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EFFECTS OF RADIATION

The most harmful property of radioactive material is the damage that it can cause to human beings. That property of radioactive material is called "Energy transfer". Energy transfer is particularly dangerous because any source of energy transfer to cells can cause chemical bonds to be broken and malfunctioning of the cell systems. Sooner of later, it will lead to cancer.

There are two type of radiation damage, Somatic damage and Genetic damage. Somatic damage is biological damage to the organism. The effects of Somatic damage can appear immediately if there is a huge enough dose of radiation absorption; if there is a small dose of radiation, damages may appear years later. Genetic damage is damage to the genetic reproduction, usually in the offspring in the organism.

Biologic effects of radiation is determined on several factors: 1) the energy of the radiation, 2) the penetrating ability of the radiation, 3) the ionizing ability of the radiation, and 4) the chemical properties of the radiation source.

       1)Energy of the Radiation
   The energy of the radiation depends the damage it can cause to the organism. The higher the    energy of the radiation, the more damage it will cause to the organism. Radiation doses are       measured in rads (radiation absorbed dose), where 1 rad = 10^-2 H of energy deposited per    kilogram of tissue.

          2) The Penetrating Ability of the Radiation
    Radiations emit different types of particles and rays that have different penetrating abilities.
    There are three types of radioactive particles: alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma        rays. Alpha particles, being the weakest of the three, can not penetrate human skin. Beta       particles with very high energies can penetrate the skin but, like alpha particles, they                normally do not. Beta particles can penetrate about 1 cm. Gamma rays, being the strongest of the three, are highly penetrating electromagnetic radiation. Gamma rays can penetrate through easily most objects. Yes that means SKIN.

         3) The Ionizing Ability of the Radiation
    The ionization effects of radiation can cause negative effects on the functions of the cells of    the organisms. The ionization ability of the radiation varies for each type of radiation emission. Gamma rays can cause only occasional ionization. However, Alpha particles are very effective at causing ionization, which inevitably cause more damage.

        4) The Chemical Properties of the Radiation Source
    When radioactive nuclide is absorbed by the body, its capability to do damage depends on        the amount of time in stays in the body. Radioactive krypton, an inert gas/noble gas, doesn't     cause damage to the body because of its property of being an chemically inert. It will pass        through the body quickly and does not have much time to do damage. However, Strontium, with chemical properties similar to calcium, can collect in bones are cause sufficient amount of damage.

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