Capter Three

Radiation

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Radioactivity
• Radioactive Decay: is the process in which an unstable atomic
nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation in the form of particles or
electromagnetic waves.
• The process - radioactive decay
• The element - radioisotopes/radionuclides
• An unstable nucleus releases energy/ particles to become more stable

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Sources of radioactivity
 Most of the isotopes which occur naturally are stable but a few naturally
occurring isotopes and all of the man-made isotopes are unstable.
 Naturally Occurring Sources:
• Radon from the decay of Uranium and Thorium
• Potassium -40 – found in minerals and in plants
• Carbon 14 – Found in Plants and Animal tissue
 Manmade Sources:
• Medical use of Radioactive Isotopes
• Certain Consumer products –(eg Smoke detectors)
• Fallout from nuclear testing
• Emissions from Nuclear Power plants
06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.
 Classification
Radiations are generally classified into two categories
1. Non-ionizing radiation
2. Ionizing radiation and

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Non-ionizing radiation
 Do not have the ability to knock out an electron from
atom to ionize it.
 Ultrasound waves and microwaves are examples of
non-ionizing radiation.
– Lower energy electromagnetic waves.
– Not enough energy to pull electron from orbit, but can excite the
electron.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Ionization radiation
o Ionizing radiations can ionize an atom by ejecting one or more orbital
electrons
o Higher energy electromagnetic waves (gamma) or heavy particles (beta
and alpha).
o High enough energy to pull electron from orbit.
o The energy of ionizing radiation is big enough to overcome the binding
energy of the electron in an atom and knock it out.
o Alpha (α) rays, beta (β) rays, gamma (γ) rays, and protons are examples of
ionizing radiation.
o An element that emits these radiations is called parent nucleus or parent
element and the newly produced nucleus is called daughter nucleus.
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 Cont’d
• Ionizing radiations are further divided into two types:
1. directly ionizing radiations and
2. indirectly ionizing radiations.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Directly ionizing radiations
 Are kind of ionizing radiations that impart their energy to matter
directly, through many small electrostatic interactions along the track
of the radiation.
 For example: α-particle, a directly ionizing radiation, ionizes
matter directly upon interaction.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Indirectly ionizing radiations
 Kind of radiations which first transfer their energy to charged
particles in the matter through which they pass.
 Those charged particles then deliver the energy to the matter.
• e.g. Electromagnetic radiation (x-rays and γ-rays) and neutrons
(uncharged particle) transfer their energy to electrons and protons
inside matter followed by the transfer of that energy to matter by
those electrons and protons.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Types of Ionizing Radiation
1. α-Rays
2. β-Ray
3. X-Rays
4. γ-Rays

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Alpha Particles or Alpha
Radiation
 2 neutrons and 2 protons, Helium nucleus
 They travel short distances, have large mass
 Only a hazard when inhaled

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d
 Typical Energy = 4-8 MeV;
 Limited range (<10cm in air; 60µm in tissue);
 Easily shielded (e.g., paper, skin) so an internal radiation hazard.
Eventually lose too much energy to ionize; become He.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Beta particle
o A fast moving electron which is emitted from the nucleus of an atom
undergoing radioactive decay.
o The emission occurs when the ratio of neutrons to protons in the
nucleus is too high and thus a neutron changes into a proton and an
electron.
o The proton remains in the nucleus whilst the electron is ejected with high
energy

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d
• Beta particles are more penetrating than alpha ones
• They can travel further in air, but are easily stopped by a layer of
clothing or a thin sheet of aluminum.
• Some beta particles are capable of penetrating the skin and causing a
degree of skin burn
• Typical Energy = several KeV to 5 MeV

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 X-Rays
• Occur whenever an inner shell orbital electron is removed and
rearrangement of the atomic electrons results with the release of the
elements characteristic X-Ray energy

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Characteristic Radiation
o The incident electron interacts with the K-shell electron via a
repulsive electrical force.
o The K-shell electron is removed leaving a vacancy in the K-shell and
an electron from the adjacent L-shell (or possibly a different shell) fills
the vacancy.
o A characteristic x-ray photon is emitted with an energy equal to the
difference between the binding energies of the two shells.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Bremsstrahlung Radiation
 Bremsstrahlung radiation arises from energetic electron interactions
with an atomic nucleus of the target material.
 The positive nucleus attracts the negative electron, causing
deceleration and redirection, resulting in a loss of kinetic energy that is
converted to an x-ray.
 The x-ray energy depends on the interaction distance between the
electron and the nucleus; it decreases as the distance increases.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Gamma Decay
 Emitted after alpha or beta emission
 Gamma rays, emitted both in radioactive decay and nuclear explosions
 Have the smallest wavelength and the greatest energy in the
electromagnetic spectrum.
 Unlike alpha and beta particles, which have both energy and mass,
gamma rays are just pure energy.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d
• The penetrative power of gamma rays is such that several inches of a
material such as lead, or several feet of concrete are required as a
barrier to stop them.
• Gamma rays can pass through the whole human body easily,
potentially causing severe damage to tissue and DNA.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d
C:\Users\HP\OneDrive\Desktop\UOG BME\Biopysics\Material\Videos\
Radation\Radioactivity _ Alpha,beta
and gamma rays _ Explained _ 3D animation _ Uranium rays _.mp4

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Radiation Dose
 The Alpha, Beta and Gamma particles all add energy to the body’s
tissues and it can alter DNA.
 Even though Alpha particles are not very penetrative if the decaying
atom is already in the body (inhalation, ingestion) they can cause
trouble.
 The biological effects observed in irradiated persons fall into one of
two categories
• Deterministic: a “kill” effect on cells
• Stochastic: mutations which may result in effects over time, such as
cancer or hereditary mutations.
06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.
 Cont’d
It can be measured in a number of ways.
• Absorbed dose is used to assess the potential for biochemical changes
in specific tissues.
• Equivalent dose is used to assess how much biological damage is
expected from the absorbed dose.
• Effective dose is used to assess the potential for long-term effects that
might occur in the future.

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Difference
• Absorbed dose tells us the energy deposit in a small volume of tissue.
• Equivalent dose addresses the impact that the type of radiation has on
that tissue.
• For low-harm potential, the absorbed dose and the equivalent dose are
numerically the same.
• Units are different.
• The equivalent dose in milliSievert (mSv)
• The absorbed dose in milliGray (mGy).

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Cont’d
C:\Users\HP\OneDrive\Desktop\UOG BME\Biopysics\Material\Videos\
Radation\What is ionizing radiation_.mp4

C:\Users\HP\OneDrive\Desktop\UOG BME\Biopysics\Material\Videos\
Radation\Biological effects.mp4

06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.

 Application of radioisotopes
• In medicine
 Sterilizing
Medical instruments are sterilized after packing by a brief exposure to
gamma rays
 Gamma rays can used to kill bacteria and insects in food
• In field of agriculture
 Plants
By measuring the radioactivity of the stem and leaves, scientists can find out
how much fertilizer has been absorbed by the plant
Radioisotopes are used to kill pests and parasites and to control the ripening
of fruits.
• The use of nuclear fission in the generation of electricity
06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.
06/06/2024 By: Matiwos T.