Nuclear Radiation In Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms an isotope of americium which emits alpha particles is used in smoke alarms.

Chemical reaction vs nuclear reaction. Alpha radiation cannot penetrate a sheet. The nrc allows this beneficial use of radioactive material because a smoke detectors ability to save lives far outweighs any health risk from the radiation. Ionization chamber smoke detectors the most common type use radiation to detect smoke.

The amount of radiation in a smoke detector is extremely small. This is well below the background radiation level of about 360 millirems a year. Ionization smoke detectors have a small americium source encased in a layer of foil and ceramic which stops the alpha particles from traveling outside of the smoke detector.

For example in some kind of smoke detectors you can meet man made radionuclides such as americium 241 which is a source of alpha particlesthe ionization smoke detector has two ionization chambers one open to the air and a reference chamber which does not allow the entry of particles. The primary radiation from a smoke detector is atomic particle called an alpha particle which can travel only a short distance but has the ability to charge the air molecules in the ionization chamber inside the smoke detector thereby creating the current necessary to operate the detector. Radiation particularly associated with nuclear medicine and the use of nuclear energy along with x rays is ionizing radiation which means that the radiation has sufficient energy to interact with matter especially the human body and produce ions ie.

David charles hahn october 30 1976 september 27 2016 sometimes called the radioactive boy scout or the nuclear boy scout was an american man who built a homemade neutron source at the age of seventeen. The radioactive source emits alpha particles into both chambers which ionizes some air molecules. Other uses of radiation smoke alarms.

A household smoke alarm measures the movement of alpha particles across a small gap. If a smoke detector contains radioactive materials a printed notice on the packaging will say so. Ionization smoke detectors expose people to a tiny amount of radiationabout 1100 of a millirem per year.

Smoke detectors have saved thousands of lives since they came into use in the 1960s. It can eject an electron from an atom. This interaction between ionizing radiation and.

Alpha particles are easily absorbed. Alpha radiation ionises the air and this allows a small current to flow between two electrodes. Because of this shielding the smoke detector poses no radiation health risk when they are properly handled.

The smoke detector senses the drop in current between the plates and sets off the horn.