Examples of nuclear energy

Nuclear energy isn’t so much something you see as it is the result of something that happens. As a result, it can be difficult to explain examples of what exactly nuclear energy is (we’d probably just show you a bunch of rocks and call it good.) Instead, we’re going to go over some interesting examples of things that exemplify the potential benefits of nuclear energy (because we like to be specific).

Radioisotopes

No, we’re not talking about the baseball team from the Simpsons (though that would be really cool). We’re talking about variations of elements that make up nuclear adjacent matter—basically, elements made from nuclear material but not the exact same thing as nuclear energy.

Isotopes come in two forms:
1. Stable isotopes are unchanging over time
2. Unstable or radioactive isotopes change over time

Naturally decaying atoms, known as “radioisotopes,” allow for several different applications across modern-day life. We’ll discuss some of those applications in this list.

Agriculture

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) estimates that about 795 million people (one in nine) were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-16.¹ As odd as it sounds, isotopes and radiation (two components that result due to nuclear energy) we introduced into food and agriculture as a way to help reduce starvation. Isotopes, carefully introduced into the agricultural process, boost the amount of iron, iodine, and vitamin-A. In turn, these vitamins help fight off harmful diseases, improve malnutrition, and boost the body’s metabolism in an effort to fight infection.²

Insect control

According to the IAEA, the FAO, and the World Health Organization (WHO), a huge problem when it comes to crop losses is the abundance of insects. Despite the huge disbursement of insecticides, roughly 10% of all crops experience losses each year due to the attention of insects, and that figure is much higher in developing countries.

One solution to reducing the insect population is to introduce radiation into insect populations in an effort to quell their abundant numbers. This process is known as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). SIT involves irradiating large populations of insects to render them sterile before introducing them into natural habitats.

Because they’d be sterile, the insects would remain sexually competitive, but would not reproduce.³

Consumer products

Many common consumer products rely on small amounts of radioactive material to function.

Smoke detectors, watches, clocks, and non-stick materials rely on radioisotopes when being designed. Smoke detectors rely heavily on radioisotopes as they contain small amounts of a decay product that originates in nuclear reactors. The decay product emits tiny particles that help detect smoke if it enters into the detector.⁴

Medicine

Modern medicine now relies heavily on the wide use of radiation and radioisotopes to both diagnose and treat major chronic illnesses through the use the complex medical equipment and pharmaceutical. In developed countries, about one person in 50 receives a medical analysis by way of nuclear-powered equipment or medicine per year.⁵

Fertilizer

Fertilizer can be costly and—if not correctly used—can cause severe damage to the environment. In order to reduce the misuse of fertilizers and ensure that the correct volumes are introduced to select plant life, the process of “Labeling” fertilizers is used. “Labeling” fertilizers introduces a particular isotope into the plant base in order to measure the amount of fertilizer that the plant has absorbed.⁶

Carbon dating

Carbon dating is the process of using radioactive isotopes of carbon to determine the age of something that contains organic material.⁷

Analyzing the number of naturally-occurring radioisotopes allows us to determine the age of rocks, trees, and other organic materials.⁸

Water resources

Isotopes are used to implement something called “hydrology techniques.” These techniques allow us to accurately identify, locate, trace, and measure underground sources of water. These techniques also give us analytical tools in order to manage and regulate the conservation of existing water sources as well as identify new ones. Using isotopes, we can also answer questions about a water source, such as its origin, age, and how it distributes and interconnects with other sources of water. Knowing this information ahead of time means we can more effectively plan and access more sustainable sources of water long-term.

Endnotes:
1. “The Many Uses of Nuclear Technology.” World Nuclear Association. Updated May 2017. Accessed December 23, 2019.
2. “Human health and nutrition: How isotopes are helping to overcome"hidden hunger." Parr, Robert M., and Fjeld, Carla R. IAEA Bulletin. April 1994. Accessed December 23, 2019.
3. “The Many Uses of Nuclear Technology.” World Nuclear Association. Updated May 2017. Accessed December 23, 2019.
4. “The Many Uses of Nuclear Technology.” World Nuclear Association. Updated May 2017. Accessed December 23, 2019.
5. “The Many Uses of Nuclear Technology.” World Nuclear Association. Updated May 2017. Accessed December 23, 2019.
6. “The Many Uses of Nuclear Technology.” World Nuclear Association. Updated May 2017. Accessed December 23, 2019.
7. “Willard Libby and Radiocarbon Dating, A National Historic Chemical Landmark.” American Chemical Society. Dedicated at the University of Chicago. October 10, 2016. Accessed December 23, 2019.3
8. “The Many Uses of Nuclear Technology.” World Nuclear Association. Updated May 2017. Accessed December 23, 2019.