- Radioisotopes are used frequently throughout nuclear medicine.
- An isotope is one of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and position in the periodic table and nearly identical chemical behavior but with different atomic masses and physical properties
- Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and determine the severity of or treat a variety of diseases
- This includes many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other abnormalities within the body.
- Radioisotopes, such as U-235, are used for diagnosis and research
- Radio-diagnosis can be used to detect disease by injecting certain radio-elements into the human body and observing their paths
- Radio-therapy uses ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and nuclear medicine relies on radioactive drugs that target specific organs.
- U-235 is the most radioactive isotope of uranium and is most frequently used in medicine
- Uranium and other radionuclides are used constantly throughout nuclear medicine
- This includes MRIs, X-rays, radioisotope injections, radiation treatment, and much more medical treatment, without uranium and other radionuclides, we would not have the medical technology that we do today