Radioactive Safety
- Created by: Bea.pal
- Created on: 29-03-16 17:19
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- Radioactive Safety
- Radiation harms living cells
- Outside the body beta and gamma sources are the most dangerous.
- This is because beta and gamma can get inside to the delicate organs, however alpha is much less dangerous because it can't penetrate the skin.
- Inside the body alpha sources are the most dangerous.
- Inside the body alpha sources do all the their damage in a very localised area. Beta and gamma sources on the other hand are less dangerous inside the body because they pass straight out without doing much damage.
- Safety Precautions:
- When carrying out radioactive experiments,use radioactive sources for as little a time as possible so your exposure is kept to a minimum.
- Never allow skin contact with a source-always handle with tongs!
- Hold the source at arms length to keep it as far from the body as possible. This will decrease the amount of radiation that hits you especially for alpha particles as they don't travel far in air.
- Keep the source pointing away from the body and avoid looking directly at it.
- Lead absorbs all three types of radiation. Always store radioactive sources in a lead box and put them away as soon as the experiment is over.Medical professionals who work with radiation everyday wear lead aprons and stand behind lead screens for extra protection because of its radiation absorbing properties.
- When someone needs an x-ray or radiotherapy, only the area of the body that needs to be treated is exposed to radiation. The rest of the body is protected with lead or other radiation absorbing materials.
- Lead absorbs all three types of radiation. Always store radioactive sources in a lead box and put them away as soon as the experiment is over.Medical professionals who work with radiation everyday wear lead aprons and stand behind lead screens for extra protection because of its radiation absorbing properties.
- Keep the source pointing away from the body and avoid looking directly at it.
- Hold the source at arms length to keep it as far from the body as possible. This will decrease the amount of radiation that hits you especially for alpha particles as they don't travel far in air.
- Never allow skin contact with a source-always handle with tongs!
- When carrying out radioactive experiments,use radioactive sources for as little a time as possible so your exposure is kept to a minimum.
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