SMishra

· 11 Nov 2021

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What are the effects of radiation?

Radiation is a method by which energy is transferred from one place to another by electromagnetic waves. There are natural as well as artificial sources of radiation. Radiation from radioisotopes affects the environment in two ways: by emitting radiation that affects other materials and entering the normal pathways of mineral cycling and ecological food chains. About 200 radioactive isotopes are known to be produced from nuclear fall, out of which only a few are dangerous to man. The radioisotopes feared most include iodine (I131), isotopes of strontium (Sr90 and Sr89), cesium (Cs137), and carbon (C14).

Hazard from a radioisotope depends upon:
1.    The amount of isotope produced
2.    The half-life of the isotope
3.    The efficiency of transfer to man through the food chain
4.    Metabolism of the isotope in the body.
5.    
Radioiodine (I131) and the radioisotopes of strontium and cesium reach the human body through the food chain. Carbon (C14) enters the plant through photosynthesis.

Only very high doses of radiation can kill the organism. A few hundred rads of whole-body radiation delivered within a short time can kill most of the organisms. Such a dose is called a lethal dose. In man, a dose between 250-450 rads can kill 50 persons out of 100 within 30 days. Any dose below the lethal dose is a sub-lethal dose that can cause a variety of biological effects. A dose delivered in a brief time interval will harm more than the same dose given during a more extended break. The effects may appear later, within a few months or after many years of exposure. Such effects are known as late or delayed effects.

The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of weight and appetite. The symptoms may disappear after a short interval in case of low exposure.

The delayed effects are of two types- somatic and genetic. Somatic effects are changes produced in the body cells and are not inherited by the next generation. They include shortening of lifespan, premature ageing, loss of hair, and induction of various types of cancer. The atom bomb explosion in the air over Hiroshimaand Nagasaki had killed at least 1,00,000 civilians in Hiroshima and 49,000 in Nagasaki. Studies on people with cancer revealed that 50% of cancers due to radiation fall are of the thyroid gland, 30% of blood cancer and 20% of cancers of other organs. Genetic effects include gene mutations and chromosome abnormalities which are carried over to the next generation. Such effects may lead to the death of an embryo, neonatal death or birth of an offspring with abnormalities. It is reported that many descendants of the Hiroshima victims, even after a lapse of 30 years, developed abnormalities inherited from their grandparents.
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The effects of radiation can be stopped and controlled by reducing the emission of radiation from natural and artificial sources. To know about its control and prevention, click the link below:
https://www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/radiation/stop/

#radiationpollution   #effectsofradiation   #stopradiation   #nuclearbomb   #endnuclearwar