Contacting ANSTO ANSTO s web site home page provides

Contacting ANSTO ANSTO’s web site home page provides information about applications of nuclear technology. Go to http://www.ansto.gov.au/ For more information about topics in this brochure email: enquiries@ansto.gov.au/ Enquiries by telephone can be made on (02) 9717 3111 To read the current ANSTO Annual Report, go to http://www.ansto.gov.au/info/annual.html or call (02) 9717 3111 for a printed copy. ANSTO’s main site, the Lucas Heights Science and Technology Centre, is at: New Illawarra Road Lucas Heights NSW 2234 Postal address: ANSTO Private Mail Bag 1 Menai NSW 2234 Produced by ANSTO Government and Public Affairs. All photographs by ANSTO staff and agencies unless otherwise specified. This booklet looks at a year of achievements in applying Australian nuclear science. These achievements benefit ordinary Australians and our way of life, add value to Australian business, underpin commercial innovation and present real options for a sustainable future for our nation. These achievements are those of ANSTO. 2 Turning science into ‘down to earth’ solutions This is an exciting time for applying Australian nuclear science and technology. It is a time when ANSTO is being recognised and valued for its place in the Australian economy and presented with new opportunities for greater industry partnerships, enhanced international collaboration and further product commercialisation. ANSTO is a vibrant science and technology organisation. We work in the development and application of new knowledge and know-how of importance to sustainability, human health, national security and the economic development of Australia. Our focus is safety, security and prosperity. ANSTO scientists work in many areas that are vital to Australia’s future, including agriculture, industry and manufacturing, minerals and energy, construction, human health and the environment. Our work is often carried out in partnership with industry, government and other scientific and educational organisations. Increasingly, Australians are seeking to better understand and improve the environment in which they live. We are seeking sustainable development that meets the needs of the present as well as those of future generations. There is also a demand and an expectation that there will be direct benefits from advances in science and technology, that these advances will be accessible and understood by all sectors of the community and that business will be built upon them. For ANSTO this represents the challenge of streamlining the innovation process to improve the delivery of results and of focusing on strengthening commercial and business opportunities. It also means that we have a responsibility to educate the community, engage in meaningful consultation, work with communities of interest and provide information for informed decision making. This booklet is another opportunity for developing further understanding of the wide-ranging applications of ANSTO’s exciting science. Good science is good business @ ANSTO. Professor Helen Garnett ANSTO Chief Executive 3 Matching knowledge with enterprise: Good science is good business @ ANSTO ANSTO is committed to cooperating, consulting and liaising with business and other communities of interest. Our programs create greater awareness of ANSTO as a key Research and Development supplier of technology and technical solutions to industry. ANSTO generates knowledge and provides products and services in support of government, business, science, education and the wider community. The value that we deliver to Australia is driven by: • Our people: the knowledge, skills, competence, education, training, networks, creativity and innovativeness of individuals within ANSTO • The way we do business: the relations we have with organisations that make use of ANSTO’s expertise and facilities. This includes our relations with governments, similar organisations overseas, business and industry, national and international bodies, commercial customers and suppliers • Our facilities and assets: ANSTO’s physical assets as well as its knowledge and knowhow, processes and databases, organisational structure, intellectual property, manuals and systems. ANSTO’s facilities and people attract companies, and this helps to build relationships and encourages linkages with international organisations. This encourages spin-offs and the generation of new knowledge. 4 The commercialisation of ANSTO science has reached a new phase of development. Today, ANSTO has a leading role in the research into and development of new products and services both in Australia and overseas. It also sustains a number of successful business interests across different sectors. Many business opportunities are driven by ANSTO; however, the organisation also works in partnerships/collaborations with smaller business enterprises and organisations to develop new business opportunities. From the laboratory bench to the pilot plant ANSTO has a unique range of nuclear capabilities and offers a wide range of associated services. It specialises in research and development projects in the areas of: • application, manufacture and supply of radiopharmaceuticals and industrial isotopes • irradiation services • radiation protection and occupational health and safety design; construction, installation and testing of equipment and facilities • risk, reliability and safety management • management of radioactive wastes • technologies for environmental management • analysis, characterisation and modification of materials by neutrons, ion beams and x-rays • processing of minerals and ceramics. A day at the Park Business meets technology at ANSTO’s Technology Park, located in southern Sydney, New South Wales. The Park is an extension of ANSTO’s business profile and is viewed as an important part of the business operations of ANSTO, offering first class facilities for business tenants and their clients. 