Cobalt 60

Cobalt is a material used in x-rays for radiation therapy. It is a hard substance that is a bluish color and can look like a powder, and it is a radioactive active substance. It is used to treat cancer with radiation and can also be used to shrink tumors. This could be to your well-being because radiation ions are emitted. Obviously the advantages are worth the risk because if you do not do the radiation you will most likely die from the cancerous cells. Even though Cobalt has a very small and short lifetime, it is still a very dangerous substance since it has a big decay energy. It has almost 20 watts of decay energy. Another medical risk of cobalt is that it can even cause cancer with enough exposure to Cobalt 60. Cobalt is usually used on “malignant tumors” meaning a tumor containing cancerous cells. Cobalt can be used to treat lung cancer and various other cancers. It works with the high voltage of the cobalt and kills the DNA of the cancerous cells.