Types Of Ionizing Radiation On The Human Body

According to Ecker and Bramesco, the majority of the understanding of the effects of radiation comes from the research from the atomic bombings of the town of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (107). There is a greater effect when a dose of radiation is given all at once rather than over an extended period of time (105), However, as soon as radiation hits an individual there are some immediate effects and more long term effects. Some long issues that has come up due to the radiation of the atomic bomb were the more frequent cases of leukemia, cancer, and cataracts than people who weren’t affected from radiation (Ecker and Bramseco 107). Also, mutations can be a long term effect. Naturally, mutations occur at a low rate. Radiation can increase the number of mutation cases because it is a mutagen (Nasr and Hoyle). Some short term effects would be radiation sickness called acute somatic effects. Acute means severe and somatic means ‘related to the body’. The first signs of radiation sickness are nausea, throwing-up, and fever and

Medalia (2011) concludes that ionizing radiation, in other words radiation separate from harmless radio waves and light, has the ability to knock electrons out of atoms, causing a condition that produces an electrically charged atom that can damage human cells. Only a very small amount is needed to produce biological change. Symptoms include cancer, genetic mutations, sickness, vomiting, diarrhea, hemorrhaging, and at high doses, death within hours (Medalia 2011).

The process where food is exposed from nuclear sources consists of food irradiation, which is limited to high-energy gamma rays, X-rays and accelerated electrons. Ionizing is source of radiation because of the high-energy free electrons from atoms and molecules. The electrically charged particles are converted to ions. Microwaves are example of gamma rays. Accelerated electrons can transfuse to treat the food only to a depth of three centimeters. Due to thickness of x-rays may pass through the food.

In 1899 Rutherford discovered radioactivity as well as alpha, beta and gamma rays, these were found while he was performing studies on the absorption of radioactivity, which was done by using thin sheets of metal and two components that he found, alpha and beta. Alpha radiation is absorbed by a centimetre of a few thousandths of metal foil. Beta radiation can progress through 100 times as much foil before it will be absorbed. While Rutherford found the two rays he yet found another shortly after called the gamma ray which can puncture as much as several centimetres of lead.

Ionizing radiationHelpIonizing radiationRadiation with so much energy it can knock electrons out of atoms. Ionizing radiation can affect the atoms in living things, so it poses a health risk by damaging tissue and DNA in genes. has sufficient energy to cause chemical changes in cells and damage them. Some cells may die or become abnormal, either temporarily or permanently. By damaging the genetic material

This kind of exposure is likely from not taking the correct protective measures when being around higher levels of radiation. The effects from chronic exposure can be after you have had and acute exposure as well. This would be where radioactive material has tried to have been fixed. Some longer lasting effects of being exposed to higher levels of radiation is differents types of cancer. Some of the types of cancer consist of leukaemia, bone cancer, thyroid cancer, and lung cancer. Sometimes even genetic effects like some malformations in children born to parents exposed to radiation. Not every child born from parents who have been exposed will have malformations but they have a higher chance. This can also go for animals as

Iodine 131 emits Beta and Gamma radiation. Beta radiation consists of electrons and its penetrating power is very low whereas Gamma

viewed to be the most devastating form of radiation for a living organism. Due to their

With human exposure to radiation, you have to take into account not just how much radiation you’ve been exposed to, but how much you have been exposed to over time, the type of radiation you were exposed to and the intensity of the radiation you have been exposed to. Start with Alpha particles, alpha particles are low energy radioactive particles that deflect off our clothes, so in this case it shouldn’t hurt is too badly. The big issue with Alpha particles is you can eat the alpha particles which can cause bad things like lung cancer. Beta particles are stronger but smaller than the alpha particles, they’re 8000 times smaller than alpha particles. These particles can go through our skin which can cause problems. The worst radiation is called Gamma rays, these rays come at your skin with extreme high energy and it can hurt

Ionizing radiation is a type of radiation that is able to disrupt atoms and molecules on which they pass through, giving rise to ions and free radicals. It is made up of energetic subatomic particles, ions or atoms moving at high speeds, and electromagnetic waves on the high-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum. There are five primary types of Ionizing Radiation, Alpha Particles, Beta Particles, Gamma Rays, X-Rays and Neutrons. Alpha Particles are charged particles, which are two neutrons and two protons. They have a very limited ability to penetrate other materials, because they travel short distances and they have large mass. The only hazard that the caused is when they are inhaled. Beta Particles are electrons or positrons, which are

Gamma rays are the most destructive forms of light as they are found in the atomic bomb

The radiation that is used can be powerful to damage the DNA that is in the cells of the body. Radiation can cause more mutations in the body, aside from those that are already present in the cells, these mutations can also be passed down towards more future generations. It can also cause unbalance in cell. The energy from the radiation travels to the body tissue, this can cause cell damage or cell death. In some cases there are no effects but in other cases the cell becomes abnormal and has mutations. This happens when the tissue of the body has absorbed a lot of energy. There is no answer for which is more common, environmental or genetic. They both play a role in cancer, for example the gene can be genetically passed on with the mutation but it can be prevented. Although there are the environmental factors that can cause that mutation to keep on growing in the life of the person who has it. The mutation that is already in the gene can be disrupted and grow out of control causing

Gamma radiation can only be stopped by thick materials, concrete and lead (BBC, 2014). This type of radiation is mostly used in the medical setting, treating cancer, and used in the sterilization of equipment used in medical settings (BBC, 2014). Radiation used in sterilization of equipment can pass through plastic, rubber, and kill bacteria and viruses (BBC, 2014). Tracers are either eaten or injected. They show where the tracer has built up in body, indicating abnormal areas, possibly cancer or tumors (BBC, 2014). This leaves medical workers being at risk for exposure to these rays, which can lead to genetic mutations long-term. Lead aprons and barrier walls would be the best route to mitigate these types of rays, since they cannot be avoided by these workers.

X-rays were first discovered in 1895, and from that moment on, the use of x-rays as a diagnostic tool has been instrumental in diagnosing disease. Although commonly called x-rays, or simply radiation, scientists have more specifically termed the form of radiation, “ionizing radiation.” The World Health Organization defines ionizing radiation as “radiation with enough energy, so that during an interaction with an atom, it can remove tightly bound electrons from the orbit of an atom, causing the atom to become charged or ionized” (2014). Because the human body is made up of atoms, ionizing radiation has the ability to alter the composition of atoms in the body, by targeting electrons. This effect can alter DNA structure and function, which

The effects of ionizing radiation include cell death, chromosomal aberrations, DNA damage, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis and these are caused due to the direct ionization of cell structures, specifically DNA, or result indirectly due to the reactive oxygen species produced by radiolysis of water. The main contributing factor to such effects is the irreparable or misrepaired DNA damage in cells.( Desouky et al, 2015)