alpha's are generally pretty tame. large sources of alpha can cause skin damage, but thats about as deep as it gets. Same with beta. Its the gamma that are a big issue. gamma goes through everything, alpha and beta get blocked by just about everything.
On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 1:57 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > In reply to leaking pen's message of Mon, 8 Dec 2008 07:10:18 -0700: > Hi, >>Thanks for the info. You learn something new everyday. But, most of >>those are short term halflifes, and most of the long termers are alpha >>and beta emitters, so still very little long term damage there. > > Almost all radioactive substances are alpha and beta emitters, and the beta > emitters are frequently also gamma-sources. Any of these three forms of > ionizing > radiation can cause biological damage, particularly when the substance makes > up > a part of your body. > That's precisely why radioactive substances are dangerous. What else do you > think causes "long term damage"? > [snip] > Regards, > > Robin van Spaandonk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >
