Background Radiation

Question 1

What is background radiation?

Answer 1

The radiation which we are exposed to in our daily lives.

Question 2

The 6 sources of background radiation are:

Answer 2

• cosmic rays 12%
• radon gas 50%
• medical uses 15%
• buildings and ground 13%
• food and drink 9.5%
• other man made sources 0.5%

Question 3

What 2 factprs does the amount of radiation you are exposed to depend on?

Answer 3

• where you live
• what job you do

Question 4

What is a radiation dose?

Answer 4

A measure of the risk of harm resulting from an exposure of the body to radiation

Question 5

What is radiation dose measured in?

Answer 5

Sieverts (Sv)

Question 6

Radioactive isotopes are also known as?

Answer 6

Radioisotopes

Question 7

Each radioisotope has unique properties including what?

Answer 7

The length of its half life

Question 8

Radioisotopes used in medicine are tend to have ?

Answer 8

Short half life

Question 9

Radioisotopes have short half lives because?

Answer 9

Long enough to be useful as a treatment but decay into harmless products quickly - which reduces the risk of healthy body cells being ionised.

Question 10

Radioisotopes and their use

americium-241 =
carbon-11 =
carbon-14 =

Answer 10

• in smoke detectors
• in medical scanning to detect tumours
• in radiocarbon dating to determine age of artefacts