The impact of climate change created a new interest in building nuclear power stations since they do not produce greenhouse gases and do not contribute to global warming.
4 Social improvements
Medicine: Radioactive material is used in many ways in medicine, which has improved the lives of people.
X-rays and CT scans are used in diagnosing illnesses by producing images of parts of the body. This has allowed doctors to see what is happening in the body without having to cut it open. ● Radiation therapy (treatment) is used in cancer treatment as high doses of radiation are directed at cancer cells to shrink cancer tumours.
Hydro 16.4%)
Natural Gas 21.6%
Others (renewable) 6.3%
2014 World electricity generation Oil
4.3%
Nuclear 10.6%
Coal/Peat 40.8%
Nuclear power makes a small but significant contribution to world electricity generation
● Insect control (using radiation to sterilise insects) has been used to contain the spread of viruses by mosquitoes, and to limit damage to crops.
Other areas: Radioactive material is also used in other areas of life – in smoke detectors, in carbon-14 dating of artefacts in archaeology, on long-distance space voyages such as the Voyager missions to outer space.
Other uses of nuclear
technology
Long-distance space voyages to produce electricity for
Voyager missions
Carbon dating for artefacts and rocks
Smoke detectors
Assessing Your Learning
1. Name one of the scientists who made discoveries that added to knowledge about nuclear energy.
2. Who were the German scientists who used nuclear fission to split atoms? 3. What was the Manhattan Project?
4. Name the two Japanese cities on which atomic bombs were dropped in August 1945.
5. Who were the two superpowers? 6. What was the arms race?
7. Name one crisis of the Cold War that brought the world to the brink of a nuclear war.
8. Where was the first nuclear-powered electricity station built?
9. List one argument for and one argument against the building of nuclear- powered electricity stations.
10. How has nuclear energy helped medicine? 11. Name one other use of nuclear energy for social improvements.