Radioactivity and Radioisotopes

Abstract

Radioactivity was discovered in 1896 by Henri Becquerel, when he found that a mixture of uranium salts emitted a mysterious penetrating radiation that passed through thin sheets of metal. Since then, radioactivity has been applied in many diverse areas within the fields of industry, agriculture, medicine, and the military. In industry, sealed radioactive sources are used in industrial radiography, gauging applications, and mineral analysis. Short-lived radioactive material is used in flow tracing and mixing measurements. In agriculture, gamma sterilization is used for food preservation and sterilization of bulk commodities. In medicine, gamma sterilization is also used for sterilizing medical supplies, but more importantly, radioisotopes are indispensable in both diagnosing and treating some diseases including cancer. However, the most prevalent use of radioactivity is in the generation of electrical power. Applications benefiting from nuclear power generation range from industries and residences to submarines and deep space probes.