Sulfur: Radionuclides

Abstract

35 S is a radionuclide with a half‐life of 87.5 days and it decays via β‐emission. It is available from natural and anthropogenic sources. It is cosmogenic, that is, it is produced by the collision of atmospheric argon with cosmic rays. Anthropogenic molecular sources of 35 S include carbonyl sulfide (CO 35 S) and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 35 S), which are released from nuclear reactors. The impact of the incorporation of these compounds into plants and animals is of particular interest and concern with regard to the accumulation of 35 S in human food. Radioisotopes of sulfur can be detected by a Geiger–Müller counter and liquid scintillation counting techniques.