| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| tennishorned |
Posted - 02/22/2024 : 08:29:55
My GMC-320Plus turned up. I like it so far, but I haven't had a chance to test it on anything yet. This is my first counter. At roughly 20–30 CPM, background radiation is displayed. I tried it since I heard that new dryer lint emits radiation, but nothing seemed to happen. |
| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| ihab17 |
Posted - 03/04/2024 : 02:53:16
quote:
Originally posted by tennishorned
I heard that new dryer lint emits radiation, but nothing seemed to happen.
The radiation we are discussing here using Geiger counters is the what is called IONIZING radiation, meaning a particle or a wave like one of the following:
- An electron (Beta particle) ejected at high speeds from the nucleus going through radioactive decay because it is unstable
- A Helium nucleus (Alpha particle) ejected from the nucleus of the atom going through radioactive decay because it is unstable
- A high frequency electromagnetic wave like X-rays and Gamma rays, radiated from the nucleus going through radioactive decay because it is unstable
All these three categories are considered IONIZING radiation because of their capability to ionize the atoms they might hit, and knocking out electrons, changing the chemical composition, which is highly harmful for living tissues
Electronic and electric devices surely emit electromagnetic waves at different frequencies, but those are NOT ionizing radiations, unless you are talking about an X-Ray machine at the hospital. Your internet router or wireless access point emits electromagnetic radiation, but they are not ionizing radiations and cannot be detected by a Geiger counter rather than another type of detector, but keep in mind that they are NOT ionizing. They can be harmful to the tissues like the microwave oven, but they are NOT ionizing.
So when you say that a dryer emits radiation, you are right, but not the type of radiation that a Geiger counter can detect. Needless to say that almost everything emits radiation. You yourself is a source of radiation, an infrared radiator if you will, that can be detected even at dark nights with an infrared or thermal camera, but what you emit is not dangerous and not ionizing, unless you drank or ate a highly contaminated radioactive material from Chernobyl, which then you should run to the hospital for radiation therapy as soon as possible :) |
| ullix |
Posted - 02/26/2024 : 05:44:25
Why on earth should dryer lint emit radiation? Where did that come from?
As a 101 intro I suggest my article "Potty Training" ( https://sourceforge.net/projects/geigerlog/files/Articles/ )
It also tells you what thing in your house and garden you may test for radiation. (They will all be harmless!) |
| EmfDev |
Posted - 02/22/2024 : 11:25:09
The background CPM seems normal. If you do not replace it for a long time it may accumulate radioactive dust. You may need to wait for a whole minute when measuring it to check. |
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