INTRODUCTION TO NUCLEAR POWER

COURSE CODE: CC-06

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC:
APPLICATIONS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY IN
HEALTH SECTOR, AGRICULTURE SECTOR AND
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

GROUP MEMBERS:
SYED UZAIR AHMED (2716)
WALID IRFAN (2717)
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. INTRODUCTION
2. APPLICATIONS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY:
2.1.IN HEALTH SECTOR
2.1.1 Fighting non-communicable diseases
2.1.2 Fighting Cancer in the Developing World
2.1.3 Radiotherapy: A cancer-fighter’s Tool
2.1.4 Sterilizing Medical Equipment
2.2 IN AGRICULTURE SECTOR:
2.2.1 Water Use and Soil Management
2.2.3 Animal Health And Productivity
2.3 IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
2.3.1 Nuclear Technique in Pollution Control
2.3.2 Pathogenic organisms
2.3.3 Radioactive Isotope
3. CONCLUSION
 1. INTRODUCTION:
Now a days nuclear technology is widely used in all part of the world to
produce not only electricity, it is also widely used in agriculture, medicine and
environmental studies.
In many parts of the world, agricultural workers use radiation to prevent
harmful insects from reproducing. Reducing the numbers of pests and bugs
protects crops, providing the world with more food. Irradiation also kills
bacteria and other harmful organisms in food. This type of sterilization occurs
without making food radioactive or significantly affecting the nutritional value.
In fact, irradiation is the only way to kill bacteria in raw and frozen foods
effectively.
Nuclear technologies provide images inside the human body and can help to
treat disease. For example, nuclear research has allowed doctors to predict
precisely the amount of radiation required to kill cancer tumours without
damaging healthy cells. Hospitals sterilize medical equipment with gamma rays
safely and inexpensively. Items sterilized by radiation include syringes, burn
dressings, surgical gloves and heart valves.
The World Nuclear Association notes that one-fifth of the world’s population
does not have access to safe drinking water and that number is expected to
grow. Nuclear technology can play an important role in overcoming this
challenge.
2. APPLICATIONS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY:
2.1. IN HEALTH SECTOR
In developing countries, malnutrition, communicable and non-
communicable diseases, particularly cancer, threaten health and cut
short productive lives. Health problems and diseases can be detected
and treated using nuclear techniques.

2.1.1 Fighting non-communicable diseases

Non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer,
diabetes and chronic lung disease, are a significant barrier to sustainable
development. The WHO estimates that the costly, long term health-care
needed to treat these diseases consumes family savings in low and
middle-income countries and drives about 100 million people into
poverty every year. More than 36 million people are killed each year by
these diseases, and nearly 80% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-
income countries. A quarter of the victims die early, before their sixtieth
birthday, often robbing families of a breadwinner.
Nuclear Technology has helped States in the use of radiation medicine
and more than 110 low and middle income countries are now able to
manage cancer and non-communicable diseases.

2.1.2 Fighting Cancer in the Developing World

Today, most new cancer cases are diagnosed in the developing world
where access to cancer diagnosis and treatment is very limited.
According to the WHO, more than two-thirds of new cases and cancer
deaths — almost eight million people worldwide per year — occur in low
and middle income countries. Cancer is spreading in these countries at
an epidemic rate. Cancer, which often affects the most productive
working-age members of society, could become a major impediment to
socio-economic development in low and middle income countries.
2.1.3 Radiotherapy: a cancer-fighter’s essential
Tool
The WHO considers radiation therapy to be “fundamental to the
optimum management of cancer patients”, which alone, or in
combination with surgery or chemotherapy, is recommended for more
than half of cancer patients. Radiotherapy is attractive for developing
countries, because it is a highly cost-effective option for cancer
treatment.
In 2004, the IAEA established the Programme of Action for Cancer
Therapy (PACT) to help fight cancer in its developing Member States
comprehensively and effectively, through partnerships and resource
mobilization. PACT builds upon the IAEA’s expertise in radiation
medicine technology to enable low and middle income countries to
introduce, expand and improve their cancer care services and workforce.
PACT also conducts missions to evaluate Member States’ readiness to
implement cancer control programmes and offer recommendations on
developing cancer control capacity.

2.1.4 Sterilizing Medical Equipment

Ever since the advent of germ theory, medical teams have demanded
cleanliness as a crucial part of good practice. Knowing that radiation in
high enough quantities can kill microorganisms, the medical community
quickly recognized the potential for employing certain types of radiation
(mainly gamma radiation) to sterilize dressings, surgical gloves,
bandages, plastic and rubber sheets, syringes, catheters, sutures, heart
valves, and a myriad of other devices routinely used during medical
procedures. Because radiation is a ‘cold’ process, radiation can be used
to sterilize a range of heat sensitive items such as powders, ointments
and solutions, and biological preparations such as bone, nerve, skin, etc.,
used in tissue grafts.
2.2 IN AGRICULTURE SECTOR:
Nuclear Technology has a great impact on Agriculture sector because of
these some facts:

 Around 821 million humans on earth (more than 10%) go to bed hungry
every night.
 Undernutrition is a cause of 3·1 million child deaths annually.

