What happens to americium when it enters the environment?
• Americium released to the air (from nuclear weapon tests) will be associated with particles and will settle to the soil and water in rain or snow. Small particles in air can travel far from the point of release. • Americium released into water will stick to particles in the water or the sediment at the bottom. • Americium strongly sticks to soil particles and does not travel very far into the ground. • Plants may take up small amounts of americium from the soil. • Fish may take up americium, but little builds up in the fleshy tissue. In shellfish, americium is attached to the shell and not to the parts you normally eat.
