Re: Strontium 90 vice Strontium 89

[Jacques.Read@eh.doe.gov]

Fission produces both 89Sr and 90Sr......  on a curie basis, a vastly greater
amount of the shorter-lived 89Sr.  If 90Sr is found without accompanying 89Sr,
it simply means that the fission product is so old that the 89Sr has died away
(at least a couple of years old).   And 89Sr is a whole lot easier to find in a
sample than the pure beta-emitter 90Sr.  If the strontium in any environmental
or tooth sample is 90Sr, then it is clearly fallout.  If it came from Oyster
Creek it would have to be mostly 89Sr.



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