Health effects:
- Irradiation — exposure to radiation from outside the body
- Contamination — radioactive material on/in the body (more dangerous!)
- Radiation can damage/kill cells or cause mutations → cancer
Safety precautions:
- Keep distance — intensity decreases with distance²
- Minimise time of exposure
- Use shielding — lead aprons, lead-lined containers
- Use tongs/robotic arms — never handle with bare hands
- Wear monitoring badges to track exposure
- Store sources in lead-lined containers when not in use
Quick Check: Why is contamination considered more dangerous than irradiation?
Contamination means radioactive material is on or inside the body, so it continuously irradiates tissues from close range. With irradiation, you can move away from the source, but you cannot move away from contamination inside you.
This key facts covers Hazards and Safety within Uses & Hazards of Radiation for GCSE Physics. Revise Uses & Hazards of Radiation in Atomic Structure for GCSE Physics with 18 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 8 of 17 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Uses & Hazards of Radiation
Which type of radiation is used in smoke detectors?
Explain how a smoke detector uses an alpha source to detect smoke.