Cobalt 60 molar mass skin#
It resembles iron or nickel.īecause it decays by gamma radiation, external exposure to large sources of Co-60 can cause skin burns, acute radiation sickness, or death.
Co-60 can occur as a powder if the solid sources have been ground or damaged.Ĭo-60 is a hard, gray-blue metal. Co-60 also is a byproduct of nuclear reactor operations, when metal structures, such as steel rods, are exposed to neutron radiation.Ĭo-60 occurs as a solid material and might appear as small metal disks or in a tube, enclosed at both ends, that holds the small disks. Radioactive Co-60 is produced commercially through linear acceleration for use in medicine and industry. Nonradioactive cobalt occurs naturally in various minerals and has long been used as a blue coloring agent for ceramic and glass. Co-60 also is used for food irradiation, a sterilization process. It is used industrially in leveling gauges and to x-ray welding seams and other structural elements to detect flaws. Mode of decay: Beta particles and gamma radiationĬhemical properties: Metallic solid that can become magnetically chargedĬo-60 is used medically for radiation therapy as implants and as an external source of radiation exposure.
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