Radiation monitoring is used in different industries such as power, medical, environmental, and mining fields. Radiation is a scientific term given to molecular particles containing protons, neutrons and electrons which when excited can produce energy and give off radiation. Different types of radiation have the ability to pass through different materials and objects. Molecular particles create different waves which can travel through space and can be blocked by different types of solid materials. Alpha waves are blocked by paper; beta waves by aluminum plates; while gamma waves can be reduced when passing through lead. Radiation monitoring of these types of waves is important as high exposure can result and harm people and the environment. One of the types of ionizing radiation is X-Rays, which give off electromagnetic waves that produce low levels of radiation and can pass through most objects. Thus it was adopted in medical field as well as other fields.

When the X-Rays collide with certain objects such as bones in the body, they cannot pass through, thereby producing an image that shows the scanned area. Radiation exposure from X-Rays can be limited by radiation monitoring and by placing the X-Ray technician behind a protective barrier and covering the areas on the patient’s body which are not being X-Rayed. Radiation monitoring is applied regularly by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to monitor the levels or radiation in the air and rain water. Periodic testing of drinking water and milk supplies becomes also a necessity to ensure that people are not exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. The EPA has increased its monitoring procedures after radiation that was released at the Fukushima Nuclear plant in Japan reached the west coast of the United States. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides global support and radiation monitoring in and around the affected areas in Japan. The agency also provides support in reviewing procedures when accidents occur, and guidelines which can prevent accidents caused by workers, like the Chernobyl nuclear disaster which occurred twenty-five years ago.

The long term effects of nuclear radiation make areas uninhabitable and damage the environment.
Chernobyl and the surrounding areas are still being monitored for radiation even today. Workers are still attempting to contain the nuclear fallout with only one fifteen minute shift a day because of the high levels of radiation that is still coming from the broken reactor. Workers must wear personal monitoring devices which signal when high levels of exposure have been reached. The long term damage caused by Chernobyl has resulted in several cities near the plant being abandoned, with one city completely uninhabitable. Abandoned and uninhabitable cities near the plant are a result of the long term damage caused by the reactor explosion. Radiation monitoring devices are necessary for people’s protection from large doses of radiation. Universal Detection Technology provides radiation detectors to nuclear plants, government agencies and local agencies as well as to the general public for personal use. The company has over thirty years of experience in air monitoring as well as providing detection solutions for chemical, biological and radiological weapons. For further information about radiation monitoring solutions, visit our website at www.udetection.com or call us at 310-248-3655.