Thread: question i did not know how to do

a radioactive isotope of iodine is used in both the diagnosis and treatment of a condition of the thyroid gland.

this gland naturally takes up ordinary iodine as part of its function.

if a patient has an overactive thyroid it concentrates too much iodine in the gland and this has serious effects on the patient's heatlh.

how might the radioisotope iodine-131 be used to:

a) identify an overactive thyroid gland
b) treat the overactive thyroid

i have absolutely no idea for either question..

iodine-131 emits beta! beta particles cannot penetrate very thick materials! how would they detect the rays from outside of a body? i thought only gamma ray emitting particles can be used as tracers?!

and how would you use this radioactive particle to treat the thyroid?

Possibly a decay series?

Alternatively, radioisotopes often release energy after decay in the form of gamma particles, which in this case could be detected.