Medical Physics Hand.. - Voss Associates

CONSUMER PRODUCTS CONTAININGRADIOACTIVE MATERIALSHEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY FACT SHEETEverything we encounter in our daily lives containssome radioactive material, some naturally occurring andsome manmade: the air we breathe, the water wedrink, the food we eat, the ground we walk upon, andthe consumer products we purchase and use. Althoughthey might be familiar with the use of radiation todiagnose disease and treat cancer, many people, whenthey hear the terms “radioactive” and “radiation,” tend tothink of mushroom clouds and the monster mutants thatinhabit the world of science fiction movies and comicbooks. Careful analyses can identify and quantify theradioactive material in just about anything.Smoke Detectors. Most residential smoke detectorscontain a low-activity americium-241 source. Alphaparticles emitted by the americium ionize the air, makingthe air conductive. Any smoke particles that enter theunit reduce the current and set off an alarm. Despite thefact that these devices save lives, the question “aresmoke detectors safe?” is still asked by those with aninordinate fear of radiation. The answer, of course, is“yes, they are safe.” Instructions for proper installation,handling, and disposal of smoke detectors are found onthe package. Smoke detectors have 0.9 uCi of Am-241.24CONSUMER PRODUCTS CONTAININGRADIOACTIVE MATERIALSHEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY FACT SHEETEverything we encounter in our daily lives containssome radioactive material, some naturally occurring andsome manmade: the air we breathe, the water wedrink, the food we eat, the ground we walk upon, andthe consumer products we purchase and use. Althoughthey might be familiar with the use of radiation todiagnose disease and treat cancer, many people, whenthey hear the terms “radioactive” and “radiation,” tend tothink of mushroom clouds and the monster mutants thatinhabit the world of science fiction movies and comicbooks. Careful analyses can identify and quantify theradioactive material in just about anything.Smoke Detectors. Most residential smoke detectorscontain a low-activity americium-241 source. Alphaparticles emitted by the americium ionize the air, makingthe air conductive. Any smoke particles that enter theunit reduce the current and set off an alarm. Despite thefact that these devices save lives, the question “aresmoke detectors safe?” is still asked by those with aninordinate fear of radiation. The answer, of course, is“yes, they are safe.” Instructions for proper installation,handling, and disposal of smoke detectors are found onthe package. Smoke detectors have 0.9 uCi of Am-241.24CONSUMER PRODUCTS CONTAININGRADIOACTIVE MATERIALSHEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY FACT SHEETEverything we encounter in our daily lives containssome radioactive material, some naturally occurring andsome manmade: the air we breathe, the water wedrink, the food we eat, the ground we walk upon, andthe consumer products we purchase and use. Althoughthey might be familiar with the use of radiation todiagnose disease and treat cancer, many people, whenthey hear the terms “radioactive” and “radiation,” tend tothink of mushroom clouds and the monster mutants thatinhabit the world of science fiction movies and comicbooks. Careful analyses can identify and quantify theradioactive material in just about anything.Smoke Detectors. Most residential smoke detectorscontain a low-activity americium-241 source. Alphaparticles emitted by the americium ionize the air, makingthe air conductive. Any smoke particles that enter theunit reduce the current and set off an alarm. Despite thefact that these devices save lives, the question “aresmoke detectors safe?” is still asked by those with aninordinate fear of radiation. The answer, of course, is“yes, they are safe.” Instructions for proper installation,handling, and disposal of smoke detectors are found onthe package. Smoke detectors have 0.9 uCi of Am-241.24CONSUMER PRODUCTS CONTAININGRADIOACTIVE MATERIALSHEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY FACT SHEETEverything we encounter in our daily lives containssome radioactive material, some naturally occurring andsome manmade: the air we breathe, the water wedrink, the food we eat, the ground we walk upon, andthe consumer products we purchase and use. Althoughthey might be familiar with the use of radiation todiagnose disease and treat cancer, many people, whenthey hear the terms “radioactive” and “radiation,” tend tothink of mushroom clouds and the monster mutants thatinhabit the world of science fiction movies and comicbooks. Careful analyses can identify and quantify theradioactive material in just about anything.Smoke Detectors. Most residential smoke detectorscontain a low-activity americium-241 source. Alphaparticles emitted by the americium ionize the air, makingthe air conductive. Any smoke particles that enter theunit reduce the current and set off an alarm. Despite thefact that these devices save lives, the question “aresmoke detectors safe?” is still asked by those with aninordinate fear of radiation. The answer, of course, is“yes, they are safe.” Instructions for proper installation,handling, and disposal of smoke detectors are found onthe package. Smoke detectors have 0.9 uCi of Am-241.24