Cobalt 60 facts
While investigating facts about Cobalt 60, I found out little known, but curios details like:
In 1983, a mexican electrician inadvertently spilled thousands of cobalt 60 pellets in Ciudad Juarez, which eventually made their way into two foundries and contaminated 3,000 tons of steel, causing one of the worst nuclear accidents in north american history.
More that 2000 crop varieties including Ruby Red grapefruits, and a rice called Calrose 76, which accounts for half of the rice grown in California, are the result of 'Atomic Gardening' in which crops are exposed to highly radioactive Cobalt 60 in order to induce beneficial mutations.
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 4 of the best facts about Cobalt 60 I managed to collect.
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During a routine inspection at the Port of Genoa, a container from Saudi Arabia containing scrap copper was found emitting elevated gamma radiation. After spending over a year in quarantine on Port grounds, Italian officials dissected the container using robots and discovered a rod of cobalt 60.
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The Russians are developing a 100 megaton nuclear torpedo laced with Cobalt 60 designed to create a 500 foot tall tsunami that would make a coastline uninhabitable for decades