With as much as 25 – 30% of the world’s food production being lost to

insects, bacteria and rodents after harvesting so if we save these much
quantity of food by nuclear technology we provide world with extra food
that can reduce such undernutrition problem of the world.

Nuclear technology uses radiation to improve the productivity of the entire

food chain in a substantial manner as discussed below:

2.2.1 WATER USE AND SOIL MANAGEMENT

 Neutron meters improve irrigation practices that help conserve water
and protect vulnerable land.
 Tagging fertilizers with radioisotopes can determine how plants are
using nutrients.
 Nuclear techniques help increase crop yields and help determine which
plants to grow in areas with less available water.
 Selective breeding creates disease resistant plants with greater
nutritional value.

2.2.2 PEST CONTROL

 Sterile insect technique (SIT) uses gamma radiation to  sterilize large
populations of insects.
 The Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) and tsetse fly have been successful
controlled using this method.
 2.2.3 ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTIVITY
 Radioisotope tracers are used to follow the path of the food in animals
digestive systems and helps determine the nutritional value of the feed.
 Radiation techniques can diagnose harmful pathogens in animals early
so we can vaccinate them and eliminate the wide spread of diseases.

2.3 IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Environmental pollution has become a world-wide concern. One of
the main sources of such pollution is sewage wastewater and sludge.
Their utilization without proper treatment can pollute the ecosystem
(plant, soil, surface and ground water). Sewage wastewater and
 sludge contains several pollutants such as: pathogens, toxic organic
compounds, heavy metals, seed weed. The reuse of sewage water
and sludge in agriculture can lead to the transfer of some of these
pollutants into the food chain causing health hazard. In addition,
most of these contaminants are not biodegradable, becoming
dangerous to plant and human health. Nuclear techniques has
recently been used to control environmental pollution. Ionizing
radiation provide a fast and reliable means of sewage water and
sludge treatment than the conventional methods. Gamma radiation
(60Co) and electron beam (accelerator) has been successfully used
for alleviation of environmental pollution. Such alleviation includes:
disinfection of harmful pathogens, degradation of toxic organic
pollutants, destruction of seed weed and reduction of soluble heavy
metals.

2.3.1 Nuclear Techniques In Pollution Control

Effect of Ionizing Radiation on Sewage Sludge and Sewage Water
Contaminants Harmful pathogens, heavy metals, toxic organic pollutants
are the major contaminants of sewage sludge and sewage water that
affect the public health and the environment.

2.3.2 Pathogenic organisms:

Pathogens removal from sewage water is the main criteria for reuse
purpose (WHO, 1989). This high quality sewage water (pathogen free)
cannot be achieved by conventional method of treatment Sewage water
and sludge contains various harmful pathogenic organisms (bacteria,
parasites and viruses). These pathogens are capable to induce several
human diseases the conventional method of sewage water treatment
includes primary treatment (precipitation), secondary treatment
(biological), tertiary treatment (chlorination) and digestion. Chlorination
has been used in treating the effluent from conventional treatment
plant. Chlorination may eliminate bacteria and amoeba cysts, however it
can't influence enteric viruses and/or parasite eggs. There is a worldwide
interest in the use of ionizing radiation as a new method to eliminate
pathogens in sewage sludge (Lessen 1988 and USEPA 1993) and
 wastewater. Both gamma radiation and electron beam can be used for
disinfection purpose. The lethal dose vary between the two types of
radiation, lower dose of gamma radiation is required relative to the
electron beam to achieve the same pathogen removal.

2.3.3 Radioactive Isotope :

The contribution of sewage sludge to phosphorus nutrition of tomato
plants was quantified by applying the principal of isotope dilution
technique and using 32P (carrier free) tracer technique. A significant
increase in dry matter production, plant tissue P concentration, P
uptake, percent P derived from sludge and soil P was observed as a
result of applying sewage sludge to sandy soil (El-Motaium 2001). The
sludge phosphorus yield is highest (13.2 mg/pot) using irradiated sewage
sludge at 80t/ha application rate. The maximum recovery of sludge P
reached 3.3%. Total phosphorus uptake increased by 2.5 fold from that
of the control treatment (mineral fertilizer) at 80t/ha application rate.
Sewage sludge contributed by 64% to 79% of tomato phosphorus
requirements. Sludge can provide plants with sufficient amount of
phosphorus that is required for growth and development without the
need for mineral fertilizer.

3. CONCLUSION:
nuclear technology is widely used in all part of the world to
produce not only electricity, it is also widely used in agriculture,
medicine and environmental studies. In many parts of the
world, agricultural workers use radiation to prevent harmful
insects from reproducing. Nuclear technologies provide images
inside the human body and can help to treat disease and the
World Nuclear Association notes that one-fifth of the world’s
population does not have access to safe drinking water and
that number is expected to grow. Nuclear technology can play
an important role in overcoming this challenge.
References
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