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A doctor suspects that one of the kidneys of a patient is not working properly. The doctor injects him with a radioactive impurity, 1MBq of...

      

A doctor suspects that one of the kidneys of a patient is not working properly. The doctor injects him with a radioactive impurity, 1MBq of iodine-131 (half-life 8 days) which travels to his kidneys. A normal kidney gradually removes all impurity from the blood in about 20 minutes. The radioactivity in his kidney is monitored. using gamma ray detectors. The graph below shows the results.
physics2532019434.png
a) Which kidney do you think is not working properly? Explain your answer.
b) Why do you think that a gamma ray emitter was used as the injected impurity instead of a beta emitter?
c) Why would it be less suitable to use as an impurity a material with a very short half-life?

  

Answers


sharon
a) Left kidney: fails to remove the impurity in 20 minutes.
b) Only gamma radiation can pass out through the body to reach the detector.
c) Half-life must be significantly longer than the time taken for the kidney to function.
sharon kalunda answered the question on March 25, 2019 at 13:37


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