Cesium gamma radiation from

ISOTOPES Cs-133 is the only stable isotope of cesium, and it makes up all of the naturally occurring cesium found in the Earth s crust. In addition to Cs-133 there are about 36 radioactive isotopes of Cs, most of which are artificially formed in nuclear reactors. All are produced in small numbers of atoms with relatively short half-lives. The range of Cs isotopes is from Cs-113 (amu = 112.94451) to Cs-148 (amu = 147.94900). Most of these radioisotopes produce beta radiation as they rapidly decay, with the exception of Cs-135, which has a half-life of 3x10 yr, which makes it a useful research tool. Cs-137, with a half-life of 33 years, produces both beta and gamma radiation. 

Irradiation. Ionizing radiation for use in food systems can come from electrons, x-rays, or gamma rays from cobalt-60 or cesium-137. There is little rise in the temperature within the foodstuff, so heat destruction of nutrients is minimized. However, free radicals and peroxides are formed within the food. In the United States, irradiation is classified as a food additive and its use in the food industry has been severely restricted to such areas as prevention of potato sprouting and wheat infestation. 

Yes, there are several. However, they are not routinely available in a doctor s office, because they require special laboratory equipment. Some tests can measure the amount of radionuclides in urine, or in fecal samples, even at very low levels. A technique called "whole-body counting can detect gamma radiation emitted by cesium-137 in the body. A variety of portable instruments can directly measure cesium-137 on the skin or hair. Other techniques include directly measuring the level of cesium-137 in soft tissues samples from organs or from blood, bones, and milk. 

One of the most common forms of cancer in males is prostate cancer. In addition to surgery and chemotherapy, one treatment option is to place 40 or more titanium capsules, or seeds, in the malignant area. Each seed, which is the size of a grain of rice, contains radioactive iodine-125, palladium-103, or cesium-131, which decays by gamma emission. The radiation from the seeds destroys the cancer by interfering with the reproduction of cancer cells with minimal damage to adjacent normal tissues. Ninety percent (90%) of the radioisotopes decay within a few months because they have short half-hves. 

Lead shields gamma radiation and retains iodine, cesium, and other fission products (FPs) at temperatures up to 600°C, thereby reducing the source term in case of release of FPs from the fuel. 

Polymer Irradiation.—Samples of the polymers sealed in vacuo were exposed to cesium-137 gamma irradiation (662 KeV) at doses ranging from 0.02 to 0.07 Mrad/h in a Radiation Machinery Corporation Gammator model B. 

For irradiation, the ionizing radiation used are gamma rays, generated from the decay of radioisotopes cobalt 60 or cesium 137, X rays, and electrons, the latter two generated by machines for such purposes. The operators of equipment involving ionizing radiation need to be protected from its effects. The ability subsequently to pasteurize or irradiate food should not compensate for best practices to minimize contamination of food before treatment. Moreover, treated food also needs to be protected from subsequent contamination. 

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