Canadian Coalition
for Nuclear
Responsibility





Regroupement pour
la surveillance
du nucléaire

Some of the Radioactive Poisons
in Spent Nuclear Fuel

NAME HALF-LIFE
Hydrogen-3 (tritium) 12 years
Beryllium-10 1 million 600 thousand years
Carbon-14 5 thousand 700 years
Silicon-32 500 years
Phosphorus-32 14 days
Potassium-40 1 thousand million years
Calcium-42 14 thousand years
Iron-55 3 years
Cobalt-60 5 years
Nickel-59 75 thousand years
Nickel-63 10 years
Selenium-79 65 thousand years
Krypton-81 200 thousand years
Krypton-83 10 years
Rubidium-87 47 thousand million years
Strontium-90 29 years
Yttrium-90 2 days
Zirconium-93 1 million 500 thousand years
Niobium-93m 14 years
Niobium-94 20 thousand years
Molybdenum-93 3 thousand 500 years
Technetium-99 200 thousand years
Ruthenium-106 1 year
Palladium-107 6 million 500 thousand years
Cadmium-113m 14 years
Tin-126 100 thousand years
Antimony-125 3 years
Antimony-126 12 days
Tellurium-125m 58 days
Iodine-129 15 million 700 thousand years
Cesium-134 2 years
Cesium-135 2 million 300 thousand years
Cesium-137 30 years
Cerium-144 3 hundred days
Promethium-147 3 years
Europium-154 9 years
Europium-155 5 years
Hafnium-182 9 million years
Tantalum-182 1 hundred days
Rhenium-187 50 thousand million years
Lead-205 14 million 300 thousand years
Lead-210 22 years
Bismuth-208 400 thousand years
Bismuth-210 5 days
Bismuth-210m 3 million years
Polonium-210 138 days
Radon-222 4 days
Radon-223 11 days
Radium-224 37 days
Radium-225 14 days
Radium-226 1 thousand 600 years
Radium-228 6 years
Actinium-225 10 days
Actinium-227 22 years
Thorium-227 19 days
Thorium-228 2 years
Thorium-229 7 thousand 300 years
Thorium-230 77 thousand years
Thorium-231 1 day
Thorium-232 14 thousand million years
Thorium-234 24 days
Protactinium-231 32 thousand 800 years
Protactinium-233 27 days
Protactinium-234 27 days
Uranium-232 72 years
Uranium-233 200 thousand years
Uranium-234 200 thousand years
Uranium-235 700 million years
Uranium-236 23 million years
Uranium-238 4 thousand million years
Neptunium-237 2 million years
Plutonium-238 88 years
Plutonium-239 24 thousand 100 years
Plutonium-240 6 thousand 500 years
Plutonium-241 14 years
Plutonium-242 400 thousand years
Americium-241 400 years
Americium-242m 100 years
Curium-244 18 years


Adapted from APPENDIX F of
ATOMIC ENERGY OF CANADA LIMITED'S
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
ON USED NUCLEAR FUEL

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