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Type of radiation
Cobalt 60 (cm) Cesium 137 (cm)
Shielding Materials 1.2 0.6
Lead 2.1 1.6
Copper 2.2 1.7
Zinc 2.7 2.1
Concrete 6.6 5.3
Half-Life of Radioactive Isotopes
Element Symbol Mass Number Half-life
Carbon C 14 5730
Cesium Cs 137 30
Cobalt Co 60 5.4
Iodine I 131 0.02
Iron Fe 55 2.6
Nickel Ni 63 92
Polonium Po 210 8000
Radium Ra 226 1602
Radon Rn 222 3.82 d
Selenium Se 75 0.3
Sodium Na 22 2.6
Strontium Sr 90 2.8
Sulfur S 35 0.2
Uranium U 238 4.5*109
Biological Effects of Ionizing
Radiation Exposure
• Humans and animals are exposed to
naturally occurring ionizing radiation
– Radon, Radium, Uranium, and Sun
– 80 mrem/year
– A typical dose-response relationship exists to
describe this exposure
Biological Effects of Ionizing
Radiation Exposure
• Synthetic radiation has somewhat greater
than background radiation
– X ray, CAT scans, MRI, or radioactive
isotopes used for medical purposes
• Radiation treatment may also cause
adverse physical effects
Biological Effects of Ionizing
Radiation Exposure
• Energy is transferred when radiation
passes through a substance
– Dose – amount of radiation absorbed
– Effects – depends on two factors
• Type of radiation
• Exposure time
• Ionizing radiation can either destroy cell
reproduction or cause cell mutation
Biological Effects of Ionizing
Radiation Exposure
• Ionizing radiation causes atoms and
molecules to become ionized or excited.
– Produce free radicals.
– Break chemical bonds.
– Produce new chemical bonds and cross-
linkage between macromolecules.
– Damage molecules that regulate vital cell
processes (e.g. DNA, RNA, proteins).
Biological Effects of Ionizing
Radiation Exposure
• Cells can repair low levels of damages,
such as those from background radiation
• At higher levels, cell death results. At
extremely high doses, cells cannot be
replaced quickly enough, and tissues fail
to function.
• Radiation sensitivity
Biological Effects of Ionizing
Radiation Exposure
• It usually takes time before the adverse effects
can be observed
– Latent period – duration before effects are observed
• Response of body tissues or organs vary with
respect to the irradiation. Tissue sensitivity is
– proportional to the rate of proliferation of its cells
– inversely proportional to the degree of cell
differentiation
Biological Effects of Ionizing
Radiation Exposure
• Prompt effects: effects, including
radiation sickness and radiation burns,
seen immediately after large doses of
radiation delivered over short periods of
time.
• Delayed effects: effects such as cataract
formation and cancer induction that may
appear months or years after a radiation
exposure
Effects of Radiation in our body
• Cancer
• Cataracts
• Skin damage
• Hematologic deficiencies
• Impairment of fertility or fetus
Genetic effects of radiation of
humans
• Gene mutations
• Chromosome aberration
Radiation safety program should
establish….
• Safe working procedures
• Identify and quantify radiation
• Decontaminate
• Dispose of hazardous materials and
wastes
• Maintain proper records
Equipments used in detecting
ionizing radiation
• Film badges
• Dosimeters
• Thermo luminescence detectors
• Ionization chambers
• Geiger-Mueller counters
• Visible Energy
• Infrared Radiation
• Microwaves
• Laser
Ultraviolet Radiation
• Vitamin D3
• Prevents ricketts