Radiation 101

inventing a better tomorrow

Radiation 101

Dr. Bill Cardoso
President and CEO
bcardoso@creativeelectron.com
760.752.1192
253 Pawnee St.
San Marcos, CA 92078
www.CreativeElectron.com

What is radiation?

“Radia0on%is%energy%in%the%form%of%electroDmagne0c%
waves%or%par0culate%maGer,%traveling%in%the%air.”%

This%slide%contains%Crea0ve%Electron’s%proprietary%informa0on.%NOT%FOR%DISTRIBUTION%

What types of radiation exist?

“In%order%to%answer%this%ques0on%we%ﬁrst%need%to%
learn%where%does%radia0on%come%from.”%


How radiation is created?


α" β"

neutron γ or X-ray "


Radioac've%Atom%

alpha%par'cle%
X4ray%

beta%par'cle%

gamma%ray%


Radiation can be of natural or artificial origin

Natural background radiation comes from two primary sources: cosmic radiation and terrestrial
sources. The worldwide average background dose for a human being is about 2.4
millisievert (mSv) per year.[9] This exposure is mostly from cosmic radiation and natural
radionuclides in the environment (including those within the body).

Natural origin entangles materials that contain radioactive atoms. Examples can include certain
types of minerals found in nature like some types of granite as well as Radon.

Radon
Radon is a terrestrial source of ionizing radiation that is of particular concern because, although
on average it is very rare, this intensely radioactive element can be found in high
concentrations in many areas of the world, where it represents a significant health hazard.
Radon is a decay product of uranium, which is relatively common in the Earth's crust, but
generally concentrated in ore-bearing rocks scattered around the world. Radon seeps out of
these ores into the atmosphere or into ground water, and in these localities it can accumulate
within dwellings and expose humans to high concentrations. The widespread construction of
well insulated and sealed homes in the northern industrialized world has led to radon
becoming the primary source of background radiation in some localities in northern North
America and Europe.

Terrestrial sources
•  Radioactive material is found throughout nature. It occurs naturally in the soil, rocks, water,
air, and vegetation. The major radionuclides of concern for terrestrial radiation are common
elements with low-abundance radioactive isotopes, like potassium and carbon, or the long-
lived elements uranium and thorium and their decay products, some of which,
like radium and radon are intensely radioactive but occur in low concentrations.

Cosmic radiation
•  Estimate of the maximum dose of radiation received at an altitude of 12 km January 20,
2005, following a violent solar flare. The doses are expressed in millionths of a Sievert per
hour.
•  The Earth, and all living things on it, are constantly bombarded by radiation from outer
space. This radiation primarily consists of positively charged ions from protons to iron and
larger nuclei derived sources outside our solar system. This radiation interacts with atoms in
the atmosphere to create secondary radiation, including X-rays, muons, protons, alpha
particles, pions, electrons, and neutrons.


Electromagnetic Spectrum


Radiation from Natural Sources


A%banana%equivalent%dose%(actually%biologically%eﬀec've%dose,%abbreviated%BED)%is%a%
whimsical%unit%of%radia0on%exposure,%informally%deﬁned%as%the%addi0onal%dose%a%person%will%
absorb%from%ea0ng%one%banana%(for%example).%
The%major%natural%source%of%radioac0vity%in%plant%0ssue%is%potassium,%which%in%nature%
contains%0.0117%%of%the%unstable%isotope%potassiumD40%(40K).%
Although%the%amount%in%a%single%banana%is%small%in%environmental%and%medical%terms,%the%
radioac0vity%from%a%truckload%of%bananas%is%capable%of%causing%a%false%alarm%when%passed%
through%a%Radia0on%Portal%Monitor%used%to%detect%possible%smuggling%of%nuclear%material%at%
U.S.%ports.%

Artificial radiation sources


Radiation from Manmade Sources


Frequent%aboveDground%nuclear%explosions%between%the%1940s%and%1960s%
scaGered%a%substan0al%amount%of%radioac0ve%contamina0on.%Some%of%
this%contamina0on%is%local,%rendering%the%immediate%surroundings%highly%
radioac0ve,%while%some%of%it%is%carried%longer%distances%as%nuclear%fallout;%
some%of%this%material%is%dispersed%worldwide.%The%increase%in%background%
radia0on%due%to%these%tests%peaked%in%1963%at%about%0.15%mSv%per%year%
worldwide,%or%about%7%%of%average%background%dose%from%all%sources.%


