Question: Can Working with radioactive molecules give you radiation poisoning

Francis Man answered on 5 Mar 2018:

Yes it can, if you work with large amounts over a long period of time, or if it actually gets into your body.
In practice, working with radioactive molecules is very regulated by safety agencies and we work with very small amounts. Everyone who works with radioactivity wears monitors (when I’m in the lab I have one on my chest and 2 rings on my fingers) that measures how much we are exposed to. If it gets over a certain limit, we have to stop working and check that we are working properly (because normally we should not even be exposed to this limit).
We also use lead bricks (they’re like lego but much heavier) to shield the radioactivity. We also have detectors in each room, they beep if the radioactivity levels increase too much.

So basically:
– we use as little radioactivity as possible and for as short as possible
– we work as far away from the radioactivity source as possible
– we have protective equipment and monitoring equipment
So it’s very unlikely that we would suffer from radiation poisoning.

Another thing you should know is that some places are naturally more radioactive than others. For example there is more radioactivity in the ground in Cornwall than in other parts of the UK.