Radiation in physics is defined as radiation or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles. This means that all light in the universe is solid radiation, technically known as electromagnetic radiation. Particles ejected into space by stars are also radiation. The same goes for particles released from nuclear reactions. But not all emissions are of the same intensity.
Humanity is surrounded by a huge amount of harmless radiation (neutrinos, visible light, etc.). It is very rare that we are exposed to something that could be truly dangerous. For example, 100 trillion neutrinos pass through our body every second. To truly understand the effects of radiation, it is necessary to consider the rate of radiation exposure to which a person is exposed, as well as the duration of such exposure.
The effect of radiation on human health
The dangerous point of radiation is the ability of particles of a certain energy to ionize molecules in the body, especially in water. This can damage the elements of the cell that are critical to life. Radiation is able to break the bonds in molecules, which provokes changes in the structure of proteins and damage to DNA. A high enough dose of radiation can kill cells. And as soon as a large number of cells die, the organs begin to undergo pathological changes.
Radiation has been linked to cramps and heart problems and damage to blood vessels. It can also harm the digestive system, leading to diarrhea and bloody vomiting. Radiation can render people infertile and can weaken the immune system, which can lead to skin lesions and burns. With moderate-intensity radiation, organ damage may not be noticeable, but cancer may develop later.
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Radiation causes cancer not often
However, many scientists believe that radiation does not cause cancer as often as it seems. Scientific observations, which were carried out over a number of years, led scientists to the conclusion that after the nuclear attack on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a very small percentage of people developed cancer.
Based on data that was collected by 2000, only 7.9% of the surviving residents of these cities died of cancer. During the same time period, in other Japanese cities, approximately the same number of people died from oncology (7.5%). This suggests that the risk of disease associated with radiation exposure is negligible compared to other provoking factors.
Measurement of radiation intensity
The radiation dose is measured in sieverts. One sievert is considered the value at which a person gets sick, but radiation of eight sievert provokes instant death of a person. It may sound scary, but life is not like that.
On average, a person receives about a quarter of a sievert in their entire life. Hazard values are indicative and not precise. Acute radiation syndrome is a complex condition, and each organism reacts individually to a certain intensity of radiation.
Scientists affected by radiation
There is a controversial medical study by scientist Hisashi Ouchi, who, in an accident in 1999, was exposed to the highest levels of radiation that humans have ever experienced. He survived for 83 days and suffered excruciating pain. The human body received 17 sunlight in a split second, which is twice the lethal dose and 340 times the maximum dose that a nuclear reactor worker in the United States can receive in a year.
People have calculated that the amount of ionizing radiation is comparable to the hypocenter of a nuclear bomb explosion in Hiroshima. The book, which details the aftermath of the accident, claims that Ouchi's chromosomes were completely damaged.
In 1978, a not so terrible, but very important event took place in Russia. When checking faulty equipment, scientist Anatoly Bugorski was irradiated with a proton beam. He received more than 8 discharges of radiation. According to the scientist, he saw a flash brighter than a thousand suns, but did not feel pain. The left side of his face was swollen and the doctors thought he would die in a few days. But, to the surprise of everyone, the scientist survived. The left ear was deaf and the left side of the face was paralyzed.
These two examples are extreme cases in which radiation caused damage to the human body, but humanity should not be afraid of nuclear technology.
Radiation in medicine
Radiation is represented by a wide spectrum in medicine. The most common use is X-rays, which allow you to look inside the body.
Radioactive elements are also used to treat cancer and study certain biological functions. Even the particles of the beams, not too different from those that almost killed Bugorski, are used in medicine. Proton therapy is also used to kill tumors.
Power generation
When we think about the effect of radiation on a person, we immediately imagine the nuclear disasters that occurred in Chernobyl and Fukushima, but the production of nuclear energy remains one of the safest ways for people to get electricity.
“Nuclear power is an efficient source of generation for 11% of the world's electricity and is fairly safe,” Dr. Ben Britton, associate director of the Center for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College, told IFLScience.
Nuclear power is better than renewable resources such as solar power and hydroelectricity. There are many rules for the safe operation of nuclear power plants.
For example, if you live within 80 kilometers of a nuclear power plant, you get about 0.09 microsieverts, which is a paltry figure.
Most forms of radiation are harmless to us, but there is no doubt that some of them are very harmful. However, humanity can use this energy to make the world cleaner and the body healthier. It is important to perceive radiation without fear or prejudice.
Author: Maya Muzashvili