use radioactive materials?
A Many electrical generating, industrial, medical and research processes use radioactive materials. Electricity The most widely known product is energy: well over half of the electricity used by New Jerseyans is generated by nuclear power plants. Medical Procedures Many medical procedures used to diagnose and treat life-threatening diseases would be impossible without radioactive materials; in fact, one-third of all Americans hospitalized every year undergo medical procedures that use radiatioN: • for treatment of cancer and other diseases; • for scanning organs to detect disease before symptoms appear (thereby reducing or eliminating the need for exploratory surgery); • for tests to detect the presence of antibodies, hormones and drugs in the blood; and • for sterilizing instruments. New Medicines At least 80% of all new medicines are developed using radioactive materials. This is particularly pertinent in New Jersey, which is home to many pharmaceutical companies. Consumer Products R
