Why Should Cobalt-60 Be Used?

What is it used for? Co-60 is used medically for radiation therapy as implants and as an external source of radiation exposure. It is used industrially in leveling gauges and to x-ray welding seams and other structural elements to detect flaws.

Is cobalt-60 harmful to the environment?

Although cobalt is an essential trace element, it is toxic when concentration levels are too high. Protection criteria based on cobalt ecotoxicity data have been defined for the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Its radiotoxicity is also known for these environments. Cobalt is a grey, lustrous, ferromagnetic metal.

Why is cobalt-60 a good source of gamma rays?

Cobalt-60 (60Co) and caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) are the most widely used sources of gamma radiation. Co produces gamma rays with energies of 1.173 and 1.332 MeV and has a half-life of 5.27 years, whereas ¹³⁷Cs produces gamma rays with an energy of 0.662 MeV and has a longer half-life of 30.1 years.

What disease can cobalt-60 Treat?

Medical-grade Cobalt-60 is used worldwide to battle cancer and for radiation therapy for the treatment of complex brain conditions.

Why is cobalt-60 used in external radiotherapy?

The main reason for its wide use in radiotherapy is that it has a longer half-life, 5.27 years, than many other gamma emitters. However, this half-life still requires cobalt sources to be replaced about every 5 years.

Is cobalt-60 harmful to humans?

Cobalt and Health
Most Co-60 that is ingested is excreted in feces; however, a small amount is absorbed by the liver, kidneys and bones. Cobalt-60 absorbed by the liver, kidneys, or bone tissue can cause cancer from internal exposure to gamma radiation.

Is cobalt mining good for the environment?

Blasting and electricity consumption in cobalt mining is damaging to the environment. Eutrophication and global warming are the most affected impact categories. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emission are highest from cobalt mining.

What happens if you pick up cobalt-60?

The chemical emits gamma rays: light waves of very high frequency that contain enormous amounts of energy, and which can cause acute radiation sickness of varying degrees depending on the amount, intensity, and type of exposure.

What is the most beneficial effect humans get from gamma rays?

However, gamma rays can also be used to treat cancer. Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, uses high-energy gamma rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is a special form of radiotherapy. It uses beams of gamma rays to treat injured brain tissue by damaging the DNA of dangerous cells.

Can cobalt-60 destroy bacteria?

The gamma irradiation process uses Cobalt 60 radiation to kill microorganisms on a variety of different products in a specially designed cell. Gamma radiation is generated by the decay of the radioisotope Cobalt 60, with the resultant high energy photons being an effective sterilant.

What are the benefits of using cobalt?

Classified by the EU and the US as a Critical Raw Material, cobalt is recognized as an important technology-enabling metal where energy storage, high temperature resilience, hardness, process efficiency and environmental benefits are required.

What are 3 important uses of cobalt?

Cobalt is also used to make airbags in automobiles; catalysts for the petroleum and chemical industries; cemented carbides (also called hardmetals) and diamond tools; corrosion- and wear-resistant alloys; drying agents for paints, varnishes, and inks; dyes and pigments; ground coats for porcelain enamels; high-speed

Does cobalt have any health benefits?

Cobalt forms part of the structure of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 has several important functions including making red blood cells and releasing energy from the food you eat.

What type of radiation is cobalt-60?

gamma rays
Cobalt-60 emits two high energy gamma rays, making cobalt-60 both an internal and external hazard. The primary exposure pathways of concern are ingestion (drinking water and fish consumption), and exposure by inhalation and external exposure.

Is cobalt-60 stable or radioactive?

radioactive
cobalt-60, radioactive isotope of cobalt used in industry and medicine. Cobalt-60 is the longest-lived radioactive isotope of cobalt, with a half-life of 5.27 years. It is produced by irradiating the stable isotope cobalt-59 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor.

Is cobalt treatment still used?

Despite advances made in radiation therapy technology, the Cobalt-60 unit remains the world’s main radiotherapy machine.

Is cobalt-60 natural or man made?

Cobalt-60 is not found in nature. It is a synthetic radioactive isotope made by neutron activation of Cobalt-59. Cobalt-60 is produced off site in nuclear reactors and transported in special shipping containers (casks) to the sterilization facility.

What’s the most radioactive element?

Polonium. Because it is a naturally-occurring element that releases a huge amount of energy, many sources cite polonium as the most radioactive element.

How much does cobalt-60 cost?

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Is cobalt necessary for life?

Cobalt is a trace element in the Earth system yet plays an important role in life, being the metal center of vitamin B12, which is crucial to various methyltransferase enzymes.

Why does the world need cobalt?

Demand for cobalt is driven predominantly by the increased production of electric vehicles in an effort to decarbonise the transport sector. Some industry leaders have been attempting a pivot to cobalt-free batteries – technology which is already on the market.