ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY

The course is aimed at providing the student with the basic knowledge on radioactivity and the implications in the environmental field: knowledge of the decay mechanisms; knowledge of the properties of ionizing radiation; knowledge of the effects in the matter crossed by ionizing radiation; knowledge of ionizing radiation sources in the environment; knowledge of environmental radioactivity monitoring systems; knowledge of the basic concepts of radio-protection.

Knowledge and understanding.
Critical understanding of the main phenomena related to radioactivity and its implications. Understanding of ionizing radiation monitoring methods and applications in the field of radiation protection.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
Ability to identify the essential elements of the mechanisms of radioactive decay and of the properties of the radiations emitted, and to know how to identify the most appropriate monitoring methods. Ability to use the tool of the analogy to apply known solutions in the field of ionizing radiation monitoring techniques to new problems (problem solving) and in different environmental contexts.

Communication skills.
Communication skills in the field of environmental Radioactivity and monitoring of ionizing radiation.

Learning skills.
Acquisition of adequate cognitive tools for the continuous updating of knowledge and the ability to access specialized literature both in the field of environmental radioactivity and in scientifically close fields.

The origin of the elements: unstable elements, energy balance, Q-value. Decay mechanisms: alpha, beta and gamma decays, neutron production, fission products. Recalls of the mechanisms of radiation-matter interaction. Direct ionizing radiation and indirectly ionizing radiation. Law of radioactive decay: probability of decay and average life, half-life, radioactive equilibrium. Natural decay chains. Natural sources and anthropogenic sources of radiation
ionizing. The Radon: implications and applications. Introduction to particle detectors: detection of charged particles, gamma radiation detection, neutron detection, detection efficiency. Monitoring of radioactivity: activity of a source, identification of radionuclide emitters, quantification of the concentration of radionuclides in environmental matrices, experimental monitoring techniques. Dosimetry and radiation protection elements: radiometric quantities and dosimetric quantities, effects of the interaction of ionizing radiations in the biological matter, absorption and shielding, outline of the regulation of dose limits. Notes on the techniques of control and reclamation of environmental matrices contaminated by radionuclides.

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