Atom:

The smallest particle of a chemical element that cannot be divided or broken up by chemical means. An atom consists of a central nucleus of protons and neutrons, and orbital electrons surrounding the nucleus.

Averted (or avertable) dose:

The dose to be prevented by the particular protective action (i.e., the difference between the dose to be expected without stable iodine blockade and that to be expected with it).

Background radiation:

Ionizing radiation that occurs naturally in the environment including: cosmic radiation; radiation emitted by naturally occurring radionuclides in air, water, soil, and rock; radiation emitted by naturally occurring radionuclides in tissues of humans and other organisms; and radiation emitted by human-made materials containing incidental amounts of naturally occurring radionuclides (such as building materials). Background radiation may also include radiation emitted by residual fallout from nuclear-weapons tests that has been dispersed throughout the world. The average annual effective dose due to natural background radiation in the United States is about 0.1 rem, excluding the dose due to indoor radon, and the average annual effective dose due to indoor radon is about 0.2 rem.

Becquerel (Bq):

The special name for the SI unit of activity; 1 Bq = 1 disintegration per second.

Benign tumor:

A general category of tumors that does not invade surrounding tissue. Benign tumors are characterized by slow growth through expansion. Such tumors are not malignant or cancerous.

Beta particle:

An energetic electron emitted spontaneously from nuclei in decay of some radionuclides and produced by transmutation of a neutron into a proton; also called beta radiation and sometimes shortened to beta (for example, beta-emitting radionuclide). Beta particles are not highly penetrating, and the highest-energy beta radiation can be stopped by a few centimeters of plastic or aluminum.

Cancer:

A malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis.