A radioisotope is an isotope that is unstable and breaks down. They are used in medicine, industry and for producing energy.
An example of a radioisotope in medicine is Technetium 99.
Technetium 99 is used in medical tests, bone scans and for imaging parts of the
body. It is used for about 85% of medical procedures that use radioisotopes
for treatment of disease and research.
A radioisotope used in industry is Americium 241. This
radioisotope is used in most smoke alarms, nuclear batteries and used to
determine where to drill for oil. Americium 241 is very useful to humans as it
is not harmful when used in, for example, smoke detectors, which save people’s
lives.
Uranium 238 is mostly used for producing nuclear energy. It
is a good energy source as it doesn’t produce CO₂ and produces minimal waste.
Although it is highly dangerous, it is starting to become one of the main
energy sources in some countries for example France.
Radioisotopes have many benefits for us in society as we can use them
in medicine; for treatment and research, industry; for home products and
obtaining oil, and energy; to produce energy in more environmentally friendly
ways. Although radioisotopes have many benefits, they also have disadvantages. For example, if radioactive material is exposed to an
organism many times, it will have an effect depending on the organism’s
resistant strength and the kind of radioisotope released.
Overall radioisotopes are very useful and helpful
to us in every way in society.
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