Dr. Tsubokura's Radiation Lecture Vol.34

Author: Masaharu Tsubokura

Editors: Akihiko Ozaki M.D., Yuki Senoo

67. There is no difference between natural and artificial radiation

All materials are composed of small invisible matters called "protons, neutrons, and electrons." When there is an imbalance of their numbers, the substance becomes unstable and is said to be radioactive.

As radioactive substances try to stabilize, they emit unnecessary "protons, neutrons and electrons" or energy out. These emitted unnecessary particles are what is so-called radiation.

Between radioactive form of an element and nonradioactive elements, for example, radioactive potassium and potassium, radioactive iodine and iodine, and radioactive cesium and cesium, the number of neutrons are different and radioactive versions of elements emit radiation due to their instability while nonradioactive versions do not.

The important thing is the radiation emitted from radioactive substances are "proton, neutron, electron" and energy. Therefore, both natural and artificial radioactive substances emit the same particles. This is the reason why it is important to take "exposure dose" into consideration rather than "from which source."

68. Type of radiation emitted is determined for each radioactive substances

All materials that exist in the world are composed of small invisible particles called "protons, neutrons, and electrons." When they are unbalanced, the substance as a whole becomes unstable and emit unnecessary "protons, neutrons, and electrons" and energy to stabilize itself. These emitted substances are radiation.

Although radioactive substances can discharge unnecessary particles, it is not as if they are able to emit them randomlyThe type and the number of particles emitted are determined for each substance: for example, "2 protons and neutrons", "1 electron" or "a certain amount of energy." These three different types of packages of emitted particles listed above are called alpha, beta and gamma rays, respectively.

As another example, cesium 137 is a radioactive substance which discharges one electron (beta ray), and it will never emit alpha rays.

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The Japanese version of the manuscript was originally published in Fukushima Minyu, a local newspaper in Fukushima prefecture, Japan, on April 17th and 24th 2016 was reproduced for MRIC Global under the author's permission.