Gamma Rays

Gamma ray is the term applied to the electromagnetic

radiation which is sometimes produced when the
atomic nuclei of a radioactive isotope disintegrate in
the process known as atomic fission.
Alpha and beta particles may also be produced during
the disintegration process; in fact gamma emission is
always a by-product of alpha or beta emission.
Of the three main types of radiation produced by
fission alpha is by far the most hazardous to health;
alpha and beta radiation must be taken into
consideration when assessing safety.
Except as a health hazard, alpha and beta particle
radiation have no significance for industrial
radiography since they are easily absorbed by very thin
materials.
Alpha particle radiation cannot penetrate more than a thin sheet of paper or a few
centimetres of air, it is, however, very strongly ionising. The great danger to health with
alpha emitters is that they may be ingested – radioactive contamination. Once within the
human body they will in most cases cause cancer.
• That although the beta particle is an electron it has very much
higher kinetic energy than a free electron which has resulted from
an ionisation event.
• Beta radiation is more penetrating than alpha. It can penetrate the
outer layers of the skin and lead to fatal skin burns. The damage
caused is very similar to sunburn, but much more severe.
• Many of the early victims of the Chernobyl disaster died as a result
of skin burns caused by exposure to high intensities of beta
radiation.
• If beta emitters are ingested they will often lead to cancer.
• In Beta Decay, a neutron from an atom will split into one positively
charged proton and a negatively charged electron.
• There was once Carbon-14, but now there is Nitrogen-14 due to
Beta Decay.
• Alpha and Beta decay are almost always accompanied
by Gamma Decay. In Gamma Decay, energy in the form
of gamma radiation or rays are emitted from the
nucleus. Gamma rays are electromagnetic waves with
very high frequencies and energy.
• Gamma rays are identical to X-Rays, except that X-Rays
are artificially produced and Gamma rays are naturally
occurring.