Imaging with Radioactive Elements
Research the following item (use more than one source) and create a thread to answer the questions. You should refer to the concepts discussed in Chapter 5 when writing your answers. Your post will be graded for Focus (did you answer the questions), Understanding (did you use the information in Chapter 5 effectively), and Application (how did you support your decision in question #4?). Respond to another student's post that has a different career or method of exposure and compare the precautions needed in each case.
This assignment is worth 50 points.
Many radioactive isotopes are used in medicine for imaging and treatment purposes. The specific isotopes used depends on the particular organ or body system being studied (for example, Xe-133 is used to image lung function and blood flow.) Technetium-99m is a common radioactive isotope using for a variety of medical applications. It is produced from the decay of Molybdenum-99 and has a half-life of 6.01 hours.
1. What are some of the applications of Tc-99m?
2. While harder to access, another radioactive isotope of technetium, Tc-93, has a half-life of 2.73 hours. If it were easier to harvest, would this be a good substitute for Tc-99m? (remember to explain why for full credit)
3. While Tc-99m has a half-life of 6.01 hours, its decay product has a half-life of 213,000 years. While the medical community considers it to be reasonably safe, within the limits of testing, does this make sense considering both chemical and biological principles?
4. What are possible ways that you might deal with or be exposed to radioactive isotopes in either your future career or life, in general? What are some of the precautions used in dealing with radioactive isotopes in these situations?