Terminology » Gamma Radiation Examples:5 Key Advantage & Disadvantages

Gamma Radiation Examples:5 Key Advantage & Disadvantages

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Introduction : Gamma radiation is one of the most energetic and penetrating forms of ionizing electromagnetic radiation. In this post, we will explore 5 real world examples of how gamma radiation is used, followed by the key advantages and disadvantages.

What is Gamma Radiation

  • Gamma rays are form of EM radiation emitted from atomic nucleus during radioactive decay, nuclear reactions or high energy astro-physical processes.
  • The characteristics of gamma rays include high energies, very short wavelengths, no mass, no charge and high penetrating power.
  • These rays interact with matter through processes such as photo-electric effect, compron scattering etc. depending upon photon energy and absorbing material. Due to their penetrating power, shielding is non-trivial. It often requires dense, high atomic number materials such as lead, tungsten etc.

Examples:

  1. Radioactive Decay / Isotopes : cobalt-60, cesium-137, potassium-40, uranium or thorium decay products
  2. Medical Treatment / Radiotherapy : Uses gamma rays to target and destroy cancerous tumours.
  3. Sterlization & Disinfection : As it kills bacteria, viruses and other pathogens even inside sealed packaging, gamma irradiation is used in Sterlization of medical equipments, food packaging etc.
  4. Industrial Radiography/Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) : Inspect welds, castings, structural components to detect internal flaws or cracks without destroying the object.
  5. Scientific/Astrophysical Observations : Observing gamma ray bursts and study of cosmic phenomena via telescopes, nuclear physics research.

Advantages of Gamma Radiation

Following are some of the benefits of gamma radiation.

  1. It offers high penetration ability through materials that block or absorb lower energy radiation (alpha, beta, visible light etc.).
  2. Due to high energy, they are very effective at destroying bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms.
  3. The gamma rays can be focused to kill tumor cells while minimizing damage to surrounding areas. Hence they are useful in medical treatment such as radiotherapy.
  4. Non-Destructive testing with gamma radiation allows detection of internal flows (e.g. cracks, voids) that are not visible externally. This helps in preventing structural failures.
  5. Gamma rays allow probing high energy physical phenomena, nuclear structure, cosmic events etc.

Disadvantages of Gamma Radiation

Following are some of the drawbacks of gamma radiation.

  1. Gamma rays are ionizing. Hence they can break chemical bonds, damage DNA, cause cancer and radiation sickness.
  2. To protect from gamma rays, very dense, thick shielding (lead, tungsten, concrete) is required.
  3. Many materials exposed to gamma radiation undergo changes or degradation.
  4. The equipments and facilities needed make its use expensive.

Conclusion: In summary, gamma radiation is uniquely capable of delivering deep penetration, precise energy delivery and high efficacy in diverse applications like radiotherapy, sterilization, non destructive testing (NDT) and astrophysical investigations.