Nuclei With Long Half-lives [MOE]

BOOKLET to Provide Basic Information Regarding Health Effects of Radiation (5th edition)

• MOE
• BOOKLET to Provide Basic Information Regarding Health Effects of Radiation
• 5th edition
• Chapter 1 Basic Knowledge on Radiation
• Nuclei with Long Half-lives

Chapter 1 Basic Knowledge on Radiation 1.2 Radioactive Materials Nuclei with Long Half-lives

Some nuclei that emit radiation have very long half-lives. Uranium-238 has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. Since the earth is about 4.6 billion years old, the amount of Uranium-238 that had existed at the time of the earth's birth has now reduced to half.

Some radionuclides become stable after a single emission of radiation, while some transform into various radionuclides as they disintegrate many times, until becoming stable.

For example, Uranium-238 emits α (alpha)-particles and transforms into Thorium-234, which is also a radionuclide. Thorium-234 further emits β (beta)-particles and transforms into Protactinium-234, which is also a radionuclide. They constitute a series in which the original element transforms into different atoms more than 10 times before becoming stable Lead-206.

Potassium-40 also has a long half-life of 1.3 billion years. This is another naturally occurring radionuclide that was taken into the earth upon its birth. Potassium-40 transforms into stable Calcium-40 or Argon-40 through a single disintegration without constituting a series.(Related to p.10 of Vol. 1, “Parent and Daughter Nuclides,” and p.11 of Vol. 1, “Half-lives and Radioactive Decay”)

• Included in this reference material on March 31, 2013
• Updated on March 31, 2019

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BOOKLET to Provide Basic Information Regarding Health Effects of Radiation Contents

• Chapter 1 Basic Knowledge on Radiation
  • 1.1 Radiation and Radioactivity
  • 1.2 Radioactive Materials
  • 1.3 Radiation
• Chapter 2 Radiation Exposure
  • 2.1 Exposure Routes
  • 2.2 Nuclear Disaster
  • 2.3 Units of Radiation
  • 2.4 Dose Measurement and Calculation
  • 2.5 Radiation around Us
• Chapter 3 Health Effects of Radiation
  • 3.1 Effects on Human Body
  • 3.2 Mechanism of Causing Effects on Human Body
  • 3.3 Deterministic Effects (Tissue Reactions)
  • 3.4 Risks
  • 3.5 Effects on Fetuses
  • 3.6 Heritable Effects
  • 3.7 Cancer and Leukemia
  • 3.8 Psychological Effects
• Chapter 4 Concept of Radiological Protection
  • 4.1 Principles of Radiological Protection
  • 4.2 Dose Limits
  • 4.3 Dose Reduction
  • 4.4 Long-term Effects
• Chapter 5 Assessments by International Organizations
  • 5.1 Outline of the Report by International Organization
  • 5.2 UNSCEAR 2020/2021 Report
  • 5.3 UNSCEAR 2013 Report
  • 5.4 Follow up of the UNSCEAR Report
  • 5.5 WHO Reports
• Chapter 6 Situation concerning the Accident
  • 6.1 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) Accident
  • 6.2 Outline of the Accident
  • 6.3 Efforts and Progress for Decommissioning
• Chapter 7 Environmental Radiation Monitoring
  • 7.1 Spatiotemporal Distribution of Ambient Dose Rates
  • 7.2 Deposition of Radioactive Cesium and Radioactive Iodine
  • 7.3 Radiation Monitoring of Farmland
  • 7.4 Radiation Monitoring in Forest
  • 7.5 Radiation Monitoring in Well Water
  • 7.6 Radiation Monitoring of Clean Water
  • 7.7 Radiation Monitoring of Public Water Areas
  • 7.8 Radiation Monitoring of Ocean
  • 7.9 Deposition of Other Radioactive Materials
• Chapter 8 Radioactive Materials in Foods
  • 8.1 Measures for Radioactive Materials in Foods
  • 8.2 Rice
  • 8.3 Vegetables, Fruits and Beans
  • 8.4 Livestock Products
  • 8.5 Mushrooms and Wild Plants
  • 8.6 Fishery Products
  • 8.7 Import Measures by Other Countries
• Chapter 9 Efforts toward Environment Restoration after the Accident
  • 9.1 Decontamination
  • 9.2 Interim Storage Facility
  • 9.3 Waste
  • 9.4 Activities in Areas under Evacuation Orders
  • 9.5 Reconstruction and Revitalization from the Accident
  • 9.6 New Stage of Reconstruction
• Chapter 10 Health Management
  • 10.1 Outline of the Fukushima Health Management Survey
  • 10.2 Basic Survey
  • 10.3 Thyroid Ultrasound Examination
  • 10.4 Comprehensive Health Checkup
  • 10.5 Mental Health and Lifestyle
  • 10.6 Pregnancy and Birth Survey
  • 10.7 External Counting Survey

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