Radioisotopes
... Radioisotopes are unstable and give off energy as α (alpha), β (beta) or γ (gamma) radiation from the atomic nucleus. ... Radioisotopes were discovered by Antoine Henri Becquerel in 1896, and have been used in medicine since that time period. The breakthrough discovery of artificial radioisotopes was made by Irene Joliot-Curie and Frederic Joliot in 1934. ... Radioisotopes are used in nuclear medicine to help provide information about a person’s body as well as diagnose and treat a wide variety of diseases and tumors. ... As tracers radioisotopes are injected into the body and their movement within the body is traced. ... However, even very low doses of radiation from the radioisotopes can have the potential harm to molecules and cells. Radioisotopes are used alone or in combination with other kinds of therapy, like surgery and chemotherapy to treat some diseases. One in three hospitalized patients are diagnosed or treated with radioisotopes, with 36,000 diagnostic imagines procedures and almost 100 million laboratory tests conducted annually. ... There are several reactor radioisotopes used in combating a vast variety of diseases.