URANIUM EXPOSURE AND IONIZING RADIATION
Understanding the sources of ionizing radiation is crucial for many reasons. It's a vital tool in medicine, helping doctors diagnose illnesses and treat diseases like cancer. But it's also something we need to approach with caution, as overexposure can pose risks to our health and the environment. It can come from various sources, including the sun, radioactive materials, and medical procedures like X-rays, and it can have both beneficial and harmful effects on living organisms.
We say that x-rays are “ionizing,” meaning that they have the unique capability to remove electrons from atoms and molecules in the matter through which they pass. Ionizing activity can alter molecules within the cells of our body. That action may cause eventual harm (such as cancer). Intense exposures to ionizing radiation may produce skin or tissue damage. Source: CDC - Ionizing Radiation
Source: CDC - Radiation Spectrum
Ionizing Radiation and exposure can have various hazardous health impacts. Here are some of the potential effects:
Increased Risk of Cancer
Exposure to ionizing radiation, especially at high doses, can increase the risk of developing cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), exposure to ionizing radiation from sources like X-rays, gamma rays, and radioactive materials can damage the DNA in cells, leading to mutations that may contribute to cancer development. These forms of radiation can be released in accidents at nuclear power plants and when atomic weapons are made, tested, or used. (NCI - X-Rays and Other Sources of Radiation)
Tissue Damage
Ionizing radiation can cause damage to tissues and organs in the body. Acute exposure to high doses of radiation can lead to radiation sickness, characterized by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and skin burns. Chronic exposure to lower doses may also result in tissue damage over time (CDC - Radiation Emergencies).
Birth Defects and Developmental Effects
Exposure to ionizing radiation during pregnancy can pose risks to the developing fetus, including an increased risk of birth defects, developmental abnormalities, and childhood cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information on the potential reproductive and developmental effects of radiation exposure (CDC - Radiation and Pregnancy).
Radiation Burns and Skin Damage
High doses of ionizing radiation can cause radiation burns and damage to the skin and underlying tissues. The severity of the burns depends on factors such as the dose of radiation, the duration of exposure, and the type of radiation involved (CDC - Radiation Burns).
Source: CDC - Radiation Contamination Versus Exposure
It should also be noted that biological sex is a factor in the outcome of radiation exposure, as women and young girls are more susceptible as found in the epidemiological records from the survey on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation BEIR VII Phase 2) It is also stated in the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that women and young girls are highly at risk from the impacts of ionizing radiation exposure:
“Cognizant that the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons cannot be adequately addressed, transcend national borders, pose grave implications for human survival, the environment, socio economic development, the global economy, food security and the health of current and future generations, and have a disproportionate impact on women and girls, including as a result of ionizing radiation…”
Gender and Radiation Impact Project
Mary Olson of Gender and Radiation Impact Project shares slides about the impact of ionizing radiation on human health, disproportionate impacts to women and girls, and the need to define a new REFERENCE GIRL.