Editing Strontium (section)

== Nuclear waste ==
{{Main|Strontium-90}}

Strontium-90 is a [[radioactive]] fission product produced by [[nuclear reactors]] used in [[nuclear power]]. It is a major component of high level radioactivity of [[nuclear waste]] and [[spent nuclear fuel]]. Its 29-year half life is short enough that its [[radioisotope thermoelectric generator|decay heat has been used to power]] arctic lighthouses, but long enough that it can take hundreds of years to decay to safe levels. Exposure from contaminated water and food may increase the risk of [[leukemia]], [[bone cancer]]<ref name="Potera">{{cite journal |last=Potera |first=Carol |title=HAZARDOUS WASTE: Pond Algae Sequester Strontium-90 |journal=Environ Health Perspect |date=2011 |volume=119 |issue=6 |pages=A244 |pmid=21628117 |doi=10.1289/ehp.119-a244|pmc=3114833 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and [[primary hyperparathyroidism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Boehm |first1=BO |last2=Rosinger |first2=S |last3=Belyi |first3=D |last4=Dietrich |first4=JW |title=The parathyroid as a target for radiation damage. |journal=The New England Journal of Medicine |date=18 August 2011 |volume=365 |issue=7 |pages=676–8 |doi=10.1056/NEJMc1104982 |pmid=21848480|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Remediation ===
Algae has shown selectivity for strontium in studies, where most plants used in [[bioremediation]] have not shown selectivity between calcium and strontium, often becoming saturated with calcium, which is greater in quantity and also present in nuclear waste.<ref name="Potera" />

Researchers have looked at the bioaccumulation of strontium by ''[[Scenedesmus|Scenedesmus spinosus]]'' ([[algae]]) in simulated wastewater. The study claims a highly selective [[biosorption]] capacity for strontium of ''S.&nbsp;spinosus'', suggesting that it may be appropriate for use in treating nuclear wastewater.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Biosorption of Strontium from Simulated Nuclear Wastewater by Scenedesmus spinosus under Culture Conditions: Adsorption and Bioaccumulation Processes and Models |journal=Int J Environ Res Public Health |date=2014 |doi=10.3390/ijerph110606099|doi-access=free |last1=Liu |first1=Mingxue |last2=Dong |first2=Faqin |last3=Kang |first3=Wu |last4=Sun |first4=Shiyong |last5=Wei |first5=Hongfu |last6=Zhang |first6=Wei |last7=Nie |first7=Xiaoqin |last8=Guo |first8=Yuting |last9=Huang |first9=Ting |last10=Liu |first10=Yuanyuan |volume=11 |issue=6 |pages=6099–6118 |pmid=24919131 |pmc=4078568 }}</ref>

A study of the pond alga ''[[Closterium|Closterium moniliferum]]'' using non-radioactive strontium found that varying the ratio of [[barium]] to strontium in water improved strontium selectivity.<ref name="Potera" />