5 Our shared environment - local Improved knowledge of our natural environment will lead to better decision-making in environmental protection and planning and help industries to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. ANSTO uses nuclear science to understand the natural world and the impact of human activities on the environment. The science: A nuclear microprobe was used to track the metal’s pathway from the root, through the stem and all the way to individual veins within the leaves. The researchers used a process known as PIXE, or Proton Induced X-ray Emission, to measure the changes between the levels and location of the lead buildup in the different species of plants. Plants mining heavy metals It’s been a puzzle for some time as to why some plants are able to thrive in soils with poisonous heavy metals such as lead, nickel and cadmium. It seems that some plants build barriers that keep poisonous metals away, while others will happily grow and actually take in heavy metals. A solution to the puzzle would mean that some trees could be planted in what used to be unusable land. ANSTO joined up with a team from Monash University in Melbourne and tested for heavy metals in a number of native Australian plants - including some eucalyptus, a salt bush and types of acacia. They discovered that some of the plants were storing heavy metals in their bark, stem and roots. Others did not take up any. The team found several species of eucalyptus that are good at storing lead and can be used either as ‘time recorders’ of heavy metal pollution or to help reduce contamination in soil. The science: The fish were (experimentally) exposed to raised copper levels in water. The movements of the fish were then tracked using ANSTOmanufactured isotopes. The results showed that the exposed fish had learned to live with the copper pollution from mine wastes. Darwin’s theory holds true in Northern Territory High levels of copper that would be toxic to other fish, are apparently no problem for a population of Australian fish in the Northern Territory thanks to some 40 years of evolution. The native black-banded rainbow fish, Melanotaenia nigrans, has developed a way to take up less copper through its gills than other fish of the same type. This means that it can live in water where the amounts of copper are much greater than those in which it should be able to survive. A student working with experts from ANSTO found that the ‘enzymes’ in the fish showed changes that suggested a permanent genetic change. Between 1954 and 1971 the Rum Jungle uranium and copper mine was worked in the area, and high levels of copper leached into the Finniss River’s east branch. The effects have since been evened out, thanks to extensive remediation efforts. 6 A black-banded rainbow fish from the Finniss River, Northern Territory. Sniffing out ‘on the nose’ industry emissions Innovative ‘tracer technology’ developed by ANSTO means that a Queensland oil shale refinery can accurately estimate its impact on the local environment - in particular the company can estimate the impact of odours on the surrounding region. ANSTO, the only facility in the region with a laboratory able to provide this service, used a special atmospheric tracer to measure and track the distribution/scattering of emissions from the refinery’s chimney stack. The science: Special harmless gasses that can be detected at very low levels were mixed with air from the chimney stack. Air samples were then collected from the surrounding area and the special 'tracer' gases in the air were measured and plotted. The results gave the factory managers an indication of the impact that odours from the chimney might have on the area. Taking the lead out of the croc’s diet The missing link between lead shot swallowed by Kakadu National Park crocodiles and the build-up of (potentially poisonous and life-threatening) lead in the small bones on the crocodiles’ backs has finally been found. Apparently the crocodiles included in their diet drowned wild geese that had been gunned down by hunters using lead shot. ANSTO scientists working with staff from the Crocodylus Park in the Northern Territory found that raised lead levels in the crocodiles’ blood was affecting the crocodiles’ blood quality, and possibly their quality of life and overall life expectancy. Further research will be needed to discover exactly how crocodiles’ health or reproduction may be affected. Last year, following earlier research showing the crocodiles had been ingesting lead shot, the Park board banned the use of lead ammunition in the Park.The science: The science: An ANSTO secondary ion mass spectrometer was used to confirm that raised lead levels in the crocodiles’ blood were faithfully recorded in the laminations of the back bone, proving that they could be used as an archive of exposure. 7 Our shared environment - global International scientific information can be used in shaping social responses to large-scale environmental change. ANSTO applies nuclear-based techniques in research projects that are important to national and international programs on understanding natural processes and the impact of human activities on the environment. Afghanistan, air pollution, aerosols and ANSTO The activity of people can result in large amounts of tiny particles, or aerosols, being carried into the air. Particles, which include pollution from industry and fuel burning and dust from cleared land, join with sea salt, desert dust or volcanic ash to form pollution hazes. One haze, the Asian Brown Cloud, at times spreads over the huge area from Afghanistan to Sri Lanka. It is thought that this pollution is changing the region’s climate, but little is known about how the pollution occurs and how it might affect climate. To help solve this problem, ANSTO is working with the international Aerosol Characterisation Experiment in East Asia and the Northern Pacific. Using ANSTO’s facilities, team members have set out to measure changes in air quality globally, regionally and locally. By looking at the physical and chemical properties of fine particles collected from different sites, and by measuring the radon concentrations, scientists are able to find the sources of the pollution. So far they have found that aerosol concentrations are driven by climate and weather events, peak in spring and come from China’s north-western semi-arid zone. The science: ANSTO scientists prepared samples collected from populated and natural sites in the region. The samples were analysed using ‘accelerator-based’ nuclear techniques. More than 25 different elements and chemicals were found and measured. 