Re: Radioactive SparkPlugs

["Steven T. Ratliff" <str@nwc.edu>]

On 1/30/98 Tim Sullivan wrote:
[.................]
> Dose from gammas goes up as R^2, so the time to
> receive a significant dose goes down fast as you start handling it up close.
> If it was designed to ionize air, that is more effectively accomplished  with
> betas. That raises the possiblity that the source may be unsealed which
> increases the risk of spreading the material around, or ingesting it. Also,
> that means that the total dose will increase much faster than R^2 as you
> get  close to handle it.

Why in this case will the dose increase much faster than R^2?






Steven T. Ratliff
Associate Professor of Physics
Northwestern College
3003 Snelling Av. N.
Saint Paul, MN  55113-1598

Internet:  stratliff@nwc.edu (or str@nwc.edu)