Question: What are the dangers of using gamma rays in your work?

Rowena Fletcher-Wood answered on 9 Mar 2014:

Interesting question – this could mean two things: 1) how are gamma rays dangerous, or 2) how does my work expose me to the risks of gamma rays.

I’ll answer both.

1) Gamma rays are a form of ionising radiation. You may have heard adverts for foods containing anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants sweep up radicals which are molecules with an odd electron that go around stealing other electrons off other molecules. Gamma rays can make these radicals, which then rampage around damaging our cells causing radiation sickness and possibly even cancer. Gamma radiation is very penetrating and easily enters our bodies – so very dangerous indeed!

2) My work is actually very safe because I work on one side of a lead shield (a construction of lead bricks) and my sample sits on the other side. The only risk comes when changing the sample (which I don’t do myself as its not my Mossbauer spectrometer and I’m not signed off to do it. I stand a couple of steps back and watch). I prepare the samples in advance and changing them over is pretty quick. Before and after we change a sample we check the lab for radiation leaks using a Geiger-Muller counter.