In the section on Radiation Exposure and Cancer Risk, calculate your exposure to radiation. ( https://www.epa.gov/radiation/calculate-your-radiation-dose )

Read the United States Environmental Protection Agency article on

1. In the section on Radiation Exposure and Cancer Risk,

2. Use the “Radiation Thermometer” to answer the following questions:

a. What dose of radiation, measured in rems, is absorbed when you get a full set of dental

X-rays? From a chest X-ray? From a CT scan?

b. What dose of radiation, measured in rems, would cause damage to red blood cells?

3. Read the section on Exposure Pathways.

4. Read the section on

Then answer the following questions:

a.Alpha particles lack the energy to penetrate even the outer layer of skin, so exposure to

the outside of the body is not a major concern.

True or false?

b. Inside the body, however, they can be very harmful. If alpha-emitters are inhaled,

swallowed, or get into the body through a cut, the alpha particles can damage sensitive

living tissue.

True or false?

c.Beta particles are more penetrating than alpha particles, but are less damaging to living

tissue and DNA because the ionizations they produce are more widely spaced. They

travel farther in air than alpha particles, but can be stopped by a layer of clothing or by a

thin layer of a substance such as aluminum.

True or false?

d. X-rays and gamma rays have the same basic properties but come from different parts of

the atom. X-rays are emitted from processes outside the nucleus, but gamma rays

originate inside the nucleus. They also are generally lower in energy and, therefore less

penetrating than gamma rays.

True or false?

5. Children and fetuses are especially sensitive to radiation exposure. The cells in children and

fetuses divide rapidly, providing more opportunity for radiation to disrupt the process and cause

cell damage.

True or false?