Facts About Radiation Radiation Safety Facts About Radiation Radiation and radioactivity occur naturally in the physical world. All living beings require some kinds of radiation just to live. Light and heat, for example, are two basic forms of radiation necessary for all life on Earth.
Radiation is a form of energy.
Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of energy from certain elements, and from other elements under special conditions, in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves. Cosmic rays filtering down through the atmosphere, and radon gas filtering up through the soil, are sources of natural radiation. This radiation is called background radiation. It is present everywhere, all the time and varies greatly depending on our geographical location. These sources account for less than one-fifth of our total radiation exposure.