Artificial Radioactivity

Radioisotopes 

                 The transmutation of one element into another by artificial means is called artificial radioactivity or induced radioactivity. The induced radioactive elements are known as artificial radioisotopes.

         The phenomenon of using radioactive isotopes for curing diseases is known as radiotherapy.  

Uses of Radioactivity 

In Medicine 

1. Radio-cobalt Co-60, U-238 are used in the treatment of cancer and tumors. 

2. Radio-iodine(I-123) is used in the treatment of thyroid cancer.

3. Phosphorus-32 or Strontium-90 is used to cure skin cancer. 

4. Medical instruments can be sterilized. 

5. Tritium and carbon-14 are commonly used to label biological molecules. 

6. Radio active - Iron (Fe-59) isotope is used to treat anemia.

In Agriculture 

1. Radioactive phosphorous, P-32 is used with fertilizers to study the phosphorous intake in growing plants.

2. Radiations from Radio-isotopes are used for developing high yield varieties of rice and wheat. 

In Science 

1. Gamma rays are used in the study of the structure and properties of atomic nuclei.

2. Radiations are used to analyze the structural formula of substances. 

3. Radio-Iodine can easily identify the silver remains in a reaction. 

4. Radioisotopes are used as 'tracer' elements in chemical reactions.

5. Radio isotopes are used in neutron activation analysis to identify  Arsenic poisoning. 

In Industry

1. Radio-isotopes are used to detect leaks in pipelines.

2. gamma rays are used to measure the thickness of thin sheets of paper or steel.

3. Radiation is used to monitor the level of filling in containers.

4. Radioactive tracing can be used to check the effectiveness of lubricating oil.

In Archaeology 

1. The age of fossils and rocks can be determined using radioactive isotope of carbon since it has half life of 5730 years. This is called radio-carbon dating. The oldest rock so far dated was found in northern Canada and is 3.96×10⁹ years old. Radioactive dating of meteorites and rocks from the moon suggests that all the solar systems was formed at the same time about 4.6×10⁹ years ago. 

In food treatment

1. Radiation is used to kill bacteria. The presence of micro-organisms cause food-spoilage or toxicity or food poisoning. Salmonella and Clostridium are disease carrying organisms. They can be killed on exposure to radiation.