One of the sources of background radiation is rock and soil.
Definition: Background radiation
Radiations that originate from a radioactive compound in the earth’s crust and from particles and rays entering the earth’s atmosphere are known as background radiations. Background radiation is present in our surroundings itself.
Natural sources of background radiation are
- cosmic rays – radiation that reaches the Earth from space
- rocks and soil – some rocks are radioactive and give off radioactive radon gas
- living things – plants absorb radioactive materials from the soil and these pass along the food chain and food web
