A discrete radioactive particle that contacts skin could cause what risk?

A discrete radioactive particle that contacts skin could cause what risk?

• A. It will vanish
• B. The legal dose limit could be exceeded
• C. It becomes inert
• D. It cannot cause any health effect

Answer: (B)

When a discrete radioactive particle contacts skin, the risk comes from contamination delivering radioactive energy to the skin and potentially to the body if the material is transferred or absorbed. Even a small particle can contribute to the dose a worker receives; if it remains on the skin or is transferred to the body, the total exposure can accumulate toward regulatory limits. The legal dose limit is set to prevent harmful effects, so this contamination can push exposure toward or beyond that limit if not handled and decontaminated promptly. The material isn’t going to vanish or become inert—radioactivity remains until it decays—and it can cause health effects if doses are high enough or if the contamination is internalized.

When a discrete radioactive particle contacts skin, the risk comes from contamination delivering radioactive energy to the skin and potentially to the body if the material is transferred or absorbed. Even a small particle can contribute to the dose a worker receives; if it remains on the skin or is transferred to the body, the total exposure can accumulate toward regulatory limits. The legal dose limit is set to prevent harmful effects, so this contamination can push exposure toward or beyond that limit if not handled and decontaminated promptly. The material isn’t going to vanish or become inert—radioactivity remains until it decays—and it can cause health effects if doses are high enough or if the contamination is internalized.