Dangers of Radioactivity
- Ionising radiation can damage human cells and tissues at high doses:
- This could be in terms of:
- Cell death
- Tissue damage
- Mutations
- Cancer
- As a result, its use needs to be kept to a minimum
- However, the benefits of using radiation in medicine can out way the potential risks
- The risks posed by the radiation are smaller than the risks associated with leaving the condition untreated
- For example, if a person has a cancerous tumour that is likely to kill them, then it is less of a risk to use radiotherapy than to leave the tumour
Tissue Damage
- Radiation is effectively used to destroy cancerous tumour cells
- However, it can cause damage to healthy tissue if it is not properly targeted
- This is mostly from high-energy radiation such as gamma rays and X-rays
Mutations
- If the atoms that make up a DNA strand are ionised then the DNA strand can be damaged
- If the DNA is damaged then the cell may die, or the DNA may be mutated when it reforms
- If a mutated cell is able to replicate itself then a tumour may form
- This is an example of cancer, which is a significant danger of radiation exposure
Mutation of a Cell by Ionising Radiation
Diagram showing the damage caused to DNA by ionising radiation. Sometimes the cell is able to successfully repair the DNA, but incorrect repairs can cause a mutation
- Acute radiation exposure can have other serious symptoms:
- It can cause skin burns, similar to severe sunburn
- Radiation can reduce the amount of white blood cells in the body, making a person more susceptible to infections by lowering their immune system
- Because of this, it is very important to handle radioactive sources carefully