Radiation Damage

[Guest guest]

Contrasting media reports abound regarding the dangers occurring at the

Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan. The reports have triggered uncertainty,

concern and even panic among members of the general public in Japan and around

the world. Workers in Japan have been bravely battling to save the facility

from a disastrous meltdown, exposing their bodies to potentially dangerous and

lethal doses of radiation. In this text, we attempt to explain what impact

radiation may have on the human body.

Radiation takes place when the atomic nucleus of an unstable atom decays and

starts releasing ionizing particles, known as ionizing radiation. When these

particles come into contact with organic material, such as human tissue, they

will damage them if levels are high enough, causing burns and cancer. Ionizing

radiation can be fatal for humans.

REM (roentgen equivalent in man) - this is a unit we use to measure radiation

dosage. We use this measurement to determine what levels of radiation are safe

or dangerous for human tissue. It is the product of the absorbed dose in rads

and a weighting factor (WR), which accounts for how effective the radiation is

in causing biological damage. Read moe...

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219615.php

FYI,

Lottie Duthu