Nuclear fallout

Half-lives span a very wide range (Table 17.5). Consider strontium-90, for which the half-life is 28 a. This nuclide is present in nuclear fallout, the fine dust that settles from clouds of airborne particles after the explosion of a nuclear bomb, and may also be present in the accidental release of radioactive materials into the air. Because it is chemically very similar to calcium, strontium may accompany that element through the environment and become incorporated into bones once there, it continues to emit radiation for many years. About 10 half-lives (for strontium-90, 280 a) must pass before the activity of a sample has fallen to 1/1000 of its initial value. Iodine-131, which was released in the accidental fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, has a half-life of only 8.05 d, but it accumulates in the thyroid gland. Several cases of thyroid cancer have been linked to iodine-131 exposure from the accident. Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24 ka (24000 years). Consequently, very long term storage facilities are required for plutonium waste, and land contaminated with plutonium cannot be inhabited again for thousands of years without expensive remediation efforts. 

Kim TW, Tanzi RE. Neuronal intranuclear inclusions in polyglutamine diseases nuclear weapons or nuclear fallout Neuron 1998 21 657-659. 

Contamination of environment (artificial radionuclides) - nuclear power plants and accidents - nuclear weapons and weapon tests (e.g., nuclear fallout) Tc, 90Sr, 129l, Np, Pu, Th, Cm, Ra 236U/238 U, 240Pu/239 Pu U, Am,... 

Helsing E, Dukes MNG. The Safety of Stable Iodine When Used to Provide Protection against Nuclear Fallout. Internal Advisory ReportCopenhagen WHO Regional Office for Europe . 1986. 

Osburn, W.S. (1966) Ecological concentration of nuclear fallout in a Colorado mountain watershed. In Radiological Concentration Processes, ed. B. Aberg F.P. Hungate, Pergamon, Oxford, pp. 675-709. 

Strontium-90 pollutes water and soil at some reprocessing plants. Atmospheric contamination can occur from nuclear fallout. A study in the United States has concluded that high concentrations of strontium in eggshells of some passerine birds may be associated with lower hatching success. 

If evacuation is not possible, you must find appropriate shelter immediately. Sheltering from nuclear fallout requires getting as much solid material (dirt, concrete, or masonry) and space as possible between yourself and the radioactive fallout. The best shelter is deep underground. If you cannot get to an underground shelter before the radioactive fallout begins to arrive, the next-best shelter would be on the upper floors of a multistory building (greater than ten stories), at least three stories below the roof to avoid the fallout deposited there. You must stay inside this shelter for at least 24 to 48 hours to allow the radioactivity of the fallout to decline to safe levels. 

The name comes from the town of Strontian in Scotland and was given to the element by Thomas Hope (1766-1844). There are many claims for the original discovery of strontium. William Cruikshank, in 1787, and Adair Crawford, in 1790, both examined strontianite (SrC03) and recognized that it had unique properties. Thomas Hope noted an unknown earth in 1791. Martin Klaproth presented a paper on a number of strontium compounds in 1793 and 1794. Richard Kirwan (1733-1812) examined a number of strontium compounds and presented his findings in 1794. It was Davy who isolated strontium metal, in 1808. Strontium does not occur in pure form in nature but is found in small quantities in many places. Some forms of strontium are radioactive, particularly 90Sr, which has been found in nuclear fallout. It can also be used in SNAP devices (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power) as a power source. The main commercial use of strontium is in the glass of color television picture tubes. 

The threat of nuclear fallout from atomic weapons testing was the impetus for a large number of studies that investigated methods to prevent absorption of radiostrontium, while not adversely affecting the absorption of calcium. Reasonably effective strategies have included alginates, aluminum phosphate, and sulfates. Less effective or less practical strategies have included cold, diet, dietary fiber, flavones, and stable strontium. 

Gould JM, Stemglass EJ. 1994. Nuclear fallout, low birth weight, and immune deficiency. Int J Health... 

Ocean. Despite the fact that no changes in the chemical composition of the ocean water have been established in recent time, it is instructive to consider the transient behavior of reacting chemical species in the oceanic water column. The case of the nuclear fallout products transported through the surface and thermocline layer of the ocean is the best known, although not yet completely understood, case of a transient chemical event on a world-wide scale (34, 35,36,37). 

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