Carbon-14 (C-14): Half-life of 5,730 years. It is used in carbon dating, a technique for determining the age of organic materials.
Iodine-131 (I-131): Half-life of 8.02 days. It is used in the treatment of thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism.
Technetium-99m (Tc-99m): Half-life of 6.01 hours. It is the most widely used radioisotope in diagnostic nuclear medicine, used in imaging techniques such as bone scans and heart stress tests.
Uranium-238 (U-238): Half-life of 4.47 billion years. It is the heaviest naturally occurring element on Earth and is used as a fuel in nuclear reactors.
Cobalt-60 (Co-60): Half-life of 5.27 years. It is used in radiotherapy to treat cancer and in industrial applications such as food preservation and sterilization of medical equipment.
Radium-226 (Ra-226): Half-life of 1,602 years. It was historically used in radioactive paints for watch dials, but due to its harmful effects on human health, its use has been largely discontinued.
Americium-241 (Am-241): Half-life of 432.2 years. It is used in smoke detectors and ionization chambers, devices that detect the presence of ionizing radiation.
Cesium-137 (Cs-137): Half-life of 30.07 years. It was released into the environment as a result of nuclear accidents, such as the Chernobyl disaster. It is still present in the environment and can pose health risks if not properly managed.
