Radiation Physics,Radiobiology And Regulations Flashcards
(89 cards)
Physical properties of Radioactive and Regulations:
Decay of radioactivity
Atomic Structure:
Composed of 3 fundamental particles; electrons, protons and neutrons. Electrons have a particle charge, protons have a positive charge and neutrons have no charge.. The nucleus contains the the protons and neutrons (nucleons). When an atom has lost or gained an electron, it is no longer electrically neutral /called an ion. When electrons are gained, the atom has an excess negative charge called a negative ion. The mass A Number represents the number of protons plus neutrons with the nucleus. The atomic Z Number represents the number of protons in the nucleus. When it charges, the densify of the atom changes. The forms of an element that have the same Z number but a different a number are called isotopes.
Decay modes
Radioactivity decay, also known as a nuclear decay or a radioactivity, is the process by which the nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting radiation. Alpha-(a-decay/particle) is identical to helium Nucleus (2 protons and 2 neutrons) is released as an unstable nucleus has too many protons and neutrons. It is Carrie’s a highly ionizing electric charge (+2) which means that as the particle travels through tissue,it creates many ion pairs 7 free radicals that could be damaging to biological tissue however it has very low penetrating abilities. Beta -(B-decay) unstable nuclei having an excess number of neutrons. one of the excess neutrons is covered into a proton. The proton remains in the nucleus while the negative B particle are released. They are more penetrating than (A)but the penetration depths depends upon energy. Gamma (Y) - decay mode in which some unstable nuclei dissipate excess energy. The most common form, gamma rays( photons, or packets of electromagnetic energy, extremely short wavelength) are radiated. They are pure electromagnetic energy that can be very penetrating,depending upon the energy.
Decay rate:
The rate of radioactivity substance is characterized by the following constant quantities. The half life(t1/2) what is the time taken for activity of a given amount of a radioactivity substance to decay to half of its individual value. The mean lifetime (T, “tau”) is the average lifetime of a radioactivity particle before decay.
Half-life:
The time taken from the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall it’s original value the time required for any specified property(e.g) the concentration of a substance in the body) to decrease by half.
Parent- daughter relationship
Radioactivity isotopes have on stabled Nuclei. These isotopes disintegrate to form atoms with stable nuclei by the release of subatomic particles and gamma rays (akin to X-rays). The radioactivity elements are reference to a parent atoms; The atoms they disintegrate to from are called daughter products.
Interaction of radiation with matter: photoelectric effect:
Occurs when an accident proton interacts with an atomic electron, to which each transfers all of the energy. The election is then ejected from the atom and will have a kinetic energy that is the difference between the energy of the incident photon and the energy that bound the electron to the atom. It is most probable for incident photons with energies less then 100 keV and emits characteristic X-rays.
Compton Scattering:
A medium energy proton intervention in which the incident proton in jacks and outer shell electron having a lower binding energy. In addition to the injection electron, a low energy scattered proton is produced. It’s an ionizing type of interaction and thus, tends to be the predominant mode of interaction of diagnostic energy photons in soft tissue.
Pair production and annihilation:
A high energy proton interaction in which the incident proton interacts with the intense electromagnetic field of the nucleus. The photon disappears and in its place, a electron- positron pair appears.
Internal conversion:
Radioactivity decay process were in and excited Nucleus interaction with one of the orbital electrons of the atom. This causes the electron to be ejected from the atom. This is possible whenever a gamma decay is possible.
Auger electron:
A physical phenomenon is which the filling of an inner shell vacancy of a atom is accompanied by the emission of an electron from the same atom.  when a core electron is removed, leaving a vacancy, an electron from a higher energy level may fall into the vacancy,resulting in a release of energy that is transferred to an outer electron ejecting it from the atom.
Bremsstrahlung:
Radiation that results from the deceleration of B- particles as they approach the nuclei of lead atoms in the shield. As the particles slow down, they lose energy which is released in the form of X-rays. The amount increases with the density of the material through which the B- particles pass.
Biological Effects of Radiation: Cellular biology
A branch of biology that studies the different structures and functions of the cell and focuses mainly on the idea of the cell as the base unit of life cell biology explains the structure, organization of the organelle they contain, physiological properties, metabolic processes, signaling pathways, life cycle and interactions with environment.
Effect of radiation on cells: Direct and indirect action:
In direct action, the radiation hits the DNA molecules directly, disrupting the molecular structure. Such structural change leads to cell damage or even cell death. Damage cells that survive may later induce carcinogenesis or other abnormalities. This process becomes predominant with high-LET radiations such as A- particles and neutrons, and high radiation doses. In the indirect action, the radiation hits the water molecules, the major constituent of the cell, and other organic molecules in the cell, whereby free radicals such as hydroxyl(HO.) and alkoxy (RO2.) are produced. Free radicals are characterized by an unpaired electron in the structure, which is very reactive, and therefore reacts with DNA molecules to cause a molecules structure damage. It has been find that the majority of radiation-induced damage results from the indirect action mechanism because water constitutes nearly 70% of the composition of the cell.
Radiolysis of water:
Exposure of cells to ionizing radiation induces high- energy radiolysis of H2O molecules into H+ and OH- radicals. These radicals are themselves chemically reactive and in turn recombine to produce a series of highly reactive combinations such as superoxide (HO2) and peroxide (H2O2) that produce oxidative damage to molecules within the cell.
LET and RBE:Linear Energy Transfer (LET)
Is a physical quantity, representing the amount of energy transferred to electrons by charged particles set free by radioactive decay and/or radiation interactions in a given material (soft tissue when concerned with the potential biological impact of radiation).
Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE)
Is the ratio of biological effectiveness of one type of ionizing radiation relative to another given the same amount of absorbed energy. It is an empirical value that varies depending on the particles, energies involved, and which biological effects are deemed relevant.
Stochastic and deterministic effects: Stochastic
Effects that occur by chance and which may occur without a threshold level of dose, whose probability is proportional to the dose and whose severity is independent of the dose. In the context of radiation protection, the main stochastic effect is cancer.
Deterministic effects:
Have a threshold below which the effect does not occur. The threshold may be very low and may vary from person to person. However, once the threshold has been exceeded, the severity of an effect increases with dose.
Acute effect of total body radiation: Radiation sickness:
Or Acute Radiation syndrome (ARS) is an acute illness cause by irradiation of the entire body ( or most of the body) by a high dose of penetrating radiation in a very short period of time (usually a matter of minutes).
Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS): Four stages of ARS are:
1: prodromal stage (N-V-D) stage) nausea, vomiting, anorexia and possibly diarrhea (depending on dose) which occur from minutes to days following exposure.
Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS)
2: Latent Stages: the patient looks and feels generally healthy for a few hours up to few weeks.
Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS):
3: Mainifest illness stage: symptoms depend on the specific syndrome and last from hours up to several months.
Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS):
4: Recovery or death: Most who do not recover will die within several months of exposure. Recovery process last from several weeks up to 2 yrs.