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Types of Radiation and Medical Radiation

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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
TYPES OF RADIATION
In order to appreciate how radiation energy works, it is imperative to know the types of radiation. The different sources of radiation can be grouped under either Ionising radiation or Non-ionising radiation. Ionizing radiation is a type of radiation that is made up of high-energy waves which has the capability of displacing and breaking atomic electron bonds holding up the molecules of matter together resulting in chemical change which can lead to harmful effects. Ionizing radiation can further be divided into either; a) Natural background radiation comes from the natural sources like radioactive substances in the soil, radioactive gases given off from the earth such as radon, Very small amounts of radioactivity in the body, and Cosmic rays from the solar system (the sun, stars and outer space) b) Medical radiation which comes from Diagnostic radiology includes using X-ray machines to get radiographs (pictures) of the inside of the body ,Nuclear medicine which involves drinking a radioactive substance or injecting it into the body to help with diagnosing or treating diseases and Radiotherapy which uses high energy rays (gamma) to kill cancer cells c) Non medical radiation includes nuclear radiation that comes from previous nuclear weapon explosions or accidents throughout the world, such as that at Chernobyl
On the contrary, Non-ionizing radiation is made up of energy waves that have enough energy to move

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