Radiation Terms and Definitions
This page provides a list of general terms that are used to describe aspects of radiation science. Click on the desired term from the list to retrieve the definition for the term.
Activation Agreement State Air sampling Airborne radioactivity area ALARA Alpha particle Annual limit on intake (ALI) Atom Atomic energy Atomic Energy Commission Atomic number Attenuation Background radiation Becquerel (Bq) Beta particle Bioassay Biological half-life Buildup factor Byproduct Chain reaction Charged particle Collective dose Committed dose equivalent Committed effective dose equivalent Compact Contamination Cosmic radiation Counter Critical organ Cumulative dose Curie (Ci) Decay products Decay, radioactive Declared pregnant woman Decommission Decontamination Depleted uranium Derived air concentration (DAC) Detector Deterministic effect Dose Dose rate Dose, absorbed Dose, equivalent Dosimeter Dosimetry Effective half-life Electromagnetic radiation Electron Element Exposure External radiation Extremities Film badge Fissile material Fission (fissioning) Fission gases Fission products Fissionable material Fusion reaction Gamma radiation Gamma rays Gaseous diffusion plant Geiger-Mueller Counter Gray (Gy) Half-life Half-life (biological) Half-life (effective) Health physics High radiation area High-enriched uranium High-level waste Ionizing-Radiation Warning Symbol Isotope Kilo- Low-level waste Mega- Megacurie Micro- Microcurie Mill tailings Milli- Millirem Molecule Nano- Nanocurie Natural uranium Neutron Neutron capture Noble gas Nonstochastic effect NORM Nuclear energy Nuclear force Nuclear power plant Nucleus Nuclide Parent Periodic table Personnel monitoring Photon Pico- Picocurie Plutonium (Pu) Pocket dosimeter Proportional counter Proton Quality factor Rad Radiation area Radiation detection instrument Radiation sickness (syndrome) Radiation source Radiation standards Radiation warning symbol Radiation weighting factor Radioactive contamination Radioactive series Radioactivity Radiography Radioisotope Radiological survey Radiology Radionuclide Radiosensitivity Radium (Ra) Radon (Rn) Reference man rem (Roentgen Equivalent Man) Risk Room return Scattered radiation Scintillation detector Sealed source Shielding Sievert (Sv) Somatic effects of radiation Source material Source term Special nuclear material Stable isotope Stochastic effects Survey meter Terrestrial radiation Thermoluminescent dosimeter Tritium Ultraviolet Unstable isotope Uranium Uranium fuel fabrication facility Uranium hexafluoride production facility Waste, radioactive Weighting factor (WT) Well-logging Whole-body counter Whole-body exposure Wipe sample X rays
