Radiation 101

inventing a better tomorrow

Dr. Bill Cardoso President and CEO

[email protected] 760.752.1192

253 Pawnee St. San Marcos, CA 92078

www.CreativeElectron.com

Radiation 101

www.CreativeElectron.com This%slide%contains%Crea0ve%Electron’s%proprietary%informa0on.%NOT%FOR%DISTRIBUTION%

“Radia0on%is%energy%in%the%form%of%electroDmagne0c%waves%or%par0culate%maGer,%traveling%in%the%air.”%

What is radiation?


“In%order%to%answer%this%ques0on%we%first%need%to%learn%where%does%radia0on%come%from.”%

What types of radiation exist?


How radiation is created?







β"α"

γ or X-ray "neutron


alpha%par'cle%

beta%par'cle%

Radioac've%Atom%

X4ray%

gamma%ray%


Radiation can be of natural or arti!cial origin

Natural background radiation comes from two primary sources: cosmic radiation and terrestrial sources. The worldwide average background dose for a human being is about 2.4 millisievert (mSv) per year.[9] This exposure is mostly from cosmic radiation and natural radionuclides in the environment (including those within the body).

Natural origin entangles materials that contain radioactive atoms. Examples can include certain types of minerals found in nature like some types of granite as well as Radon.

Radon Radon is a terrestrial source of ionizing radiation that is of particular concern because, although on average it is very rare, this intensely radioactive element can be found in high concentrations in many areas of the world, where it represents a signi!cant health hazard. Radon is a decay product of uranium, which is relatively common in the Earth's crust, but generally concentrated in ore-bearing rocks scattered around the world. Radon seeps out of these ores into the atmosphere or into ground water, and in these localities it can accumulate within dwellings and expose humans to high concentrations. The widespread construction of well insulated and sealed homes in the northern industrialized world has led to radon becoming the primary source of background radiation in some localities in northern North America and Europe.


Terrestrial sources •  Radioactive material is found throughout nature. It occurs naturally in the soil, rocks, water,

air, and vegetation. The major radionuclides of concern for terrestrial radiation are common elements with low-abundance radioactive isotopes, like potassium and carbon, or the long-lived elements uranium and thorium and their decay products, some of which, like radium and radon are intensely radioactive but occur in low concentrations.

Cosmic radiation •  Estimate of the maximum dose of radiation received at an altitude of 12 km January 20,

2005, following a violent solar #are. The doses are expressed in millionths of a Sievert per hour.

•  The Earth, and all living things on it, are constantly bombarded by radiation from outer space. This radiation primarily consists of positively charged ions from protons to iron and larger nuclei derived sources outside our solar system. This radiation interacts with atoms in the atmosphere to create secondary radiation, including X-rays, muons, protons, alpha particles, pions, electrons, and neutrons.


Electromagnetic Spectrum


Radiation from Natural Sources


A%banana%equivalent%dose%(actually%biologically%effec've%dose,%abbreviated%BED)%is%a%whimsical%unit%of%radia0on%exposure,%informally%defined%as%the%addi0onal%dose%a%person%will%absorb%from%ea0ng%one%banana%(for%example).%The%major%natural%source%of%radioac0vity%in%plant%0ssue%is%potassium,%which%in%nature%contains%0.0117%%of%the%unstable%isotope%potassiumD40%(40K).%Although%the%amount%in%a%single%banana%is%small%in%environmental%and%medical%terms,%the%radioac0vity%from%a%truckload%of%bananas%is%capable%of%causing%a%false%alarm%when%passed%through%a%Radia0on%Portal%Monitor%used%to%detect%possible%smuggling%of%nuclear%material%at%U.S.%ports.%


Arti!cial radiation sources


Radiation from Manmade Sources


Frequent%aboveDground%nuclear%explosions%between%the%1940s%and%1960s%scaGered%a%substan0al%amount%of%radioac0ve%contamina0on.%Some%of%this%contamina0on%is%local,%rendering%the%immediate%surroundings%highly%radioac0ve,%while%some%of%it%is%carried%longer%distances%as%nuclear%fallout;%some%of%this%material%is%dispersed%worldwide.%The%increase%in%background%radia0on%due%to%these%tests%peaked%in%1963%at%about%0.15%mSv%per%year%worldwide,%or%about%7%%of%average%background%dose%from%all%sources.%


