Final answer:
The EPA is the key agency that enforces protection measures against radiation, emphasizing reduced exposure time, distance from the source, and adequate shielding to minimize health risks associated with ionizing radiation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The agency responsible for protecting the public from the harmful use of radiation and minimizing radiation doses is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has several project groups focused on radioactive waste management, emergency preparedness, and response programs, as well as providing guidelines to safeguard the public against radiological incidents. Measures to minimize radiation exposure include limiting time spent in a radiation environment, maintaining distance from radiation sources due to the inverse square law of radiation intensity, and using appropriate shielding. Various devices such as Geiger counters, scintillators, and dosimeters are used to detect and measure radiation levels with the use of units like becquerels, gray, and sieverts to represent different aspects of radiation and its biological effects.