How to measure radiation yourself?

How to measure radiation yourself is a concept that to the average person, will no doubt elicit a feeling of inferiority, blind panic and utter bewilderment. Regarding this as some sort of exotic, highly complex and demanding process that will require no shortage of expertise and technical know-how, How to measure radiation yourself is an issue that is only for the wonderful academics of Harvard and the Ivy Leaguers. Or is it?

There is an assumption that because radiation is invisible and undetectable to the human senses, there is no way to measure it. Actually nothing could be further from the truth and scientists have managed to devise and produce a number of different items that have managed to allow people the opportunity to more readily and effectively to know How to measure radiation yourself.

Please note that there is no single type of radiation, and the term radiation itself is nothing more than a convenient umbrella term that encompasses and refers to, a number of different entities. This is an important issue to be aware of because different types of radiation can only be effectively measured and detected by means of specialised equipment designed for that specific purpose.

For example, the Geiger counter, or the Geiger-Müller counter to use the full term for it, is a radiation detection device that is most commonly associated in the mind of the public as being the primary means of detecting nuclear radiation, but in actual fact it also happens to be used for any form of ionizing radiation.

It is worth noting that the Geiger counter appears to be a victim of its own success and the reason for this is that whilst many people purchase it specifically to aid in the detection of gamma based radiation, the Geiger counter is especially effective at this task. Specifically, there have been reports and concerns that a Geiger counter may result in false negatives being reported i.e. a dosage of gamma ray based radiation passing through undetected which poses a threat to the user.

However, given their availability and ease of use, not to mention portability, Geiger counters are very good choices indeed.