In or out: Setting a trap for radioactive iodine
Thursday, August 26, 2010 - 16:35
in Physics & Chemistry
Nuclear power plants produce a host of radioactive isotopes as by-products. One such radioisotope is Iodine-129 (129I). With a half-life of nearly 16 million years, the 129I produced by nuclear power plants will be sticking around for a long time. Because iodine plays a role in human metabolism, radioactive 129I is especially dangerous if it escapes into the environment. Researchers utilizing the U.S. Department of Energy`s Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory have uncovered new information that might lead to improved long-term storage of Iodine-I29.