in use.

Another common use of radioactivity in industry involves gauges.

Gauges are used to determine how much radiation is absorbed by a material, either solid, liquid, or gas. Materials that are assessed using gauges even include the roads you drive on!

These tools are easy to use and replace if damaged and require very little radiation to operate. That makes them pretty safe for large-scale use in many industries.

One of the most common uses of radioactive elements involves introducing radioactive material into a pipe or a well as a tracer. The material flows through the open space, emitting a constant stream of radiation. When the radiation decreases, it indicates a blockage or a leak.

This can help aid oil and mining industries with protecting the environment and ensuring a supply of their products.

There are radioactive elements that are used to screen your luggage at the airport, analyze soil samples, and determine if lead is present in paint found in older homes. In each of these applications, radioactivity provides a valuable tool for understanding something about our world.

Industries have taken these elements and put them to use in a variety of ways to improve products and consumer experience.

In the Got It? section, learn more about how radiation is used in agriculture.