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In reply to the discussion: Venezuela's Chavez: did U.S. give Latin American leaders cancer? [View all]The Doctor.
(17,266 posts)A few atoms of plutonium on the aperture would virtually guarantee cancer.
You could do a little research and inform yourself about just how radiation causes cancer, but I don't mind educating people on occasion.
Radioactive material gives off radiation, which is essentially high-energy particles that are released during decay. These particles are of just the right mass and character to punch through DNA and disrupt the 'information' by which DNA replicates. This can lead to a mutation or 'stochastic' result. Two of those results can be cancerous. Plutonium gives off a high enough amount of radiation to virtually guarantee such results. Kind of like buying $1 billion in lottery tickets for a $10 million lottery.
Learning can be fun and ultimately informative. Feel free to ask me anything.