WNA Radiation Guides
WNA has produced the following one page guides to explain radiation and radioactivity in more detail.
Radiation and Radioactivity
This guide describes radiation and specifically ionizing radiation, how ionizing radiation comes from the decay of unstable atoms and how we measure radioactivity.
Ionizing Radiation
This guide lists the different types of ionizing radiation - alpha, beta, gamma and neutron. It explains how we measure radiation and what a half-life is. The guide also describes how some radiation can be blocked by a sheet of paper, whereas other radiation can pass through concrete.
Health Risks from Radiation
This guide describes the health impacts of very large doses of radiation. The guide also gives examples of the very much smaller doses people receive from background radiation and the limits applied to nuclear workers.
Background Radiation and Occupational Exposure
This guide shows how much radiation we get from natural sources such as radon and cosmic rays and how much from artificial sources such as medical treatments and from nuclear power. The guide also shows how we can protect ourselves from high levels of radiation and what standards and regulations apply to occupational radiation exposure.
If you want all four radiation guides in one pdf please click this link to download all radiation guides.