Ionizing radiation

A%radia0on%is%said%to%be%ionizing%when%it%has%enough%energy%to%eject%one%or%more%
electrons%from%the%atoms%or%molecules%in%the%irradiated%medium.%%


Types of Radiation and Penetration


QUANTIFICATION OF RADIATION
There%are%four%different%but%interrelated%units%for%measuring%it;%radioac0vity,%exposure,%absorbed%dose,%
and%dose%equivalent.%These%can%be%remembered%by%the%mnemonic%R4E4A4D.%

Radioac0vity%refers%to%the%amount%of%ionizing%radia0on%released%by%a%material.%Whether%it%emits%alpha%
or%beta%par0cles,%gamma%rays,%xDrays,%or%neutrons,%a%quan0ty%of%radioac0ve%material%is%expressed%in%
terms%of%its%radioac0vity%(or%simply%its%ac0vity),%which%represents%how%many%atoms%in%the%material%decay%
in%a%given%0me%period.%The%units%of%measure%for%radioac0vity%are%the%curie%(Ci)%and%becquerel%(Bq).%It%is%
important%to%men0on%that%radiac0ve%material%decays%in%a%random%fashion,%and%not%in%a%con0nuous%or%
periodic%way.%
Exposure%describes%the%amount%of%radia0on%traveling%through%the%air.%Many%radia0on%monitors%measure%
exposure.%The%units%for%exposure%are%the%roentgen%(R)%and%coulomb/kilogram%(C/kg).%
Absorbed%dose%describes%the%amount%of%radia0on%absorbed%by%an%object%or%person%(that%is,%the%amount%
of%energy%that%radioac0ve%sources%deposit%in%materials%through%which%they%pass).%The%units%for%
absorbed%dose%are%the%radia0on%absorbed%dose%(rad)%and%gray%(Gy).%
Dose%equivalent%(or%effec0ve%dose)%combines%the%amount%of%radia0on%absorbed%and%the%medical%effects%
of%that%type%of%radia0on.%For%beta%and%gamma%radia0on,%the%dose%equivalent%is%the%same%as%the%
absorbed%dose.%By%contrast,%the%dose%equivalent%is%larger%than%the%absorbed%dose%for%alpha%and%neutron%
radia0on,%because%these%types%of%radia0on%are%more%damaging%to%the%human%body.%Units%for%
dose%equivalent%are%the%roentgen%equivalent%man%(rem)%and%sievert%(Sv),%and%biological%dose%equivalents%
are%commonly%measured%in%1/1000th%of%a%rem%(known%as%a%millirem%ormrem).%


For%prac0cal%purposes,%1%R%(exposure)%=%1%rad%(absorbed%dose)%=%1%rem%or%1000%mrem%
(dose%equivalent).%
Note%that%a%measure%given%in%Ci%tells%the%radioac0vity%of%a%substance,%while%a%measure%in%
rem%(or%mrem)%tells%the%amount%of%energy%that%a%radioac0ve%source%deposits%in%living%
0ssue.%For%example,%a%person%would%receive%a%dose%equivalent%of%1%mrem%from%any%one%of%
the%following%ac0vi0es:%
3%days%of%living%in%Atlanta%
2%days%of%living%in%Denver%
1%year%of%watching%television%(on%average)%
1%year%of%wearing%a%watch%with%a%luminous%dial%
1%coastDtoDcoast%airline%ﬂight%
1%year%living%next%door%to%a%normally%opera0ng%nuclear%power%plant%


Real time data from iRad Geigers around the world

*Color%coded%–%green%%OK,%red%%high%radia0on%levels% www.CreativeElectron.com

iRad Geiger


How does it work?
Cosm%

Private%Key%1% Public%Key%2%

Feed%1% …Feed%n% Feed%1%

ID%1,2,3…% ID%1,2,3…% ID%1,2,3…%


1: Create account at cosm.com


2: Add device, “Something Else”


Configure your Device/Feed

•  Step 1 – Data
–  No, I will push data to Cosm
•  Step 2 – Title
–  My iRad Geiger Feed
•  Step 3 – Tags
–  radiation, southern california (plus any other
searchable tags)
•  Step 4 – Create
–  Create your new feed!


Feed configured!


Delete Private Access key


Copy key and email to iRad Host


Add “irad” tag to datastream


Cosm setup completed


Select Setup in iRad App


Click on Pachube


Enter info from Cosm


Real time data from your iRad


Visualize data


Radiation 101

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