NE 101

Basics of Nuclear Engineering & Technology

Chapter 4:
Radiation and Radioactivity

Dr. Ned Xoubi

‫الدكتور نضال الزعبي‬
Founder of the Nuclear Engineering Department

Fall Semester 2007/ 2008

 Radiation

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 Ionizing Radiation

Alpha Particle

High energy, massive, slow, short range
(3 cm in air), double charged α

Beta Radiation

Medium range (about 5m in air), single charge.
β

Neutrons

No electrical charge γ

Electromagnetic radiation

Gamma Rays

X-ray

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 Penetration

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 Radioactivity

 Radioactivity is the decay of unstable

atoms by the emission of particles and
electromagnetic radiation.
An atom with an unstable nucleus will
“decay” until it becomes a stable atom,
emitting radiation as it decays
Sometimes the new atom is also
unstable, creating a “decay chain”

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 How Unstable Is It?

A curie (Ci) is equal to 3.7 x 1010 disintegrations per second.

Becquerel (Bq) is equal to 1 disintegration per second

The radioactive decay constant (  ) is the probability per
unit time that an atom will decay

The radioactive half-life is the amount of time required for
the activity to decrease to one-half its original value

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 Some Isotopes & Their Half Lives
ISOTOPE HALF- APPLICATIONS
LIFE
Uranium billions of Found in nature Used to power nuclear reactor or
years nuclear weapons.
Carbon-14 5730 y Found in nature from cosmic interactions, used to
“carbon date” items and for detection of tumors.
Cesium-137 30.2 y Blood irradiators, tumor treatment through external
exposure. Also used for industrial radiography.
Hydrogen-3 12.3 y Labeling biological tracers.

Irridium-192 74 d Implants or "seeds" for treatment of cancer. Also used

for industrial radiography.
Technicium- 6h Brain, heart, liver (gastoenterology), lungs, bones,
99m thyroid, and kidney imaging,
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 The Amount of Radioactivity is NOT
Necessarily Related to Size

Specific activity is the amount of
radioactivity found in a gram of
material.

Radioactive material with long half-

lives have low specific activity.

1 gram of Cobalt-60
has the same activity as
1800 tons of natural Uranium

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 Annual Dose from Background Radiation
Total exposure Man-made sources

Medical X-Rays

Radon 55.0% 11

Other 1%

Internal 11%
Man-Made 18% Consumer
Products 3%
Nuclear
Cosmic 8% Terrestrial 6% Medicine 4%

Total US average dose equivalent = 360 mrem/year

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 Why is Radiation Harmful?

When radiation’s energy is deposited into our body’s

tissues, that is a dose of radiation.

The more energy deposited into the body, the higher the
dose.

Rem / Sievert are units of measure for radiation dose

Alters atoms

Damage to cells & DNA causes mutations and cancer

Much of the resulting damage is from the production of ions
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 Types of Radiation Hazards
Internal
External Exposure: Contamination

whole-body or partial-body External

Contamination

Contaminated:
External
external radioactive material:Exposure
on the skin
internal radioactive material:
inhaled, swallowed,
absorbed through skin or
wounds

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 Types of Exposure & Health Effects

Acute Dose

Large radiation dose in a short period of time

Large doses may result in observable health effects
– Early: Nausea & vomiting
– Hair loss, fatigue, & medical complications
– Burns and wounds heal slowly

Examples: medical exposures and
accidental exposure to sealed sources

Chronic Dose

Radiation dose received over a long period of time

Body more easily repairs damage from chronic doses

Does not usually result in observable effects

Examples: Background Radiation and Inhalation
Internal Deposition
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 Radiation and Contamination

Exposure to Radiation will not contaminate
you or make you radioactive.

Contamination is Radioactive Material
spilled someplace you don’t want it.

Contact with Contamination can
contaminate you with the material.

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