In small quantities, caesium-137 can be used for the calibration of radiation-detection equipment, such as Geiger-Mueller counters. This particular isotope of caesium is both a beta and gamma emitter. Healthcare providers sometimes treat cancer patients with radioactive cesium (cesium-137). What are the uses of cesium … It is possible for cesium-137 to still be released into the environment via nuclear reactors (used to create energy). This process is used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Cesium Cs 137 is prevalent due to its spontaneous production, which occurs as a result of nuclear fission of other radioactive materials, such as uranium and plutonium.This radionuclide has a relatively long half-life, 30 years, and decays by emitting beta particles. Health Effects of Caesium-137. Globally speaking, the temporal patterns of caesium-137 input are characterised by: 1) detectable caesium-137 began in 1954; 2) the first peak appeared in 1958/1959; 3) the second peak occurred at 1962-1964; 4) and the termination of caesium-137 input around mid-1980s . Caesium 137 A legacy of atmospheric nuclear bomb tests and accidents. Cobalt-60 (60Co) and caesium-137 (137 Cs) are the most widely used sources of gamma radiation. Caesium-137 is a radioisotope commonly used as a gamma-emitter in industrial applications.

In industry, radioactive cesium is used in instruments that measure thickness, moisture, and liquid flow.

In larger amounts, Cs - 137 is used in medical radiation therapy devices for treating cancer; in industrial gauges that detect the flow of liquid through pipes; and in other industrial devices to measure the thickness of materials, such as … Like all radionuclides, exposure to radiation from cesium-137 results in increased risk of cancer.


Everyone is exposed to very small amounts of cesium-137 in soil and water as a result of atmospheric fallout. Radioactive cesium-137 is produced spontaneously when other radioactive materials such as uranium and plutonium absorb neutrons and undergo fission. Cs-137 is produced by nuclear fission for use in medical devices and gauges.

'Radiation Therapy' Also Caesium-137 is used in the medical industry for radiation therapy devices for treating cancer.

Cs-137 also is one of the byproducts of nuclear fission processes in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons testing. 60 Co produces gamma rays with energies of 1.173 and 1.332 MeV and has a half-life of 5.27 years, whereas 137 Cs produces gamma rays with an energy of 0.662 MeV and has a longer half-life of 30.1 years.

Cesium-137 EPA Facts About Cesium-137 July 2002 What is cesium-137? Cesium-137 undergoes high-energy beta decay, primarily to an excited nuclear isomer of Barium 137, which in turn undergoes gamma decay with a half-life of about 150 seconds.
Cesium-137 is therefore a common radionuclide produced when nuclear fission, or splitting, of uranium and plutonium occurs in a reactor or atomic bomb. Caesium 137 is a radioactive element with a relatively long half-life of 30.15 years.

As such, there is not much cesium-137 in the environment today. Some areas had additional input in 1986 after the Chernobyl incident. Cesium Cs 137 is a radioactive isotope of cesium with an atomic mass of 139 and potential application in radiotherapy.

It is produced in some abundance by fission reactions. [4] The energies of both the beta decay of cesium-137 and the subsequent gamma decay of the excited barium 137 are 512 keV and 662 keV, respectively. Some of the important facts about this radioactive substance are as follows: It is only one of the three metals that are liquid in room temperature (83 °F). The high water solubility is a disadvantage which makes it incompatible with large pool irradiators for food and medical supplies.

What are the uses of Cesium 137?

Cesium-137 is produced when neutron is absorbed by uranium and plutonium and undergoes fission.

Its advantages include a half-life of roughly 30 years, its availability from the nuclear fuel cycle, and having 137 Ba as a stable end product. Cesium-137 Facts .