Basic Radiation Physics

NKS Food Seminar 14-15 March 2010

Stig Husin
stig.husin@ssm.se
+46 706 85 57 30
1
 Basic Radiation
Î Basic terminology
Î Quantities and units
Î Characteristics of different radiation

Biological effects
Î DNA damage
Î Acute and stochastic effects
Î Levels; How much is much, how little
is little?

2
 Radioactivity

Spontaneous disintegration (decay), of unstable atoms

Î + Energy
(α, β, γ)

3
 Radioactivity

It’s impossible to foresee when

individual atoms will decay

”Chance” seems to
decide together with
the degree of instability

4
 Radioactivity
For a certain time period, we know:

1) the probability for disintegration of individual

atoms in a substance

and, consequently,

2) the fraction of a
large amount of
atoms that will
disintegrate
5
 Half time
Activity
100
80
60
40
20
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tid
One half time will decrease the number
radioactive atoms to 50 %, two half
times to a 25 % etc.

6
 Half time

Only time can “destroy” radioactive substances

Each radioactive substance

has a specific half time than
can not be changed

Examples:
• Iodine-131 8d
• Cobolt-60 5,3 y
• Sr-90 29 y
• Cs-137 30 y

7
 Minced meat Æ meat ball:
Reduction of 40-50
40-50 % *

*Private study. Reproducibility not tested

8
 Radioactivity

Definition and units

Activity
Is the number of disintegrations per time unit

Becquerel [Bq]
where one disintegration / s = 1 Bq

Curie [Ci]:
1 Ci = 37 000 000 000 Bq (37 GBq)

9
 Absorbed dose

Radiation Radiation
(energy) IN (energy) OUT

absorbed energy
Dose =
mass
absorbed energy = energy IN – energy OUT
10
 Dose – Quantifies and units
Absorbed
Absorbed dose
dose
Gray
Gray [Gy]
[Gy] (=J/kg)
(=J/kg)
11Gy
Gy==100
100rad
rad
rad≈≈11Roentgen
11rad Roentgen[R]
[R]

Equivalent
Equivalent dose
dose
Sievert
Sievert (Sv)
(Sv)
11Sv
Sv==100
100rem
rem

Effective
Effective dose
dose
Sievert
Sievert (Sv)
(Sv)
11
 Dose
rate

12
 Absorbed dose

Energy
Energy is
is absorbed
absorbed
when
when aa body
body is
is close
close to
to aa
radioactive
radioactive source…
source…

13
 Absorbed dose

…or when the source is

inside the body

14
 Calculation example
Intern contamination

Milk:
500 Bq I-131 Î 7 µSv
1000 Bq Cs-137 Î15 µSv

Meat / bread:
1000 Bq Cs-137 Î16 µSv

15
 Calculus example
Ground deposition

Lower intervention
level for pasture
restriction
10000 Bq/m
Results in a dose
rate

0.02 µSv/h
for I-131
Normal background is 0.1 µSv/h 0.03 µSv/h
(large variations) for Cs-137
16
 Ionisation radiation
can not be registered by our
senses

Can’t
Can’t be seen
Can’t
Can’t be heard
Can’t
Can’t be felt
Doesn’t
Doesn’t smell
Doesn’t
Doesn’t taste

0.1° C ~ 400 Sv
17
 Indication
In order to detect ionising radiation
you need to use radiation
detectors

Different types of radiation

and different purposes
requires different types of
detectors

18
 Different types of ionising radiation

Particular radiation
+- + - +
Alpha -+ - - +- -
+ + +
-+- + -
+
-
+ +- -
+ +-+-
Beta +-- -+ +-
+- +- -+-+-
-+ + +-
+-- +- + - -+
-++
Neutrons
--
++
+-+- +
+-
-

Electromagnetic radiation
- + - +-
Gamma + - + -+

19
 Alpha radiation
+ +

2 protons
2 neutrons
The
Helium
nucleus

Emitted by heavy radioative atoms eg:

eg:
radon-222,
radon-222, radium-226,
radium-226, uranium-238,
uranium-238,
plutonium-239,
plutonium-239, americium-241
americium-241
20
 Properties of alpha radiation

Range no more than about

a cm in air

The radiation can not

penetrate the skin

The radiation is stopped by

clothes, equipment or the
protection around radiation
detectors

21
 Alpha radiation in the body

Alpha radiation can only

cause damage if the source
gets inside the body; Either
orally, by inhalation or
through open wounds

22
 Beta radiation
Emitted by many radioactive substances. Eg :
phosforous-32,
phosforous-32, cobalt-60,
cobalt-60, strontium-90,
strontium-90,
caesium-137,
caesium-137, iridium-192,
iridium-192, thorium-234
thorium-234

