Nuclear medicine injects radioisotopes into the body to diagnose organ function. Radioisotopes with short half lives are used so they completely degrade quickly leaving harmless chemicals behind in the body. Check the TWO isotopes are most likely to be used in nuclear medicine.


Yttrium-90 has a half life of 7.3 x 10^- 3 years

Uranium 238 has a half life of 4.5 x 10^6 years

iodine-131 has a half life of 2.2 x 10^- 2 years

Plutonium - 239 has a half life of 2.4 x 10^4 years

Cobalt-60 has a half life of 5 years