London detectives just reported that one teapot was highly radioactive weeks after Litvenenko's death. The Milennium Mayfair is a five-star hotel. You would think it would have been washed several times since.
2007-01-27 01:33:23 · 5 answers · asked by greydoc6 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Polonium has an short half-life (under 105 years), so is very radioactive. It is self-heating. Depending on where it was, a few particles could heat enough to bond to the glaze. It might not have been washed all that much. It is very easy to detect once suspected. That is what is so dumb about polonium being used.
2007-01-27 01:46:47 · answer #1 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many teapots are made of porous materials like clay that are fired in a kiln with a glaze. It's possible that there were cracks in the glaze or even miniscule cracks in the pot itself. I know at home that my teapots never get clean enough since they won't go in the dishwasher and I can't get into the crevices as well as I'd like to.
Radioactive teapots are pretty alarming. Poisoning people with radioactive materials is really, really alarming. It's a ghastly assassination method that not only affects the intended victim but every single person who had contact with him since.
2007-01-27 09:49:09 · answer #2 · answered by Susan G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The half life is something around 100 or so years and then the next half life is the same length. Even though it is called short lived it is very active for a short time up- to several months. A very tiny particle is enough to detect if that is what you are looking for.
Radio active materials come in many different forms and have drasticaly different effects.
2007-01-27 10:15:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
washing probably does remove a portion of the polonium metal (mechanically) but not all of it.
One reason is this. We wash dishes with soap these days. Soap is a surfactant and is a molecule with 1 polar end and one non polar end. The non polar end attachs to non polar molecules while the polar end attaches to water. It is ideal for attaching oils to water. ie removing oils and grease from dishes. It does little for germs (unless it is an antibacterial soap), and nothing for metals.
2007-01-27 09:45:30 · answer #4 · answered by Dr W 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There was enough polonium that just the microscopic residue was detectable.
2007-01-27 09:39:14 · answer #5 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