What is ionizing radiation?
ionizing radiation is a form of energy emitted by chemical elements or compounds that have an unstable electric charge that can be either positive or negative. Electrically charged particles are known as alpha particles, beta particles or gamma rays and each type of radiation has different characteristic effects. Some heavy elements in nature naturally create these effects, such as uranium, thorium and radium, and the presence or close proximity of these materials in relation to the human body can harm human health. This is because ionizing radiation exists along the spectrum for radiation in general where it is responsible for a much higher level of energy emissions than non -ionizing radiation, such as induced by radio waves. Compared to the ionizing radiation, the radiation is an extremely long wavelength compared to the ionizing radiation and either quickly loses power with distance, or it is easy to bounce off the surface. The danger of ionizing radiation exposure is largely caused by high -frequency waves thatIt bears, which can to some extent penetrate most of the materials and change their chemical structure by breaking normal chemical bonds.
The types of ionizing radiation to which they commonly occur have different levels of energy release. A typical ionization process for one atom or molecule releases 33 electron volts of energy into the environment, which is sufficient to interrupt most types of chemical bonds. This level of energy release is considered to be particularly important because it is able to break the ties between carbon atoms on which all forms of life on Earth are based.
The alpha particle emissions where two protons and two neutronjs are connected is produced by such radioactive elements such as Radon, Plutonium and Uranus. They are the largest weight ionizing particles of radiation, which means they cannot travel far before the barrier stop. They lack energy to penetrate the outer layers of human skin, butIf they are air or water, they have the potential to cause cancer.
Beta particles are produced from free particles in the atomic core that resemble electrons. These particles have much less weight than alpha particles and can therefore travel further. They are also produced by rare elements such as strontium, cesia and iodine isotopes. The effects of ionizing radiation from beta particles can be serious in large doses, leading to death and are one of the main components of a radioactive fall from nuclear weapons detonation. In small quantities, they are useful for the treatment of cancer and medical imaging. These particles are also useful in the archaeological research, because unstable carbon elements such as carbon-14 can be used at the date of fossil residues.
ionizing gamma radiation is produced by gamma photons, which are often emitted from unstable atomic cores along with beta particles. Although it is a type of photon that carries light energy as a normal visible light, gamma photon has10,000 times more energy than standard white light photon. These emissions have no matter like alpha particles and can travel on huge distances before losing the energy charge. Although they are often classified by X -rays, gamma rays are emitted by the atomic core, while X -rays are emitted by electron shells around the atom.
ionizing radiation regulations strictly reduce the levels of gamma rays exposure, although naturally occur at low levels and are produced by potassium-40 isotope, which is located in soil, water and food high in potassium. Industrial uses for gamma radiation include the practice of radiography for chart and cavities in welded works and metal composites, such as in high -speed turbines for aircraft. Gamma beam radiation is by far considered the most dangerous form of radiation on living things in large doses and it was assumed that if the star Gamma Ray Star 8,000 Light LET could explode from the ground, it could destroy half of the ozone layer of the Earth, exposing ionization radiation from our own sun for human health.