Television presenter Grant Denyer from the Channel Seven Sunrise program this week brought the work of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) into the homes of an audience in the tens of thousands with an early morning look at the OPAL research reactor.
The TV personality had a look around the Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor facility and shared interesting radiationfactoids with viewers.
"There is radiation all around us, for instance bananas have radiation in them because of the potassium," Denyer said.
The main focus of the tour was a look at the important work conducted at ANSTO in producing life-saving nuclear medicines that are used to diagnose and treat a variety of heart diseases, cancers, organ and skeletal conditions.
On average one in every two Australians will need a nuclear medicine procedure at some point during their lifetime.
ANSTO produces around 550,000 doses of nuclear medicine a year - 85 per cent of the nuclear medicine used throughout the country.
For more than 50 years, almost all of Australia's nuclear medicine has been produced at ANSTO's facility at Lucas Heights, Sydney.
Accompanied by Dr Greg Storr, General Manager for Nuclear Operations at ANSTO, Denyer and the Sunrise viewers were treated to an overview of the reactor facility giving the audience some context to the actual size and important role the reactor plays from the comfort of their living rooms.
It's the first time the state-of-the-art 20 Megawatt reactor that was opened in 2007 has been seen in a live television cross.
Published: 17/05/2012