Give an example of an application of radioisotopes not mentioned in this Lesson already. Use a few paragraphs explaining how it works and the benefits and/or drawbacks there are to the application you chose. Mention your personal opinions as well as giving factual information. Try to use as much of the terminology found in this Lesson as possible.

Applications of radioisotopes mentioned in this Lesson include:

• They are used in the study of the effects on plants of growth hormones, pesticides, and fertilizers.
• They are used by manufacturers of soaps and detergents to test the effectiveness of their products in removing dirt from clothes.In this process, radioactive tracers are added to the dirt and then the clothes are washed. The proportion of dirt removed during washing is measured indirectly from the radioactivity.
• Tracers can also be used to find leaks in underground oil pipelines and to measure the erosion of the piston rings in a car engine.
• Tiny nuclear reactors are used as energy sources in remote places such as polar weather stations and in scientific instruments left on the moon.
• Cardiac pacemakers with plutonium-238 power sources last as long as forty years.
• Priceless art treasures, such as oil paintings, wood sculptures, and tapestries can be preserved from decay by exposure to gamma radiation.