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First, let\u2019s be clear with what we are talking about.<\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>For the purposes of this answer, I am assuming we mean a small piece of clean, solid Uranium 235 metal.<\/span><\/p>\n Uranium 235 has a half-life of over 700 million years, which means the amount of radioactive decay it undergoes at any moment is small. Further, it\u2019s an alpha emitter, and alpha particles cannot penetrate even the outer layer of dead skin cells.<\/span><\/p>\n So, rubbing a small piece of U-235 metal gently on your skin for a few seconds is unlikely to do any sort of harm at all, provided it hasn\u2019t been crafted into a scalpel.<\/span><\/p>\n That said, don\u2019t lick it, wear a respirator, and wash your hands immediately after and with more than ordinary vigor.<\/span><\/p>\n Given enough time, the alpha radiation will chemically degrade the outer surface of the skin and begin to damage (burn) the underlying living tissue. If this is allowed to continue, or if the metal or its daughter products are ingested or inhaled so that it\u2019s surrounded by living tissue, the result with be continued cell damage, death, and eventually a likelihood of cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n Over time, Uranium 235 breaks down into radioactive isotopes of actinium, astatine, bismuth, francium, lead, polonium, protactinium, radium, radon, thallium, and thorium, before finally breaking down into lead-207, which is stable. All these isotopes are present, at least transiently, in any sample of uranium-235, and that will affect their fates if ingested. <\/span><\/p>\n For example, uranium itself tends to be excreted, and what remains settles in the bones and liver, but other daughter products have different solubility and chemistry, and can have different effects. For example, radon atoms will pass through the body almost like a noble gas\u2014but if they happen to decay into polonium while inside, that will bind in place and continue to decay, greatly increasing cancer risk.<\/span><\/p>\n All things considered, please wear gloves before you handle uranium.<\/span><\/p>\n Content created and supplied by: ghananewstoday (via Opera \n , . , . () , , , , , , , , . \/ , and\/or . , , and\/or , and\/or <\/span><\/p>\n
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