Polonium-210 (Po-210)
Definition
An alpha-emitting radionuclide (half-life 138.4 days) produced by neutron bombardment of bismuth-209. Used as the weapon in the Litvinenko murder. Detectable at trace levels by alpha spectrometry even weeks after surface deposition. Nuclear forensics uses isotope-ratio analysis to trace Po-210 to its reactor-production history.
- Half-life
- 138.4 days
- Emission type
- Alpha particle
- Production
- Neutron bombardment of bismuth-209
- Detection method
- Alpha spectrometry
- Known case
- 2006 Litvinenko poisoning, London
Common questions
Why is Po-210 poisoning hard to detect with routine equipment?+
Alpha particles travel only a few centimetres in air and cannot pass through skin, paper or a Geiger-Muller pancake probe's window reliably, so standard radiation screening and hospital toxicology can both miss it. Only alpha spectrometry or a specialised alpha survey meter catches it.
How can investigators trace Po-210 back to its source?+
Isotope-ratio analysis compares trace impurities and decay-product signatures against known reactor production batches, which is how UK investigators linked the Litvinenko sample to a specific production history.
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