biological effects & risk assessment

Question 1

what are different types of radiation?

Answer 1

xrays
gamma rays (electromagnetic radiation)
alpha particle
beta particle

Question 2

what is ionising radiation?

Answer 2

generates energy to turn atoms into ions.

Question 3

how does radiation interact?

Answer 3

when radiation passes through matter it will ionise atoms along its path

Question 4

what is direct and indirect DNA damage?

Answer 4

direct damage is- Radiation interacts with the atoms of a DNA molecule or another important part

of the cell
indirect damage is-Radiation interacts with water in the cell

Question 5

The biological effect will depend on a number of factors such as what

Answer 5

Type of radiation
Amount of radiation (dose)

Time over which the dose is received (dose rate)

The tissue or cell type irradiated

Question 6

what tissues can be effected by ionising radiation?

Answer 6

oesophagus
liver
skin
breasts
stomach

Question 7

what does the The LNT model do?

Answer 7

estimates the long term biological damage on ionising radiation

Question 8

what are the 2 types of biological radiation effects?

Answer 8

Deterministic Effects - tissue effects
Stochastic Effects- genetic eg cancer

Question 9

effect of radiation during pregnancy?

Answer 9

Radiation exposure could damage or kill enough of the cells for the
embryo to undergo resorption

Question 10

what is Diagnostic Reference Levels?

Answer 10

dose levels for typical examinations for groups of standard sized individuals