For chemists or others working with arsenic, cyanide, or other chemical
poisons, safety depends on recognizing the materials and keeping them
where they belong. When accidents do happen and poisons are swallowed or
breathed in, successful treatment requires that someone find out exactly
what and how much of the poisonous material was involved.
In the event of accidents in nuclear laboratories or reactors, it would
be equally essential to identify accurately and quickly the quantity and
kind of unstable nuclides the victim has absorbed. A reactor accident
conceivably could add a unique hazard since neutron radiation might
change the normally stable, nonradioactive atoms in the bodies of nearby
workers into radioactive ones. Even gold or silver fillings in their
teeth might become radioactive.
[Illustration: Figure 13 _A portable whole body counter used for
research as well as routine monitoring of personnel in an atomic reactor
installation. Usually gamma-emitting radionuclides can be detected in 10
minutes. This counter is in almost constant use at the AEC’s National
Reactor Testing Station in Idaho._]
When human tissue (for example, hair) is bombarded by fast neutrons,
sulfur atoms in molecules of proteins are converted to the radionuclide
phosphorus-32. In atomic shorthand, this reaction is: