cesium-137
Chernobyl's lingering legacy
Cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of cesium with a half-life of about thirty years.
It's produced by nuclear fission and is a major component of nuclear fallout and reactor waste.
Because it mimics potassium in biological systems, it can accumulate in living tissue, making contamination from nuclear accidents particularly hazardous: Cesium-137 levels remained elevated in the soil around Chernobyl for decades.
Soviet nuclear disaster site
- FukushimaJapanese nuclear accident site
- falloutPost-blast atmospheric particles
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
- remediationAct of correcting faults
evacuation · bioaccumulation · cleanup · decontamination · groundwater · resettlement · monitoring · plume
Period for fifty-percent reduction
- isotopeElemental variant by mass
- curieUnit of radioactive decay
- radioactiveEmitting nuclear decay particles
- activityEngagement in doing
disintegration · ionizing · radionuclide · metastable · emission · contamination · dosimetry · shielding
Medical radiation for cancer
- brachytherapyLocalized implanted radiation oncology
- cancer-treatmentMedicine targeting malignant growths
- dosimetryRadiation absorption measurement
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
oncology · teletherapy · tumor · sterilization · therapeutic · radiology · shielding · dosimeter
Measurable biological health signal
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- uptakeAbsorption or understanding
- mushroomsSpore-bearing fruiting bodies
Measuring or estimating
- radiographyDiagnostic imaging using X-rays
- securityProtection from threat
Chernobyl
Soviet nuclear disaster site
- FukushimaJapanese nuclear accident site
- falloutPost-blast atmospheric particles
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
remediation · evacuation · bioaccumulation · cleanup · decontamination · groundwater · resettlement · monitoring · plume · release
half-life
Period for fifty-percent reduction
- isotopeElemental variant by mass
- curieUnit of radioactive decay
- radioactiveEmitting nuclear decay particles
activity · disintegration · ionizing · radionuclide · metastable · emission · contamination · dosimetry · shielding · exposure
radiotherapy
Medical radiation for cancer
- brachytherapyLocalized implanted radiation oncology
- cancer-treatmentMedicine targeting malignant growths
- dosimetryRadiation absorption measurement
calibration · oncology · teletherapy · tumor · sterilization · therapeutic · radiology · shielding · dosimeter
biomarker
Measurable biological health signal
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- uptakeAbsorption or understanding
- mushroomsSpore-bearing fruiting bodies
gauging
Measuring or estimating
- radiographyDiagnostic imaging using X-rays
- securityProtection from threat
- carcinogensasbestos, benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic, tobacco smoke
- ChernobylPripyat, exclusion zone, meltdown, nuclear disaster, explosion
- Nuclear Falloutfallout, radioactive dust, fallout zone, fallout shelter, contamination zone
- nuclear radiationradiation exposure, radiation poisoning, radioactive isotopes, fallout, nuclear meltdown
- radioactivityradioactive decay, radioactive isotopes, radioisotopes, radionuclides, half-life
- radiobiologyradiobiology, DNA damage, mutations, ionizing radiation, cell damage
cesium-137essential nutrients
Required dietary components
potassium-40 · potassium · calcium · essential mineral · trace elements