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Dangers of Radioactivity (CIE IGCSE Physics: Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award))
Revision Note
Dangers of radioactivity
- Ionising nuclear radiation can damage living things such as human cells and tissues at high doses:
- This can include:
- Cell death
- Mutations
- Cancer
- If the atoms that make up a DNA strand are ionised, then the DNA strand can be damaged
- If the DNA is damaged, then the cell may die, or the DNA may be mutated when it is replicated
- If a mutated cell replicates itself then a tumour may develop
- This is an example of cancer, which is a significant danger of radiation exposure
Ionising DNA is a danger of radioactivity
Diagram showing the damage caused to DNA by ionising radiation. Sometimes the cell is able to repair the DNA during replication successfully, but incorrect repairs can cause a mutation
- Acute radiation exposure can have other serious symptoms:
- It can cause skin burns, similar to severe sunburn
- Radiation can reduce the amount of white blood cells in the body, making a person more susceptible to infections by lowering their immune system
- Because of this, it is very important to handle radioactive sources carefully
Safe storage
- Safety precautions for all ionising radiation include:
-
- reducing exposure time
- increasing the distance between the source and living tissue
- using shielding to absorb radiation
Reducing exposure time reduces the dangers of radioactivity
- Limiting the amount of time spent near a radioactive source reduces the amount of radiation dose received
- The amount of radiation received by a person is called the dose and is measured in sieverts (Sv)
- One sievert is a very big dose of radiation
- It would cause acute radiation poisoning
Increasing the distance reduces the dangers of radioactivity
- Increasing the distance the radiation is away greatly reduces the size of the dose received
- Using tongs instead of your hand when handling a radioactive source can help with this
- Constructing nuclear power plants in remote areas increases their distance from people if there is a problem
- Burying nuclear waste far from places where people live also increases the distanceĀ to people
Shielding reduces the dangers of radioactivity
- Radiation shielding is a barrier placed between a radiation source and a person or area to protect them
- The purpose of shielding is to limit exposure to radiation at a certain location or time
- BarriersĀ absorb the energy from radioactive sources
- Barriers are normally made of lead, water or concrete
- People handling radioactive sources should wear a lead apron to reduce their exposure
- When X-rays are taken:
- the area around where the image is needed is shielded
- the radiologist stands behind a barrier or leaves the room
Reducing the dangers of radiation for a radiologist
A radiologist can stand behind a lead barrier to reduce the amount of radiation they are exposed to
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