TRACER doses of radioactive isotopes have been used in biology and medicine with the assumption that their radiation does not change the physiology under investigation. However, there have been few studies made to establish this assumption as fact. Radioactive iodine has now been widely used for about ten years in the study of thyroid physiology and iodine metabolism. In order to interpret correctly the results of these studies, knowledge of any possible radiation effects of radioactive iodine tracer doses is necessary. We have undertaken studies with radioactive iodine (I131) in doses which have been used as “tracers” with two main objectives: to determine the minimal amount of radioactive iodine which may interfere with the normal function of the thyroid and to study the effects of irradiation by radioactive iodine on various known functions of the thyroid. The purpose of this paper is to report the radiation effect of I131 on the thyroid in respect to: collection of radioactive iodine capacity for growth capacity to collect iodine (from food and water) capacity to respond to thiouracil capacity to respond to thyrotropic hormone.
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Bengt Skanse (1948) studied this question.