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What happens if you ingest cesium?
HIGHLIGHTS: Exposure to stable or radioactive cesium occurs from ingesting contaminated food or drinking water or breathing contaminated air. High levels of radioactive cesium in or near your body can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding, coma, and even death.
Can cesium kill you?
External exposure to large amounts of Cs-137 can cause burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death. Exposure to Cs-137 can increase the risk for cancer because of exposure to high-energy gamma radiation.
Can cesium be ingested?
Cesium-137 can enter the body when it is inhaled or ingested. After radioactive cesium is ingested, it is distributed fairly uniformly throughout the body’s soft tissues. Slightly higher concentrations are found in muscle; slightly lower concentrations are found in bone and fat.
Is cesium toxic?
Nonradioactive caesium compounds are only mildly toxic, but the pure metal’s tendency to react explosively with water means that caesium is considered a hazardous material, and the radioisotopes present a significant health and ecological hazard in the environment.
What would happen if caesium was dropped in water?
Reaction of caesium with water Caesium (cesium in USA) metal reacts rapidly with water to form a colourless solution of caesium hydroxide (CsOH) and hydrogen gas (H2). The reaction is so fast that if the reaction is carried out in a glass vessel, the glass container will shatter.
How do you get rid of radiation from food?
Noguchi says that radiation, though invisible and odorless, can be treated and cleaned up like a stain, noting that by rinsing the food well before cooking, preferably with hot water, and/or boiling or stewing it, a large portion of radioactive elements can be removed.
What would happen if Caesium was dropped in water?
How does cesium 137 atoms cause tissue damage?
A Cs-137 atom emits radiation in the form of medium energy gamma rays, and to a lesser extent, high-energy beta particles, which disrupt molecules in cells and deposits energy in tissues, causing damage.
Is cesium found in the human body?
The amount of potassium, rubidium and cesium in the total body estimated from the concentrations of these elements in the soft tissues, muscle and bone is, respectively, 136±28 grams, 0.36±0.09 grams and 1.4 × 10−3 grams (95% probable range: 0.50—4.1 × 10−3) for the standard man of 70 kg body weight.
Why does caesium react violently with water?
The ionization energy (2) is the smallest of the alkali metals. So the activation energy for Cs is the lowest, mainly because of its low ionization energy. The lower the activation energy, the faster the reaction. So Cs reacts extremely fast — and you get an explosion.
What is special about caesium?
Caesium is a soft, gold-coloured metal that is quickly attacked by air and reacts explosively in water. The most common use for caesium compounds is as a drilling fluid. They are also used to make special optical glass, as a catalyst promoter, in vacuum tubes and in radiation monitoring equipment.
How do you flush radiation from your body?
Decontamination involves removing external radioactive particles. Removing clothing and shoes eliminates about 90 percent of external contamination. Gently washing with water and soap removes additional radiation particles from the skin.