Radiological Events Paper

According to Ecker and Bramesco, the majority of the understanding of the effects of radiation comes from the research from the atomic bombings of the town of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (107). There is a greater effect when a dose of radiation is given all at once rather than over an extended period of time (105), However, as soon as radiation hits an individual there are some immediate effects and more long term effects. Some long issues that has come up due to the radiation of the atomic bomb were the more frequent cases of leukemia, cancer, and cataracts than people who weren’t affected from radiation (Ecker and Bramseco 107). Also, mutations can be a long term effect. Naturally, mutations occur at a low rate. Radiation can increase the number of mutation cases because it is a mutagen (Nasr and Hoyle). Some short term effects would be radiation sickness called acute somatic effects. Acute means severe and somatic means ‘related to the body’. The first signs of radiation sickness are nausea, throwing-up, and fever and

Using a combination of x-rays, gamma rays, and charged particles, radiation can target the DNA molecule in a cell and directly attack it or put charged particles in the DNA molecule that will damage the DNA molecule in the cell. This mean that for medical purposes radiation can be used to kill the cancer cells. Or, sometimes even cure someone of cancer. This also means that someone could have the option for either chemotherapy and radiation instead of just chemotherapy. Also, since radiation can kill cancer cells and be used as a cancer treatment, radiation can also be used shrink tumors.

Beginning with the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, a widespread belief has proliferated that all levels of ionizing radiation are dangerous. Since 1980, radiation hormesis studies have shown there is actually a threshold of danger with high level exposures, but below that threshold low dose radiation is essentially safe and quite possibly beneficial to life. Yet, this relatively new, seemingly contradictory understanding of radiation's health effects has gone essentially unknown to the general public. In order to grasp the reasons why, we must again return to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There are two reactions that happen in the human body when ionizing radiation within the diagnostic range (30-150 kilovolt peak) is

What additional laboratory or radiological tests would be indicated and why? What would you expect to find?

Radiation therapy is the ionization of atoms in tissues resulting in formation of highly reactive radicals in a well-defined, restricted volume (1). In other words, ionizing radiations are used to eradicate tumors and at the same time preserve structure and function of normal tissue. A limitation is prevented from being a problem. If bone marrow or neuronal cells are destroyed or injured, they do not regenerate. However, with radiation therapy, these cells are often saved from injury or destruction, unless the tumor is infecting bone marrow or neuronal cells. Today, radiation therapy is the most popular type of cancer therapy in use. It is used to treat one-half to two-thirds of all cancers, which translates to more than ten percent of the population

It is now known that radium, shown in figure 4, is a potent carcinogen (a substance the cause’s cancer (Wilbraham, Staley, Marta, & Waterman, 2005)). It emits a form of ionizing radiation which “includes electromagnetic radiation (e.g., gamma rays and X-rays) as well as particles (e.g., alpha particles, beta particles, high-speed neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons, etc.)” (National Library of Medicine, n.d.). Acute studies have been done on the effects of radium exposure on the human body by organizations like the Geneva World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Man. As a result of their findings, The National Library of Medicine states that sufficient evidence has been provided showing that prolonged exposure to Raduim-224, Radium-226,

Cancer is a genetic, heritable disease in which abnormal cells divide rapidly destroying normal body cells, often being fatal. Cancer can occur in any body tissue; skin, organs, and parts of the reproductive system (Duda). There are various activities linked to different types of cancer, such as smoking, too much sun exposure, gene mutations, carcinogens, and viruses. A major cause of cancer, dating all the way back to the 1950’s, is radiation. Atomic testing ordered by the U.S. Government has been suspected to be the cause of many deaths linked to radiation-related diseases (Williams 149).

Ionizing radiation is a form of radiation that can alter the structure of DNA molecules in living cells. It is a kind of energy produced by atoms that travels in form of electromagnetic waves. Sources of this form of energy are x-ray

Ionizing radiationHelpIonizing radiationRadiation with so much energy it can knock electrons out of atoms. Ionizing radiation can affect the atoms in living things, so it poses a health risk by damaging tissue and DNA in genes. has sufficient energy to cause chemical changes in cells and damage them. Some cells may die or become abnormal, either temporarily or permanently. By damaging the genetic material

The human body is made up of approximately 80% water (H2O) molecules. When radiation strikes a water molecule it causes radiolysis. Radiolysis is the disassociation of water into an ion pair (H+ and OH-) and two free radicals (H* and OH*). Free radicals are highly reactive, unstable and capable of disrupting bonds and causing deoxyribonucleic (DNA) damage. DNA is the molecule that holds the genetic information needed for cell duplication and is considered the target molecule for radiobiology. Ionization is the removal of an orbiting electron from an atom. There are two effects of ionizing radiation on a cell: indirect and direct. Direct action occurs when DNA is hit by ionizing radiation. Indirect action occurs when free radicals transfer

Ionizing radiation is a type of radiation that is able to disrupt atoms and molecules on which they pass through, giving rise to ions and free radicals. It is made up of energetic subatomic particles, ions or atoms moving at high speeds, and electromagnetic waves on the high-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum. There are five primary types of Ionizing Radiation, Alpha Particles, Beta Particles, Gamma Rays, X-Rays and Neutrons. Alpha Particles are charged particles, which are two neutrons and two protons. They have a very limited ability to penetrate other materials, because they travel short distances and they have large mass. The only hazard that the caused is when they are inhaled. Beta Particles are electrons or positrons, which are

3rd week through 8th week: symptoms of damages by radioactive rays, for example., loss of hair, anaemia, loss of white cells, bleeding, diarrhoea. Approximately 10% of cases in this group were fatal.

radiation (the kind used in X-rays) is known to cause cancer at high doses, the risks of

Ionising radiation can occur natural, such as radioactivity decay of radon gas and its decay products as electromagnetic rays (gamma and X-rays) or particles (alpha and beta particles). This ionising radiation can also be produced artificially and exposure to the radioactive material can be extremely harmful to people by external exposure of gamma rays or internally by inhaling radioactive substance (HSE, 2014).