Radioisotopes at Work
IN MEDICINE: Iodine-131 reveals spread of thyroid cancer in patient’s body.
IN SPACE: Plutonium-238 is the fuel for the atomic generator powering this TRANSIT satellite.
Courtesy The Martin Company
IN FOOD PRESERVATION: Potatoes stored for 18 months at 47°F. Potato at right had been irradiated, that on left had not.
IN INDUSTRY: Radioactive iridium was used to inspect the hull of the carrier Independence.
Courtesy Technical Operations, Inc.
As sources of radiation, radioactive isotopes are frequently replacing more expensive and less convenient sources such as radium and X-ray machines. The medical treatment of diseased tissue has been greatly expedited by the new sources. In industry many applications of radiation sources have been made. They are used, for example, in thickness gauging and in making radiographs to check the quality of large castings. The sterilization and preservation of food is another promising use for inexpensive radioactive sources.
As a controllable means for inducing genetic mutations, radioactive isotopes are speeding up the process of selecting and developing superior agricultural products. Practically every agricultural research center in the world has one or more projects under way which involve the use of isotopes.
Small devices have also been constructed which produce electricity from heat generated by decay of radioisotopes. Such devices have been used to power instruments in a remotely located unmanned weather station, a navigational buoy, a lighthouse, an underwater navigational beacon, and space satellites. Many additional uses are foreseen for these isotopic power generators.