Long-term health effects of internal exposure would depend on how strong the seeds or pellets were and how long they stayed in the body.įor more information on protecting yourself before or during a radiologic emergency, see CDC’s fact sheet titled “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About a Radiation Emergency” at, and “Sheltering in Place During a Radiation Emergency,” at. Iridium is a hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal belonging to the platinum family and is the second densest element (22.56 g cm 3).

Many car manufacturers are now using iridium spark plugs in their vehicles, so. These advantages are reflected in the higher price tag. These spark plugs have a small center electrode which requires less voltage to generate a spark. Ir-192 seeds and pellets would be excreted in the feces. Iridium spark plugs last the longest since iridium is harder and more durable than platinum. Internal exposure from Ir-192 could cause burns in the stomach and intestines if the high-energy industrial pellets are swallowed. Iridium is a rarely occurring natural element with chemical symbol of (Ir) and atomic number of 77 in the Periodic Table. As might be expected from its position in the periodic table, iridium is stable to air and water and is. Internal exposure could occur only if a person were to swallow one of the Ir-192 seeds or pellets. Iridium is a platinum group metal with atomic number 77. External exposure to Ir-192 can cause burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death. Ir-192 is a shiny, silvery-white, very dense metal that will not rust when exposed to natural elements.Įxposure to Ir-192 can increase the risk for cancer because of its high-energy gamma radiation. Industrial gauges hold pencil-like metal sticks of solid Ir-192 or small pencil-like tubes that contain pellets of Ir-192.

Iridium generally is produced commercially along with the other platinum metals as a by-product of nickel or copper production. Ir-192 used in medicine is in the form of tiny seeds, each about the size of a grain of rice. Though rare, iridium does occur in natural alloys with other noble metals: in iridosmine up to 77 percent iridium, in platiniridium up to 77 percent, in aurosmiridium 52 percent, and in native platinum up to 7.5 percent. Ir-192 is a manmade radioactive element that is formed from nonradioactive iridium metal in a nuclear reactor. Ir-192 is used in industrial gauges that inspect welding seams and in medicine to treat certain cancers. Metallic Ir-192 will react with fluorine gas to form iridium fluoride (IV), IrF 6. Mode of decay: Beta particles and gamma radiation.Ĭhemical Properties: Dense metal.

What type of metal is iridium