Radiation Protection Dosimetry 68:63-72 (1996)
© 1996 Oxford University Press
Industrial Applications of Radiation
The discovery of radiation has had an enormous influence in stimulating both major advances in fundamental science and a wide range of practical uses, from medical diagnosis and therapy through to numerous industrial applications. As with all technology, the risks involved must be properly evaluated and managed, but there can be little doubt that the balance with regard to these applications of radiation is very positive and that the value gained is a major benefit from the development of atomic energy. Examples are presented illustrating the main classes of industrial applications of radiation using radioisotopes, reactors and accelerators. It focuses particularly on the more specialised applications where the information is often unique and especially valuable. The examples include the use of isotopes as tracers both through direct addition or indirectly through radiation-induced activation; attenuation, where the use of accelerator-stimulated high energy photons has widened the applications of radiography; scattering, where neutron diffraction and small angle neutron scattering has provided unique information on the physical state of materials; and radiation-induced activation which has proved to be a valuable analytical tool. The paper also highlights the importance of advances in data analysis in enhancing the value of the techniques. Lastly, it indicates more generally that the industrial uses of radiation continue to expand and the field remains an exciting area of scientific and technological development.