cesium 137

noun

, Chemistry.

1. the radioactive cesium isotope with mass number 137 and a half-life of 33 years: used for gamma irradiation of certain foods and for radiation therapy.

Example Sentences

Greenpeace, the conservation group, issued a statement saying the presence of these isotopes suggested cesium 137 was also released.

From New York Times

Independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported traces of cesium 137 were detected in the emergency room area an hour after the patients were brought in, forcing the area to be decontaminated.

From Fox News

An hour later, traces of cesium 137 were detected in the ER, which then had to be decontaminated.

From Washington Post

Evacuations continued for months as Japan struggled to find housing for a large population exposed to radioactive iodine 131, cesium 134 and cesium 137.

From Scientific American

The three isotopes in question are cesium 137 and plutonium 239 and 240, which will take millennia or more to decay.

From Scientific American