Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Radiation: Risks and Benefits of Radioactivity
Khristina V.
Risks and Benefits of Radioactivity
Radioactivity is a part of every day, without it life wouldn’t be as it is. It has its benefits but along with the good comes bad. It’s all around us. Radiation is categorized into two groups: ionizing, and non-ionizing.
Ionizing radiation consists of particles, gamma rays, or X-rays with sufficient energy to create ionization in the medium it passes through. It has enough energy so that while an interaction with an atom takes place it can withdraw tightly bound electrons from an atom, thus making the atom charged or ionized. It includes alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Ionizing radiation has made a large impact on life today. It has made an especially large impact in the medical field. It is used for diagnosis and therapy. X-rays are used to help diagnose disease or damage in the body. Radionuclides may also be injected into patients so that detectors outside the body can be used to observe how organs are functioning. These methods are only used if a diagnosis can’t be made without them and radiation doses are generally low. However, higher doses are used to treat malfunctioning organs or malignant diseases. Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control cell growth. Ionizing radiation works by damaging the DNA of exposed tissue leading to cellular death. Radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer. It is often part of the main treatment for some types of cancer, such as cancers of the head and neck, bladder, lung, and Hodgkin disease. Radiation therapy can be rendered to attend to almost any type of cancer anywhere in the body. It can be supplied throughout any part of the treatment process depending on the distinct disease and aims of treatment. Radiation can be used alone or in combination with other things to treat cancer. It can be used before surgery to condense the cancer to provide for a more whole surgery. It
Risks and Benefits of Radioactivity
Radioactivity is a part of every day, without it life wouldn’t be as it is. It has its benefits but along with the good comes bad. It’s all around us. Radiation is categorized into two groups: ionizing, and non-ionizing.
Ionizing radiation consists of particles, gamma rays, or X-rays with sufficient energy to create ionization in the medium it passes through. It has enough energy so that while an interaction with an atom takes place it can withdraw tightly bound electrons from an atom, thus making the atom charged or ionized. It includes alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Ionizing radiation has made a large impact on life today. It has made an especially large impact in the medical field. It is used for diagnosis and therapy. X-rays are used to help diagnose disease or damage in the body. Radionuclides may also be injected into patients so that detectors outside the body can be used to observe how organs are functioning. These methods are only used if a diagnosis can’t be made without them and radiation doses are generally low. However, higher doses are used to treat malfunctioning organs or malignant diseases. Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control cell growth. Ionizing radiation works by damaging the DNA of exposed tissue leading to cellular death. Radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer. It is often part of the main treatment for some types of cancer, such as cancers of the head and neck, bladder, lung, and Hodgkin disease. Radiation therapy can be rendered to attend to almost any type of cancer anywhere in the body. It can be supplied throughout any part of the treatment process depending on the distinct disease and aims of treatment. Radiation can be used alone or in combination with other things to treat cancer. It can be used before surgery to condense the cancer to provide for a more whole surgery. It