Background Radiation Flashcards

All 4 cards in this deck

What is background radiation?

The low-level ionising radiation that is around us all the time, from natural and man-made sources in the environment.

Give two origins of background radiation from the Earth.

Radon gas from rocks (e.g. granite) and radioactivity in food and drink; also building materials.

What is the origin of background radiation that comes from space?

Cosmic rays from the Sun and other stars.

True or false? With no radioactive source nearby, a Geiger counter reads zero.

False. It still records a count because of background radiation.