Radioactive isotopes affecting the human body, illustration. Different isotopes have different effects as they penetrate the body to different depths.
Radioactive isotopes affecting the human body, illustration. Different isotopes have different effects as they penetrate the body to different depths. Caesium-137 is a by-product of nuclear fission in nuclear power stations and nuclear weapons. Similar to potassium, it forms water-soluble compounds and is concentrated most in soft tissues. It has a half-life of about 70 days. Strontium-90 is produced in nuclear fallout from weapons testing and accidents. It has a half-life of years and can reach bones and cause bone cancer. Iodine-131 has a half-life of 8 days. It is also a major nuclear fission product. It becomes concentrated in thyroid tissues, where it may cause cancer. Polonium-218, with a half-life of just over three minutes, is part of the decay chain from radon, a radioactive gas that is breathed into the lungs.
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