Ionizing radiation is a form of energy that works by removing electrons from atoms and molecules of materials including air, water, and living tissue. It can travel unseen and pass through these materials, and is located on the right side of the electromagnetic spectrum. Examples of ionizing radiation include heat or sunlight, microwaves in an oven, x-rays from an x-ray tube, and gamma rays from radioactive elements. Non-ionizing radiation is also a type of electromagnetic radiation, but it doesn't have enough energy to release electrons.
It can come from both natural and artificial sources, such as radiation in the environment of rocks and soil, as well as cosmic radiation from space. These radiation sources are called background radiation. Photons are indirect ionizing radiation since most ionized atoms are due to secondary beta particles. The boundary between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation in the ultraviolet area is not clearly defined, since different molecules and atoms ionize at different energies.
Ionizing radiation (or ionizing radiation), including nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have enough energy to ionize atoms or molecules by separating electrons from them.
