Cesium-137

Name:
Cesium-137
Detailed information:

Properties:

Half-life 33 years; radiation β.

Hazard:

Radioactive poison. The β decay of 137Cs produces 137Ba, which in turn is radioactive, emitting a 0.662 Mev γ ray with a 2.6 min half-life.

Use:

Most applications of 137Cs depend on the fact that any 137Cs preparation has an equivalent amount of the γ-emitting 137Ba daughter. Approved for sterilization of wheat, flour, potatoes, and sewage sludge.

Radioactive cesium of mass number 137.