Cobalt-60 Nuclear Generating Station. The cobalt targets are substituted here for a small number of fuel assemblies. After entering a living mammal (such as a human being), some of the is excreted in feces. The remainder is taken up by tissues, mainly the liver, kidneys, and bones, where the prolonged exposure to gamma radiation can cause cancer. Over time, the absorbed cobalt is eliminated in urine. Cobalt is an element used to make steel. Uncontrolled disposal of in scrap metal is responsible for the radioactivity found in several iron-based products. In August 2012, Petco recalled several models of steel pet food
Cobalt (Co). The primary decay mode for isotopes with atomic mass unit values less than that of the most abundant stable isotope, Co, is electron capture and the primary mode of decay in isotopes with atomic mass greater than 59 atomic mass units is beta decay. The primary decay products below Co are element 26 (iron) isotopes; above that the decay products are element 28 (nickel) isotopes. Cobalt compounds have been used for centuries to impart a rich blue color to glass, glazes, and ceramics. Cobalt has been detected in Egyptian sculpture, Persian jewelry from the third millennium BC, in the