From my understanding, radiation is just gamma rays which are electromagnetic waves with really high frequency (and energy). While I do understand how they can be harmful when exposed to them (killing off cells etc.), I can’t wrap my head around how does something gets contaminated by radiation and continues to be radioactive sometimes for hundreds of years even when the source of the gamma rays is long gone.
In: Physics
Well to start with your classic forms of radiation are alpha radiation (basically, helium nuclei), beta radiation (basically, ~~neutrons~~ edit: electrons/positrons) and gamma rays.
But more importantly, “contaminated by radiation” generally means “contaminated with radioactive particles” rather than “zapped with gamma rays”. Eg, it’s got plutonium dust all over it, or something similar. If you have been contaminated with a substance like this, it will decay over time and irradiate you.
The other form of “contaminated by radiation) means that you’ve gotten a dose of it radiation that transformed materials from nonradioactive elements and isotopes into radioactive ones.
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