Question

Which one of the following is highly dangerous radioactive pollutant?
1. Phosphorus - 32
2. Sulphur - 35
3. Strontium - 90
4. Calcium - 40

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Strontium - 90

Concept-

• Radiation, that is given off by nuclear waste is extremely damaging to organisms because it causes mutations at a very high rate.
• At high doses, nuclear radiation is lethal but at lower doses, it creates various disorders, the most frequent of all being cancer.
• Therefore, nuclear waste is an extremely potent pollutant and has to be dealt with utmost caution.
• It has been recommended that storage of nuclear waste, after sufficient pre-treatment, should be done in suitably shielded containers buried within the rocks, about 500 m deep below the earth’s surface. 

Strontium - 90 is a highly dangerous radioactive pollutant.

• Strontium-90 (90Sr) is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of 28.8 years.
• It undergoes β− decay into yttrium-90, with a decay energy of 0.546 MeV.
• Strontium-90 has applications in medicine and industry and is an isotope of concern in the fallout from nuclear weapons and nuclear accidents.
• Naturally occurring strontium is nonradioactive and nontoxic at levels normally found in the environment, but 90Sr is a radiation hazard.
• Strontium-90 is particularly dangerous for growing children and is believed to contribute to bone cancer and leukemia.

Phosphorus-32

• Phosphorus-32 is useful in the identification of malignant tumors because cancerous cells tend to accumulate phosphates more than normal cells do.
• It has important uses in medicine, biochemistry, and molecular biology.

Calcium-40

• Calcium (Calcium-40) is an isotope of Calcium.
• Calcium-40 is both naturally occurring and produced by fission.