Technetium - ₄₃Tc: biological information

Technetium has no biological role. Technetium does not occur naturally in the biosphere and so normally never presents a risk. All technetium compounds should be regarded as highly toxic, largely because of its radiological toxicity.

Levels in humans

The abundances of the elements in humans.

• Human abundance by weight: (no data) ppb by weight
• Human abundance by atoms: (no data) atoms relative to C = 1000000

How much technetium is in your body? Find out here.

You can use this form to calculate how much technetium your body contains. Enter your weight in either kilograms or pounds and click the "Calculate" button. You must enter a number, not text! Elements for which there are no data will always give a value of zero for the weight, no matter what you put in the weight box.

Hazards and Risks

Hazards and risks associated with technetium:

Technetium compounds are encountered rarely by most people. Technetium does not occur naturally in the biosphere and so normally never presents a risk. Technetium is studied in a few nuclear research laboratories where its high radioactivity require special handling techniques and precautions. All technetium compounds should be regarded as highly toxic largely because of its radiological toxicity.

References

• J.E. Huheey, E.A. Keiter, and R.L. Keiter in Inorganic Chemistry : Principles of Structure and Reactivity, 4th edition, HarperCollins, New York, USA, 1993.
• S. Budavari (Ed.) in The Merck Index, 11th ed., Merck, USA, 1989.
• N.N. Greenwood and A. Earnshaw in Chemistry of the Elements, 2nd edition, Butterworth, UK, 1997.