8 Helping hand for Thai farmers Thailand’s plans to improve the lives of rural people by opening up new areas for cash crops have run into big problems with the failure of some of its irrigation reservoirs. When the waters were dammed, it was expected the reservoirs would have enough water for many years to come. However, rapid silting could make some reservoirs of no practical use within 25 years. ANSTO was asked to assist the Thai Government to estimate the rate of sediment build up in the Lam Phra Phloeng reservoir, some 200 km northeast of Bangkok. The reservoir capacity fell by 43% in the first 23 years. ANSTO’s research is aimed at slowing this loss. The lessons learned could be used in other parts of the world. The science: Nuclear techniques were used to show naturally occurring isotopes in sediment material and identify the many natural and human-made elements producing sediment. The results are compared with the history of development in the catchment area, letting the scientists identify sediment sources. Plans for future land use can be based on these findings. Ice-breaking lead on ozone research In 2002 Australian scientists said that the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica should repair itself within 50 years. But after 25 years is the damage already caused by the hole irreversible? In the early 1990s, scientists from the University of Tasmania teamed up with ANSTO and began a study to find out if the big increase in ultraviolet light coming through the ozone hole was causing a slowdown in the reproduction of certain microscopic plants called diatoms. The diatoms being studied live under solid ice. They are the main plant that makes up algae, the basic food of the sea. Many small animals (such as krill) depend on them for their food supply. If there is not enough algae then some animals, fish, mammals and birds may starve. Eventually, human food supplies could be affected. The team of scientists dug cores of fossilised algae from the sea bottom of the Antarctic ocean. Radioactive isotopes were used to determine the age of the fossil algae and how many had died year by year. The results showed there had been considerable fluctuations in the numbers of algae over a fairly short period in the past, and that the changes in the past 20 years were not unusual. The increase in the size of the ozone hole over the past 20 years means that humans face an increased risk of eye disease, skin cancers and premature skin ageing, and lowered resistance to various diseases. Aussie smog-busters head to New York State The science: Using advanced nuclear techniques, ANSTO researchers can detect up to 35 elements in dust collected on filters. They can accurately show results for concentrations as low as one thousandmillionth of a gram per cubic metre of air. United States researchers investigating air pollution in New York State have called on ANSTO’s specialists to analyse their samples. American Researchers are looking to identify the actual elements in the air, in particular man-made versus natural sources of air pollution, and the effects of coal burning from power generation. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has strict guidelines for the amount of tiny particles, known as fine particulates, allowed in the air. Fine particulates concern health experts because they can travel long distances on the wind, and lodge in the lungs. Fine particulates are usually produced by burning, motor vehicles, industrial plants, mining operations, and mineral and soil stockpiles. 9 Cultural heritage, history and human activity Australia’s history recorded in mud Mud, for all its dirty, slimy glory, contains a lot of information about the environment it was formed in. Each year, layers of soil are deposited in lakes, swamps and bogs and with it pollen, algae, charcoal, the remains of tiny animals, traces of metals and naturally occurring radioactive isotopes. Through studying these ‘microfossils’ it is possible to unlock the door to our past. ANSTO scientists are working in the wilderness areas of Australia collecting mud from swamps and lakes. The samples are then returned to ANSTO. In mud collected from a lake in the remote Gordon River region in Tasmania the group discovered evidence of the impact of convict logging of Huon Pine during the 1820s. They also found some increased levels of metals in the environment in samples taken from sites around the Queenstown mining region, and in some samples from sites many kilometres from the actual mining operations. Charcoal contained in the mud has proved a very useful indicator of the history of fire in the area, showing that burning significantly increased with the arrival of miners in western Tasmania 150 years ago. Pollen provided a clear story of deforestation, increased levels of burning and higher levels of pollution. Microscopic algae and animals have given evidence of changing water conditions in the lakes. The task team is also looking at sites in the Northern Territory, the Blue Mountains, Victoria, the Atherton Tablelands and Antarctica for clues to our past climatic conditions and human occupation and activity. The science: Samples of mud just 7cm deep are analysed using nuclear techniques. The type and age of the pollen and trace metals in the mud let scientists piece together a history of human and natural activity in the area. Pacific art history rocks on! Results of carbon dating 57 samples of paintings from 14 caves on the island of Malakula show a fast and marked increase in rock painting 1500 years ago. This information adds to our knowledge about migrations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the earliest known cross-oceanic movements and furthest-ranging maritime migrations before those from Europe. The last 200-year period is again marked by an increase in rock art. Working with the local people in Vanuatu, scientists from ANSTO have successfully dated tiny samples of rock art that once would have been too small for analysis. As part of the Vanuatu study, ANSTO scientists used new techniques that let them use samples as small as 10 micrograms of carbon - equivalent to 100,000th of a gram. These new techniques mean that researchers will be able to analyse items such as seeds, pollen grains, bone or blood samples. ANSTO is one of a small group of institutions able to analyse these small samples. The science: Carbon dating involves the analysis of carbon-14. These measurements are managed by ANSTO’s Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) group. AMS is a highly sensitive technique based on the use of an ‘ion accelerator’ such as ANSTO’s ANTARES. 