That “CAUTION IONIZING RADIATION” yellow and black warning sign is intimidating enough to frighten anyone – as though any thought of radiation exposure is enough to us running for SCBAs, chemical suits, and bunkers.
Let’s not get carried away, though. We’re all exposed to natural sources of ionizing radiation on a daily basis, such as soil, water, vegetation, and in human-made sources such as X-rays and medical devices. More than 60 naturally-occurring radioactive materials are found in soil, water and air. Certainly ionizing radiation can cause diseases and death if we are exposed to too much, but ionizing radiation isn’t a risk unless a living organism is exposed to too much.