A bone seeker is an element, often a

radioisotope A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferr ...

, that tends to accumulate in the bones of humans and other animals when it is introduced into the body. An example is

strontium-90 Strontium-90 () is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of 28.8 years. It undergoes β− decay into yttrium-90, with a decay energy of 0.546 MeV. Strontium-90 has applications in medicine and ...

, which behaves chemically like

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...

and can replace the calcium in bones. Other bone seekers include

radium Radium is a chemical element with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, but it readily reacts with nitrogen (rathe ...

,
Survival, causes of death, and estimated tissue doses in a group of human beings injected with plutonium
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R. E. Rowland and Patricia W. Durbin, 1975. and

plutonium Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...

. An important thing to keep in mind is that - much like for

toxic heavy metal A toxic heavy metal is any relatively dense metal or metalloid that is noted for its potential toxicity, especially in environmental contexts. The term has particular application to cadmium, mercury and lead, all of which appear in the World ...

s the chemical state of the element may complicate such classifications. For example, while strontium, its oxides and hydroxides are all water-soluble and absorbed in the digestive tract or lungs (from whence they enter the bloodstream and ultimately accumulate in the bones), compounds such as strontium titanate are not, which explains their use in

radioisotope thermoelectric generator A radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG, RITEG), sometimes referred to as a radioisotope power system (RPS), is a type of nuclear battery that uses an array of thermocouples to convert the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioacti ...

s. As such, while dissolved ions of the element or common compounds of the element (including its native form) may present the associated health risks, there are often forms which present much lower risks even as orphan sources or to non-target organs when administered internally in radiotherapy. Bone-seeking elements are health risks but have uses in

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

References

Isotopes Radiobiology {{isotope-stub

See also

References