What are iodine radioisotopes used for?
Iodines are among the most widely used radionuclides, mostly in the medical field. Because of its short half-life and useful beta emission, iodine-131 is used extensively in nuclear medicine. • Its tendency to collect in the thyroid gland makes iodine especially useful for diagnosing and treating thyroid problems. Iodine-123 is widely used in medical imaging, and I-124 is useful in immunotherapy. • Iodine’s chemical properties make it easy to attach to molecules for imaging studies. It is useful in tracking the metabolism of drugs or compounds, or for viewing structural defects in various organs, such as the heart. • A less common isotope, iodine-125, is sometimes used to treat cancerous tissue. Iodine-129 has little practical use, but may be used to check some radioactivity counters in diagnostic testing laboratories.