10 Science is not just a profession… it is a combination of mental operations that has increasingly become the habit of educated peoples. It’s a culture of illuminations hit upon by a fortunate turn of history, of uncountable small and large steps, of adjustments to reality during the past four centuries that yielded the most powerful way of knowing about the world ever devised. Flexing mussels against covert nuclear activity Scientists at ANSTO with the help of a humble mussel have found a new way of uncovering covert nuclear activities. ANSTO scientists have turned their attention to analysing mussel shells and flesh for the element uranium-236, a rare radioisotope that, if found in unexpectedly high levels, may be a fingerprint of undercover nuclear activities. The research, involving molluscs (such as mussels) from around nuclear facilities, adds to the role ANSTO plays in analysing samples for nuclear safeguards. Mussels are well suited to this kind of work because of their fairly inactive nature and because they absorb and keep elements from their surroundings. They are also found on the coast and waterways, which could get run-off from undeclared nuclear facilities. The science: ANSTO has one of the few facilities in the world able to carry out this high level analysis. Environmental samples are analysed using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry to find the levels of uranium-236 in relation to naturally occurring uranium-238. ANSTO is accredited to do this by the international Atomic Energy Agency’s Network of Analytical Laboratories (NWAL). The NWAL is a specialised group of labs testing samples from around nuclear installations. 11 Industry, manufacturing and natural resources Innovation is the link between science and industry - and is just one area in which ANSTO demonstrates leadership. ANSTO applies technologies to increase nuclear opportunities for Australian industry and business. Casting no doubt on hardened metal ‘Hardening’ is a treatment of metals that increases their resistance to penetration and wear. For example metal is harder when it has small grains, produced when the metal is cooled rapidly. ANSTO has been successfully doing world-breaking scientific research to find a new way of hardening metals, mainly for the tooling and materials processing industries. The ANSTO process, known as Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation or PI3, is different from that used elsewhere. It uses lower treatment temperatures (typically 300° to 500°C) and is suited to stainless steel and high precision items that change shape or lose their resistance to rust during standard processes. ANSTO has sold equipment for this new process to research laboratories in the United Kingdom, Germany, Hungary, Thailand and Singapore and to universities within Australia. The science: Ion implantation causes ions to penetrate below the surface of a material, giving it unique electronic, mechanical or chemical properties Because high energy radiation can penetrate solid objects, it is used to examine interior structures that could not otherwise be seen. Sections of jet engines can be tested to check for damage or changes to their shape. 12 Ansto gets HIP to knee replacements The development of skills and equipment to assist in the making of artificial body parts is a rather unusual spin-off of ANSTO’s work. Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) was first used at ANSTO in the development of a new way of looking after radioactive waste. A company is already using ANSTO’s HIP technology to improve artificial knees. It expects to produce around 1500 artificial knees in 2002-03 and to increase this to around 35,000 over the next few years. The HIP technique, when used with ANSTO’s certified labs for this type of work and mechanical testing, was able to pass the US Federal Drug Administration standards. ANSTO also helps hospitals by sterilising artificial body parts such as hips. The science: When metals and other materials are shaped using casting, the material inside is usually porous and has a number of irregular flaws. Hot Isostatic Pressing uses heat and high pressure, at the same time and in all directions. This removes any flaws and produces a fully dense material improving the strength, flexibility and ‘fatigue life’ of the material. Australia’s magnetic attraction ANSTO scientists are working with Australian chocolate manufacturers to investigate the mixture of tiny particles that form chocolate. The appearance, texture and taste depend on these particles. Magnets are used in modern day motors for such things as alternators, wipers, speedometers and electric instrumentation. Improvements in magnets have also led to Walkman-style sound systems, analogue watches, fans, jewellery and video recorders. Australia will be joining the international race to better understand magnets, with ANSTO’s scientists taking a lead role in finding a better magnet. This area of research could put Australian industry in a good position to develop world-beating electrical products. ANSTO’s Replacement Research Reactor (RRR), a state-of-the-art neutron factory, will help unlock new information about magnets. ANSTO has already done a number of studies on magnets, using the present research reactor. The aim is to make more powerful magnets, and to find out how to make magnets cheaper and easier for industry to manufacture. Savings of only a few cents in the production of each magnet can translate into savings of many millions of dollars for large manufacturers. The science: Magnets achieve their magnetic power when electrons align to produce a unified magnetic field. Neutrons are unique in that they can probe these magnetic structures. Structure of cement cracked-open The science: Cement is a very complex material. Neutrons and x-rays were used to analyse its structure. Although not all the components are fully understood, Australian scientists are leading the way in determining how the atoms in cement are arranged. Cement is the most popular building material in the world, yet amazingly we still don't know exactly how it forms. Recently, however, new methods have been developed using 'neutron science' to investigate such mysteries. Using these methods a scientist from the University of Technology, Sydney, is working with ANSTO to look at the structure of cement. This new information may lead to a better understanding of what cement is (at its smallest or molecular level) and to different ways of producing cheaper and better cement. 