In its pure form it may be called tritium oxide (T2O or 3H2O) or super-heavy water.

Pure T2O is a colorless liquid,[1] and it is corrosive due to self-radiolysis.

It is also used as a tracer for water transport studies in life-science research.

Furthermore, since it naturally occurs in minute quantities, it can be used to determine the age of various water-based liquids, such as vintage wines.

Here, the proportion of the light, hydrogen tritium oxide is strongly favoured versus the more negligible heavy, double tritium oxide, as the conversion reaction has an equilibrium constant of 3.42 at room temperature.

The molecules then experience beta decay and formation of the hydroxyl or tritoxyl radical via:

The energy required to break hydrogen-oxygen bonds in water is three orders of magnitude lower at 5.2 eV.

Many subsequent reactions occur, but primarily result in recombination to water, or the escape of molecular hydrogen and oxygen gas, alongside the helium-3.

Studies of tritiated water often prefer describe the concentration by the measurable radiation level in curies per liter (Ci/L) or terabecquerels per liter (TBq/L), rather than the species proportion.

In one CEA study, relatively highly tritiated water at 1,800 Ci/L or 74 TBq/L (0.12% HTO, negligible T2O) was left to self-radiolyze for 56 days in three volumes.

Thus in this geometry, for each tritium decay, roughly twenty water molecules were permanently dissociated.

Unlike doubly labeled water this method relies on scintillation counting.

Tritiated water distributes itself into all body compartments relatively quickly.

Tritium is radioactive and a low energy beta emitter.

While HTO is produced naturally by cosmic ray interactions in the stratosphere, it is also produced by human activities and can increase local concentrations and be considered an air and water pollutant.

HTO has a short biological half-life in the human body of 7 to 14 days, which both reduces the total effects of single-incident ingestion and precludes long-term bioaccumulation of HTO from the environment.

Studies on the biological half life of occupational radiation workers for free water tritium in a coastal region of Karnataka, India, show that the biological half life in the winter season is twice that of the summer season.

Increasing sweating, urination or breathing can help the body expel water and thereby the tritium contained in it.

However, care should be taken that neither dehydration nor a depletion of the body's electrolytes results as the health consequences of those things (particularly in the short term) can be more severe than those of tritium exposure.