A%radia0on%is%said%to%be%ionizing%when%it%has%enough%energy%to%eject%one%or%more%electrons%from%the%atoms%or%molecules%in%the%irradiated%medium.%%

Ionizing radiation


Types of Radiation and Penetration


QUANTIFICATION OF RADIATION There%are%four%different%but%interrelated%units%for%measuring%it;%radioac0vity,%exposure,%absorbed%dose,%and%dose%equivalent.%These%can%be%remembered%by%the%mnemonic%R4E4A4D.%

Radioac0vity%refers%to%the%amount%of%ionizing%radia0on%released%by%a%material.%Whether%it%emits%alpha%or%beta%par0cles,%gamma%rays,%xDrays,%or%neutrons,%a%quan0ty%of%radioac0ve%material%is%expressed%in%terms%of%its%radioac0vity%(or%simply%its%ac0vity),%which%represents%how%many%atoms%in%the%material%decay%in%a%given%0me%period.%The%units%of%measure%for%radioac0vity%are%the%curie%(Ci)%and%becquerel%(Bq).%It%is%important%to%men0on%that%radiac0ve%material%decays%in%a%random%fashion,%and%not%in%a%con0nuous%or%periodic%way.%Exposure%describes%the%amount%of%radia0on%traveling%through%the%air.%Many%radia0on%monitors%measure%exposure.%The%units%for%exposure%are%the%roentgen%(R)%and%coulomb/kilogram%(C/kg).%Absorbed%dose%describes%the%amount%of%radia0on%absorbed%by%an%object%or%person%(that%is,%the%amount%of%energy%that%radioac0ve%sources%deposit%in%materials%through%which%they%pass).%The%units%for%absorbed%dose%are%the%radia0on%absorbed%dose%(rad)%and%gray%(Gy).%Dose%equivalent%(or%effec0ve%dose)%combines%the%amount%of%radia0on%absorbed%and%the%medical%effects%of%that%type%of%radia0on.%For%beta%and%gamma%radia0on,%the%dose%equivalent%is%the%same%as%the%absorbed%dose.%By%contrast,%the%dose%equivalent%is%larger%than%the%absorbed%dose%for%alpha%and%neutron%radia0on,%because%these%types%of%radia0on%are%more%damaging%to%the%human%body.%Units%for%dose%equivalent%are%the%roentgen%equivalent%man%(rem)%and%sievert%(Sv),%and%biological%dose%equivalents%are%commonly%measured%in%1/1000th%of%a%rem%(known%as%a%millirem%ormrem).%


For%prac0cal%purposes,%1%R%(exposure)%=%1%rad%(absorbed%dose)%=%1%rem%or%1000%mrem%(dose%equivalent).%Note%that%a%measure%given%in%Ci%tells%the%radioac0vity%of%a%substance,%while%a%measure%in%rem%(or%mrem)%tells%the%amount%of%energy%that%a%radioac0ve%source%deposits%in%living%0ssue.%For%example,%a%person%would%receive%a%dose%equivalent%of%1%mrem%from%any%one%of%the%following%ac0vi0es:%3%days%of%living%in%Atlanta%2%days%of%living%in%Denver%1%year%of%watching%television%(on%average)%1%year%of%wearing%a%watch%with%a%luminous%dial%1%coastDtoDcoast%airline%flight%1%year%living%next%door%to%a%normally%opera0ng%nuclear%power%plant%


Real time data from iRad Geigers around the world

*Color%coded%–%green%%OK,%red%%high%radia0on%levels%


iRad Geiger


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Radiation 101

Education

types of radiation

secondary radiation

cosmic radiation estimate

maximum dose of radiation

natural sources

natural origin

primary sources

natural radionuclidesin