Hazardous Effects of High-Energy EM Waves
- As the frequency of electromagnetic (EM) waves increases, so does the energy
- Beyond the visible part of the spectrum, the energy becomes large enough to ionise atoms
- As a result of this, the danger associated with EM waves increases along with the frequency
- The shorter the wavelength, the more ionising the radiation
- Although the intensity of a wave also plays a very important role
Ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays can all ionise atoms
- Because of ionisation, ultraviolet waves, X-rays and gamma rays can have hazardous effects on human body tissue
- The effects depend on the type of radiation and the size of the dose
- They can damage cells and cause mutations, making them cancerous
Radiation Dose
- Radiation dose is defined as:
A measure of the risk of harm resulting from an exposure of the body to ionising radiation
- Radiation dose is measured in sieverts (Sv)
- 1 Sv is a very large amount of radiation, so it is more commonly measured in millisieverts (mSv) where 1 Sv = 1000 mSv
- Typically, background radiation is about 1.5 to 3.5 mSv per year
- Whereas, 8 Sv is enough to cause death, even with treatment