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Radiation Enhances Everyday Lives

Many people are surprised to learn how often and in how many ways nuclear technology plays a helpful role in our economy and society. The standard of living for most people in developed countries would not be possible without the technological innovations stemming from nuclear science.

Even though few people are aware of it, nuclear technology touches virtually everyone's lives in large and small ways. Specific applications of nuclear science in our daily lives can be found in all sectors of our economy including medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, and environmental protection.

Radiation exists all around us, all of the time. It is a part of our natural environment just as the light and heat of the sun's rays. Scientists call this background radiation and measure it in units called millirems. A portion of each person's annual dose of radiation, about 40 mrems (millirems), comes from inside the human body. To learn more about sources of radiation doses, see the ANS dose chart.

See also: A Day with the Atom

Related Links

http://www.aboutnuclear.org/
Read about how nuclear science and the discovery of the radioisotope have revolutionized industry.

http://www.lbl.gov/abc/
"ABC's of Nuclear Science" from the Nuclear Science Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provides facts and information along with experiment ideas for chemistry and physics.

http://uw-food-irradiation.engr.wisc.edu/
Learn about food irradiation from the University of Wisconsin Food Irradiation Education Group which offers brochures and additional information.

Last updated July 11, 2012, 2:57pm CDT.