![]() ![]() 30 It has a complex solution and electrochemistry. The chemical behavior of polonium was described many years ago by Haissinsky 18, 19 and others, later by Moyer, 33 and in the Russian literature by Moroz and Parfenov. Some have postulated that the alpha-particle radiation from polonium, volatilized from smoking tobacco, plays an important role in the genesis of lung cancer in smokers. Airborne radon decays into polonium isotopes that can be deposited on terrain and vegetation, for example, on tobacco leaves. Polonium occurs naturally in the environment. However, polonium is difficult to contain, and there have been instances of contamination, not only from static-eliminator bars but from solutions left in the open, because of polonium's marked tendency to ''creep." The high specific ionization around such devices is effective in reducing static electricity buildup. During the Manhattan Project days of World War II, large quantities of 210 Po were produced at a plant in Dayton, Ohio, and protection of workers and the environment was needed.ΔΆ10Po has found wide application in static-eliminator devices, for example, in paper and textile plants. In fact, 210Po was the alpha-particle source in the neutron-producing initiators of at least the first generation of atomic weapons. Many large alpha-particle sources were prepared before plutonium was available in sufficient quantities to supplant polonium for this, application. ![]() ![]() Polonium has been used extensively as an alpha-particle source for the production of neutrons by interaction with beryllium. These properties led to its use in much experimental work that required an alpha-particle, source with useful energy and a convenient half-life. There are other reasons for interest in polonium of primary interest is primarily the isotope 210Po, which has a half-life of about 138 days and decays to a stable lead isotope ( 206Pb) by almost pure alpha-particle emission. One reason for interest in the alpha particles from polonium is their existence as radon daughters indeed, with respect to important radiation dose, the radon problem is due largely to polonium. Selected Polonium Isotopes and Their Alpha Emissions. ![]()
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