What are the artificial sources of radiation?

Published by Charlie Davidson on

What are the artificial sources of radiation?

Less significant artificial sources of radiation include radioactive minerals in crushed rock, building materials, and phosphate fertilizers; radiation-emitting components of television sets, smoke detectors, and various other consumer products; radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons (Table 8); and radiation released …

What are two sources of background radiation?

Naturally occurring radioactive minerals in the ground, soil, and water produce background radiation. The human body even contains some of these naturally-occurring radioactive minerals. Cosmic radiation from space also contributes to the background radiation around us.

What are three sources of artificial radiation?

By far, the most significant source of man-made radiation exposure to the public is from medical procedures, such as diagnostic X-rays, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy. Some of the major isotopes would be I-131, Tc-99m, Co-60, Ir-192, Cs-137, and others.

What are the three major types of radiation?

The three most common types of radiation are alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Alpha radiation is not able to penetrate skin.

What is the most powerful type of radiation?

Gamma rays
Gamma rays are the strongest from of radiation. This is what makes nuclear radiation so dangerous. This high energy form of radiation can damage human tissue and cause mutations.

What are the natural sources of radiation?

Airborne sources. The biggest source of natural background radiation is airborne radon, a radioactive gas that emanates from the ground. Radon and its isotopes, parent radionuclides, and decay products all contribute to an average inhaled dose of 1.26 mSv/a (millisievert per year).

What are examples of naturally occurring radiation?

Certain elements are naturally radioactive in all of their isotopes. Uranium is the best example of such an element and is the heaviest naturally occurring radioactive element. There are eight other naturally radioactive elements: polonium, astatine, radon, francium, radium, actinium, thorium and protactinium.

What are the natural resources of radioactivity?

The most important natural source of radioactivity is a rare gas known as radon. One of the products of uranium decay, radon is an ‘inert gas’ that can participate in no chemical reaction.

What is naturally occurring radiation?

Naturally occurring radiation is found in the food we eat, the water we drink and the construction materials used in our buildings, while terrestrial radiation also comes from soils enriched in naturally occurring uranium and natural forms of energy.

Categories: Contributing