Radiation Protection Glossary

A radiation protection glossary for Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS), Radiation Protection Advisers (RPA) and anyone else interesting in radiation safety terms and definitions. The glossary is a mixture of health physics , phrases related to radiation protection legislation, transport, practical safety, technical terms and similar.

Search the Glossary by either clicking on a letter or typing a keyword into the search box. This glossary is relational so when looking at one term you can click through to other related terms as required.

For formal advice, see our Radiation Protection Adviser pages. 

Consumer Products

Any household product that contains a quantity of radioactive material yielding Ionising Radiation for reasons of functionality of that item. Examples include ionisation smoke detectors (e.g. Am-241) and luminising items such as watches and clocks which may contain, for example, radium. Consumer products from by-gone-days are a potentially significant radiation hazard if not carefully stored and protected from damage.

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school

– Albert Einstein -