Background Radiation Flashcards
All 6 cards in this deck
What is background radiation?
Low-level ionising radiation that is around us all of the time, from both natural and man-made sources.
Give two natural sources of background radiation.
Rocks (radon gas released from the ground) and cosmic rays from space.
Give two man-made sources of background radiation.
Fallout from nuclear weapons testing and fallout from nuclear accidents (e.g. Chernobyl); also medical X-rays and radiotherapy.
What is radiation dose measured in, and how does this unit relate to the millisievert?
Sieverts (Sv); millisieverts (mSv) sievert (Sv).
How can a person's occupation affect the radiation dose they receive?
e.g. an airline pilot
Some jobs involve extra exposure to radiation, so the dose is higher than average.
e.g. a pilot flies at high altitude, so receives more cosmic radiation.
How can location affect the level of background radiation?
e.g. living in an area with granite rock
Some places have higher background radiation than others.
e.g. granite releases more radon gas, so the background level and dose there are higher.