Radiation is used to treat many different cancers. About one half of the new invasive cancer cases will be treated with radiation. The procedures and equipment have been developed to optimized damage to the cancerous tumors and tissue with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. When a beam of radiation is directed at a tumor, the normal tissue in the path of the beam can be damaged.
Skin can be damaged by exposure to radioactivity either by accident or by medical treatments involving radioisotopes. Some of the symptoms accompanying radiation exposure include redness, swelling, numbness, itching, tingling, dryness, peeling, changes in color, loss of hair, thinning, hardening and open wounds. The natural healing capability of the human epidermis can deal with some radiation damage.
There a number of different websites that monitor radioactivity at various locations in the U.S. and around the world in real-time. There was an explosion of new websites after the Fukushima disaster but some of them have already disappeared. Here is a list of some of the monitoring websites that are currently active. (Several of these have been detailed in previous posts on this blog.)
Over two hundred radioactive isotopes are manufactured for use in medicine and industry. Radioisotopes can be used to analyze materials, trace flows and treat commodities. Here is a list of commonly used radioisotopes.
Americium-241 has a half-life of 432 years. It is used in backscatter gauges, smoke detectors, in measuring ash content of coal, in measuring toxic lead in dried paint, in measuring thickness in rolling processes for paper and steel.
Over two hundred radioactive isotopes are manufactured for use in medicine and industry. Radioisotopes can be used to analyze materials, trace flows and treat commodities.
The critical component in a Geiger counter is the Geiger-Müller tube. It is a gas metal or conductive material lined tube that registers a voltage spike when a radioactive particle penetrates the tube and ionizes the gas inside. There are many companies that sell kits for the electronics of a Geiger counter. However, they leave it to the builder to purchase the Geiger-Muller tube separately. Geiger-Muller tubes come in a wide variety of designs at different prices.
Inexpensive Geiger counters can be purchased for around $200. If you would rather build your own Geiger counter, there are a number of sources for instruction and kits.
The following list covers radioisotopes created in nuclear reactors by neutron flux for nuclear medicine.
Bismuth-213 has a half life of 46 minutes. It is used for Targeted Alpha Therapy.
The Washington State government has established rules for dealing with radioactive materials. These rules are in the Washington Administrative Code (WAS) which contains regulations issued by the Executive Branch of the Washington State government as instructed by enabling statutes. In general states must conform to national standards laid down by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which licenses companies to handle radioactive materials.
