Can radiation be absorbed into the metal you are wearing on your clothes when you are in the room with a person being radiated?

Answer 1

There are different answers for different questions, lets separate the two possible questions you might mean; a metal absorbing the radiation, or the metal becoming radioactive because of the radiation.

Nuclear radiation is composed of neutrons, obviously you see why some metal are called neutron absorbers. In neutron absorbers the metal (e.g silver, lithium) are isotopes, (e.g uranium-235, uranium-238, not all isotopes are radioactive, but the uranium to the left is) they require neutrons to match the ratio of protons or neutrons to transform it into a different form. Neutron absorbers do not absorb aswell after the amount of neutrons needed to transform is obtained. Depending on the density and thickness of the material used (e.g a sheet of paper blocks alpha radiation really well!) the radiation may just simply pass through or be partially deflected. The conclusion is if the metal is a neutron absorber its absorbs it (without becoming radioactive), if the metal is in its normal form it deflects the radiation.

If the radiation is an intense neutron beam it may irradicate the material and make it radioactive (this is extremly rare for non-isotope metals though for isotopes, if the isotope is deficient in the normal amount of neutrons, then it is highly likely to absorb it) as the intense beam of neutrons is extremly likely to pass straight through, and if it doesn't it is also extremly likely the blocked radiation will be deflected as there is not a extra space in the non-isotope metal for the extra neutron. If this extremly rare event occurs it makes the metal's atoms unstable, and they start to collapse, ( or exchange subatomic particles and expand depending on the metal!) and also starts to emit radiation.

Answer 2

No, radiation is the exposure to a dangerous source such as nuclear chemicals or ect.