Beta radiation (β-radiation or β (beta))

Beta radiation consists of high-energy, high-speed electrons (beta minus, β–) or positrons (beta plus, β+) that are expelled from the nucleus of unstable atoms during the process of beta decay. Beta particles are moderately penetrating ionizing radiation: they can travel centimeters in air and millimeters in human tissue, posing an external hazard primarily to skin and superficial tissues, and a far greater internal hazard if beta-emitting materials are ingested or inhaled. Beta radiation is used therapeutically in medicine (e.g., radiopharmaceuticals that emit beta particles to target tumors), but it is not a druggable molecular target in the way proteins or receptors are. Its biological and clinical effects are mediated entirely through its physical ionizing interactions with cellular molecules, chiefly via the production of reactive free radicals and direct DNA damage. Excessive exposure causes burns, cellular mutation, and increases cancer risk. Beta radiation is characterized by intermediate ionizing capacity and penetration compared to alpha and gamma radiation.

Other names

Beta particleBeta rayβ-particleBeta emission

Beta radiation causes biological effects by ionizing atoms in tissues, leading to DNA damage and cellular injury.