【美国《核新闻》2004年12期报道】自20世纪40年代以来,美国一直在扩大放射性同位素的和平利用。目前放射性同位素已在从工业到医疗的各个领域得到广泛应用,销售额已超过3000亿美元,相关工作岗位达400万个。该产业已成为国民经济的重要组成部分。同位素的传统工业应用仍在继续,而在食品辐照、医疗用品消毒以及其他领域应用的公众认可度越来越高。在医疗领域,美国每年使用放射性同位素对患者进行1500万次诊断以及几十万次治疗。随着医学研究的不断发展,对新的研究用同位素提出了越来越多的要求。 [US Nuclear News, 2004-12] Since the 1940s, the United States has been expanding the peaceful use of radioactive isotopes. At present, radioisotopes are widely used in various fields ranging from industry to health care with sales of more than 300 billion U.S. dollars and 4 million related jobs. The industry has become an important part of the national economy. Traditional industrial applications of isotopes continue, with increased public acceptance of food irradiation, disinfection of medical supplies and other applications. In the medical field, the United States uses 15 million radioactive isotopes every year to diagnose and treat hundreds of thousands of patients. With the continuous development of medical research, more and more requirements are put forward for new research isotopes.