Download Most people realise that: High doses of radiation are very bad for us

Most people realise that:

High doses of radiation are very bad for us and
that it can cause damage to the cells in our
bodies.

Exploding nuclear weapons just like the bomb
that was exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki
in 1945 produces intense radiation.

Radiation sickness can have immediate effects such as burns to the
skin and vomiting.

Radiation also has a long-term effect on people that can last for the
rest of their lifetime, for example, it can cause cells to become
cancerous in our bodies and even kill cells.


Beta sources can be used to
monitor the thickness in certain
materials.
People who regularly work with
radiation e.g. workers in a nuclear
power station, are required to
wear a badge which monitors their
exposure to radioactive levels.

Radioactive tracers can be used
to find leaks in pipes.

A similar technique using sodium24 and Iodine-131 can be used to
trace the flow of blood in the
human body.

Gamma rays can
be used to kill
cancer cells. A
brain tumour is
zapped from
many different
angles.
The use of gamma radiation can shrink
a brain tumour or any other type of
tumour over a period of months.

Start
1st half-life
All living things have inside them the
naturally occurring radioactive version of
carbon i.e. carbon-14. When the living
organism dies the amount of carbon-14
decays with a half-life of 5730 years. By
measuring the levels of C-14 in dead
material it is possible to carbon date the
material.
2nd Half-life
3rd Half-life