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.