Changes

== Uses of Polonium ==

== Uses of Polonium ==

Polonium-210 is used mainly in static eliminators, which are devices designed to eliminate static electricity in machinery where it can be caused by processes such as paper rolling, manufacturing sheet plastics, and spinning synthetic fibers. The polonium-210 is generally electroplated onto a backing foil and inserted into a brush, tube, or other holder. Alpha particles from the polonium ionize adjacent air, and the air ions then neutralize static electricity on the surfaces in contact with the air. These devices generally need to be replaced every year because of the short half-life of this radioisotope. Polonium-210 is also used in brushes to remove dust from photographic films and camera lenses. Static eliminators typically contain from tens to hundreds of mCi (thousandth of a [[Curie|curie]]) of radioactivity. Polonium-210 can also be combined with beryllium to produce neutron sources, and in fact it was used as neutron-producing initiators of at least the first generation of atomic weapons. In addition, polonium-210 has been investigated as a heat source for thermoelectric power devices for space applications.

Polonium-210 is used mainly in static eliminators, which are devices designed to eliminate static electricity in machinery where it can be caused by processes such as paper rolling, manufacturing sheet plastics, and spinning synthetic fibers. The polonium-210 is generally electroplated onto a backing foil and inserted into a brush, tube, or other holder. Alpha particles from the polonium ionize adjacent air, and the air ions then neutralize static electricity on the surfaces in contact with the air. These devices generally need to be replaced every year because of the short half-life of this [[radioisotope]]. Polonium-210 is also used in brushes to remove dust from photographic films and camera lenses. Static eliminators typically contain from tens to hundreds of mCi (thousandth of a [[Curie|curie]]) of radioactivity. Polonium-210 can also be combined with beryllium to produce neutron sources, and in fact it was used as neutron-producing initiators of at least the first generation of atomic weapons. In addition, polonium-210 has been investigated as a heat source for thermoelectric power devices for space applications.

== Presence in environment ==

== Presence in environment ==