Radioactive Isotopes Radioactive isotopes are any of several species of the same chemical element with different masses whose nuclei are unstable and dissipate excess energy by spontaneously emitting radiation in the form of alpha, beta, and gamma rays. Every chemical element has one or more radioactive isotopes. More than 1,000 radioactive isotopes of the various elements are known.. Approximately 50 of the isotopes are found in nature; the rest are produced artificially as the direct products of nuclear reactions or indirectly as the radioactive descendants of these products.Radioactive emissions are easily detected and can be tracked until they disappear leaving no trace.
Radioactive isotopes have many useful applications. Medicine: Radioisotopes are used for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Over 10,000 hospitals worldwide use radioisotopes in medicine, and about 90% of the procedures are for diagnosis. Radioisotopes give doctors the ability to look inside the body and observe soft tissues and organs, in a manner similar to the way x-rays provide images of bones. Radioisotopes carried in the blood also allow doctors to detect clogged arteries or check the functioning of the circulatory system.
Doctors also use radio-pharmaceuticals or radioactive drugs to detect problems within a body organ. The radioisotope used in about 80 percent of nuclear diagnostic procedures is Tc-99m. Tc-99m is used to diagnose osteoporosis, a condition caused by calcium deficiency in older people, especially women. Radioactive chemical tracers emitting gamma rays or positrons can provide diagnostic information about a person's internal anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. Industry: The applications of radioisotopes in industry are numerous.
Radioactive isotopes of various kinds are used for measuring the thickness of metal or plastic sheets; their precise thickness is indicated by the strength of the radiations that penetrate the material being inspected. Radioisotopes are also in industry to improve productivity and, in some cases, to gain information that cannot be obtained in any other way. Radioisotopes examine welds, to detect leaks, to study the rate of wear, erosion and corrosion of metals, and for on-stream analysis of a wide range of minerals and fuels. Nuclear techniques are increasingly used in industry and environmental management.The continuous analysis and rapid response of nuclear techniques, many involving radioisotopes, mean that reliable flow and analytic data can be constantly available.
Short-lived radioactive material is used in flow tracing and mixing measurements. For example, ? - and ? -radiations are used as essential components of automatic switches for controlling the filling of containers. The Radiations are placed at defined points that represent the determined height of the contents of Packets, Tanks, and other containers; so that the radiation supply is cut off once the at that height and the filling of the container is stopped.Radioisotopes are also used in the detection of leakages in Pipes. Another example is Cobalt-60 which is used in industrial radiography, where it is placed to incident gamma radiations on welded parts of Pipes.
The radiation is usually wrapped with photographic films that captures the image and reveal whether there is a flaw in the welding or not. Agriculture: Radioisotopes are used in agriculture to sterilize male pupae of an insect that could damage crops. They are also used in genetic modification of both plants and animals.This is used to confer high resistance to pest and diseases, early maturation, improved productivity, high nutritional value, climate resistance and adaptation, etc. Radioisotopes can be used to help understand chemical and biological processes in plants.
Radioisotopes are used in medicine, industry, agriculture and etc. They are used in the medical field to help cure, detect, and even diagnose disease. In industry they are used to examine or measure different objects. In agriculture they are used to help understand chemical and biological processes in plants.
