The Effects of Nuclear Radation
Radiation is the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles which cause Ionizing Radiation.
Ionizing radiation happens when the atomic nucleus of an unstable atom decays and starts releasing ionizing particles. When these particles come into contact with organic material, such as human tissue, they will damage them if levels are high enough, in a short period of time.
The effects that Ionizing Radiation has on the body is very fatal.
Ionizing radiation refers to radioactive particles, such as alpha and beta particles, or electromagnetic waves, known as gamma or ultraviolet rays, which have adequate energy to separate electrons off of atoms to be able to create ions.
Ionizing radiation can remove tightly bound electrons from the orbit of an atom, causing the atom to become charged,this is what makes nuclear bombs so deadly.There are many types of ionizing radiation but the most deadly are Gamma Rays.
A Gamma Ray is a penetrating electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. These rays are so deadly because Gamma radiation will pass right through you due to the fact that it's made up of really tiny particles, which means it passes through every organ and cell in your body.
When living organisms are exposed to the low amounts of background radiation there is very little affect overall on the organism.
When radiation exposure of larger amounts occurs, even if it is for a short time, damage, radiation poisoning, and even death can occur.
A nuclear power plant accident, a nuclear explosion or a dirty bomb are examples of radiation emergencies. If something like this happens, you may be asked to get inside a building and take shelter for a period of time instead of leaving.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. A total of nearly 130,000 people were either killed or wounded.
Three days later, the United States bombed Nagasaki. Of the 286,00 people living there at the time of the blast, 74,000 were killed and another 75,000 sustained severe injuries.” This really explains how fatal and nerve wrecking Atomic bombs are and how much damage they can cause to the body.
-Nuclear weapons handling and detonation
-Radioactive material
-Calibration and measurement sources
-X-rays