13 Health and medicine The concept of health-related quality of life refers to a person or group’s perceived physical and mental health over time. Physicians and health professionals have often used health-related quality of life to measure the effects of chronic illness in their patients in order to better understand how an illness interferes with a person’s day-to-day life. ANSTO’s nuclear-based solutions aim to assist in disease diagnosis and treatment and improve the quality of life for all Australians. On average, every Australian will use a nuclear medical product sometime in their life. Medicines with safe low doses of radiation are being used more and more, giving Australia first-class services for diagnosing and treating diseases. Well over 430,000 doses of these are used in Australia every year. (1) Cancer sufferers having radiation treatment in Australia can be assured of world-class standards in radiation measurement. One of the ways to treat cancer is radiotherapy, which involves using a beam of high-intensity irradiation on the affected part of the body. Making sure that the beam gives the right amount of radiation is very important - if the dose is too high, there is a risk of destroying surrounding healthy tissue, and if it is too low, the treatment may not be effective. Results show that the ANSTO measurements were closer than 1% from the required target, which is considered a very accurate result. (2) Liver cancer is the biggest cancer-related killer of adults in the world and is generally considered one of the hardest cancers to treat. However, SIR-Spheres®, a revolutionary new system of treating secondary liver cancers developed by ANSTO and Sirtex, a biotechnology company, may have the answer. Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, the treatment is designed to be provided as a ‘one-off’. This benefits the patient with only one visit to the doctor, and is cheaper as well. (4) Beating pain. About 20% of radiotherapy is used to relieve pain for people who have bone cancer that has spread from breast, prostate or lung cancer. Using one of the latest ANSTO products, Quadramet, provides pain relief for up to 16 weeks, improving quality of life. It is safe to repeat treatment many times. The science: Radiopharmaceuticals are produced mainly using ANSTO’s HIFAR research reactor; smaller quantities of different radiopharmaceuticals are produced in ANSTO’s ‘cyclotron’. For a scan, a radioactive element is attached to an oral or injected ‘agent’ that is designed to seek out an individual organ. This radioactive element can then be detected by a gamma camera, which builds up a computer image for doctors. For internal radiotherapy for cancer, a radioisotope can also be carried to a diseased organ to attack the cancer cells. 3) What looks like an esky, was invented in Australia, and helps doctors accurately diagnose tens of thousands of people around Australia and the Asia-Pacific region every year? It’s the Gentech® generator - a deceptively simple looking container that provides a clever way of delivering short-lived radiopharmaceuticals to nuclear medicine centres. Since it was released in 2000, this Australian-designed machine has been a big success, delivering high quality radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis in areas such as the heart, lungs, brain, and the skeleton. This success has been recognised through ANSTO’s ARI being nominated as a finalist in the 2002 Ericsson Awards, for Australian innovation. Gentech® also reduces environmental waste because the used product is returned for recycling, with most parts re-used many times. 14 Horses for courses Stress fractures in race horses’ bones are hard to find, unless you have a gamma camera. Failure to find them quickly can lead to nasty injury, the destruction of the horse and the end of an investment. The gamma camera also works for sports people such as footballers. These cameras are used widely now in nuclear medicine for humans to pick up injuries that are not obvious or that x-rays may not show. They are also being used for people with osteoporosis. The science: ANSTO provides a pill containing a very small amount of radioactive material. When swallowed, this settles for a time in bones. The gamma camera picks up problems shown by the faint radioactive outlines, especially where there are cracks in bones. Getting to the heart of blood cell secrets ANSTO’s research into the shape and function of red blood cells could lead to the discovery of new ways to treat circulatory and respiratory problems. Scientists from ANSTO and the University of Sydney have been directing neutron beams from HIFAR at blood cells and collecting the results. One of the parts of red blood cells of special interest is haemoglobin the protein that gives blood its red colour and transports oxygen around the body. The information the group has gathered shows what the best microscopes cannot see - how haemoglobin clusters within cells. The science: When neutrons are directed through a sample of red blood cells, a pattern of concentric rings appears. These rings are made by neutrons interacting with clusters of haemoglobin molecules within red blood cells. Scientists are seeking to better understand the shape of these blood cells. When we breath in, oxygen is absorbed across the lining of the lung, through the blood plasma and into the red blood cells. These carry the oxygen to where it will be used by the body. Our bodies have a specialised way of turning up or down the released oxygen to parts of the body. The scientists think that the clustering of haemoglobin helps the red blood cell to deliver oxygen to where it is needed. Neutron scattering, used in this study, will be a major function of the Replacement Research Reactor. 