What is a radioactive isotope?
A radio-isotope of an element is the same as the normal version of the same element, but its atoms have more *neutron* particles in their atomic nuclei, which can make them radioactive. An example of a useful radio-isotope would be Carbon 14, which is commonly used by all manner of scientists to “carbon-date” fossils and dead bodies, since that particular isotope of carbon decays in a very simple and predictable manner that can be used to *date* materials. Most of the harmful radio-isotopes are *already* harmful to living things courtesy of the element’s *already* replacing a needed element and doing damage in its place. Strontium is a good example of this….vertebrates exposed to high levels of strontium will tend to have weakened or damaged bones anyway because the strontium replaces the *calcium* in the bone system, and in so doing weakens the bones. But the *radio-isotope* of strontium can also lead to bone and bone marrow cancers (and leukemia as well) because of the radioactivit
