Radiation Protection Flashcards
The kinetic energy released per unit of mass air.
Air Kerma
Contains two protons and two neutrons, is equivalent to a helium nucleus, and is emitted from the nuclei of heavy elements as they undergo radioactive decay. It has a great mass and a positive charge.
Alpha Particle
Identical to an electron, except it is emitted from the nuclei of radioactive materials; it is very light and negatively charged.
Beta particle
An interaction between x-rays and matter characterized by an incident x-ray photon interacting with a loosely bound outer-shell electron, resulting in removal of the electron from the shell, which then proceeds in a different direction as a scattered photon; also known as Compton effect.
Compton scattering
A mechanism that can measure amounts of radiation.
Dosimeter
The sum of the weighted equivalent doses for ALL irradiated tissues and organs; used to measure the radiation and organ-system-specific damage in humans.
Effective Dose - Sv
A form of energy that is the result of electric and magnetic disturbances in space.
Electromagnetic Radiation
Describes the effects of radiation that appear in the descendants of the individual being irradiated.
Genetic
Damage to future generations
Unit of absorbed energy or dose; 1 joule of energy absorbed in each kilogram of absorbing material.
gray (Gy) - SI unit
Conventional Unit = rad
Kinetic energy released in matter; the energy imparted directly to electrons per unit mass.
kerma
High-energy electrons, neutrons, and protons that produce ionization in matter by direct atomic collisions.
particulate radiation
Instrument worn by health-care workers who work regularly in radiation-exposed environments.
Personnel monitoring device
An interaction between x-rays and matter characterized by an incident electron with slightly greater energy than the binding energy of the electrons in the inner shells, ejecting an electron from the inner shell while being absorbed in the reaction, resulting in an ionized atom
Photoelectric absorption (effect)
Term used to describe the measurement related to exposure; the unit of exposure in air; the quantity of x-rays or gamma rays required to produce a given amount of ionization in a unit mass of air.
roentgen (R)
The product of the absorbed dose in gray and the radiation weighting factor.
sievert (Sv) - SI unit
Conventional unit = rem
