Polonium-210

Polonium-210

Polonium-210 is a highly radioactive isotope that decays into radioactive polonium-210, emitting alpha particles. It is used in textile mills and on brushes for photographic films to eliminate static charge and remove dust. However, it is extremely dangerous to handle even in small amounts, requiring special equipment and strict control. It is also one of the most highly toxic radionuclides, responsible for most of the internal radiation dose to humans.From: Radiation Injury Prevention and Mitigation in Humans [2019], Nuclear Engineering Fundamentals [2017], CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics [2016], Analysis of the vertical distribution and size fractionation of natural and artificial radionuclides in soils in the vicinity of hot springs [2018]

Radioactive Materials and Radioactive Decay

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Published in Robert E. Masterson, Nuclear Engineering Fundamentals, 2017

Robert E. Masterson

Americium-241 is commonly used as an ionizing agent in household smoke detectors. Polonium-210 is used for eliminating the static charge in fabrics in textile mills, and it is also used on brushes for removing the dust from photographic films. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, naturally occurring, radioactive noble gas that is formed from the decay of Radium-226. It is one of the heaviest substances that remains as a gas under normal conditions. Its most stable isotope, Rn-222, has a half-life of 3.8 days, and it is used in nuclear medicine for the treatment of various forms of cancer.

Analysis of the vertical distribution and size fractionation of natural and artificial radionuclides in soils in the vicinity of hot springs

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Published in Radiation Effects and Defects in Solids, 2018

S. Padovani, I. Mitsios, M. Anagnostakis, D. Mostacci

Lead–210 is a very useful radionuclide for environmental studies. Its vertical distribution in soil, combined with that of Radium–226, may be used to assess the rate of escape of Radon–222 from the ground. These data are very useful to assess the annual dose to humans. In addition, Lead–210 and its decay product Polonium–210 appear in the group of the most highly toxic radionuclides, responsible for most of the internal radiation dose to humans (1).

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Radioactive Materials and Radioactive Decay

Analysis of the vertical distribution and size fractionation of natural and artificial radionuclides in soils in the vicinity of hot springs