| precautionary statement codes | P203, P223, P231+P232, P260, P264, P264+P265, P280, P301+P330+P331, P302+P335+P334, P302+P352, P302+P361+P354, P304+P340, P305+P354+P338, P316, P317, P318, P321, P332+P317, P362+P364, P363, P370+P378, P402+P404, P405, and P501 |
| hazards summary | Strontium is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, soil, dust, coal, and oil. Naturally occurring strontium is not radioactive and is either referred to as stable strontium or strontium. Strontium in the environment exists in four stable isotopes,84Sr (read as strontium eighty-four),86Sr,87Sr,88Sr. Strontium compounds are used in making ceramics and glass products, pyrotechnics, paint pigments, fluorescent lights, and medicines. Strontium can also exist as several radioactive isotopes. the most common is90Sr.90Sr is formed in nuclear reactors or during the explosion of nuclear weapons. Radioactive strontium generates beta particles as it decays. One of the radioactive properties of strontium is half-life, or the time it takes for half of the isotope to give off its radiation and change into another substance. The half-life of90Sr is 29 years.There are about 140 mg of strontium in the body of an average human male. Daily intake is about 2 mg with about 60-90% obtained from food and the remaining from water. Natural strontium is not radioactive and not harmful by skin contact or inhalation. Animal studies show that high oral doses of strontium can weaken bones, especially in growing animals with diets deficient in calcium. Strontium-90 is formed in nuclear reactors and in explosions of nuclear bombs. Strontium-90 gives off beta particles with a half-life of 29 years. It has some medical applications, but is mainly considered a waste product. Strontium-90 is taken up by the bone where it emits beta radiation. It can cause bone marrow suppression and cancer. Median strontium levels (personal air sampling) in six art glass factories in Italy were 0.5 ug/m3 for oven chargers and batch mixers and 0.1 ug/m3 for art glass makers and formers. See Strontium-90. |
