iodine 131

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a radioactive isotope of iodine having a mass number 131 and a half-life of 8.6 days, used in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the thyroid gland.

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Example Sentences

"This was a slow release," he adds, and it was limited to a few radioactive materials, including iodine 131, which has a half-life of just eight days and therefore does not lead to long-term contamination.

From Scientific American • Mar. 2, 2012

A Persistent Danger Most of the samples that have passed across Hasegawa's desk have proved to be within the legal consumption limit of the radioactive isotopes cesium 134 and 137 and iodine 131.

From Time • Aug. 25, 2011

They also said that radiation levels would fall over the next two months with the disappearance of short-lived iodine 131, which accounts for about half of the radioactive material emitted by the plant.

From New York Times • May 2, 2011

So the spent fuel stores would likely have already lost the majority of their iodine 131 before last Friday's earthquake and tsunami damaged the plant, Clanton explains.

From Scientific American • Mar. 18, 2011

Children, who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of iodine 131, had drunk the cows’ milk.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland