Radiation Exposure

Incidents Showing the Link between Cancer and Radiation

There have been many past incidents that indicate that radiation can cause cancer. Most of the data come from people who have inadvertently been exposed to various types of radiation in the past. As part of his discussion on radiation carcinogenesis, Steven B. Oppenheimer explained that the incidence of thyroid cancer is higher in people who have been treated with radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine gathers in the thyroid once it is injected into the body. In another case, individuals who were once treated by x-ray irradiation of the head to get rid of scalp ringworms often developed head and neck cancers 10 to 20 years later. Also, people who have had jobs that exposed them to X-ray and radioactive chemicals (atomic bomb or the nuclear industry) often developed some kind of cancer in the future. Oppenheimer also mentioned that while anyone can get skin cancer, fair-skinned people and those who often work outdoor under the sun for long periods are most susceptible to getting skin cancer.

Particulate Radiations and Electromagnetic Radiation

Experimental studies in the Online Neurological Encyclopedia have found that both particulate radiations (neutrons, electrons, and alpha particles) and electromagnetic radiation (ultraviolet lights and X-rays) can cause cancer. Despite being a carcinogen, radiation is an important and necessary part of clinical diagnosing. Radiation has been commonly used as medication and [Page 1463]trace markers to allow physicians and clinical researchers to image the internal structures of the human body and detect possible cancerous sites. Higher doses of radiation are often necessary to kill cancerous cells.

Three Kinds of Radiation: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that the three kinds of radiation that are used in the clinical setting include alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Alpha radiation is the flow of alpha particles while the beta radiation is the flow of electrons. Gamma radiation is very high-energy ionizing radiation containing gamma photons. While gamma photons have no mass and no electrical charge, they are pure electromagnetic energy that has much more energy than the photons of the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Because of their high energy, gamma photons can travel at the speed of light and pass through many different kinds of materials, including human tissue.

Most also have enough energy to go through the body's internal organs which can cause many health problems and diseases. According to Wolfram Research, alpha radiation is a type of radioactive decay consisting of alpha particles. These alpha particles are relatively large and, thus, do not move fast enough to penetrate through human tissue. Light shielding often blocks alpha radiation. According to the EPA, beta radiation is the flow of electrons. Because this type of radiation consists of electrons, beta particles have an electrical charge of minus 1. The speed of beta particles is not constant; the speed depends on how much energy they have. They can also travel over a wide range.

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