The use of radioisotopes
Cobalt 60
Mode of decay: Beta particles and gamma radiation
Chemical properties: Metallic solid that can become magnetically charged
What is it used for?
Co-60 is used medically for radiation therapy as implants and as an external source of radiation exposure. It is used industrially in leveling gauges and to x-ray welding seams and other structural elements to detect flaws. Co-60 also is used for food irradiation (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/ foodirradiation.htm), a sterilization process.
Where does it come from?
Nonradioactive cobalt occurs naturally in various minerals and has long been used as a blue coloring agent for ceramic and glass. Radioactive Co-60 is produced commercially through linear acceleration for use in medicine and industry. Co-60 also is a byproduct of nuclear reactor operations, when metal structures, such as steel rods, are exposed to neutron radiation.
What form is it in?
Co-60 occurs as a solid material and might appear as small metal disks or in a tube, enclosed at both ends, that holds the small disks. Co-60 can occur as a powder if the solid sources have been ground or damaged.
What does it look like?
Co-60 is a hard, gray-blue metal. It resembles iron or nickel.
How can it hurt me?
Because it decays by gamma radiation, external exposure to large sources of Co-60 can cause skin burns, acute radiation sickness (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/glossary.asp#ars), or death. Most Co-60 that is ingested is excreted in the feces; however, a small amount is absorbed by the liver, kidneys, and bones. Co-60 absorbed by the liver, kidneys, or bone tissue can cause cancer because of exposure to the gamma radiation.
Iodine 131
Let's start with iodine-131 (I-131). This radioisotope of iodine has a half-life of 8 days and emits both beta-particles and gamma radiation (see Figure, above) (3-5). The beta-particles, which cause 90% of the tissue damage, are comparatively energetic, travel a maximum of 2 mm in tissue, and have
Mode of decay: Beta particles and gamma radiation
Chemical properties: Metallic solid that can become magnetically charged
What is it used for?
Co-60 is used medically for radiation therapy as implants and as an external source of radiation exposure. It is used industrially in leveling gauges and to x-ray welding seams and other structural elements to detect flaws. Co-60 also is used for food irradiation (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/ foodirradiation.htm), a sterilization process.
Where does it come from?
Nonradioactive cobalt occurs naturally in various minerals and has long been used as a blue coloring agent for ceramic and glass. Radioactive Co-60 is produced commercially through linear acceleration for use in medicine and industry. Co-60 also is a byproduct of nuclear reactor operations, when metal structures, such as steel rods, are exposed to neutron radiation.
What form is it in?
Co-60 occurs as a solid material and might appear as small metal disks or in a tube, enclosed at both ends, that holds the small disks. Co-60 can occur as a powder if the solid sources have been ground or damaged.
What does it look like?
Co-60 is a hard, gray-blue metal. It resembles iron or nickel.
How can it hurt me?
Because it decays by gamma radiation, external exposure to large sources of Co-60 can cause skin burns, acute radiation sickness (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/glossary.asp#ars), or death. Most Co-60 that is ingested is excreted in the feces; however, a small amount is absorbed by the liver, kidneys, and bones. Co-60 absorbed by the liver, kidneys, or bone tissue can cause cancer because of exposure to the gamma radiation.
Iodine 131
Let's start with iodine-131 (I-131). This radioisotope of iodine has a half-life of 8 days and emits both beta-particles and gamma radiation (see Figure, above) (3-5). The beta-particles, which cause 90% of the tissue damage, are comparatively energetic, travel a maximum of 2 mm in tissue, and have