Uses Of Radiation Flashcards
How do tracers in medicine use beta or gamma radiation?
They feed you a short half life gamma/beta radiation because it’s not harmful for the body. They follow the radiation around the body, and where they father around is where there is a problem.
Gamma and beta radiation can pass back outside the body, and do no harm to the inside
How do smoke detectors use alpha radiation?
The alpha radiation is placed into the detector close to two electrodes and passes through them, as alpha cannot travel through things harder than paper if there is smoke in there the radiation can’t get through and the alarm goes off
How do they use gamma rays to sterilise food and medical instruments?
It kills the bacteria
How does radiation harm living cells?
It ionises them, which damages or destroys the molecule. This can cause mutant cells which can cause cancer
What happens if the cells are experiencing high dosages of radiation?
Radiation sickness and possibly death
What two things do the extent of the harm depend on?
- How much exposure you have to the radiation
2. The energy and penetration of radiation (some are more hazardous)
Where is alpha most dangerous?
Inside the body
Where are beta and gamma most dangerous?
Outside the body
