How nuclear technology has transformed Australia

Australia’s only operating nuclear research reactor, the High Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR) at Lucas Heights, celebrated its 44th birthday on the Australia Day long weekend by producing yet another batch of radioisotopes for medical and industrial use.


A self-sustaining chain reaction of splitting atoms was first achieved at the HIFAR reactor at 11.15 pm on Australia Day, 26 January 1958. Since that time, demand for radiopharmaceuticals produced by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has developed to the point that, on average, all Australians are expected to use an ANSTO product at some point of their lives for diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions.

 

  • Millions of Australians not undergoing medical treatments will benefit from nuclear technology as part of their everyday activities.
  • Travellers by air will benefit from the use of industrial isotopes, used to "x-ray" components of aircraft to check for soundness without having to dissemble and reassemble them. Many modern aircraft components are developed with the help of neutron scattering research performed at nuclear research reactors.
  • Travellers by road can expect that the integrity of many of our roads and bridges has been checked with radioisotopes. Rubber tyres are also irradiated to increase toughness.
  • Consumers will be able to enjoy a shower or a cool drink of water with the knowledge that pipes are checked for soundness using radioisotopes.
  • Also used for gas and oil pipelines, this is an important application for the protection of people and the environment.
  • But perhaps you prefer juice or a piece of fruit. The fruit may well come from Australia’s biggest food bowl, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA). ANSTO helps to protect the MIA by sterilising millions of fruit fly larvae. The sterilised fruit flies are released as part of a natural population control that alleviates the need for pesticides and protects multi-million dollar industries.
  • Prefer a beer? Radioisotopes are used to detect when bottles of beer (and other food and drink containers) are filled to the correct level.
  • Wine anybody? Moisture detectors containing radioisotopes are commonly used at vineyards to ensure soil moisture levels are maintained at optimum levels.
  • Going for a swim? Researchers use radio-tracers to improve our understanding of the movement of pollutants through the environment, and the forces at work in the movement of sand. Bathers are surrounded by uranium in its natural form because every tonne of seawater contains 3 milligrams of uranium. Rock climbers and bushwalkers will be exposed to higher amounts of naturally occurring radioactive elements – marble, for example, contains 4 grams of uranium in every tonne.
  • Staying at home? Radioisotopes have important functions in the coal-fired power stations that produce most of the electricity in Australia. Further, ANSTO is one of only a handful of international players in the silicon irradiation business, meaning that many computers, televisions, air-conditioners, cars, video cameras, and other sophisticated electrical components in Australia carry small slithers of silicon that have been irradiated at Lucas Heights.
  • Reading a book or a newspaper? Radioisotopes are used to monitor the thickness of paper and other thin materials during the production
  • process.
  • Going to sleep? Those with smoke detectors can rest secure in the knowledge that many of these devices are powered by tiny low-powered radioisotopes produced by nuclear reactors.
Published: 22/01/2002

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