Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland Fact Sheet Uses of … · 2019-10-08 · Uses of...
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Uses of Radiation in Medicine, Industry, Research and Education
Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland Fact Sheet
www.rpii.ie
Radiation has many beneficial uses. It is used in industry for a range of purposes, including:
• Measuring and controlling the thickness of materials on production lines
• Checking fill levels in kilns and containers
• Measuring density and moisture in materials
• Eliminating static electricity where dust causes a problem
• Detecting smoke (as used in household and industrial smoke detectors)
• Producing images of welds in piping, turbines, engine parts and other components
• Sterilising single-use medical equipment, such as syringes, scalpels and dressings
• Security scanning using X-ray units.
Radiation is also commonly used in medicine in diagnostic examinations, such as:
• X-ray scans to detect injury or the presence of foreign objects in patients
• CT scans to create a computer-generated 3D image of cross-sections of the body
• Nuclear medicine procedures, where a patient is injected with radioactive material. This is used in conjunction with a radiation detection instrument to locate tumours and assess the health of organs.
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www.rpii.ie
Radiation is also used in radiotherapy where higher doses of radiation are used to kill cancerous cells during the treatment of tumours in:
• Teletherapy, which involves irradiating tumours using beams of high-energy radiation, focused specifically on the tumour to minimise damage to surrounding tissue
• Brachytherapy, which provides a highly localised dose by one of two methods: either the insertion of sealed radioactive sources in the form of rods, wires or through hollow tubes into or close to the tumour, or the swallowing by the patient of a radioactive liquid that is selectively absorbed by the tumour
• Afterloading, in which a surgeon places a hollow tube in or close to the tumour. The tube is then connected, following surgery, to a machine which loads a sealed source into the tube.
Radiation is also commonly used in research and education for a range of purposes including:
• Labelling pharmaceuticals
• Labeling in molecular biology
• Geological testing
• Demonstrations aids for teaching purposes
• Non destructive analysis of samples
• Biological and medical research
Uses of Radiation in Medicine, Industry, Research and Education Fact Sheet