Radioactivity. how it is measured, its origins, the danger, the nature of alpha beta and gamma radiation
Radon is a very radioactive gas, belonging to the family of so-called noble or inert gases. E’ as dangerous as it is insidious since it cannot be perceived with the normal senses as it is colorless, odorless and tasteless. Radon produces itself “nuclear decay” of the Radius, another very radioactive element that at its…
The recurring question of those who buy a Geiger counter for the first time is how to read the dose values returned by the instrument, in practice, understanding when these can become dangerous to health and what damage can be caused by overexposure to ionizing radiation
At the end of the 19th century Henry Becquerel, and Mr and Mrs Pierre and Marie Curie, with experimental physics they discovered unprecedented physical phenomena which they then baptized with the name of radioactivity. They saw that some minerals, containing uranium and radium had the property of impressing photographic plates which thus showed various dark spots.
The strange phenomenon of “radiation clouds” hypothesized by NASA, if the theory was confirmed, they could seriously put the health of those traveling by plane at risk.
Natural radioactivity increases significantly as we reach very high altitudes. For example, already at 9000 meters the exposure level increases by at least 10 times
Natural radioactivity is present everywhere on our planet. E’ originated from the presence of various radionuclides in rocks and minerals. No less important is the contribution from solar activity and cosmic rays that constantly hit us from the depths of the universe.
