RADIATION                                   

Radiation is a form of wave that penetrates certain materials.

As you can see in the above diagram, gamma radiation is the strongest.  Luckily, the stronger radiation sometimes decays the fastest.  As the radiation decays the material becomes less dangerous.  We describe decay in half-lives, or how long it takes to be half as dangerous as it was.

  How strong the radiation is depends on what it comes from.  Radiation comes from the sun, rocks, and television among other things.  Some dishes are even radioactive because of the glaze!

DISHES

Fiestaware, dishes that were popular in the 1950's and '60's had radioactive glaze. 

Fiestaware is again available in stores, but the new version is not radioactive.

 X-RAYS

Dentists recommend annual x-rays of your teeth. 

Patients are protected with a heavy apron with lead in it during the x-ray process.

TELEVISION

The amount of radiation from your TV isn't considered dangerous.  However, your parents are right to tell you not to sit to close! 

Eye doctors think sitting too close to the TV and failure to go out and play may be causing more near-sightedness in kids!

Radiation is all around us.  However, some types of radiation can make people very sick by disturbing our cell structure.

REM (Roentgen equivalent man), is the unit of measurement used measure the amount of damage to human tissue from a dose of ionizing radiation. An average American receives about 0.360 rems of radiation per year.

MREM - Millirem, common unit of radiation dose defined as one-thousandth of a rem. An average American receives about 360 mrem of radiation in a year. Other units are also used to measure radiation.
 

Typical radiation exposures for Americans per the American Nuclear Society

  • One hour at Trinity Site ground zero = one half mrem
  • Cosmic rays from space = 47 mrem at Denver per year, 28 mrem at St. Louis
  • Radioactive minerals in rocks and soil = 63 mrems per year on Colorado Plateau
  • Radioactivity from air, water and food = about 240 mrem per year
  • About six mrem per chest X-ray, 65 mrem per hip X-ray and 110 mrem for a CAT Scan
  • Watching television = less than one mrem per year
  • Wearing a plutonium-powered pacemaker = 100 mrem per year

If you would like to estimate your own annual exposure to radiation, visit the American Nuclear Society's website and print their form.

 
TRY THIS!!! Understanding Radioactive Decay

GATHER THESE ITEMS: Large piece of poster board or paper.  Pencil, Ruler or T-Square, Scissors.

DO THIS:

Draw a large circle on the poster board or paper.  Cut it out and divide it into equal portions down to 1/32 in size.  Cut and pull away half of the circle one day but tell them it represents 10 years.  Post it on the wall.   Cut and pull away another half (1/4 of original) the next day.  That also represents 10 years, post it on the wall.  On the third day do the same with half of the quarter (1/8 of original) and so on. 

If each section represents 10 years, how long does it take for decay to complete?

Another source of information about radiation is the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's website.

For more information about Hanford click below.

       

Are you interested in having a classroom presentation on Hanford?  We've got cool, hands-on projects to help kids understand the challenges and importance of Hanford Cleanup.  Please email Ginger Wireman - Environmental Education and Outreach Specialist, or call 736-3008.