tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162381.post3091572823304931954..comments2023-10-29T10:41:21.303-04:00Comments on Castro's Favorite Color: Nuclear Bomb Testing Turned Our Teeth Into Radioactive ClocksHowardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14914637175040341245noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10162381.post-91734438612327142592010-05-24T00:28:41.696-04:002010-05-24T00:28:41.696-04:00No need to worry about the carbon-14 radioisotope ...No need to worry about the carbon-14 radioisotope in your enamel. It's commonly used for ADME studies in drug development, and as far as radioactive elements are concerned, relatively harmless. <br /><br />However, the Strontium-90 released by those same above ground nuke tests.....well, that's a whole different story. As a chemical cousin of Calcium, it accumulates in bones (and probably teeth as well), and has been linked to osteosarcoma and leukemia.<br /><br />I must say I was not aware that our enamel was made only once. Tooth enamel is, however, not inert material. For while it may not cycle carbon, it can be altered by an ion-exchange type reaction whereby an hydroxide ion is swapped for a flourine ion (flouride), which apparently makes teeth less likely to develop decay.<br /><br /><br />TTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com