Today, to benefit humankind, radiation is used in medicine, academics, and industry, as well as for generating electricity. In addition, radiation has useful applications in such areas as agriculture, archaeology (carbon dating), space exploration, law enforcement, geology (including mining), and many others.

Nuclear medicine procedures help detect and treat diseases by using a small amount of radioactive material, called a radiopharmaceutical. Some radiopharmaceuticals are used with imaging equipment to detect diseases. Radiopharmaceuticals can also be placed inside the body near a cancerous tumor to shrink or destroy it.

Staying inside will reduce your exposure to radiation.

1. Close windows and doors.
2. Take a shower or wipe exposed parts of your body with a damp cloth.
3. Drink bottled water and eat food in sealed containers.

For therapy, radioactive materials are used to kill cancerous tissue, shrink a tumor or reduce pain. Therapeutic nuclear medicine uses high doses of radiation from materials that are injected into or ingested by the patient. For example, radioactive iodine can destroy or shrink a diseased thyroid.

Although no harmful effects are expected, your long-term risks of harm from this degree of radiation exposure might be as high as 1 in 1000. Harmful effects could include the development of cancer and genetic changes.”

Are there side effects to nuclear medicine exams? Very few people experience side effects from a nuclear medicine exam. Allergic reactions are extremely rare. Any adverse reactions are usually mild, pass quickly, and need little or no medical treatment.

These ions can disrupt the natural chemical reactions in the body and damage living cells. Examples of ionizing radiation include ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight, X-rays used in medical imaging, and gamma rays produced by radioactive materials.

Gamma rays

Ionizing radiation is generated through nuclear reactions, nuclear decay, by very high temperature, or via acceleration of charged particles in electromagnetic fields. Natural sources include the sun, lightning and supernova explosions.

gamma

There are three main kinds of ionising radiation:

• alpha particles, which include two protons and two neutrons.
• beta particles, which are essentially electrons.
• gamma rays and x-rays, which are pure energy (photons).

Another distinctive factor of radiation is whether it is ionizing, or non-ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing is potentially less harmful than the latter because radiation of this type has less energy than ionizing and can cause molecules to move in an atom but it cannot remove electrons.

Non-ionizing radiation includes the spectrum of ultraviolet (UV), visible light, infrared (IR), microwave (MW), radio frequency (RF), and extremely low frequency (ELF). Lasers commonly operate in the UV, visible, and IR frequencies.

Cell phones emit low levels of non-ionizing radiation when in use. The type of radiation emitted by cell phones is also referred to as radio frequency (RF) energy. As stated by the National Cancer Institute, “there is currently no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases cancer risk in humans.

x-rays

Non-ionising radiation does not penetrate deep into the tissues but increases the risk of damage to the skin and eyes. Dependent on the energy and exposure time, non-ionising radiation can cause localised heating, or photochemical reactions can occur with possible permanent harm. Exposure should therefore be minimised.

Although MRI does not emit the ionizing radiation that is found in x-ray and CT imaging, it does employ a strong magnetic field.

Non-ionizing radiation (NIR) refers to electromagnetic radiation that does not have sufficient energy to ionize (remove electrons from) atoms or molecules….Ultraviolet (UV)

1. Appropriately rated safety glasses, goggles, or face shields.
2. Long-sleeved clothing to protect arms, hands and neck.
3. Gloves.

When ionizing radiation interacts with cells, it can cause damage to the cells and genetic material (i.e., deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA). If not properly repaired, this damage can result in the death of the cell or potentially harmful changes in the DNA (i.e., mutations).

Ionizing radiationRadiation with so much energy it can knock electrons out of atoms. Ionizing radiation can affect the atoms in living things, so it poses a health risk by damaging tissue and DNA in genes. has sufficient energy to affect the atoms in living cells and thereby damage their genetic material (DNA).

Acute health effects such as skin burns or acute radiation syndrome can occur when doses of radiation exceed certain levels. Low doses of ionizing radiation can increase the risk of longer term effects such as cancer.

Lead

Gold is a good radiation enhancer. The radiosensitization of biomolecules by GNPs can be caused by locally increased radiation absorbed energy. Gold, a high Z material, is capable of absorbing radiation at significantly higher rates than tissue.

In general, alpha particles have a very limited ability to penetrate other materials. In other words, these particles of ionizing radiation can be blocked by a sheet of paper, skin, or even a few inches of air.

But once a person’s skin and clothing are washed, his or her ability to expose others to radiation is eliminated, Caracappa said. “If they ingested or inhaled radioactive material and it has been deposited inside of them, there is no way that they’re going to transfer that to other people.”

The three most common types of radiation are alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Alpha radiation is not able to penetrate skin.