Radiation Safety Manual Glossary - (I)

Intake

quantity of material introduced into the body by inhalation, ingestion or through the skin (absorption, puncture, etc.)

Inverse Square Law

the intensity of radiation at any distance from a point source varies inversely as the square of that distance. For example: if the radiation exposure is 100 R/hr at 1 inch from a source, the exposure will be 0.01 R/hr at 100 inches.

Ion

an atom that has too many or too few electrons, causing it to be chemically active; such as an electron that is not associated (in orbit) with a nucleus. Ions may be positively or negatively charged, and vary in size.

Ionization

the process by which a neutral atom or molecule acquires either a positive or a negative charge.

Ionizing Radiation

any radiation capable of displacing electrons from atoms or molecules, thereby producing ions. Examples, alpha, beta, gamma, x-rays, neutrons and ultraviolet light. High doses of ionizing radiation may produce severe skin or tissue damage.

Ionization Chamber

an instrument designed to measure the quantity of ionizing radiation in terms of the charge of electricity associated with ions produced within a defined volume.

Ionizing Radiation

alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, x-rays, neutrons, high speed electrons, high speed protons, and other particles or electromagnetic radiation capable of producing ions.

Isotopes

nuclides having the same number of protons in their nuclei, and hence having the same atomic number, but differing in the number of neutrons, and therefore in the mass number. Almost identical chemical properties exist between isotopes of a particular element.