Thorium - Wikipedia
Thorium is a chemical element; it has symbol Th and atomic number 90. Thorium is a weakly radioactive light silver metal which tarnishes olive grey when it is exposed to air, forming thorium dioxide; it is moderately soft, malleable, and has a high melting point.
Radionuclide Basics: Thorium | US EPA - U.S. Environmental ...
Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive metal found at trace levels in soil, rocks, plants and animals. Thorium is used very little in industry, but can be found in heat-resistant alloys and paints and optical lenses.
Thorium is used to make ceramics, lantern mantles, welding rods, camera and telescope lenses, and metals used in the aerospace industry. How does thorium change in the environment? Thorium-232 is not a stable isotope. As thorium-232 decays, it releases radiation and forms decay products that include radium-228 and thorium-228.
HEALTH EFFECTS - Toxicological Profile for Thorium - NCBI ...
Once thorium is internalized, it is distributed and excreted at a rate of transfer that is dependent on age. The internal radiation dose from thorium is actually a measure of the amount of energy that the alpha, beta, and gamma emissions deposit in tissue.
Thorium Gamma Spectrometry – PhysicsOpenLab
Jan 31, 2016 · Thorium metal is silvery and tarnishes black when exposed to air. Thorium is weakly radioactive: all its known isotopes are unstable, with the six naturally occurring ones (thorium-227, 228, 230, 231, 232, and 234) having half …
Radionuclide Basics: Thorium | Radiation Protection - US EPA
Jan 6, 2017 · Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive metal found at trace levels in soil, rocks, plants and animals. Thorium is used very little in industry, but can be found in heat-resistant alloys and paints and optical lenses.
Thorium-232 – Spectrum | Nuclear radiation isotope library
Thorium is a very common isotope, both in nature and in the home. It is used to make special alloys for electrodes, gas lamp nets, and is found in minerals, building materials (often granite), etc. Unlike radium, it gives off very little radon.
Thorium | Toxic Substances | Toxic Substance Portal | ATSDR
These substances give off radiation, including alpha and beta particles, and gamma radiation. Some rocks in underground mines contain thorium in a more concentrated form. After these rocks are mined, thorium is usually concentrated and changed into …
Radiation from Thorium and its Decay Products
The major isotopes of concern for terrestrial radiation are uranium and the decay products of uranium, such as thorium, radium, and radon. Radon is usually the largest natural source of radiation contributing to the exposure of public members, sometimes accounting for half the total exposure from all sources.
Thorium is a naturally occurring, slightly radioactive metal discovered in 1828 by the Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius, who named it after Thor, the Norse god of war. It is found in small amounts in most rocks and soils, where it is about three times more abundant than uranium.