What is the MEDIUM of radioactivity?

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2011-03-25 22:43

Kind of a basic question here, but not well explained by the mainstream media. What is the physical medium that I need to stay away from, in order to protect myself from radioactivity? And what is the physical medium that passes radiation up food chains?

They tell people to stay inside, and if they go out to leave their shoes outside. So ... clearly, there's danger from dust in the air. If dust particles get on me, they will somehow "deliver" radiation to me.

But let's say I'm standing under a thin sheet of plastic and no dust is getting on me. Or let's say a bunch of radioactive dust arrived via rainfall and it's now all lying on the ground, wet and sticking to the ground. I'm just standing nearby on a sidewalk, not touching the stuff.

Is something "delivering" radiation to me now? If so, what? Subatomic particles coming out of the dust?

I've always assumed that radiation was 100% subatomic, and so nothing can save you but lead or an underground cave. But these days they tell people to shelter in place as though a roof will keep the radiation away.

Another scenario: Let's say a lot of radioactive dust has fallen on my fields. Can I still safely grow crops inside a greenhouse sitting in the field (assuming my soil and water are pure)?

Thanks for doing what you're doing!

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Remember, radiation and

Submitted by Brian (not verified) on Sat, 2011-03-26 16:31.

Remember, radiation and radioactive particles are natural and exist around us all the time. The levels of radiation observed from Japan are many orders of magnitude below what is shown to produce any health effects.

There's a difference between

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2011-03-25 23:14.

There's a difference between radiation and radioactive particles or contamination. The radioactive particles emit radiation, which may not pose much of a threat externally, but can be dangerous if ingested or inhaled.

You can think of the particles as tiny flashlights or lightbulbs, the light being radiation and the flashlight being the radioactive particle. If you move away from the flash light, you stop receiving external radiation. If you inhale or ingest a radioactive particle, its like swallowing the flashlight, it continuing to emit radiation inside of you.

Then the questions become what type of flashlight did you swallow (iodine, cesium, ect). How many batteries where in the flash light (its half life). How many flashlights did you swallow (how many particles where inhaled or ingested) ect...