Question

After the sudden release of radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident in 1986, the radioactivity of milk in one region of Poland rose to 1450 Bq/L due to iodine-131 present in the grass eaten by dairy cattle. (Note that the radioactivity was higher in other regions of Poland.) Radioactive iodine, with half-life 8.04 days, is particularly hazardous because the thyroid gland concentrates iodine. The Chernobyl accident causeda measurable increase in thyroid cancers among children in Belarus. (a) For comparison, find the activity of milk due to potassium. Assume that one liter of milk contains 2.40 g of potassium, of which 0.0117% is the isotope 40K with half-life 1.28 x 109 yr. Bq/L (b) After what time interval would the activity due to iodine fall below that due to potassium? Submit Answer Save Progress Practice Another Version