What can radiation exposure lead to?

What can radiation exposure lead to?

Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome (“radiation sickness”). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

What kind of mutations can radiation cause?

Since this is a random process, such effects are now called stochastic. [100] Two important stochastic effects of radiation are cancer, which results from mutations in nongerm cells (termed somatic cells), and heritable changes, which result from mutations in germ cells (eggs and sperm).

Can radiation cause genetic mutation?

Ionizing radiation damages the genetic material in reproductive cells and results in mutations that are transmitted from generation to generation.

How does radiation affect prenatal development?

Depending on the stage of fetal development, the health consequences of exposure at doses greater than 0.5 Gy can be severe, even if such a dose is too low to cause an immediate effect for the mother. The health consequences can include growth restriction, malformations, impaired brain function, and cancer.

What material can protect you from radiation?

This is why lead aprons and blankets are the most effective shielding material to fight off x-rays and gamma-ray. After all, lead has a very high number of protons in each atom (82 to be specific), which makes it a very dense metal shield.

What are the symptoms of radiation sickness?

Initial signs and symptoms

• Nausea and vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Headache.
• Fever.
• Dizziness and disorientation.
• Weakness and fatigue.
• Hair loss.
• Bloody vomit and stools from internal bleeding.

Which type of radiation damage can be passed onto offspring?

When ionizing radiation causes DNA damage (mutations) in male or female reproductive (“germ”) cells, that damage can be transmitted to the next generation (F1). This is in contrast to mutations in somatic cells, which are not transmitted.

What kind of birth defects does radiation cause?

The health consequences can be severe, even at radiation doses too low to make the mother sick. Such consequences can include stunted growth, deformities, abnormal brain function, or cancer that may develop sometime later in life.

Is XRAY bad for pregnancy?

The possibility of an X-ray during pregnancy causing harm to your unborn child is very small. Generally, the benefits of the diagnostic information from an X-ray outweigh the potential risk to a baby.

Does gold absorb radiation?

First, gold is capable of absorbing radiation at a significantly higher rate than tissue: up to about 100 times more for keV energies (2). Second, gold nanoparticles that interact with radiation can release extra electrons via the Auger effect.

What is Shapiro syndrome?

Shapiro syndrome is a rare neurological disease characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive sweating and hypothermia along with agenesis of the corpus callosum.[1375][11653][11654] The duration and frequency of the episodes vary from person to person, with some episodes lasting hours to weeks and occurring from …

Can radiation affect future children?

Treatments can affect a future pregnancy in many ways: Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy may affect the support cells and blood supply of the uterus. It also may increase the chances of miscarriage, early birth, low birth weight, and other problems.