ML23047A404
| ML23047A404 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/28/2023 |
| From: | Couret I Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| References | |
| NUREG-1350, Vol. 34 | |
| Download: ML23047A404 (1) | |
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APPENDIX T List of Some Major Uses of Radioisotopes in the United States A radioisotope is an unstable isotope of an element that decays or disintegrates spontaneously, thereby emitting radiation.
Approximately 5,000 natural and artificial radioisotopes have been identified. Radioisotopes come from three sources: from nature, such as radon in the air or radium in the soil; from machine-produced nuclear interactions in devices, such as linear accelerators and cyclotrons; or from nuclear reactors.
The licensing and regulation of radioisotopes in the United States are shared by the NRC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and many State governments. The EPA is also responsible for, among other things, setting air emission and drinking water standards for radionuclides. The States regulate radioactive substances that occur naturally or are produced by machines, such as linear accelerators or cyclotrons. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the manufacture and use of linear accelerators; the States regulate their operation.
Americium-241 Chromium-51 Used in many smoke detectors for homes and businesses; Used in research in red blood cell survival studies.
to measure levels of toxic lead in dried paint samples; to ensure uniform thickness in rolling processes like steel and Cobalt-57 paper production; and to help determine where oil wells Used as a tracer to diagnose pernicious anemia.
should be drilled.
Cobalt-60 Cadmium-109 Used to sterilize surgical instruments and to improve the Used to analyze metal alloys for checking stock, scrap safety and reliability of industrial fuel oil burners. Used in sorting. cancer treatment, food irradiation, gauges, and radiography.
Calcium-47 Curium-244 Important aid to biomedical researchers studying the Used in mining to analyze material excavated from pits and cellular functions and bone formation in mammals. slurries from drilling operations.
Californium-252 Fluorine-18 Used to inspect airline luggage for hidden explosives, to Used for positron emission imaging in medical diagnosis.
gauge the moisture content of soil in the road construction and building industries, and to measure the moisture of Gallium-68 materials stored in soils. Used for positron emission imaging in medical diagnosis.
Carbon-14 Iodine-123 Major research tool. Helps ensure potential new drugs are Widely used to diagnose thyroid disorders and other metabolized without forming harmful byproducts. Used metabolic disorders including brain function.
in biological research, agriculture, pollution control, and archeology. Iodine-125 Major diagnostic tool used in clinical tests and to diagnose Cesium-137 thyroid disorders. Also used in biomedical research.
Used to measure correct patient dosages of radioactive pharmaceuticals; to measure and control the liquid flow Iodine-129 in oil pipelines; to tell researchers whether oil wells are Used to check some radioactivity counters at in vitro plugged by sand; and to ensure the right fill level for diagnostic testing laboratories.
packages of food, drugs, and other products. (The products in these packages do not become radioactive.)
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Iodine-131 Radium-226 Used to treat thyroid disorders. Makes lighting rods more effective. ( The most common isotopes of radium are Ra-226 and Ra-228. Radium-226 is Iridium-192 part of the uranium decay series. Radium-228 and Ra-224 Used to test the integrity of pipeline welds, boilers, and are part of the thorium decay series. All isotopes of radium aircraft parts and in brachytherapy/tumor irradiation. are radioactive. Radium decays to produce radon gas.)
Iron-55 Selenium-75 Used to analyze electroplating solutions and to detect Used in protein studies in life science research.
the presence of sulphur in the air. Used in metabolism research. Sodium-24 Used to locate leaks in industrial pipe lines and in oil well Krypton-85 studies.
Used in indicator lights in appliances such as clothes washers and dryers, stereos, and coffee makers; to gauge Strontium-85 the thickness of thin plastics and sheet metal, rubber, Used to study bone formation and metabolism.
textiles, and paper; and to measure dust and pollutant levels. Strontium-90 Used in survey meters by schools, the military, and Lutecium-177 emergency management authorities. Also used in cigarette Used as part of radiopharmaceuticals for treatment of manufacturing sensors and medical treatment.
cancer.
Sulphur-35 Nickel-63 Used in genetics and molecular biology research.
Used to detect explosives, in voltage regulators and current surge protectors in electronic devices, and in electron Technetium-99m capture detectors for gas chromatographs. The most widely used radioactive pharmaceutical for diagnostic studies in nuclear medicine. Different chemical Phosphorus-32 forms are used for brain, bone, liver, spleen, and kidney Used in molecular biology and genetics research. imaging and also for blood flow studies.
Phosphorus-33 Thallium-201 Used in molecular biology and genetics research. Used in nuclear medicine for nuclear cardiology and tumor detection.
Plutonium-238 Has powered more than 20 NASA spacecraft since 1972. Thallium-204 (The most common radioisotopes of plutonium are Pu-238, Used to measure dust and pollutant levels on filter paper Pu-239, and Pu-240.) and to gauge the thickness of plastics, sheet metal, rubber, textiles, and paper.
Polonium-210 Reduces the static charge in production of photographic Thorium-229 film and other materials. Helps fluorescent lights last longer.
Promethium-147 Thorium-232 Used in electric blanket thermostats and to gauge the As thoriated tungsten, used in electric arc welding rods in thickness of thin plastics, thin sheet metal, rubber, textiles, construction, aircraft, petrochemical, and food processing and paper. equipment industries.
Thorium-230 Provides coloring and fluorescence in colored glazes and glassware.
APPENDICES l 137
Tritium Source: NUREG/BR-0217, Revision 1, "The Regulation and Major tool for biomedical research. Used for life science and Use of Radioisotopes in Today's World," April 2000.For more drug metabolism studies to ensure the safety of potential information visit the following web pages:
new drugs; for luminous exit signs; for luminous dials, EPA at https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides gauges, and wrist watches; to produce luminous paint; and FDA at https://www.fda.gov radiation-emitting-products for geological prospecting and hydrology. National Nuclear Data Center at https://www.nndc.bnl.gov/
Uranium-235 Fuel for nuclear power plants and naval nuclear propulsion systems; previously used to produce fluorescent glassware, a variety of colored glazes, and wall tiles.
Xenon-133 Used in nuclear medicine for lung ventilation and blood flow studies.
Yttrium-90 Used as microsphere brachytherapy for treatment of liver cancers.
RADIOACTIVE ELEMENTS Radioactive elements have no stable isotopes.
138 l APPENDICES