P7.6 - Radiation in medicine

Question 1

uses of radiation

Answer 1

-diagnosis
-treatment

Question 2

eg of diagnosis uses

Answer 2

-tracers
-medical imaging

Question 3

Radioactive tracers

Answer 3

-traces flow of substance through organ
-contains isotope that emits gamma
-if found on graph then = blockage

Question 4

Tracers for kidneys

Answer 4

-radioactive iodine
-checks to see if kidney is blocked

Question 5

Gamma cameras

Answer 5

-take images of internal organs
-injected with gamma = absorbed by organ
-gamma detected by gamma cameras
-signals create image

Question 6

Half-life of gamma cameras

Answer 6

-long enough = to produce useful picture
-short enough = to mostly decay after pic

Question 7

Gamma radiation beam for cancer

Answer 7

-penetrates deep into body to destroy cancer
-penetrates better than alpha or beta

Question 8

Radioactive implants

Answer 8

-destroys cancer cells
-beta/gamma used in form of small seeds

Question 9

Half-life of Radioactive implants

Answer 9

-long = irradiate tumour
-short = decayed afterwards

Question 10

Other sources of radiation

Answer 10

-food + drink
-ground + buildings
-radon gas
-cosmic rays
-nuclear reactors
-medical