radioactives
Decay-emitting substances
Radioactives is an informal plural noun referring to radioactive materials or substances—those that emit radiation as their atomic nuclei decay.
The term appears in casual or journalistic contexts rather than formal scientific writing, where phrases like radioactive materials or radioactive waste are preferred.
The cleanup crew had to dispose of the radioactives before construction could begin.
Element ninety-two
- plutoniumActinide, atomic number 94
- thoriumActinide, atomic number ninety
- cesiumAlkali metal, number fifty-five
- radiumRadioactive alkaline earth metal
isotopes · fission · decay · half-life · enrichment · yellowcake · centrifuge · reactor
Introduction of impurities
- exposureState of being unprotected
- Geiger counterIonizing radiation detector
- dosimeterExposure measurement device
- shieldingProtecting from harm
lead · protective gear · exclusion zone · evacuation · meltdown · leak · spill · decontamination
Act of throwing away
- storageSpace for keeping goods
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
- spent fuelUsed nuclear material
- vitrificationTransformation into glass
repository · casks · reprocessing · decommissioning · half-life · leaching · groundwater · shielding
Path-revealing projectiles
- iodine-131Radioactive halogen isotope
- technetiumFirst artificially produced element
- radiopharmaceuticalsMedicinal radioactive substances
- imagingProducing visual representations
PET scan · SPECT · brachytherapy · oncology · dosimetry · nuclear medicine · cobalt-60 · diagnostic
uranium
Element ninety-two
- plutoniumActinide, atomic number 94
- thoriumActinide, atomic number ninety
- cesiumAlkali metal, number fifty-five
radium · isotopes · fission · decay · half-life · enrichment · yellowcake · centrifuge · reactor · fuel rods
contamination
Introduction of impurities
- exposureState of being unprotected
- Geiger counterIonizing radiation detector
- dosimeterExposure measurement device
shielding · lead · protective gear · exclusion zone · evacuation · meltdown · leak · spill · decontamination · safety protocols
disposal
Act of throwing away
- storageSpace for keeping goods
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
- spent fuelUsed nuclear material
vitrification · repository · casks · reprocessing · decommissioning · half-life · leaching · groundwater · shielding · transportation
tracers
Path-revealing projectiles
- iodine-131Radioactive halogen isotope
- technetiumFirst artificially produced element
- radiopharmaceuticalsMedicinal radioactive substances
imaging · PET scan · SPECT · brachytherapy · oncology · dosimetry · nuclear medicine · cobalt-60 · diagnostic · therapeutic
radioactivesnoble gases
Nonreactive elemental group
inert gases · helium · neon · argon
- radioactive wasteHazardous nuclear byproducts
- radioactive decayUnstable atoms releasing energy
- radioactive cloudAirborne mass carrying nuclear particles