When a person comes in contact with radiation, the energy may be absorbed by the body. Alpha radiation is a type of energy released when certain radioactive elements decay or break down. Over billions of years, these two elements slowly change form and produce decay products such as radium and radon.
During this process, energy is released. One form of this energy is alpha radiation. Learn more about alpha radiation in drinking water. Uranium is a radioactive element that can be found in soil, air, water, rocks, plants and food. Uranium decays or breaks down very slowly into other elements including radium and radon. Learn more about uranium in drinking water. Radium is a radioactive metal that can be found at varying levels throughout Vermont and the entire Earth—in soil, water, rocks, plants and food.
Learn more about radium in drinking water. Non-ionizing radiation has enough energy to move atoms in a molecule around or cause them to vibrate, but not enough to remove electrons from atoms. Examples of this kind of radiation are radio waves, visible light and microwaves. Ionizing radiation has so much energy it can knock electrons out of atoms, a process known as ionization. Ionizing radiation can affect the atoms in living things, so it poses a health risk by damaging tissue and DNA in genes.
Ionizing radiation comes from x-ray machines, cosmic particles from outer space and radioactive elements. Radioactive elements emit ionizing radiation as their atoms undergo radioactive decay. Radioactive decay is the emission of energy in the form of ionizing radiation ionizing radiation Radiation with so much energy it can knock electrons out of atoms.
The ionizing radiation that is emitted can include alpha particles alpha particles A form of particulate ionizing radiation made up of two neutrons and two protons. Alpha particles pose no direct or external radiation threat; however, they can pose a serious health threat if ingested or inhaled. Some beta particles are capable of penetrating the skin and causing damage such as skin burns. Beta-emitters are most hazardous when they are inhaled or swallowed.
Gamma rays can pass completely through the human body; as they pass through, they can cause damage to tissue and DNA. Radioactive decay occurs in unstable atoms called radionuclides. The energy of the radiation shown on the spectrum below increases from left to right as the frequency rises. Other agencies regulate the non-ionizing radiation that is emitted by electrical devices such as radio transmitters or cell phones See: Radiation Resources Outside of EPA.
Alpha particles come from the decay of the heaviest radioactive elements, such as uranium , radium and polonium. Even though alpha particles are very energetic, they are so heavy that they use up their energy over short distances and are unable to travel very far from the atom. The health effect from exposure to alpha particles depends greatly on how a person is exposed.
Alpha particles lack the energy to penetrate even the outer layer of skin, so exposure to the outside of the body is not a major concern. Inside the body, however, they can be very harmful. If alpha-emitters are inhaled, swallowed, or get into the body through a cut, the alpha particles can damage sensitive living tissue. The way these large, heavy particles cause damage makes them more dangerous than other types of radiation.
Today we have a much more comprehensive understanding of what radioactivity is, how it can be dangerous, and how we can use it. Some arrangements of protons and neutrons are more stable than others; if there are too many neutrons compared to protons, the nucleus becomes unstable and falls apart.
This decay releases nuclear radiation in the form of alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma radiation. An alpha particle carries off two protons and two neutrons, and since an element is defined by its number of protons, the parent atom becomes a whole new element when an alpha particle is emitted. In beta decay, a neutron transforms into one proton and one electron, and the electron speeds off, leaving an extra proton behind and once again resulting in an atom of a different element.
Alongside either of the above particles, decaying nuclei can also produce gamma rays: high energy electromagnetic radiation. As Becquerel and the Curies discovered, radioactivity is a naturally-occurring phenomenon. Many minerals in the Earth emit a slow and steady trickle of radiation, the air we breathe contains radioactive gases, and even foods and our bodies contain a small percentage of radioactive atoms like potassium and carbon The Earth also receives radiation from the Sun and as high-energy cosmic rays.
These sources create a natural but unavoidable level of background radiation. Many artificial sources add to this, including medical procedures such as X-rays, smoke detectors, building materials and combustible fuels. In very high doses, radiation can cause sickness and death within hours. The effects of radioactivity have been felt on an even grander scale with the meltdown of nuclear power plants throughout history.
The heat is used to boil water and create steam, turning a turbine and generating electricity. Another radioactive process could provide a safe way to generate clean energy: fusion.
0コメント