3.58 Dangers and Uses of Radiation
3.58 Dangers and Uses of Radiation
- Identify sources of environmental radiation.
- Describe the dangers of radiation.
- List uses of radiation.
You may have seen this sign before—maybe in a hospital. The sign means there is danger of radiation in the area.
Radiationconsists of particles and energy that are given off by radioactive isotopes, which have unstable nuclei.
But you don’t have to go to a hospital to be exposed to radiation. There is radiation in the world all around you.
Radiation in the Environment
A low level of radiation occurs naturally in the environment. This is called background radiation. One source of
background radiation is rocks, which may contain small amounts of radioactive elements such as uranium. Another
source is cosmic rays. These are charged particles that arrive on Earth from outer space. Background radiation is
generally considered to be safe for living things. You can learn more about background radiation with the animation
at this URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/dirtybomb/sources.html
Dangers of Radiation
Long-term or high-dose exposure to radiation can harm both living and nonliving things. Radiation knocks electrons
out of atoms and changes them to ions. It also breaks bonds in DNA and other compounds in living things. One
source of radiation that is especially dangerous to people is radon. Radon is a radioactive gas that forms in rocks
underground. It can seep into basements and get trapped inside buildings. Then it may build up and become harmful
to people who breathe it. Long-term exposure to radon can cause lung cancer.
Exposure to higher levels of radiation can be very dangerous, even if the exposure is short-term. A single large
dose of radiation can burn the skin and cause radiation sickness. Symptoms of this illness include extreme fatigue,