When I was conducting Radiation Worker Training for PSEG in Salem, NJ, one of the concepts that new employees had to understand in order to pass the exam, was the difference between Radioactive Material (the stuff that gives off radiation) and Radiation (the energy/particles that are emitted by the material). Particularly, they had a hard time distinguishing what happens when you ingest or inhale the material from being exposed to the energy when it’s outside of your body.
For many students it was a breeze and a few of your standard examples and explanations was enough for them to “get it.” However, there were always a few folks who had a hard time figuring it out. Try as I could, even with some private tutoring it was a tough concept for them to grasp. So, I put to use one of the skills I have developed over the years and came up with an innovative, and fun way to explain the difference.
The eureka moment came while I was grocery shopping.
When I need to be creative, one trick I use (it’s really not a trick as much as a technique) is to keep my mind open to everything I’m experiencing while reminding myself of my objective. In this case I was open to a way to use a unique but common example to demonstrate the difference between Radiation and Radioactive Material.
Well, while I was in the grocery store I strolled into the cookie aisle to get some cookies for my kids. When I reached for a box of butter cookies I said out loud “here are some beta butter cookies.” That was it! Excitedly I grabbed two boxes, one for the kids and one for my training class. I also bought a box of “alpha wafers,” along with a “neutron party mix” and “gamma crackers.” (Alpha, beta, gamma and neutron are the common terms used for the energy/particles that are omitted by radioactive material.)
When I got home the first thing the kids and I did was make new labels for the boxes. They were an awesome training prop. Not only did they get a laugh but I was able to use them as a demonstration of what happens when you ingest radioactive material and other points about radiation vs. radioactive material. These props worked way better than a slide or drawn demonstration.
‘till next time.
Richard
