Consumer products, radiation from

Radiation Exposure From Consumer Products and Miscella-... 

Once radioactive decay starts, it continues until all the atoms have reached a stable state. The radioisotope can only be shielded to prevent exposure to the radiation. The most common applications of gamma rays are sterilization of single-use medical supplies, elimination of organisms from pharmaceuticals, microbial reduction in and on consumer products, cancer treatment, and processing of polymers (cross-linking, polymerization, degradation etc.). 

Radiation Exposure from Consumer Products and Miscellaneous Sources (1977). [Superseded by NCRP Report No. 95]... 

Exempt Radioactive Wastes. The radioactive waste classification system in the United States does not include a general class of exempt waste (see Table 1.1). Rather, many products and materials that contain small amounts of radionuclides (e.g., specified consumer products, liquid scintillation counters containing 3H and 14C) have been exempted from requirements for use or disposal as radioactive material on a case-by-case basis. The various exemption levels are intended to correspond to low doses to the public, especially compared with dose limits in radiation protection standards for the public or doses due to natural background radiation. However, the exemption levels are not based on a particular dose, and potential doses to the public resulting from use or disposal of the exempt products and materials vary widely. 

NCRP (1987c). National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. Radiation Exposure of the U.S. Population from Consumer Products and Miscellaneous Sources, NCRP Report No. 95 (National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, Maryland). 

Numerous sources of ionizing radiation can lead to human exposure natural sources, nuclear explosions, nuclear power generation, use of radiation in medical, industrial and research purposes and radiation-emitting consumer products. Before assessing the radiation dose to the population, one requires a precise knowledge of the activity of a number of radionuclides. The basis for the assessment of the dose to the population from a release of radioactivity to the environment, the estimation of the potential clinical health effects due to the dose received and, ultimately, the implementation of countermeasures to protect the population is the measurement of radioactive contamination in the environment after the release. The types of radiation one should consider include ... 

Fitzgerald, J.E. and Sensitaffar, E.L., Radiation exposure from construction materials utilizing by-product gypsum from phosphate mining. In Mogihissi et al. (eds.). Radioactivity in consumer products, pp. 351-368. Report NUREG/CP-OOOl. Washington Nucl. Reg. Commission, 1978. 

The diverse uses and applications are outlined here because many Pb-bearing consumer products end up in residential waste streams, and burning municipal solid waste (MSW) is an additional source of Pb to the environment. For example, the glass screens on TV sets and personal computers each contain several hundred grams of Pb added to protect the viewer from radiation. The US EPA estimates that 50,000 tonnes of Pb is added to the waste stream annually from consumer electronics alone. 

Consumer Products. Trtually every American home contains several consumer products using nuclear technology, from nonstick pans treated with radiation to prolong the life span of their surfaces, to photocopiers and computer disks that use small amounts of radiation to eliminate static, to cosmetics, bandages, contact-lens solutions and hygiene products sterilized with radiation to remove allergens. 

Radiation is present everywhere. Humans are exposed to sources of ionizing radiation from the earth, from interstellar space, from medical diagnostic procedures, from man-made radiation from power plants or fallout from nuclear-bomb testing, or even from consumer products. This exposure can be classified into the following four categories naturally occurring radiation, radiation from products of technology, radiation from consumer prod-... 

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