[Reading Science] What Happens When Radiation Is Applied to Tires, Golf Balls, and Food?

Radiation hazard warning sign. Radiation can be a disaster if misused, but it becomes medicine when used properly.
[Photo by YouTube screenshot]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jonghwa] Are you aware that people are exposed to radiation even in their daily lives? There is natural radiation present in nature and artificial radiation used for medical, industrial, and agricultural purposes.

Radiation can be beneficial if used properly, but harmful if misused. Radiation used for industrial or medical purposes falls under beneficial radiation, whereas radioactive contamination caused by nuclear bombs, accidents, or natural disasters is harmful radiation to humanity.

The technology that ensures radiation is used beneficially in everyday life is called 'Radiation Technology (RT)'. Radiation technology utilizes characteristics such as ionization and penetration of radiation and is applied across various fields including medicine, bio, industry, and environment.

This technology is widely used in radiation medicine, radiation fusion, and radiation equipment. Radiation medicine applies the properties of radiation and radioactive isotopes?such as fluorescence, photosensitivity, ionization, and penetration?for medical purposes like disease diagnosis and treatment. Radiation fusion combines radiation technology with technologies in organic and inorganic materials, energy, agriculture, environment, bio, and food sectors to develop advanced materials and products.

Radiation equipment uses high-energy particles and photons that constitute radiation, employing the penetration and energy transfer properties of radiation in a broad range of technologies, including the development of low-dose CT, MRI, and fusion imaging diagnostic devices.

Here is an important fact to note: Did you know that many products and tools used in daily life are exposed to radiation? Representative examples include automobile tires and food. What happens when radiation is applied to tires and food? This technology falls under radiation fusion technology. Tires become very durable with a longer lifespan, and food becomes space food that can be consumed even in outer space, where the environment differs from Earth.

Specifically for tires, radiation is applied to the rubber covering the outer part of the tire. When natural rubber is irradiated, its structure and properties change, turning it into synthetic rubber. The reason radiation is included in the tire manufacturing process is to reduce costs. Even if the rubber part is made thinner, meaning less raw material is used, irradiating it enhances abrasion resistance, making the tire safer and longer-lasting.

The same applies to space food. Since space has a different environment from Earth, space food must be free of living microorganisms and in a dried form rather than liquid. Therefore, food destined for space is irradiated to sterilize microorganisms. It is said that even kimchi is irradiated for sterilization after it is well fermented before being canned.

Displayed new tires. Tires exposed to radiation become more durable.
[Photo by YouTube screenshot]

A similar case to tires is golf balls. In 1992, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) gave three professional golfers 12 irradiated golf balls and 12 regular balls randomly and asked them to drive. The irradiated balls flew more than 10% farther than the regular balls. It was analyzed that radiation made the molecular structure inside the golf balls denser and more compact, increasing their elasticity.

Besides this, radiation is often used to make materials stronger or to sterilize them. When airplanes or spacecraft fly at high speeds, tremendous heat is generated due to friction with the atmosphere, and if the aircraft body is not specially treated, it melts under high heat. To prevent this, aircraft bodies are made from special materials with enhanced heat resistance by irradiation.

Radiation is also used to disinfect various medical devices and equipment. Medical devices, equipment, and even cosmetic tools are irradiated for sterilization. Radiation is also used to sterilize food packaging and containers. Additionally, radiation is applied to preserve cultural assets such as wood, books, and clothing.

Just as we can live without problems despite being exposed to natural radiation in daily life, radiation used properly for good purposes greatly benefits everyday life.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.