Question: How do you protect yourself from Radiation

James Smallcombe answered on 15 May 2020:

The biggest protection is always distance. Radiation spreads out from a source in all directions so you can think of it being the same number of particles being spread over increasing spheres as you move away (A=4*pi*r^2). So your dose (the amount of radiation hitting you) decreases by distance squared (r^2). In my work this means we don’t go near the accelerators when they are turned on.
We also use a lot of concrete and lead shielding (walls). These are dense materials meaning there is just more stuff in between you and the radiation, meaning its more likely the radiation will hit something and lose its damaging energy before it can reach you.
We also wear badges with a piece of film inside that changes colour if it is exposed to radiation. The badge doesn’t directly protect us, but it means we can tell if we have had even a small exposure to radiation and stop working near radiation sources before we have enough dose for it to do any harm.