How is radiation harmful

How is radiation harmful

http://www.chacha.com/question/how-is-radiation-harmful

Not all radiation is harmful. Ionising radiation causes burns, radiation sickness & cancer. Ultraviolet radiation causes premature ageing, cataracts & skin cancer. Non-ionising radiation causes burns & eye damage.

Is infrared radiation harmful?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does+infrared+radiation+harm+food+enzymes

No, it is not. In fact, infrared radiation is actually heat.

How is nuclear radiation harmful?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can+you+Give+us+five+harmful+effects+of+nuclear+radiation

Radiation of any type speeds up the growth rate of cells and in high doses can cause burns. The ever-so-common sunburn is actually a radiation burn because the sun gives off radiation. This is also why people who stay out in the sun without…

Related Questions Answered on Y!Answers

Is all radiation harmful? What are some”Good” forms of radiation?

Q: Also, how does the earth’s atmosphere protect living organisms?

A: Visible light is a form of radiation, as is heat. They have some good effects. The more harmful, high energy radiation such as most UV, X-rays and Gamma rays, are blocked from reaching the surface by our atmosphere and the magnetic field of the Earth.

Why are gamma rays the most harmful radiation if they are weakly ionising?

Q: And how can you ionise a cell? I know that high frequency electromagnetic rays can cause DNA to mutate but why is this? Why are gamma rays so harmful if they can pass right through you? If doctors can put gamma radiation inside you to use as a tracer then it can’t be that dangerous can it?

A: Sorry but Mistress Bekki has it WRONG. Ionization is the ejection of one or more electrons from an atom or molecule to produce a fragment with a net positive charge (positive ion). In the electromagnetic spectrum, radiation in the visible or longer wavelength range does not have sufficient quantum energy to ionize an atom, so we classify it as non-ionizing radiation. The threshold for ionization occurs somewhere in the ultraviolet range, with the specific threshold depending upon the type of atom or molecule. It typically takes a photon with energy in the range of a few electron volts to ionize an atom. The practical threshold for radiation risk is that of ionization of tissue. Since the ionization energy of a hydrogen atom is 13.6 eV, the level around 10 eV is an approximate threshold. Since the energies associated with nuclear radiation are many orders of magnitude above this threshold, in the MeV range, then all nuclear radiation is ionizing radiation. Likewise, x-rays are ionizing radiation, as is the upper end of the ultraviolet range. The different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum have very different effects upon interaction with matter. Starting with low frequency radio waves, the human body is quite transparent. (You can listen to your portable radio inside your home since the waves pass freely through the walls of your house and even through the person beside you!) As you move upward through microwaves and infrared to visible light, you absorb more and more strongly. In the lower ultraviolet range, all the uv from the sun is absorbed in a thin outer layer of your skin. As you move further up into the x-ray region of the spectrum, you become transparent again, because most of the mechanisms for absorption are gone. You then absorb only a small fraction of the radiation, but that absorption involves the more violent ionization events. Each portion of the electromagnetic spectrum has quantum energies appropriate for the excitation of certain types of physical processes. The energy levels for all physical processes at the atomic and molecular levels are quantized, and if there are no available quantized energy levels with spacings which match the quantum energy of the incident radiation, then the material will be transparent to that radiation, and it will pass through. The classification of radiation as “ionizing” is essentially a statement that it has enough quantum energy to eject an electron. This is a crucial distinction, since “ionizing radiation” can produce a number of physiological effects, such as those associated with risk of mutation or cancer, which non-ionizing radiation cannot directly produce at any intensity.The mechanisms of interaction for ionizing radiation in the form of x-rays and gamma-rays include the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering and at high enough energies, electron positron pair production. Although the precise ionization energy differs with the atom or molecule involved, a general statement is any radiation with quantum energy above a few electron volts is considered to be ionizing radiation. The threshold for ionization lies somewhere in the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum, so all x-rays and gamma-rays are ionizing radiation. All forms of nuclear radiation are also ionizing radiation because of their extremely high energies.All nuclear radiation must be considered to be ionizing radiationI’d appreciate it if you voted this a 5 star answer. When you choose a best answer you get back 3 points.

is all radiation harmful? when does it become harmful?

Q: i never really understood radiation. isn’t the main definition for it the emission of energy? what makes radiation harmful and if everything causes radiation why is it harmful? whenever someone says radiation, they usually mean something dangerous. i don’t really understand. what is the difference between everyday radiation that we experience and the radiation from nuclear bombs? how does radiation become nuclear or how are they related? and how do elements fit into it?

A: Kuang Eleven did a very good job of defining the different types of radiation. I just want to take that a step further and explain more specifically why radiation can be harmful.When we refer to dangerous radiation, we are generally referring to what is known as ionizing radiation; that is, radiation that has enough energy to dislodge electrons from atoms. This differs from non-ionization radiation which can excite electrons, but not dislodge them to form ions. Non-ionizing radiation is generally harmless.Alpha and beta particles are both ionizing. Neutrons, too, are considered to be indirectly ionizing because they can trigger the other forms of ionizing radiation when they collide with other atoms. Electromagnetic radiation, however, can be either ionizing or non-ionizing. Wavelengths of light from the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum and shorter are ionizing. Some visible light can also be ionizing in certain instances, but generally speaking, it is non-ionizing, along with longer wavelengths.Ionizing radiation ultimately breaks bonds in the DNA of our cells. When this happens, there are a few possible outcomes. In the best case scenario, our cells can repair the damage using repair enzymes. If the DNA damage is extensive or irreparable, the cell will undergo apoptosis, meaning that it kills itself to prevent problems from arising. When you get a sunburn from the sun’s ionizing ultraviolet radiation, and the skin starts to peel a few days later, this is the result of apoptosis. In the worst case scenario, the DNA is damaged in an area that contains genes regulating cell growth, and the cell starts dividing uncontrollably; this results in cancer. When people develop skin cancer from ultraviolet radiation exposure, it is because this kind of damage has occurred.Humans are, for the most part, built to withstand the radiation from the environment. The melanin in our skin works to absorb ultraviolet radiation, for example. However, we aren’t built for the immense radiation generated by nuclear bombs.Additionally, it’s important to note that this is just the effect that ionizing radiation has at the DNA level. Radiation can also generate a lot of heat, resulting in burns. Thus, while low energy, non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, such as microwaves or infrared waves, won’t cause damage to your DNA, large doses might still cook you from the heat they generate.