Cobalt 60

brief but informative knowledge about what basically Cobalt 60 is and what is the phenomenon behind this machine ... easy to understand as well as presenting during lectures and in classes . share it

1. COBALT -60 SIR SYED UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY SYED HAMMAD AKHTER 2012-BM-071 PRESENTED TO ENGR. FAHAD AKBER

2. COBALT -60 A radioactive form of cobalt -60 prepared by exposing cobalt to the radiation of an atomic pulse is useful in industry and medical sciences. It is use in place of x-rays in inspection of material to several internal structures flames or foreign objects. It is used in cancer therapy and as a radiation tumor inn biology and industry. Used for teletherapy Naturally cobalt appear as C 59 but artificially make it C 40 Unstable and emit radiation

3. Components Stand in isocentric machines Housing support assembly in stands that focus the radiation at one point Gantry Allows Gamma rays by the rotating source around a fix position. Beam collimator Present in source housing and prevent unwanted radiation emission Radioactive source It is housed in capsule of metal to prevent contamination and dangerous emission Machine console Outside bunker (protect from emission) allow therapist to operate remotely

4. MEDICAL APPLICATION COBALT(CO): Occurrence , properties and uses natural cobalt is all stable isotope. Cobalt 59 from which the largest lived artificial radioactive isotope cobalt-60( 5-3)years half life is produced by neutron irradiation in a nuclear reactor. RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPE: Radioactive isotopes have many useful application. In medicine, for example in extensively employed as a radiation source to arrest the development of cancer .

5. CANCER TREATMENT Cobalt therapy or cobalt-60 therapy is the medical use of gamma rays from the radioisotope cobalt-60 to treat conditions such as cancer. Beginning in the 1950s cobalt-60 was widely used in external beam radiotherapy (teletherapy) machines, which produced a beam of gamma rays which was directed into the patient's body to kill tumor tissue . Because these "cobalt machines" were expensive and required specialist support they were often housed in cobalt units. Cobalt therapy was a revolutionary advance in radiotherapy in the post-World War 2 period but is now being replaced by other technologies such as linear accelerators. Patient receiving cobalt-60 therapy in an early teletherapy  machine, probably early 1950s. The cobalt is in the radiation head (top center), which produces a beam of gamma rays which penetrate the patient's body and strike the tumor. Radiation passing through the patient is absorbed by the lead shield opposite. During therapy, the head unit rotates slowly around the patient to reduce the radiation dose to healthy tissue .