Q. 5.25 - An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry

Question

Two technicians in a nuclear laboratory were accidentally exposed to radiation. If one was exposed to $8 \mathrm{mGy}$ and the other to $5 rad$. which technician received more radiation?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The technician exposed to $5 rad$ received higher amount of radiation.

Step 1: Introduction

A $rad$i s a unit of measurement for the amount of radiation absorbed by one gramme of substance, such as biological tissue. The $Sl$ unit for measuring absorbed dosage is the $gray\left(Gy\right)$.

A $rad$ is a common measurement unit for how much radiation a material absorbs.

The link between the two is as follows:$rad$ and $gray$:

$1 \mathrm{Gy}={10}^2\mathrm{rad}$

$1 Gy=1,000 gray$

Therefore,

$1 mgray ={10}^{-3} Gy$

Step 2: Explanation

A technician was given $5 rads$ whereas the other was exposed to radiation$8 mGy$.

Convert the $8 mGy$ to rad using the conversion factor.

$8\mathrm{mGy}\times \frac{{10}^{-3} \mathrm{Gy}}{1\mathrm{mGy}}\times \frac{{10}^2\mathrm{rad}}{1Gy}=0.8\mathrm{rad}$

The aforementioned relationship makes it clear that$5 rad$ has a larger value than $8 mGy$.

As a result, the technician who was exposed to $5 rad$ received more radiation.