What are the common uses of radioisotopes?

Radioisotopes are commonly used in medicine, industry, agriculture, and scientific research.

In the field of medicine, radioisotopes play a crucial role in both diagnosis and treatment. For instance, Technetium-99m is a radioisotope widely used in medical imaging. It emits gamma radiation that can be detected by a gamma camera, providing detailed images of the body's internal structures. This helps doctors diagnose conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and other abnormalities. Radioisotopes are also used in cancer treatment. Radiotherapy involves using radiation to destroy cancer cells. Iodine-131, for example, is used to treat thyroid cancer.

In industry, radioisotopes are used for a variety of purposes. They can be used in gauging applications to measure the thickness of materials, such as paper, plastic, metal, and glass. This is done by placing a radioisotope on one side of the material and a detector on the other side. The amount of radiation that passes through the material indicates its thickness. Radioisotopes are also used in leak detection. A small amount of radioactive material is added to a fluid system. If a leak occurs, the radioisotope can be detected outside the system, indicating the location of the leak.

In agriculture, radioisotopes are used to improve crop production and protect plants from pests. They can be used to create new, more resistant varieties of plants through mutation breeding. This involves exposing seeds to radiation, which causes mutations. Some of these mutations may result in plants that are more resistant to disease or have higher yields. Radioisotopes can also be used to control pests. This is done through the sterile insect technique, which involves releasing sterilised male insects into the wild. These insects mate with the females, but no offspring are produced, reducing the population of the pest.

In scientific research, radioisotopes are used as tracers to study processes such as drug metabolism and chemical reactions. A radioactive tracer is a substance that contains a radioisotope. This substance can be followed through the system it is introduced into, providing valuable information about the system's function and structure. For example, Carbon-14 is used in radiocarbon dating to determine the age of archaeological and geological samples.