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Which rare-earth radionuclides have medical or industrial uses?

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A line graph showing electron probability distributions for gadolinium, with separate curves for 4f, 5s, 5p, 5d, and 6s orbitals. The x-axis shows distance from the nucleus in atomic units and the y-axis shows probability P2(r). — rare-earth element Electron probabilities, P²*(r)*, for the 4f, 5s, 5p, 5d, and 6s electrons of gadolinium.

Several rare-earth radionuclides are utilized in medical and industrial fields due to their specific nuclear properties. These elements are essential for applications ranging from therapeutic treatments to specialized instrumentation.1

Medical and Industrial Radionuclides

Yttrium-90: Used in cancer therapy.1
Cerium-144: Employed in industrial gauges and as a power source.1
Promethium-147: Utilized in industrial gauges and power sources. Its beta-particle radiation is also converted into electricity in miniature batteries and used in light sources that incorporate phosphors.12
Gadolinium-153: Used for industrial X-ray fluorescence.1
Ytterbium-169: Serves as a portable X-ray source.1
Lutetium: Certain isotopes are used as radiation sources for the treatment of specific cancers.3

While gadolinium-based complexes are widely used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to enhance diagnostic images, these typically utilize stable gadolinium rather than radioactive isotopes. The use of these materials in medicine and industry underscores the importance of managing radioactive substances with the highest standards of safety and ethical responsibility to protect human health and the environment.4156