As you know there are 118 elements on the periodic tables. Have you ever wondered if any of them are dangerous? Well, today you can learn about one of the deadliest elements. We call it plutonium.
Plutonium is the 94th element and the symbol is Pu. It was discovered in in 1941 by Glenn T. Seaborg at the University of California - Berkeley. Plutonium is made by uranium in nuclear reactors. The element is used to make nuclear weapons. The bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan happened to have plutonium in it.
If you inhale plutonium, it could be destruction to your body. In some cases, if it comes through your body with food, it can go through your system and exit, as normal. If you inhale it through dust with plutonium in it, it can start by landing in your lungs. Once in your lungs, it can go through your bloodstream. Once in your bloodstream, it has links to all the major parts of the body. It can land up in some of your organs. Plutonium once in your body, can cause illnesses like cancer. Luckily, plutonium is not very high in the air today.
I hope you learned today that plutonium is not some element that you can mess around with. Plutonium is an element that causes mass distruction and harm. Too many people died from the bomb in Nagasaki. Let's remember that every human life is important. Don't play with plutonium.
(Picture of Nagasaki Bomb on August 9, 1945)
Plutonium Information:
"Plutonium." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/plutonium.html#discovered>.
Nagasaki Bomb Picture:
"US Sends First Representative to Attend Nagasaki Bombing Memorial." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 09 Aug. 2011. Web. 07 Mar. 2014. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8690281/US-sends-first-representative-to-attend-Nagasaki-bombing-memorial.html>.
