Polonium is formed as the last member of the ²³⁸U decay series. Few investigations of microbial interactions with polonium have been published. Momoshima et al (2001) reported the formation of a volatile polonium compound by organisms cultured from marine sediment and from the addition of methylcobalamin to a solution of soluble polonium. These results may represent polonium alkylation, but the volatile polonium species was not characterized. The activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria was found to mobilize polonium from uranium-rich gypsum (LaRock et al, 1996).

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LaRock P, Hyun J-H, Boutelle S, Burnett WC, Hull CD. Bacterial mobilization of polonium. Geochim Cosmochim Act. 1996;60:4321-28.