I just reread my post from yesterday, and discovered a mistake. I stated that the life span of I123 was about 13.5 hours. I should have said that the HALF LIFE of I123 is 13.5 hours. (And, technically, it is 13.6 hours.) It makes a difference. It is still an extremely short half-life as far as radioactive materials go (the half-life of plutonium, for example, is 24,100 YEARS!) but a half-life is not the same as “life span.” I have read that scientists consider five half-life periods the effective “life span” of a radioactive substance. So, if that is the case, then the “life span” of I123 would be about 68 hours — or just a little under three days.
Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator
