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Chapter 19: Problem 57

Which do you think would be the greater health hazard: the release of a radioactive nuclide of \(\mathrm{Sr}\) or a radioactive nuclide of Xe into the environment? Assume the amount of radioactivity is the same in each case. Explain your answer on the basis of the chemical properties of Sr and Xe. Why are the chemical properties of a radioactive substance important in assessing its potential health hazards?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The release of a radioactive nuclide of Strontium (Sr) would pose a greater health hazard compared to Xenon (Xe), due to their chemical properties. Sr is highly reactive and can easily mimic Calcium, accumulating within bones and teeth, leading to long-term health risks such as bone cancer and leukemia. In contrast, Xe is a chemically inert noble gas, unable to form stable compounds and incapable of accumulating within the human body. Hence, exposure to radioactive Xe has minimal lasting effects. The chemical properties of a radioactive substance are important in assessing its potential health hazards, as they determine its interactions with living organisms and the environment.

Step by step solution

01

Introduction

A radioactive nuclide is an unstable atomic nucleus that loses energy by emitting radiation. Both Strontium (Sr) and Xenon (Xe) can have radioactive isotopes. To determine which radioactive nuclide poses a greater health hazard, we will examine the chemical properties of these two elements and how they interact with the environment.
02

Chemical Properties of Strontium

Strontium (Sr) is an alkaline earth metal with chemical properties similar to those of Calcium (Ca). It is highly reactive and easily forms compounds when exposed to air or water. Due to its similarities with Calcium, radioactive Strontium can easily replace Calcium in the human body, particularly in bones and teeth. This can lead to the accumulation of radioactive particles within the body, causing long-term health risks such as bone cancer and leukemia.
03

Chemical Properties of Xenon

Xenon (Xe) is a noble gas with a full set of valence electrons in its outer shell. This makes it chemically inert, meaning it does not readily react or form compounds with other elements. Consequently, Xenon is unable to accumulate within the human body because it does not form any stable compounds. As a result, any exposure to radioactive Xenon is expected to be short-lived since it does not integrate with human tissues.
04

Assessing Health Hazards

The chemical properties of a radioactive substance play a crucial role in assessing its potential health hazards. A radioactive nuclide that forms compounds and accumulates in living organisms, like Strontium, can cause severe long-term damage. In contrast, an inert radioactive nuclide, like Xenon, is less likely to cause lasting harm because it is rapidly expelled from the body.
05

Conclusion

Based on the chemical properties of Sr and Xe, it is clear that the release of a radioactive nuclide of Sr into the environment would pose a greater health hazard. Sr's ability to mimic Calcium and accumulate in bones creates long-term exposure to radioactivity, increasing the risks of severe health problems for living organisms. On the other hand, the inert nature of Xe makes it unlikely to cause extensive damage since it does not accumulate within the body.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Why are the observed energy changes for nuclear processes so much larger than the energy changes for chemical and physical processes?

The curie (Ci) is a commonly used unit for measuring nuclear radioactivity: 1 curie of radiation is equal to \(3.7 \times 10^{10}\) decay events per second (the number of decay events from \(1 \mathrm{~g}\) radium in \(1 \mathrm{~s}\) ). A 1.7-mL sample of water containing tritium was injected into a 150 -lb person. The total activity of radiation injected was \(86.5 \mathrm{mCi}\). After some time to allow the tritium activity to equally distribute throughout the body, a sample of blood plasma containing \(2.0 \mathrm{~mL}\) water at an activity of \(3.6 \mu \mathrm{Ci}\) was removed. From these data, calculate the mass percent of water in this 150 -lb person.

The most stable nucleus in terms of binding energy per nucleon is \({ }^{56} \mathrm{Fe}\). If the atomic mass of \({ }^{56} \mathrm{Fe}\) is \(55.9349 \mathrm{u}\), calculate the binding energy per nucleon for \({ }^{56} \mathrm{Fe}\).

Strontium-90 and radon-222 both pose serious health risks. \({ }^{90} \mathrm{Sr}\) decays by \(\beta\) -particle production and has a relatively long half-life (28.9 years). Radon-222 decays by \(\alpha\) -particle production and has a relatively short half-life (3.82 days). Explain why each decay process poses health risks.

Many transuranium elements, such as plutonium-232, have very short half-lives. (For \({ }^{232} \mathrm{Pu}\), the half-life is 36 minutes.) However, some, like protactinium-231 (half-life \(=3.34 \times\) \(10^{4}\) years), have relatively long half-lives. Use the masses given in the following table to calculate the change in energy when 1 mole of \({ }^{232}\) Pu nuclei and 1 mole of \({ }^{231}\) Pa nuclei are each formed from their respective number of protons and neutrons.
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