| Release of plutonium, americium and curium could occur from laboratory or industrial accidents. |
| Metallic californium has been prepared and is structurally similar to metallic americium, curium, berkelium, and most lanthanoid metals. |
| Kept secret until after the war, they were respectively called americium and curium. |
| It is prepared artificially by bombarding curium with alpha particles in a particle accelerator. |
| The 96th element, curium, was named in honour of Pierre and Marie Curie who pioneered research in the area of physics and radioactivity. |
| Internal contamination with plutonium, americium, or curium can occur through a variety of routes including ingestion, inhalation, or direct contact through wounds. |