15 Agriculture and the land Sustainability, a philosophy of interdependence and of respect for life as well as nature, is the responsibility of all citizens and future generations. ANSTO applies nuclear-based, safe technologies in research projects that lead towards a greater understanding of natural processes and the impact of human activities on the environment. In Australia, the fear is that groundwater carrying salt will surface. In a number of other countries it is arsenic that has come to the surface when tapping subterranean supplies. Assassin’s arsenic - resurfaces in groundwater Arsenic - a tasteless and odourless element found naturally in the earth was the poison of choice for many assassins in centuries past. But arsenic has far more power to maim and kill today when consumed at trace levels over several years in drinking water. In Bangladesh in the 1990s, millions of people were found to be suffering chronic poisoning from arsenic in well water or groundwater bores, with thousands more poisoned in Taiwan, Mongolia, Chile and Argentina. Arsenic when consumed even in tiny amounts causes skin, respiratory and other diseases and can lead to cancer. Even in the United States, in some communities dependent on groundwater for drinking and irrigation, arsenic traces are at levels causing water authorities concern. ANSTO has many years of experience in dealing with the problem of arsenic in industry. This expertise, when combined with that of the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Waste Management and Pollution Control, led to the development of a new, cheaper and quicker method for removing arsenic from groundwater. The new method, which has the added advantage of not leaving harmful residues, is now going through the patenting and licensing process. The science: The arsenic removal technology uses iron or sulfite with sunlight or ultraviolet lamps, which multiplies by 10,000 times the speed at which the highly poisonous water-soluble version of arsenic changes into a form that can be collected and safely disposed of in landfill. 16 Shaking out salt in Australia’s fresh water reserves Land clearing in Australia over the past 80 years has resulted in extensive loss of arable land due to the build-up of salts in the soil. Discovering whether the salt in Australia’s vast reserves of underground water will have an impact on the land’s productivity has so far meant multiple borehole drilling and conventional geological surveying - expensive methods that have not always told the full story. Disturbingly, aerial surveys have shown salt beneath large areas of what is currently considered ‘valuable’ land in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales. A fruitless life for fruit flies The fruit fly, a little less than a centimetre in length, quite pretty with an orange to black body adorned with bright yellow patches, is the most serious insect pest of fruit and vegetable crops in Australia. There are more than 210 native and exotic fruits favoured by the fruit fly - the only crop not in danger from the pest is the pineapple. The damage to fruit is caused by the female flies laying their eggs in the fruit. The eggs hatch into small white grubs that live and feed on the fruit until they are ready to pupate. In an effort to control this problem without using harmful chemical sprays, ANSTO, on behalf of NSW Agriculture and the TriState Fruit Fly Agreement, sterilises millions of laboratory-bred Queensland fruit flies before they become adults. The ten to fifteen million sterilised flies that are released every week in the main southern fruit growing area ensure that few females lay fertile eggs under fruit skins and the larvae numbers are kept low. ANSTO scientists are solving the problem by using a low level radioactive solution to trace underground water flow and then remote sensing tools to gauge exactly how widely distributed the salt is and when it could surface. The same technique has been used to find underground water for a well-established fruit growing property and developments such as a new housing area. And a similar technique has been used to prove that mega-rips cause beach erosion on the east coast and that future climate change could magnify the sand loss. ANSTO has the only laboratory in Australia undertaking this work. The organisation’s expertise in the analysis of natural and introduced isotopes for water resource research is recognised, and has been used, internationally. All oils ain’t olive oil Oxidation is the process where oxygen helps to breakdown food into nutrients and energy for the body. However there is some evidence that this same process can be linked to ageing and degenerative diseases such as cancer. Scientists believe that anti-oxidants may play a key role in slowing the oxidation process. Scientists from ANSTO have teamed up with Charles Sturt University to study the highly active anti-oxidants in olive extracts. Many of the components of olive oil are not unique, with 98% of olive oil being made up of ‘triglycerides’ - substances found in vegetable oils. However, it’s the other 2% of olive oil - various pigments, sterols, phenols (the antioxidants), and minor lipid components - that make olive oil unique. Phenols are particularly important because they affect oil yields during extraction. However, they are almost non-existent in lower grades of olive oil. The study raises the possibility that specific anti-oxidants could be extracted from olives for commercial use. The researchers are also looking at naturally occurring chemicals in the olive leaf, seed and stone that may have applications in the radiopharmaceutical, cosmetics, and other industries. The science: ANSTO has a highly accurate in-house irradiation facility that is unique in Australia. It guarantees that the laboratory-bred fruit flies get the precise, short burst of radiation needed to make them infertile while ensuring they remain virile. No harm is done to other wildlife, and possible human health risks that accompany insecticide spraying of fruit are eliminated. The science: The researchers used ANSTO’s highly specialised spectrofluorimeter facilities to study the compounds in olive oil. 17 ANSTO at a glance ANSTO is the Australian science organisation that develops and applies nuclear technology. Its expertise, national and international relationships, various nuclear research facilities, products and services contribute to a very broad range of environmental, medical, social and industrial matters. Examples of uses of its facilities and capabilities across industry and society are given here at a glance. Our shared environment • Understanding our environmental history Investigations into the shells, bones, bony structures and so on of aquatic organisms/animals such as mussels, crocodile bones and dugong tusks, provide a ‘natural’ history of the environment. Such research uses a range of nuclear facilities, namely the research reactor (HIFAR), ANSTO’s tandem accelerator, ion beam analysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry technology. • Greater understanding of marine erosion and associated human activity Sand