Medical Uses of Radioisotopes

Another medical use of radioisotopes, such Co, is to irradiate certain tissues within the body. An intense source of Co in a heavily shielded facility provides a highly coUimated beam of y-rays that impinge on a tumor in order to kill its cells. 

Radioactivity in environmental waters can originate from both natural and artificial sources. The natural or background radioactivity usuaUy amounts to <100 mBq/L. The development of the nuclear power industry as weU as other industrial and medical uses of radioisotopes (qv) necessitates the deterrnination of gross alpha and beta activity of some water samples. These measurements are relatively inexpensive and are useful for screening samples. The gross alpha or beta activity of an acidified sample is deterrnined after an appropriate volume is evaporated to near dryness, transferred to a flat sample-mounting dish, and evaporated to dryness in an oven at 103—105°C. The amount of original sample taken depends on the amount of residue needed to provide measurable alpha or beta activity. 

Medical Uses of Radioisotopes Nonmedical Uses of Radioisotopes Sources of Radioisotopes Problems Associated with Radioactivity MiniLab 21.2 Radon—A problem in your home ... 

Describe, with examples, medical uses of radioisotopes. (Section 10.6)... 

Describe, with examples, medical uses of radioisotopes. 

With regard to future trends in the radioactive and nuclear helds, an increasing use of radioisotopes for medical, industriaL and research purposes is expected soon. As a result of this, there will be an increase in the amount of low and medium radioactive wastes. 

Except for and other isotopes of iodine occur in the thyroid and urine only for a short time, due to their short half life (<60 days). 8j and are very seldom used for medical purposes except for the use of in the very early period of medical applications of radioisotopes (Becker and Sawin, 1996). and... 

Using the library, research the medical uses of radioactive isotopes such as cobalt-60 and technetium-99. Evaluate the benefits and risks of using radioisotopes in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. Report your findings to the class. 

Radioactivity the spontaneous decay or disintegration of an unstable atomic nucleus, usually accompanied by the anission of ionizing radiation Radiography medical use of radiant energy (such as x-rays and gamma rays) to image body systans Radioisotope isotopes of an elanent that have an unstable nucleus, commonly used in science, industry, and medicine... 

Radiochemical tracers, compounds labeled with radioisotopes (qv), have become one of the most powerful tools for detection and analysis in research, and to a limited extent in clinical diagnosis (see Medical IMAGING TECHNOLOGY). A molecule or chemical is labeled using a radioisotope either by substituting a radioactive atom for a corresponding stable atom in the compound, such as substituting for H, for or for P, and for for... 

The use of radioactive tracers was pioneered by Georg von Hevesy, a Hungarian physical chemist, who received the Nobel Prize in 1943 for his work on radioactive indicators (1). Radioisotopes have become indispensable components of most medical and life science research strategies, and in addition the technology is the basis for numerous industries focused on the production and detection of radioactive tracers. Thousands of radioactive tracers have been synthesized and are commercially available. These are used worldwide in tens of thousands of research laboratories. 

Technetium-99m (the m signifies a metastable, or moderately stable, species) is generated in nuclear reactors and shipped to hospitals for use in medical imaging. The radioisotope has a half-life of 6.01 h. If a 165-mg sample of technetium-99m is shipped from a nuclear reactor to a hospital 125 kilometers away in a truck that averages 50.0 kmh. what mass of technetium-99m will remain when it arrives at the hospital ... 

The radioisotope cobalt-60, with a half-life of 5.27 years (1925.3 days) through beta ((3) emission, decays to form the stable element nickel-60. It is used to test welds and metal casts for flaws, to irradiate food crops to prolong freshness, as a portable source of ionizing gamma (Y) radiation, for radiation research, and for a medical source of radiation to treat cancers and other diseases. 

The most important use of iridium is as an alloying metal for platinum and palladium. Such alloys are used for jewelry, decorative purposes, electrical contacts, thermocouples, crucibles, electrodes, hypodermic needles, and medical accessories. Iridium enhances resistance of platinum to chemical attack and corrosion. It also enhances hardness and tensile strength. The radioisotope Ir-192 is used in examination of ferrous welds and in other radiographic applications. 

Radiochemical purification, activation analysis and, 1 322-323 Radio-frequency plasmas commercial applications of, 17 110, 111 economics of, 17 111, 112 use of, in chemical synthesis, 17 89-112 Radioisotopes, use in medical diagnosis and imaging, 36 25-26... 

To date, the major uses of ytterbium have been in applied and fundamental research. The element and its compounds have been used in magnetic "bubble domain devices (ytterbium orthofemte). in phosphors to convert infrared to visible light, in lasers, and radioisotope 1fiCYb has found application in portable industrial and medical radiographic units. 

Medical x-rays provided one of the first applications of radioisotopes. In 1914, the wounded from World War 1 were pouring into Paris hospitals. Marie Curie converted a Renault car into the first mobile radiological unit and drove it from hospital to hospital. Radioisotopes are now widely used in medicine to diagnose, study, and treat illness. A physician can determine, for example, how and at what rate the thyroid gland takes up iodine by using iodine-131 as a radioactive tracer and cobalt-60 is used to kill rapidly growing cancer cells. 

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