Americium-241 is a radioactive isotope that emits alpha (α\alphaα) particles. It is used inside household smoke detectors.
Give one reason why the alpha radiation emitted by the americium-241 does not pose a health hazard to people in the same room.
94 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 6.5 Uses and dangers of radioactivity, covering 6.5.1 Uses of radioactivity, 6.5.2 Dangers of ionising radiation and precautions, 6.5.3 Half-life and radiation dangers, 6.5.4 Safety precautions for radiation exposure, and 6.5.5 Contamination and irradiation. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.