labelled using the reactor is being monitored at a beach north of Sydney to model beach erosion under normal and storm conditions. • Understanding the Antarctic ANSTO researchers have used radionuclides in Antarctic ice cores as tracers and chronometers in environmental research. • Containing and remediating waste New sol-gel nanostructured materials being investigated through neutron scattering have potential applications in waste remediation. Neutron scattering has also been used to examine the structure of a natural clayey soil that is used to contain industrial liquid wastes. • Maintaining vital major fresh water sources and water quality Radioactive tracers are used to calculate groundwater recharge rates, enabling sustainable management for all users of the Great Artesian Basin and other locations. • Increasing understanding of indigenous fauna Lead shot was banned in Kadaku in the Northern Territory after ANSTO identified it as the source of an environmental lead problem. • Ensuring a cleaner environment through radioactive waste immobilisation Recognised expertise in synroc-related titanate ceramics has fostered an enhanced potential role in the clean-up of radioactive wastes. • Monitoring and predicting urban pollution ANSTO has contributed to an International Atomic Energy Agency/United Nations Development Program/Regional Cooperative Agreement international project on Urban Air Pollution and Trends involving 13 Asia-Pacific countries. The project uses accelerator-based nuclear techniques to characterise fine particles and quantify different sources’ contributions to this atmospheric pollution. • Focusing on ecosystem health and environmental processes Work at an arid site and a tropical site has contributed to international programs to better understand the movement of radionuclides in the environment. • World leadership in understanding climate change and implications ANSTO has a number of unique capabilities and experience in the provision of natural archives of past environmental change, chemical fingerprinting and quantifying of aerosols, in identifying sources of aerosols, and the potential use of isotopes in evaluating climate models. ANSTO’s work in the area of human activity and climate variability will, for example: – improve climate prediction, enabling a better understanding of the role of aerosols in climate forcing in the Asian region, leading to improved ability to predict climate change – contribute to sustainable environmental management, improving understanding of natural and human factors influencing change in our environment. The results of this research are important for environmental and other long-term management policies and strategies. • Tracking pollution and high-level environmental monitoring Radioactive tracers are used in studies of a wide range of environmental problems, including marine pollution from sewage and other nutrients, air pollution, heavy metal contamination from mine sites, and salinity. • Determining relationships between air quality and fossil fuels 18 ANSTO is part of an international project on effects of fossil fuel electricity generation on air quality in the United States. Cultural heritage, history and human activity • World-leading science analysis capabilities ANSTO has set a world benchmark for small radiocarbon sample preparation, and measurement and efforts are underway to make it the premier laboratory. The organisation can measure carbon samples as small as 10 micrograms. • Enabling broad-ranging developments in nanotechnology ANSTO is active in nanotechnology in areas as diverse as pharmaceuticals, environmental research, new materials and traditional industrial problems. Its activities are based on neutron beam analysis and other complementary techniques. • Longer productive life of plant and equipment Through its research reactor operation, ANSTO has developed a high level of expertise and skill in analysing and measuring the effects of extreme heat on materials and welds. • Authenticating historic art and artefacts Nuclear technology at Lucas Heights has been used to carbon-date art and artefacts such as King Charlemagne’s crown, ancient chess pieces and Australian Aboriginal rock art. • Addressing structural and building integrity problems The welds on big structures like Australia Stadium at Olympic Park in Sydney are checked for fatigue using gamma radiography. Such stresses arise from welding, heat treatment and mechanical deformation during manufacture of metal components and can lead to premature failure. • Analysing artefacts to show ancient migrations Nuclear techniques have been used to identify the origins of clays that were used in pottery, adding to our understanding of ancient migrations. Industry, manufacturing and natural resources • Supporting industry across-the-board Neutrons from the reactor are used in a diverse range of industries including wine, paper, metals, chemicals and agriculture to make on-site measurements of humidity and density, amongst other things. Radioactive isotopes are integrated as sensors in process control systems for performing on-line, noncontact and non-destructive measurement. • Transforming silicon In neutron transmutation doping, silicon blocks are placed in the reactor and irradiated to improve their electrical properties before they are turned into semiconductor chips. ANSTO is a major world supplier of irradiated silicon, and the new reactor will be able to irradiate larger blocks of silicon. • Underpinning mining development Radioisotopes can be used to analyse ores in the mining industry using x-ray fluorescence analysers. Well-logging tools, used by oil and gas prospecting companies, are used for measuring density, water and oil saturation of rocks surrounding the exploration wells. • New materials for home and industrial uses Neutrons present an ideal tool for probing the structure of solids and liquids. Neutrons generated by research reactors are scattered by atoms in the material being probed, revealing the sample’s atomic and magnetic structure and the dynamics of molecules in detail. Neutron scattering also enables researchers to learn how new materials can be fabricated, as materials can be studied under conditions of extreme heat, cold or pressure, comparable to the natural processes that have taken place in the earth’s history. • Predicting petrochemical, energy and mining sustainability ANSTO’s expertise is used in the petrochemical