Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of frequently asked questions ("FAQs") that have been prepared from questions and answers submitted through our "Ask the Experts" feature.

List of Available FAQs

Where Do Atoms Go When They Decay?
Safety for Security Screening Using Devices That Expose Individuals to Ionizing Radiation
Cellular Phone and Base Station
Chernobyl: 33 Years Later
Radiation Exposure During Commercial Airline Flights
Computer/VDT Screens
Is Anything We Use in Everyday Life Radioactive?
What Is the Difference Between Health Physics and Medical Physics?
Dental-Patient Issues
What Radiation-Detecting Device Should I Use?
What Is Dose? What Units Are Used for Dose?
Emergency Responders
Are Our Bodies Radioactive?
Food Irradiation
Relationship Between Radionuclide Gamma Emission and Exposure Rate
Hair Analysis for Uranium
Hints for First Responders About Detecting Radiation
Is Potassium Iodide a "Magic Bullet" for Radiation Exposure?
Can I Safely Use a Laser Pointer?
Laser Safety
Lead Garments (Aprons, Gloves, etc.)
Measuring Occupational Exposures
Medical CT
Microwave Oven Q & A
Is the Effect from Naturally Occurring Radiation the Same as from Man-Made Radiation?
Nuclear Medicine - Diagnostic Procedures
Therapy—Nuclear Medicine
Optical Fiber Communication Systems and Laser Safety
What Dosimeter Should I Use for Personnel Monitoring?
Pregnancy and Flying
Pregnancy and Radiation Exposure
Pregnancy and Security Screening
What Is Radioactive Contamination?
Radiation Basics
Radiation Careers
How Can You Detect Radiation?
Radiation Dose Units
Radioactivity in the United States From Japanese Nuclear Plants
What Types of Radiation Are There?
Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation: Satellite Dish, Radar, Power Line, and Miscellaneous
How Can You Work Safely Around Radiation?
What Are Some Sources of Radiation Exposure?
Radioactivity Units
Reference Books and Articles on Diagnostic X Ray and CT
Regulatory Dose Limits
Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) Qualifications
Security Screening
Smartphone RF Exposure
Solar Flares and Air Travel
Radiation Environment During Space Flight and on Other Planets
Suntanning and Tanning Booths
The Fukushima Accident
Therapy - Radiation Oncology
Tower Radiation
Do Levels of Radioactivity in the United States Follow the Levels Being Released From the Japanese Reactor Site?
What Is Radiation?
Workers and Security Screening
Living and Working Near an X-Ray Room

In addition to the FAQs listed above, answers to radiation-related questions may be found in the individual questions and answers posted on this website. Please see our complete listing of questions and answers if you cannot find the answer to your question here.

The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.