Answer to Question #177636 in Physics for Sam

Question

1.Explain the health and safety risks, side effects and limitations of non-ionising and ionising radiation technologies.

2.Compare and explain the health and safety risks involved in the use of ionising and non-ionising radiation technologies and the impact these risks may have on patients and operators.

Answer 1

1) There are several examples of sources of non-ionizing radiation: radiofrequency radiation used in broadcast and communication applications, microwaves used in the home kitchen, infrared radiation used in heat lamps. Non-ionizing radiation does not have enough energy to remove electrons from atoms and molecules but it can heat the tissues. High amounts of the non-ionizing radiation may result in damage to tissue due to heat, non-ionizing radiation in the optical range can burn skin and damage the eyes.

There are several examples of sources of ionizing radiation: X-rays, gamma rays, alpha and beta particles. These sources of ionizing radiation are typically used in medical exposures and industrial radiography equipment. The ionizing radiation have enough energy to remove electrons from atoms and molecules, ionize the atoms of the tissue and damage the cells and DNA. The alpha particles, for example, can enter to the human body via oral ingestion and inhalation. This can lead to cancer or lung cancer when alpha particles have been inhaled. The beta particles often cause cancer, dependent on the location where the beta particle accumulate in the body (if the beta particles accumulates in the bone it leads to bone cancer).

2) As it discussed in question (1) above, the non-ionizing radiation does not have enough energy to ionize the atoms of the tissue and damage the cells and DNA but it can heat the tissues. Therefore, high exposure dose of the non-ionizing radiation may result in damage to tissue due to heat, non-ionizing radiation in the optical range can burn skin and damage the eyes. The ionizing radiation is even more dangerous than the non-ionizing one. It can ionize the atoms of the tissue and damage the cells and DNA and cause the cancer.