Everyday Exposure to Radiation Radiation Doses from Natural Sources. NRC Reference Library Nuclear Regulatory Commission including a glossary of terms Index of Radioisotopes Nuclear Regulatory Commission Isotopes, Metals, and Organic Chemicals of Potential Concern in all parts of the Nuclear fuel cycle Department of Energy Hanford Uranium Radiation Properties WISE info includes composition of uranium isotopes in depleted uranium from enrichment of natural uranium. The Health Costs of Low-Level Ionizing Radiation Includes Nuclear Radiation and its Biological Effects and Radiotoxic and Chemotoxic Properties of Depleted Uranium. Las Vegans receive a daily average dose of radiation from the sun of about 6 millirems. Exposure to an X-ray is about 10 millirems.
Atoms are the basic building blocks of all matter.
Unstable atoms that decay within a fraction of a second to billions of years are called radionuclides. The rate of decay is known as a half-life, or the time it takes half the radioactive atoms to decay. Nuclear bombs are designed to bring together a large amount of atoms together so they split, creating energy, in a process called fission. The fissionable materials create a chain reaction that rapidly consumes the material and explodes. Has the greatest penetrating power of the three types.