Biological Effects Of Radiation :: essays research papers

The Biological Effects of RadiationWhether the source of radiation is born(p) or man made, whether it is a sm tout ensemble dose of radiation or a large dose, there will be some biological effectuate. Radiation causes ionizations of atoms, which will mint molecules, which may affect cells, which may affect tissues, and so on. Although most people tend to think of biological make in terms of the effect of radiation on living cells, in actuality, ionizing radiation, by definition, interacts only with atoms by a process called ionization (Chandra p. 205). Thus, all biological trauma do begin with the consequence of radiation interactions with the atoms practiceing the cells. change surface though all subsequent biological effectuate can be traced back to the interaction of radiation with atoms, there atomic number 18 two mechanisms by which radiation ultimately affects cells. These two mechanisms are commonly called direct and validating effects. If radiation interacts with the atoms of the DNA molecule, or some other cellular persona critical to the survival of the cell, it is referred to as a direct effect. Such interaction may affect the ability of the cell to reproduce and, thus, survive. If enough atoms are affected in such a way that the chromosomes do non replicate properly, or there is a significant alteration in the information carried by the DNA molecule, then the cell may be destroyed by direct interference with its life-sustaining system. Indirect effects are caused by the reaction of radiation with the water that makes up the legal age of the cells volume. When radiation interacts with water, it may break the bonds that hold the water molecule together. This produces fragments of henry and hydroxyls. These fragments may recombine or they may interact with other fragments to form compounds, such as water, which would not harm the cell. It is when these fragments combine to form deadly substances, such as hydrogen peroxide, that the des truction of the cell results.Biological effects of radiation are typically divided into two categories. The first social class consists of exposure to high doses of radiation over brief intervals of time producing tart effects (Hall p. 15). The second category represents exposure to low doses of radiation over extended periods of time producing chronic or long term effects (Hall p.15). High doses tend to kill cells, while low doses tend to damage or change them. High doses can kill so legion(predicate) cells that tissues and organs are damaged.