The Ottawa Valley has a long history with nuclear technology.  Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), one of Canada’s larger crown corporations, has been operating a nuclear research reactor at Chalk River since 1957.

The Chalk River Laboratories supports the CANDU reactor program and also produces the majority of the world’s supply of radioisotopes used in nuclear medicine.  AECL has more than 3,000 employees including scientists, engineers, technical and skilled trades workers, and clerical, administrative and maintenance staff.  All employees require safety training, and those who work in certain roles, where they are more likely to be involved with radioactive materials, are designated to an employee group that receives more extensive safety protection training.

Nuclear Technology Applications

There are many applications for nuclear technology and, in Ontario, the main uses are for power generation, nuclear medicine, and industrial and commercial applications.  In every workplace that handles nuclear products or products that contain radioactive materials, there is mandatory radiation safety training in place.

Power Generation:  Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is one of Ontario’s crown corporations and is responsible for 70% of the electricity generated in the province.  OPG, which has been operating power plants for over 100 years, owns and operates the Pickering and Darlington Nuclear Power Stations in Southern Ontario.

Together, these two facilities provide for about 30% of the province’s electricity needs.  The Pickering plant generates enough electricity to supply the needs of 1.5 million people; Darlington’s facility provides electricity for 2 million people.  As of 2006, the Ontario Power Generation corporation employed over 11,500 people.  OPG also leases the Bruce nuclear generating station, located in Kincardine, ON, to Bruce Power.  Bruce Power provides a further 20% of the province's electricity and employs about 3,600 workers.

Nuclear Medicine:  Another major application of nuclear technology is in the medical field where it is used in prevention, diagnosis and therapy.  Radiation is used to sterilize many products, in particular, medical equipment and supplies which can prevent bacterial infection and the spread of disease.  Hospital supplies such as sutures, masks, surgical gloves, dressings, scalpel blades, catheters and syringes are pre-packaged and irradiated by cobalt-60.  Around the world, 45 percent of all single-use medical supplies are sterilized with Canadian-made irradiators.

Nuclear medicine is a branch of radiology that uses specific nuclear properties to create medical imaging for diagnosis and therapy.  Many hospitals have a nuclear medicine department that includes facilities to prepare radioisotopes or radiopharmaceuticals for diagnoses.

In diagnostic testing, patients may be administered radioactive substances so that the radiation emitted can be detected by special diagnostic testing equipment.  This “tracer” allows an image of the patient’s anatomy or function to be formed, allowing specialists to acquire information about the bones, organs, or even biological processes that take place at a cellular level.

These types of diagnostic tests can detect particular problems that previously may have required invasive exploratory surgery. There are over 100 applications for diagnostic testing that employ radioisotopes. Some of the testing would be to analyze, evaluate or determine blood flow and function of the heart; kidney function; the presence or spread of cancer; fractures, arthritis or tumors in bones; respiratory function and blood-flow in lungs.

Nuclear medicine can also be taken internally to cure some forms of disease such as thyroid cancer. Every day, medical radioisotopes produced by AECL's Chalk River Laboratories are used in over 34,000 nuclear medicine procedures around the world. 

Industrial, Commercial and Agricultural Applications: There are hundreds of applications for nuclear technology in the industry and manufacturing sectors.  Specialized instrumentation that contain trace amounts of radioactive materials or industrial radiography can measure the thickness of steel products, the stability of welding joints, or the depth of fluid in a tank.  These industrial gauges and instruments can also take readings that measure the viability of a metal, the density and thickness of paper during the papermaking process, or in drilling operations, locate oil, gas, coal or other mineral deposits.

In commercial use, many consumer products have been manufactured through a process that involves the use of radioactive products or which contain radioactive materials.  Some of the these products include smoke detectors, photocopiers, cosmetics, hair products, or contact lens solutions which are irradiated to sterilize them against allergens and irritants.

There are also practical applications for the use of nuclear technology in agriculture including the sterilization of harmful insects that cause severe crop damage or carry diseases.  For example, African tsetse flies cause a condition called “sleeping sickness” which can be fatal to both humans and animals.  Scientists can breed and sterilize the male tsetse fly and introduce it into the wild population which will lower the rate of reproduction and consequently, reduce the spread of this debilitating disease. 

Similarly, when invasive insects are destroying trees or crops, a sterilization treatment to the male insect means it cannot reproduce when released into its natural setting, which ultimately reduces more extensive crop damage.

For more information about nuclear technology, the nuclear industry,

or nuclear educational resources, visit these links:

Miscellaneous Nuclear Industry Facts (from the Canadian Nuclear Association)

For more information about the Radiation Safety Program, contact

Jamie Bramburger at 613-735-4700, ext. 2756 or by

email: brambuj@algonquincollege.com

Apply to the program now at ontariocolleges.ca