Background Radiation & Contamination

• background radiation

  low levels of radiation around us
• irradiation

  exposure to radiation
• contamination

  radioactive particles getting into objects
• preventing radiation

  • wear protective clothing
  • tongs to handle sources
  • minimise exposure time
  • storing sources in shielded containers
  • fire services alerted of storage containers
• dangers of radioactivity

  • outside the body - beta and gamma radiaton blocked by the skin
  • inside the body - alpha sources are the most ionsing
• dangers of radiation

  • enters living cells ionising atoms and molecules causing tissue damage
  • low doses - minor damage which could lead to cancer
  • higher doses - kill cells completely , give radiation sickness and in extreme cases death
• uses of radiation

  • medical tracers
  • treating cancer
  • smoke alarms