Electron
or
-
positron
23
 Properties of beta radiation
Range: several Can penetrate skin
meters in air
and cm in soft
tissue If contamination is left
on skin it can cause
burn injuries

Clothing give some

protection and prevent
skin contamination

24
 Gamma radiation

Gamma is often
emitted after a beta
decay

Electro
magnetic
radiation
Emitted by many radioactive substances.
substances.
kobalt-60,
kobalt-60, molybden-99,
molybden-99, iodine-131,
iodine-131, caesium-137,
caesium-137, Photon
iridium-192,
iridium-192, lead-214
lead-214 (radium-B),
(radium-B), vismuth-214
vismuth-214 (radium-C)
(radium-C)
25
 Properties of gamma
radiation
Range: hundreds of meters in air, decimetres in
soft tissue

Part of the radiation will penetrate right through the body

26
 Radio active substance are not contagious
but could be spread as a pollution

An exposed person is
not contagious.
Radio active substances
can not proliferate like A contaminated person can
bacteria or viruses contaminate others

27
 Basic Radiation
Î Basic terminology
Î Quantities and units
Î Characteristics of different radiation

Biological effects
Î DNA damage
Î Acute and stochastic effects
Î Levels; How much is much, how little
is little?

28
 Effects on humans of ionising
radiation

Experiences
Experiences fromfrom
Radiation
Radiation injuries
injuries during
during
early
early use
use of
of radiation
radiation
Side
Side effects
effects during
during
cancer
cancer therapy
therapy
Nuclear
Nuclear and
and radiological
radiological
incidents
incidents and
and accidents
accidents
Hiroshima
Hiroshima andand Nagasaki
Nagasaki

29
 The radiation damages the arvsmassa
of the cells, DNA-molecule

30
 DNA-molecule
contains the genetic code

31
 DNA-molecule
is damaged by the radiation

Singel sting break Double sting break

32
 When DNA is damaged
Alternative 1

The
The damage
damage is is repaired
repaired
and
and the
the cell
cell proliferates
proliferates
normally
normally
Low
Low dos
dos rate,
rate, long
long time.
time.
Good
Good chances
chances for for repair.
repair.

High
High dose
dose rate,
rate, short
short time.
time.
Limited
Limited time
time for
for repair.
repair.

33
 When DNA is damaged
Alternative 2

The cell dies

Death
Deathofofaasmall
smallamount
amountcells
cellsisisnot
not
aaproblem.
problem.The
Thebody
bodytakes
takescare
careof of
the
thedead
deadcells
cells

IfIfmany
manycells
cellsdies,
dies,the
thefunction
functionof
ofthe
the
organ
organin inquestion
questionisisjeopardised
jeopardisedand
and
life
lifeof
ofthe
theindividual
individualisisthreatened
threatened

It takes many dead cells for the injury to be manifested –

the dose need to exceed a threshold

34
 When DNA is damaged
Alternative 3

The
The cell
cell survives
survives but but the
the
damage
damage is is transferred
transferred to to
the
the dautgher
dautgher cellscells
In
In general
general –– tumour
tumour disease
disease
In
In sex
sex cells
cells –– hereditary
hereditary
damages
damages
to
to the
the next
next generation
generation

35 Long latens time

 Acute effects
Chance for injury

Risk for Diarrhoea, Deadly

death dose 6
Sv
Loss of appetite 50 % death

Nausea
Permanent
Vomiting sterility,
Cataract

36
 Radiation injury –
Temporal development

6 d after exposure

12 d

Ir-192 source, 185 GBq kept in

pocket for 1 ½ hour
15 d

37
 Radiation injury –
Temporal development

38
 Fatal cancer

5/100 5%
95 % level
significance Japan osse
4/100 /ddo
et/
4%
a ta
sr r
Probability

s e
o
d od
g
3/100 i gHhö 3%
H

2/100 2%
e
os
o s
/ d
1/100 rearta/dte 1%
gw d
d ooss
LLåo
0 0%
0 100 200 300 400 500
Effective dose [mSv]
39
 Radiation in every day life
Average in Sweden 1950-2000

Chernobyl disaster
Atmospheric Nuclear power normal operation
nuclear tests
Kosmic
Medical radiation Ground, buildings
diagnosesis 0,1 0,3
0,7 0.35
0,4
0,7 Internal,
kalium-40
2
Medical
treatments mSv/år

Radon
approx
approx44mSv/y
mSv/y

40
 Rule of thumb

1 Bq
Tumme:
Tumme:
K-40 1/5000
1/5000 of
of
bodymass
bodymass

41
 Thanks for
your attention

42