re: Radiation effects - Nuclear explosion

quote:

---

nothing stops gamma radiation at all. Gamma rays emitted from the sun go through everything on this earth, up to and including the earth.

---

You are thinking of neutrinos (not to be confused with neutrons). Gamma rays can be stopped decently well by dense materials

The reason why neutrinos pass though the earth unaffected is because they are so small. They can fit in the many open spaces between atoms and cause no harm as they pass.

Trillions upon trillions of neutrinos pass through your body every second.

Any compound with big nuclei.

Lead is the most commonly used one, because of its very high density while still remaining nonradioactive (There is a point of nuclei size where it is inherently unstable and beyond which, all atoms are radioactive....there are some instances that depleted uranium is ironically used as a radiation shield because it is 5 times more effective than lead).

Should be noted that anything can stop gamma radiation. Just a question of space you are willing to devote to it. The denser the material is, the more space efficient it is. Nuclear reactors use concrete I believe, because thick concrete also serves other containment benefits.

It would take 18 cm of water to have the same shielding ability as 1 cm of lead....and it would take 15000 cm of air to have that same shielding ability as 1 cm of lead.