Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Biological Effects of Radiation

Biological Effects of Radiation

All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they produce ions...

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

In the early 1900s, English chemist Frederick Soddy realized that an element could have atoms with different masses that were chemically indistinguishable. These different types are called isotopes — atoms of the same element that differ in mass. Isotopes differ in mass because they have different numbers of neutrons but are chemically identical because they have the same number of protons. Soddy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921 for this discovery.
An isotope containing more...

Imaging Studies II: Positron Emission Tomography and Scintigraphy

Imaging Studies II: Positron Emission Tomography and Scintigraphy

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technique that provides crucial insights into the body's physiological functions at a molecular level. It is an indispensable resource for diagnosing, staging, and monitoring various illnesses, notably cancer, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular conditions.
Fundamental Principles of PET

Types of Radioactivity

Types of Radioactivity

The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

Radioactivity is a spontaneous disintegration of an unstable nuclide and is a random process, as all the nuclei in the sample do not decay simultaneously. The number of disintegrations per unit time is called the activity (A), which is directly proportional to the number of nuclei in the sample. The decay constant (λ) is an average probability of decay per nucleus in unit time.

Radiological Investigation III: Pulmonary Angiogram and PET Scan

Radiological Investigation III: Pulmonary Angiogram and PET Scan

Radiological investigations are paramount in the diagnosis and management of various pulmonary diseases. Two essential investigations are the Pulmonary Angiogram and the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan.
Pulmonary Angiogram
A Pulmonary Angiogram is an invasive procedure involving injecting a contrast medium through a catheter threaded into the pulmonary artery or the right side of the heart to visualize the pulmonary vasculature. Computed Tomography (CT) scans have mainly replaced this...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Parallelized Droplet Vitrification Enables Single-Run Vitrification of the Whole Rat Liver Hepatocyte Yield.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024

Same author

Demographics of deceased donor renal transplants in Ireland: A 10 year review showing the worrying increase of suicide as a source for organ donation.

The surgeon : journal of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Ireland·2024

Same author

Development, implementation and initial feasibility testing of the MediEmo mobile application to provide support during medically assisted reproduction.

Human reproduction (Oxford, England)·2022

Same author

The impact of Covid-19 on infertility services and future directions.

Reproduction & fertility·2022

Same author

After egg collection, can we predict the chance of embryos for day 5 transfer or freezing?

Reproduction & fertility·2022

Same author

Restoration of marine ecosystems: Understanding possible futures for optimal outcomes.

The Science of the total environment·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition

Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition

Published on: March 11, 2021

Radioactive particles in dose assessments.

P Dale¹, I Robertson, M Toner

¹Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Radioactive Substances Policy Unit, Erskine Court, The Castle Business Park, Stirling FK9 4TR, UK. paul.dale@sepa.org.uk

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

|July 29, 2008

Summary

Radioactive particles pose unique public health risks, challenging traditional dose assessment methods. This paper explores crucial considerations for evaluating the health risks associated with these difficult-to-quantify radioactive hazards.

More Related Videos

An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

Published on: December 25, 2021

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera

Published on: January 30, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition

Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition

Published on: March 11, 2021

An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

Published on: December 25, 2021

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera

Visualization of Low-Level Gamma Radiation Sources Using a Low-Cost, High-Sensitivity, Omnidirectional Compton Camera

Published on: January 30, 2020

Area of Science:

Radiological Protection
Environmental Health
Risk Assessment

Background:

Radioactive particles introduce novel exposure pathways for the public.
Traditional dose assessment methods rely on habit surveys and environmental monitoring, assuming certain encounter probabilities.
Existing methodologies are insufficient for quantifying the risks posed by radioactive particles.

Purpose of the Study:

To detail the challenges in assessing the health risks of radioactive particles.
To highlight the limitations of standard assessment techniques for these specific hazards.
To provide guidance on considering the unique issues related to radioactive particle risk assessment.

Main Methods:

Review of existing radiological protection frameworks.
Analysis of the limitations of sampling and environmental monitoring for radioactive particles.
Identification of key factors for prospective and retrospective risk evaluation.

Main Results:

Radioactive particles present quantification difficulties and uncertain encounter probabilities.
Standard assessment approaches are inadequate for radioactive particle impacts.
A need exists for specialized methodologies to assess radioactive particle risks.

Conclusions:

Assessing radioactive particle risks requires novel approaches beyond traditional methods.
The uncertainty in encounter probability and health effects necessitates careful consideration.
This paper provides a foundation for developing improved risk assessment strategies for radioactive particles.