Question

Explain the use of radioactive in the field of medicine, agriculture and industry.

Answer 1

Uses of radioactivity in medical, agriculture and industry:
Uses in medical field:
(i) Rays from Radium produce satisfactorily improvement in skin diseases.
(ii) Radiation from Co⁶⁰ is used in cancer treatment.
(iii) Radio  I¹³¹ is used to diagnose and treat thyroid disorders.

Uses in agriculture:
(i) Radioactive Phosphorus P³² is used in the study of metabolism.
(ii) Radioactive Sulphur S³⁵ helps to study advantages and disadvantages
of fungicides.
(iii) Pests and insects can be killed by Y-radiation.

Uses in industry:
(i) In manutacturing papers, plastic ·and m·etal sheets to control the
thickness of the sheets.
(ii) Radioisotopes can be used to estimate the amount of wear in bearings.
(iii) Radioisotopes can be used to detect crack in welding, casting etc.