The location of a leaking container can be identified, and the container can be repackaged. Rad - radiation absorbed dose. It is the quantity of radiation leading to the absorption of 100 ergs of energy per gram of irradiated material. Rem - roentgen equivalent man. RBE x Dose in rads.
Alpha radiation is much more damaging for the same rads than gamma radiation.
10 rads of alpha radiation equals 200 rems, whereas 10 rad of gamma radiation equals 10 rems. Sievert - 100 rem. Sieverts are not as commonly used as rems, and perhaps have come into use to make the numbers appear less threatening. Curie - a measure of radioactivity. It is defined as 37 billion disintegrations per second.