Which is more dangerous plutonium or uranium?

Plutonium-239, the isotope found in the spent MOX fuel, is much more radioactive than the depleted Uranium-238 in the fuel. Plutonium emits alpha radiation, a highly ionizing form of radiation, rather than beta or gamma radiation.

What are some dangerous isotopes?

Our focus here is on the isotopes cesium-137, strontium-90 and iodine-131, since they are relatively volatile and thus can contaminate large areas. In addition, it is these isotopes that accounted for most of the harmful effects following the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

Why is cesium-137 dangerous?

Cesium-137 is an especially dangerous fission product because of its high yield during fission, moderate half-life, high-energy decay pathway, and chemical reactivity. Because of these properties, cesium-137 is a major contributor to the total radiation released during nuclear accidents.

Can you touch polonium?

Polonium is a metal found in uranium ore whose isotope polonium-210 is highly radioactive, emitting tiny positively charged alpha particles. So long as polonium is kept out of the human body, it poses little danger because the alpha particles travel no more than a few centimeters and cannot pass through skin.

Why is iodine 131 dangerous?

Ingested Iodine-131 is dangerous because it primarily affects the thyroid gland that plays a fundamental role in childhood development. Radioactive iodine toxicity varies greatly with age, with toddlers, young children and adolescents being far more sensitive than adults.

Why is strontium-90 so dangerous?

In the body, strontium acts very much like calcium. The harmful effects of strontium-90 are caused by the high energy effects of radiation. Since radioactive strontium is taken up into bone, the bone itself and nearby soft tissues may be damaged by radiation released over time.

Is cesium alpha beta or gamma?

Caesium 137 is a radioactive element with a relatively long half-life of 30.15 years. This particular isotope of caesium is both a beta and gamma emitter.

Does cesium glow in the dark?

The blue glow emitted in the dark by the radioactive caesium chloride attracted the thieves and their relatives who were unaware of the associated dangers and spread the powder.

What are the harmful effects of radioactive isotopes?

Effects of Radioactive Isotopes in Human Body. The bone marrow that does not get a higher dose can still produce the red blood cells, while at a sufficiently high dose it will occur a permanent damage in bone marrow and will lead to death (lethal dose 3 – 5 sv). As a result of suppression of bone marrow activity,…

What makes isotopes radioactive?

Radioisotopes are radioactive isotopes. They have unstable atomic nuclei due to an imbalance between protons and neutrons. Radioisotopes are highly energetic as well and emit energy and particles whenever they decay into their more stable form. Every type of radioisotope has its own disintegration period.

What are the names of some radioactive isotopes?

– Strontium-90 – Thallium-204 – Carbon-14 – Tritium

How does an isotope become radioactive?

Atoms become radioactive when they have an excess of protons or neutrons in the nucleus, leading to unbalanced internal forces, which the atom balances by emitting radiation. Atoms with a different amount of neutrons or protons from their normal configuration are called ions and are an isotope of their element.