Uranium & the Community

Health & MedicineHealth & Medicine

Radioisotopes are important in diagnosing and treating certain medical conditions. They are also used in research, to study the functioning of the body and further medical technology. Radioisotopes are used for radiotherapy - treating cancerous tumours. This widely-used method works by using gamma rays to break up the genetic material of the cancerous cells and prevent them from growing further.

Radiation is also used to sterilise medical implements, such as, syringes, surgical dressings, sutures, catheters, and even some ointments. Sterilisation of medical products using gamma radiation is almost universal.

Greater technical detail can be found on this topic by searching through the listed briefing papers and education resources at www.uic.com.au.

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