MadSci Network: Physics |
Not necessarily... I would suggest you read further into the issue. Here is one reference http://hps. org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/radiation.html The decay rate (or half-life) defines the rate at which a material transforms itself... A 30 minute half-life material will still be releasing radiation after one half-life or 30 minutes. The amount of radioactive atoms left after the first 30 minutes would however we reduced by 50% (one half as much).... The rule of thumb is it takes about 10 half- lives to have a radioactive material decay (or transform enough atoms) to a sufficently small amount so that it is no longer considered adioactive... For a 30 minute half-life material that would be 30 x 10 or 300 minutes. The length of time near the source, distance from the source, and the type of radiation emitted (Alpa, beta, gamma) will also be very important in determining the health risks. Regards
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