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The comment about the half life is erroneous because the half life of isotopes likely to have contaminated the debris have half lives of:
Caesium-137 is also a particular threat because it behaves like potassium and is taken up by cells throughout the body. Additionally, it has a long, 30-year half-life.[322] Cs-137 can cause acute radiation sickness, and increase the risk for cancer because of exposure to high-energy gamma radiation. Internal exposure to Cs-137, through ingestion or inhalation, allows the radioactive material to be distributed in the soft tissues, especially muscle tissue, exposing these tissues to the beta particles and gamma radiation and increasing cancer risk.[323] Prussian blue helps the body excrete caesium-137.[321][324]
Strontium-90 behaves like calcium, and tends to deposit in bone and blood-forming tissue (bone marrow). 20–30% of ingested Sr-90 is absorbed and deposited in the bone. Internal exposure to Sr-90 is linked to bone cancer, cancer of the soft tissue near the bone, and leukemia.[325] Risk of cancer increases with increased exposure to Sr-90.[325][326]
Plutonium is also present in the MOX fuel of the Unit 3 reactor and in spent fuel rods.[327] Officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency say the presence of MOX fuel does not add significantly to the dangers. Plutonium-239 is particularly long-lived and toxic with a half-life of 24,000 years and remains hazardous for tens of thousands of years.[328] Experts commented that the long-term risk associated with plutonium toxicity is "highly dependent on the geochemistry of the particular site."[329]
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
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