Dangers of Radiation Flashcards
All 10 cards in this deck
What harm can ionising radiation do to the body?
It damages cells — ionising radiation can cause burns, DNA/chromosome damage and mutations, leading to rapid unwanted division of cells (cancer).
What precautions should be taken when handling and storing a radioactive source in a laboratory?
Handle with tongs (never with bare hands), keep it at arm's length pointed away from people, limit the time of exposure, and store it in a lead-lined container.
What precautions protect medical staff who work with ionising radiation every day?
Leave the room or stand behind a lead/concrete screen, wear a film badge to monitor dose, and keep distance and exposure time to a minimum — staff are at extra risk because they are exposed repeatedly with many patients.
Why is a patient still given a dose of ionising radiation for a medical scan or treatment?
Because the benefit of diagnosing or curing the illness outweighs the small increased risk of cancer; the dose given is kept as low as possible.
True or false? The risk of harm from ionising radiation increases with the dose received.
True. A larger dose, or a longer exposure time, means more cell damage and a greater risk of mutation and cancer.
What is meant by irradiation?
Exposing an object or person to radiation from a source outside them, without the source touching them.
What is meant by radioactive contamination?
Unwanted radioactive atoms getting onto or inside an object or body, where they go on exposing it to radiation.
True or false? An object that has been irradiated becomes radioactive itself.
False. Irradiation does not make the object radioactive; the hazard stops once the source is removed or shielded.
Which type of radiation is most hazardous inside the body, and which is most hazardous outside the body?
Inside: alpha, because it is the most strongly ionising and all its energy is absorbed by nearby tissue. Outside: beta and gamma, because they penetrate the skin and reach organs (alpha is stopped by skin).
How does protective clothing such as gloves and suits reduce the risk of radioactive contamination?
It forms a barrier that keeps radioactive particles off the skin and out of the lungs, and the contaminated layer can be taken off afterwards.