Nuclear applications for health: Keeping pace with progress

Over the past 100 years, the X-ray has become as familiar to most people as the dentist's chair. As we move into the next century, greater attention is being placed upon less known but more far-reaching radiation technologies and nuclear applications that today's physicians are able to use for earlier diagnosis and treatment of serious illness. Many of these tools stand at the core of the IARA's own programmes in the filed of human health. This article, in question-and-answer format, explains the differences between the various types of nuclear applications for human health, and looks at the evolution of, and strategies for, the IAEA's related activities