Lung Cancer Case Study

Seil studied the appearance of radon and radium in excreta after an intravenous injection of radium.

     The risk from radon in water is much lower than the risk from radon in

The average annual radiation dose received by Americans is 360 millirems (or "mrems"), about 300 of which come from naturally occurring sources like radon. By contrast, you would get only 0.01 mrems per year as a result of living 50 feet from a nuclear power plant. Even a single annual cross-country airplane flight exposes you to 3 mrems, while a medical X-ray gives you a dose of 20 mrems.

This radioactive pollution is anything but acceptable even though it is being deemed “acceptable,” by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (World Business Academy). The health effects of radioactivity are accumulative in the human body, consequently, the longer an individual has been living around a nuclear power plant, the more radioactivity their body absorbed. Engaged with leading researchers in the field, the Academy commissioned a health study to investigate the potential impact the Diablo Canyon has on the local population (World Business Academy). By examining publicly available health data broken out by zip code, an abrupt trend emerged: the local population in the hot zone has been getting sicker every year the plant has been operating (World Business

Here is another reason why radon testing is very important for the occupants of a residential home or any building structure. Kids are more sensitive to high radon. Typically, this is because kids breathe faster. Here is more to consider. Radon gas is colorless and odorless. The child could develop serious health problems or respiratory problems before the parents are aware of the cause behind the condition and request radon testing. Therefore, radon reduction is in order to help to protect all the occupants in the home.

Should the radiation level be determined to be harmful, the reactor will be surrounded by material in

In the Phoenix area, it is estimated that one in every 15 homes have higher than recommended levels of radon. Some statistics have shown that one in 10 homes tested in Maricopa county have

How dangerous the radiation is also depends on what type of radiation it is. Alpha particles are not dangerous if they hit skin. Because of their low penetration power, they cannot travel through the outer layer of skin (which is composed of dead cells anyway), and so therefore pose no harm. The only potential threat Alpha radiation causes outside the body, is if it hits living tissue (such as eyes). Alpha radiation is quite dangerous if it gets inside the body. This could be by inhalation or ingestion. Its low penetration power means it cannot travel out of the body. It can damage sensitive tissue inside the

The study found fathers who had high ionizing radiation dose recordings prior to conception, their children had an increased RR of 6.42 95% CI (1.57 to 26.3) when compared to the control population additionally the study also found children living near the plant had a increased RR of 2.44 95% CI (1.04 to 5.71) while control children had a protective affect with a RR of 0.17 95% CI ( 0.05 to 0.53) (Gardner 1990 endnote

Uranium being radioactive substance, general risk perception is that people living around the nuclear power generation are prone to cancers. However, research has shown that Coal-fired industry has a higher leukaemia incidence risk when compared to the nuclear industry. However, there is no credible documentation regarding the health effects of nuclear power plant operation facilities.

This kind of exposure is likely from not taking the correct protective measures when being around higher levels of radiation. The effects from chronic exposure can be after you have had and acute exposure as well. This would be where radioactive material has tried to have been fixed. Some longer lasting effects of being exposed to higher levels of radiation is differents types of cancer. Some of the types of cancer consist of leukaemia, bone cancer, thyroid cancer, and lung cancer. Sometimes even genetic effects like some malformations in children born to parents exposed to radiation. Not every child born from parents who have been exposed will have malformations but they have a higher chance. This can also go for animals as

When uranium decays its releases radon gas and when inhaled, is absorbed by the body. “The BEIR VI report clearly confirmed radon’s role as a class a carcinogen. Major health organizations, both governmental and nongovernmental, have reached the conclusion that radon is second only to cigarette smoking as a cause of lung cancer 4.” There is a limit that is considered “safe” for radon levels in homes. Per the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, household radon levels are considered safe when less than 4 pCi/L 3. Some homes depending on their location, time of build, and condition, have greater levels of radon than others. A study done to compare radon levels in different areas/physical conditions in New Jersey revealed homes that were built prior to 1990, had poor ventilation, and contained either a sump pit or perimeter drain had the largest effect on increased levels of

According to Lung Disorders Sourcebook,"radon is estimated to cause about 14,000 deaths per year." Radon causes lung cancer which is responsible for these deaths. An article in the Journal of Environmental Health said that, "Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and is associated with an estimated 15,400 to 21,800

“Pediatric Exposures to Ionizing Radiation: Carcinogenic Considerations” was exceedingly informative about the risks of ionizing radiation on the pediatric population. The main idea was centered around the understanding that children are much more sensitive to radiation than adults. Its focus was comprised of three main concepts which included evidence from accidental exposures, radiation therapy, and computed tomography scans. Each of these concerns were discussed in great detail by introducing supporting evidence for each and the changes that have been made to combat the observed and studied effects. The article was extremely successful in displaying that ionizing radiation has more of an effect on developing children than adults.

Firstly, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant leaks radioactive water into underground and to sea. The effect cause earthquake in 2011. After the earth quake on June 2011, scientists measured that 5,000 to 15,000 terabecquerels of radioactive material was reaching the ocean. Since the incident in 2011, scientists measured levels of radioactivity in fish and other sea life. Several species of fish from this area had caesium levels that exceeded Japan's regulatory limit for seafood. Scientists say the groundwater leaks could become worse, but warn against drawing conclusions about the impacts on sea life before peer-reviewed studies are completed. Secondly, gamma rays can be used in medical treatment to kill cancer cell. However gamma can be extremely dangerous because they are a very powerful source of power, if they delivered in an unmonitored and uncontrolled way they can kill humans, animals and plants. Gamma rays however can also disrupt the physical properties of materials. They can cause plastics and steel to become brittle and to eventually break.