Types of Radiation Exposure - ORISE (2024)

FAQs

What are the types of radiation exposure? ›

Radiation can occur naturally or be man-made. There are two types: Non-ionizing radiation, which includes radio waves, cell phones, microwaves, infrared radiation and visible light. Ionizing radiation, which includes ultraviolet radiation, radon, x-rays, and gamma rays.

On average, Americans receive a radiation dose of about 0.62 rem (620 millirem) each year. Half of this dose comes from natural background radiation. Most of this background exposure comes from radon in the air, with smaller amounts from cosmic rays and the Earth itself.

Short-term exposure is called acute exposure. Long-term exposure is called chronic exposure. Either may cause health effects.

Gamma rays have the highest energy and shortest wavelength. Then come X-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared radiation and microwave radiation. Finally, radio waves have the lowest energy and longest wavelength. You can only sense two parts of the EMS.

There are four major types of radiation: alpha, beta, neutrons, and electromagnetic waves such as gamma rays. They differ in mass, energy and how deeply they penetrate people and objects.

Alpha particles are the most harmful internal hazard as compared with gamma rays and beta particles. Radioactive materials that emit alpha and beta particles are most harmful when swallowed, inhaled, absorbed, or injected.

Energy emitted from a source is generally referred to as radiation. Examples include heat or light from the sun, microwaves from an oven, X rays from an X-ray tube and gamma rays from radioactive elements.

Category 5 means that radiation doses are dangerously high and potentially lethal. High doses of radiation can cause massive damage to organs of the body and kill the person. The exposed person loses white blood cells and the ability to fight infections.

Routes of Exposure

There are four routes by which a substance can enter the body: inhalation, skin (or eye) absorption, ingestion, and injection.

Which is an example of a type of exposure? ›

Examples of environmental exposures include UV radiation from the sun and cigarette smoke, radon, or other forms of air pollution. A person may also be exposed to harmful substances by swallowing food or water that is contaminated with bacteria or pesticides or by absorbing harmful chemicals through the skin.

electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma radiation (γ) particle radiation, such as alpha radiation (α), beta radiation (β), proton radiation and neutron radiation (particles of non-zero rest energy)

alpha particles (α) beta particles (β) gamma rays (γ)

We know that radiation at high doses can cause cancer, could harm fetuses, and can even lead to death.

Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome (“radiation sickness"). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Ionizing radiation is produced by unstable atoms. Unstable atoms differ from stable atoms because unstable atoms have an excess of energy or mass or both. Radiation can also be produced by high-voltage devices (e.g., x-ray machines). Unstable atoms are said to be radioactive.

Of those 134, 28 died from the radiation injuries that they sustained. Although radiation affects different people in different ways, it is generally believed that humans exposed to about 500 rem of radiation all at once will likely die without medical treatment.

Radiation levels and their effects

Above 1000 mSv, severity of illness increases with dose. If doses greater than 1000 mSv occur over a long period they are less likely to have early health effects but they create a definite risk that cancer will develop many years later.

What are the 4 stages of radiation sickness? ›

Patients with acute radiation syndrome (ARS) classically go through four clinical phases: prodrome, latency, manifest illness, and either recovery or death.

What Does Exposure Level Mean? Exposure level refers to the concentration level of airborne contaminants to which a worker is exposed for a specific period of time.

An exposure route exposure route The way a chemical pollutant enters an organism after contact, e.g., by ingestion, inhalation, or dermal absorption. is the way that a contaminant enters an individual or population after contact (IPCS, 2004).

Examples include watering eyes, rash and nose and throat irritation that may be relatively minor and go away once a person is no longer exposed to the chemical. However, depending on the toxicity of a chemical, acute exposure may cause serious problems, such as damage to the lungs.

Person has direct contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is considered a presumptive case. Person is in direct contact with a Primary Exposure person.

It can enter through our skin (heat, cold, vibration, radiation, electric shock), through our ears (noise, music, shouting), or through our eyes (light, lasers, sunlight). Excessive energy exposure can cause pain and injury. If exposure occurs day after day, we may develop a disease and possibly a disability.

In this form of therapy, psychologists create a safe environment in which to “expose” individuals to the things they fear and avoid. The exposure to the feared objects, activities or situations in a safe environment helps reduce fear and decrease avoidance.

A pure risk. exposure is one that features a chance of loss without any chance of gain, such as a natural disasters, theft, or accident.

What are 4 examples of radiation? ›

Small amounts of man-made background radiation is attributable to consumer products like color televisions, smoke detectors, gas lantern mantles, natural gas heating and cooking fuel, and mining and agriculture products, such as coal, granite and potassium salt.

We are exposed to radiation every day, both from naturally occurring sources (such as elements in the soil or cosmic rays from the sun), and man-made sources.