Question

Tritium is produced in the upper atmosphere by neutron cosmic rays interacting with air (Nitrogen and Oxygen). Tritium has a half-life of 12.3 yr.

(a) Write down the tritium-producing reactions on N and O.  
(b) Tritium beta-minus decays. Write down the decay reaction.

(c) Tritium is found in tritiated water (HTO), thus there is some tritium in the human body, where the ratio of tritium to standard hydrogen (H-1) atoms is about 3.3×10−18. Consider a 100-kg person and assume the human body is 10% by weight hydrogen. What is the tritium activity, in Becquerel, in a 100-kg person?

Answer 1