RADIATION

Radiation is energy travelling through space as waves or particles. There are two types of
radiation: ionizing and non-ionizing.

IONISING RADIATION
Ionizing radiation has enough energy to ionize (remove an electron from an atom) which can
change the chemical composition of the material.
Ionizing radiation is produced from natural and artificial radioactive materials. It is present
in the environment because naturally occurring radioactive materials such as uranium,
thorium, and actinium exist in the material that makes up planet Earth. This leads to exposure
to alpha, beta and gamma radiation. Natural radioactivity is present in the air we breathe,
food we eat, water we drink and even in our bodies. We are also exposed to natural ionizing
radiation that comes from outer space and passes through the atmosphere of the planet. This
is called cosmic radiation.
There are three main sources of artificial ionizing radiation. They are:
 medical uses including diagnosis of many diseases and treatment of cancer
 industrial uses, mainly in measurement and scientific research
 Fallout from nuclear weapons testing and accidents around the world.

Health effects of ionizing radiation

The fetus and children are more sensitive to ionizing radiation exposure than adults.
The high doses of ionizing radiation can cause harm, but there is continuing scientific
uncertainty about effects at low doses.
Extreme doses of radiation to the whole body, received in a short period, cause so much
damage to internal organs and tissues of the body that vital systems cease to function and
death may result within days or weeks. Very high doses (between about 1 Sievert and 10
Sievert), received in a short period, kill large numbers of cells, which can impair the function
of vital organs and systems. Acute health effects, such as nausea, vomiting, skin and deep
tissue burns, and impairment of the body’s ability to fight infection may result within hours,
days or weeks.

NON-IONIZING RADIATION
Non-ionizing radiation has less energy but can still excite molecules and atoms causing them
to vibrate faster.
Some examples of non-ionizing radiation are:
Solar radiation consists of several different forms of non-ionizing radiation, such as
ultraviolet (UV). Many modern technologies such as power-lines, electrical equipment and
mobile phone systems also produce forms of non-ionizing radiation. Light, radio, and
microwaves are types of radiation that are called nonionizing.

Health effects of non-ionizing radiation

Non-ionizing radiation may react with biological tissues through a variety of mechanisms.
As far as we know today, non-ionizing radiation is unable to directly affect genetic material
(DNA) because its energy level is not high enough to destroy the bonds between atoms and
molecules of body cells.
The harmful effects of non-ionizing radiation are of three main types: photochemical
(sunburn or snow blindness), thermal, and electrical.
The health effects of UV radiation include increasing incidence of squamous and basal cell
carcinoma and melanoma of the skin, a highly malignant cancer. This kind of radiation is
associated with excess exposure to the sun, which in addition to these skin cancers, causes
skin and eye burns, cataracts, reduced immunity, and damage to blood vessels. Infrared
radiation exposure over long periods is associated with increased risk of cataracts, impaired
fertility, and tissue damage.
Long-term exposure to cellular phone use, high-voltage power lines, and radio and radar
transmitters is suspected to be associated with increased risk of cancer, but this has not yet
been proven. Microwave exposures at high levels can damage vulnerable tissues, but the
level of dangerous exposure has not yet been conclusively determined

FAMOUS INCIDENCES OF DEATH BY RADIATION

 Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II
have been the only time in history such weapons have been used on people.
On August 6, 1945 the uranium bomb, “Little Boy”, was dropped on Hiroshima killing
70,000-80,000 people immediately. Three days later, the plutonium bomb, “Fat Man”, was
dropped on Nagasaki killing an estimated 40,000-75,000 instantly. Those that survived the
initial blasts were then subject to severe radiation and thermal burns, radiation sickness and
related diseases all aggravated by the lack of meckal resources. It is estimated that another
200,000 people had died by 1950 as a result of health effects of the bombings.
 Chernobyl
On April 26, 1986 a nuclear accident occurred on the Number 4 reactor at the Chernobyl
Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Workers at the plant were planning a test to determine how
long turbines would spin and supply power to the main circulating pumps following a loss of
main electrical power. Due to another regional power station going offline, the test was
delayed and as a result, the test was conducted over the night shift where the workers had not
been trained on the test procedure. Several subsequent errors, including a decision to disable
automatic shutdown mechanisms, led to an unstable reactor configuration with nearly all of
the control rods removed.
What is known is that there was a large steam buildup in the core that eventually exploded
releasing tons of radioactive steam and fission products into the air. Radiation levels in the
vicinity of the reactor core after the explosion were 30,000 times the lethal limit.
One person was killed immediately and his body was never found. Another died that same
day as a result of injuries received during the explosion. Acute radiation sickness was
originally diagnosed in 237 people on-site and involved with the clean-up and it was later
confirmed in 134 cases. Of these 28 people died within weeks of the accident, six of whom
were firefighters tasked with attending the fires on the roof of the turbine building. Nineteen
more subsequently died between 1987 and 2004. Nobody off-site suffered from acute
radiation effects, although a large proportion of childhood thyroid cancers diagnosed since
the accident is likely to be due to intake of radioactive iodine fallout. Subsequent studies in
the Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus estimate over 1 million people were affected by radiation
from Chernobyl, however the extent of its effects may never be truly known.