An alpha-emitting powder is accidentally breathed into the lungs. The same powder would give little exposure to living cells if it remained outside intact skin. Why does breathing it in increase the hazard?
It increases the half-life of the nuclei inside the powder.
It changes alpha radiation into more penetrating gamma radiation.
It places strongly ionising radiation next to living cells.
It makes the alpha particles penetrate further through tissue.
97 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.