"Ionizing radiation (or ionising radiation), including nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have sufficient energy to ionize atoms or molecules by detaching electrons from them."
Explains how to measure radiation/energy doses in various units such as Gray, Sievert and Becquerel.
Types of Radiation: This includes ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and their properties.
Radiation Units: There are several units used to measure radiation such as curie, becquerel, roentgen, gray, sievert, etc.
Decay: This is the process by which an unstable nucleus releases energy in the form of radiation.
Effects of Radiation: Understanding the biological effects of radiation exposure such as acute and chronic effects, genetic effects, and long-term health effects.
Radiation Sources: Identifying the sources of radiation, such as natural and man-made sources.
Dosimetry: The measurement of radiation dose and its application in occupational and environmental monitoring.
Radiobiology: Study of the interactions of radiation with living organisms and their effects.
Radiation Protection: Measures used to protect people and the environment from excessive exposure to ionizing radiation.
Radiation Detection: The process of detecting and quantifying radiation exposure with the help of dosimeters and other instruments.
Radioactive Decay Equations: Understanding the mathematical equations that describe the rate of radioactive decay.
Environmental Radioactivity: Sources of environmental radiation and their effects on biological systems.
Radiation Therapy: Use of ionizing radiation to treat diseases such as cancer.
Nuclear Reactors: How nuclear reactors produce electricity and the safety measures used to prevent radiation exposure.
Radiation Emergency Preparedness: Preparing for and responding to radiation emergencies.
Radiation Regulations: Understanding the laws and regulations that govern the use and disposal of radioactive materials.
Gray (Gy): The gray is the International System of Units (SI) unit of absorbed radiation dose. It is defined as the amount of radiation energy absorbed per unit mass.
Sievert (Sv): The sievert is the SI unit of biological radiation dose. It is defined as the amount of radiation energy absorbed per unit mass, adjusted for the effectiveness of that energy in causing biological damage.
Becquerel (Bq): The becquerel is the SI unit of radioactivity. It is defined as the number of radioactive decay events per second.
Curie (Ci): The curie is a non-SI unit of radioactivity. It is defined as the amount of radioactive material that undergoes 3.7 X 10^10 decay events per second.
Gray-equivalent dose (Gy-eq): This is a measure of the biological effectiveness of ionizing radiation, taking into account both the absorbed dose and the nature of the radiation particles.
Radiation weighting factor (wR): This is a factor used to adjust the absorbed dose of different types of ionizing radiation to account for their different potential for causing biological damage.
Tissue weighting factor (wT): This is a factor used to adjust the absorbed dose of radiation to account for the relative sensitivity of different tissues to the effects of radiation exposure.
Effective dose (E): The effective dose is the total absorbed dose of radiation adjusted for both the radiation weighting factor (wR) and the tissue weighting factor (wT).
Equivalent dose (H): The equivalent dose is the absorbed dose of radiation adjusted for the radiation weighting factor (wR).
Committed effective dose (CEDE): The committed effective dose is a measure of the radiation dose received over a specific period of time from a single intake of radioactive material.
Annual limit on intake (ALI): The ALI is the maximum amount of radioactive material that a person may inhale or ingest in a year without exceeding the annual dose limit.
Derived air concentration (DAC): The DAC is the maximum airborne concentration of a radioactive substance that a person may breathe without exceeding the annual dose limit.
Dose rate: The dose rate is the rate at which radiation energy is absorbed per unit time.
Exposure: The exposure is a measure of the amount of ionizing radiation in the air around a person. It is typically measured in Roentgens.
"Gamma rays, X-rays, and the higher energy ultraviolet part of the electromagnetic spectrum are ionizing radiation."
"Gamma rays, X-rays, and the higher energy ultraviolet part of the electromagnetic spectrum are ionizing radiation, whereas the lower energy ultraviolet, visible light, nearly all types of laser light, infrared, microwaves, and radio waves are non-ionizing radiation."
"The boundary between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation in the ultraviolet area cannot be sharply defined, as different molecules and atoms ionize at different energies."
"Typical ionizing subatomic particles include alpha particles, beta particles, and neutrons."
"These are typically created by radioactive decay, and almost all are energetic enough to ionize."
"There are also secondary cosmic particles produced after cosmic rays interact with Earth's atmosphere, including muons, mesons, and positrons."
"Cosmic rays may also produce radioisotopes on Earth (for example, carbon-14), which in turn decay and emit ionizing radiation."
"Ionizing radiation is also generated artificially by X-ray tubes, particle accelerators, and nuclear fission."
"Ionizing radiation is not immediately detectable by human senses, so instruments such as Geiger counters are used to detect and measure it."
"However, very high energy particles can produce visible effects on both organic and inorganic matter (e.g. water lighting in Cherenkov radiation) or humans (e.g. acute radiation syndrome)."
"Ionizing radiation is used in a wide variety of fields such as medicine, nuclear power, research, and industrial manufacturing."
"Exposure to ionizing radiation causes cell damage to living tissue and organ damage."
"In high acute doses, it will result in radiation burns and radiation sickness."
"Lower level doses over a protracted time can cause cancer."
"The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) issues guidance on ionizing radiation protection."
"Cosmic rays and the decay of radioactive isotopes are the primary sources of natural ionizing radiation on Earth, contributing to background radiation."
"The effects of dose uptake on human health."
"The electromagnetic waves are on the high-energy portion of the electromagnetic spectrum."
"The energy of ionizing radiation starts between 10 electronvolts (eV) and 33 eV."