Environmental Uses

Studying the Environment

You might already know that nuclear energy is the number-one source of electricity that can be generated without also producing air pollution. What you probably don't know is that nuclear energy can also be used to study our environment in order to keep it safe from a variety of pollutants.

Radioisotopes assist scientists in exploring the world around us. Radioactive tracers let environmental scientists follow materials as they travel through the air, the water, and the food chain, and provide vital information about the delicate balances in nature.

For instance, the addition of a one type of radioisotope into a stream permits scientists to observe how streams react to stressful changes resulting from high rainfall, heavy leaf fall, and pollutants. Another radioisotope permits scientists to study the effects of coal mining on plant life.

Scientists at the National Institute of Science and Technology are using radiocarbon dating to determine where some organic atmospheric contaminants come from-whether from a living carbon source or a fossil fuel such as gasoline. Such research will be increasingly important in the growing study of global climate change.