RadTown USA
How to Use RadTown
EPA designed RadTown with students and teachers in mind. We have provided both graphical and text-based ways to learn about sources and uses of radiation that you may encounter in your everyday life. Below is a guide to using the site and information on what you can expect to find in RadTown.
- How to navigate RadTown
- What you will find in the fact sheets
- Additional learning and teaching tools
How to navigate RadTown
RadTown provides two primary ways to find information about radiation sources:
- RadTown neighborhoods: This is the interactive, virtual community of RadTown USA, where you can discover the sources of radiation you might encounter in your own community. You will find sources of natural and man-made radiation in this virtual community.
Clicking on a neighborhood takes you inside the area, where you can explore some common places that that may contain radiation sources.
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Choosing a site in the neighborhood to explore will bring up a list of fact sheets for you to review. To exit the site, click the “X” at the top right of the page and you will be placed back in the neighborhood. |
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2. RadTown A to Z: This page lists all the RadTown fact sheets, alphabetically and by neighborhood. From this page you can select a specific fact sheet to review. |
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What you will find in the fact sheets
Each fact sheet covers four aspects of the radiation topic:
- About the radiation source or issue. This section serves as an introduction to each radiation source and will provide background information about where you might find the source and how it affects people.
- Rules and Guidance that the government or other organizations have in place to help protect you. This section of the fact sheet lists the agencies and organizations that are responsible for regulating the radiation sources and inspecting its use.
- What you can do to protect yourself or lessen your radiation exposure. While government regulators have a responsibility to protect us by regulating industries, devices, and uses of radiation, there are some personal choices that we can make to help lessen our exposure to radiation. This portion of each fact sheet provides guidance on making those choices.
- Where to learn more about the radiation source or issue. This section of the fact sheet provides a list of the references we used to create the fact sheet, as well as additional references that you may find helpful as you continue to learn more about the topic.
Additional learning and teaching tools
Educational Materials: For educators looking to find ways to make learning about radiation interactive and fun, we have created educational activities for middle and high school students. All activities are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and the Vocabulary Activities are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for easy incorporation in lesson plans. For more information about the U.S. EPA Radiation Education Activities, please visit the Educational Materials section of RadTown.
Puzzles and Games: In addition to fact sheets and educational materials, we have created RadTown games and puzzles for students. These educational games were designed to help introduce and reinforce the concepts and vocabulary used in RadTown and the U.S. EPA Radiation Education Activities. To play RadTown games and puzzles, please visit the Games section of RadTown.