0 a unit, used especially in the past, for measuring radioactivity --
Seven curies consisting of 310 consignments (276 to hospitals), were of the isotope iodine 131, which has a half-life of eight days and is very short-lived.
It is estimated that about one third of this had decayed to give some 5,560 curies of americium 241 by the end of 1982, the rest remaining as plutonium 241.
It means that it has a millionth of the amount of radiation that it would have if it was a curie.
Such terms as sieverts and curies mean little to him.
After about 100 years, the 1978 discharges of this isotope will have decayed to about 1,400 curies of americum-241.
These 26 curies were accounted for by no fewer than 969 deliveries to 134 different places, and these were made up as follows.
The current build-up of americum-241 from the 1978 discharge is about 100 curies.
What is the radioactive source, and what is its strength in curies?
