Q. Explain the use Radioactive Nuclides?

Ans.

Radioactive elements are easily found because they emit radiation. They can be used as tracers to show what is happening in plants and animals. A radioactive isotope of a molecule can be substituted for the regular atom used by a specific organ in your body. Doctors can follow the path of that tracer by detecting the movement as it wanders through your body. Areas of high or low radioactivity signal a problem area.

Radioactive isotopes can also be used to target cancer cells. If you have a thyroid cancer doctors will often prescribe iodine-131. The iodine accumulates in the gland and the radiation destroys the cancer cells. For other types of cancer, external sources of radiation bombard the cancerous cells to destroy them

Some naturally occurring nuclides can be used in archeological and geological dating. We already mentioned these applications in the section entitled Radioactive Dating.