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What Materials Are Radioactive?

Radioactive materials are elements whose atoms are unstable. These unstable atoms are called ions. The instability of the material causes the atoms to emit, or radiate, energy. Three forms of energy are radiated from ions: alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays. All three forms of radiation can, under the right circumstances, damage human cells even in their smallest doses.

  1. NORM

    • Radiation is part of the earth's environment. Several naturally occurring materials are radioactive. The term "naturally occurring radioactive materials" is abbreviated as NORM. Uranium is the most radioactive NORM. Thorium, tritium , radon and ionized potassium are also NORMs. Many NORMs are widely dispersed in nature and so present a comparatively low risk to humans. Certain human activities, however, concentrate NORMs until they present a more significant threat to human health. Oil and gas exploration, for example, concentrate significant amounts of radium, strontium and ionized calcium.

    Nuclear Industries

    • Human activities produce materials that exceed the radioactivity of naturally occurring radioactive materials. The most significant of these activities are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons fabrication. Two of the most important of these materials are plutonium and enriched uranium, used as both nuclear fuel and fissionable material for nuclear bombs. Several waste products from uranium enrichment and nuclear power generation are also notable, especially in light of the 2011 nuclear power meltdowns in Japan, in particular Cesium-137 and Iodine-132 -- both released when the spent fuel burned for lack of circulating cooling water.

    Everyday Uses

    • Small amounts of radioactive materials are used outside the nuclear industry, the most well-known being in the medical treatment of cancer. Other materials are Carbon-14, used to test the age of artifacts; Krypton-85, used in household indicator lights; Californium-252, used to check luggage for explosives in airports; Americum-241, used in household smoke detectors; and Promethium-147, used in the thermostats on electric blankets. These materials are low-level alpha emitters and would not be a significant threat unless ingested.

    Depleted Uranium

    • Ingestion and inhalation are the concerns associated with depleted uranium munitions, which the U.S. armed forces employ to penetrate tank armor. The high density of the uranium slag gives it its penetrative power; and proponents say that because it is a low-level alpha emitter, it does not present a threat beyond its role as a tank-buster round. Critics respond that alpha particles are highly mutagenic when incorporated into the body adjacent to cell walls, which happens when particles are inhaled or ingested.

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