| Contamination: |
Radioactive materials found on the body or in areas where
radioactivity is not expected. |
| Curie (Ci) |
A Curie is a unit to measure radioactivity much as we would
measure water in gallons, quarts, or ounces. The amount of radioactive
material given to a patient is usually in millicuries (mCi).
Think of a Curie as a little more than 4 tablespoons and a mCi
as one single drop from an eye dropper. For a nuclear medicine
scan, a patient might to injected with 1-25 mCi of radioactive
material per study. |
| Half-life: |
The time it takes a radioactive substance to decrease its radioactivity
by half. The half-life is different for each radioactive substance. |
| Health Physicists: |
Radiation safety specialists. In the Clinical Center they
are assigned by floor, elsewhere assigned by building. |
| Radiation: |
Radiation can not be seen, felt, or heard. It comes in wave
form, like light and in particulate form (very small particles),
like electrons. |
| Radiation Dose/Exposure: |
The amount of radiation received either from external sources
or internal sources. |
| Radiation Types: |
| Alpha
particle: |
no
ability to penetrate; potential hazard if swallowed |
| beta
particle: |
slight
ability to penetrate skin and cause a potential skin dose;
potential hazard if swallowed |
| Gamma
ray, X-ray: |
very
penetrating; potential hazard to whole body and internal
organs |
|
| Radioactive Decay: |
The method by which radioactive material decreases in energy
with time. |
| Radioactivity: |
Radiation given off by certain materials. |
| rem: |
The term used to estimate the biological impact of the absorption
of different types of radiation, i.e., alpha, beta, gamma. |
| X-Rays: |
Small amounts of radiation that are produced only when an
x-ray machine is operating. |
