What Does Radiation Do to Living Cells?
The effects of radiation on living cells vary, depending on the type of radiation, the intensity of the exposure, and the cell. For our purposes, “radiation” refers to an emission of ionizing energy, such as neutrons, photons, and high energy charged particles like gamma rays. There are a number of different types of radiation, including cosmic radiation from space, terrestrial radiation which is emitted by radioactive elements in the ground, and man-make radiation such as that released by the detonation of an atomic bomb. Living cells actually deal with a fair amount of radiation; around 360 millirems per year in the United States, for example. Millirems, incidentally, are units of a radiation dosage; they are used to calculate the results of radiation exposure from things like x-rays in hospitals. The lethal exposure level varies between individuals and it depends on the type of exposure; a single exposure is lethal ar around 300,000 millirems, for example, while higher dosages can b
The effects of radiation on living cells vary, depending on the type of radiation, the intensity of the exposure, and the cell. For our purposes, “radiation†refers to an emission of ionizing energy, such as neutrons, photons, and high energy charged particles like gamma rays. There are a number of different types of radiation, including cosmic radiation from space, terrestrial radiation which is emitted by radioactive elements in the ground, and man-make radiation such as that released by the detonation of an atomic bomb. Living cells actually deal with a fair amount of radiation; around 360 millirems per year in the United States, for example. Millirems, incidentally, are units of a radiation dosage; they are used to calculate the results of radiation exposure from things like x-rays in hospitals. The lethal exposure level varies between individuals and it depends on the type of exposure; a single exposure is lethal ar around 300,000 millirems, for example, while higher dosages ca