and mining industries and in coal-fired power plants for plant remaining-life studies. • Enhancing oil recovery ANSTO is investigating the relationship between drilling mud and ‘nanopores’ in oil-bearing rock to determine appropriate methods of improved oil extraction, using neutron beams. • Solving manufacturing problems The production of high intensities of neutrons in research reactors complements the use of synchrotrons, which produce very high intensities of electromagnetic radiation (in the form of x-rays, ultraviolet light and infra-red light), and the two approaches are used together to solve scientific and technological questions. Neutron scattering penetrates deeper than x-rays, and can be used, for instance, to look inside a pressure device or deep into a weld, or to map the stresses in a casting. • Mineral exploration Last year more than 12,000 mineral and environmental samples were irradiated in the research reactor to enable elemental composition to be determined, thereby contributing to research programs of other organisations, mineral exploration and environmental analysis. • Shaping the technology of the future Researchers are using ANSTO’s research reactor to develop stronger magnets, which will lead to better electric motors and electric transport. Other ANSTO research is under way into the design of permanent magnets and electrical devices using superconducting materials. • Establishing cleaner environmental practices in mining ANSTO is continuing research to identify, investigate and develop technologies that will lead to cleaner and more environmentally sustainable operations in the uranium mining and processing sector. • Developing new materials through understanding structures Enhanced neutron reflectrometry is used to probe structures of surfaces, thin-films or buried interfaces as well as processes occurring at surfaces and interfaces, such as absorption, adhesion and interdiffusion. • Providing non-nuclear applications, for example the removal of acid from solutions Applications in the oil industry and other industries are likely from the non-nuclear application of ANSTO’s baseline sorbents, together with further understanding of the immobilisation process. 19 Health and medicine • Improving patient diagnosis Nuclear medicine is an integral part of diagnosis of cancer. The NSW Cancer Council has identified better diagnosis as a significant factor in the recent decline in mortality from cancer. More than 80% of diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures use reactorproduced isotopes. • Understanding and predicting marine pollution ‘hot spots’ Radioactive tracers from the reactor can be used to measure and predict marine pollution, which leads to red algal tide and destruction of fish populations. • Understanding soils and improving soil classification Soil-to-plant transfer (which determines levels of soil contamination) for surface-deposited radionuclides have been measured in the Northern Territory for three wet/growing seasons. • Producing medical treatments and pain relief Almost all radioisotopes used in therapeutic procedures are reactor-produced. • Liver cancer breakthrough ANSTO produces the yttrium-90 in its research reactor. These microspheres represent a significant breakthrough in the treatment of this usually fatal disease, and have been accredited by the United States Federal Drug Administration. • Working towards sustainable environmental management Nuclear techniques are leading to an improved understanding of natural and human factors influencing change in our environment. This contributes to land management policies and longterm management strategies. • On-target cancer treatment Research using radioisotopes connected to antibodies has the potential to lead to ‘magic bullets’ that can be targeted to destroy any cancer. • Controlling exotic diseases and introduced species The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service applies gamma irradiation using cobalt-60 to sterilise imports. • Seeking further medical breakthroughs ANSTO researchers are developing new radiopharmaceuticals for the detection and evaluation of tumour (melanoma) growth and metastases, and undertaking a comparative clinical study on the detection of melanoma metastases. They are also using neutron scattering techniques to better understand subjects such as erythrocytes (red blood cells) and lung surfactants (associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). • Supporting fruit farming The sterile insect technique using gamma irradiation is used to control Queensland fruit fly infestations. • Precision food and drink manufacturing Gamma radiography techniques are widely used in the food and drink industries for gauging and level measurement applications. • Innovation in plant breeding Gamma radiation is used in plant breeding programs to produce genetic changes in plants. ANSTO has the only facility in Australia that can provide low-dose irradiation in large quantities. • Preventing disease transmission Gamma irradiation is used to sterilise materials such as medical devices, human tissue grafts and microbiological test kits. • Enhancing food quality Scientists from ANSTO have been examining chocolate in the search for better manufacturing techniques. ANSTO scientists are also investigating the impact of processes such as heating, mixing and fermenting on the molecular structure of various foods – leading to improved product quality and lifespan. • Supporting biotechnology research Radiolabelling and molecular imaging are key technologies for the emerging biotechnology sector. Radiotracers enable researchers to study molecular mechanisms of basic biological processes. Agriculture and the land • Improving soil and water salinity Nuclear technology may provide solutions that enable farmers, land managers and communities to maintain sustainability of groundwater extraction and address salinity problems. ANSTO’s integrated geophysical and geochemical approach to groundwater flow problems and sub-surface mapping of salinity risk areas will provide reliable data for long-term planning and management. • Authenticating wine samples Radiocarbon dating can be used to authenticate wine samples using a technique developed by Adelaide University and ANSTO. • Conserving and sustaining fresh water reserves Radioactive tracers are used to calculate groundwater recharge rates, thus enabling sustainable management for all users. 20