Fun Fact Friday! Brought to you by River Guardians Ohio.
Cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope used in medical radiation therapy for cancer treatment. Once it starts its life in that application, it will last for decades before being discarded. It then takes about 300 years to break down to an environmentally staple and safe state.
Styrofoam is a petroleum based product commonly used to store or contain food items and usually keeps things cool or warm for several minutes to hours before being discarded. In a landfill, it takes about 500 years to break down to simpler components and similarly if left out in the open. It does NOT, however, breakdown to a “safe” state as it adds toxins through this process that NEVER go away.
Ever wonder what we think about out alone cleaning booms for hours?
