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Problem

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30 Nov 2021

Given information

Given 3 radioactive sources A, B, C have the same activity, 35 mCi. A emits 1.0-MeV  rays,  B emits 2.0-MeV rays, and C emits 2.0-MeV alphas. We are asked to determine the relative danger of these sources.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1.

All the sources have the same activity, so A and B emit the same number of gamma rays. But B has higher energy than that of A, so B is able to deliver twice as much as energy per gamma compared to A. So B causes more damage and hence more dangerous.

Source C emits alpha rays. Alphas have RBE values 20 times that of gammas. Hence the number of alphas may have an effective dose of 20 times higher than that of the same number of like-energy gammas.

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