The harm of ionizing radiation to human body

Almost everyone knows that radiation can cause serious damage to our bodies, and this damage is irreparable. Many people know that radiation can be harmful to humans, but few people know what ionizing radiation is and how it harms the human body. If you have such questions, let's take a look at the main aspects of the hazards of ionizing radiation.

How does radiation harm human health?

The effect of radiation on the human body is an extremely complex process. The human body involves many changes of different natures, from absorbing radiation energy to producing biological effects and even causing damage and death. Under the action of radiation, biological macromolecules in the human body, such as nucleic acids and proteins, will be ionized or excited. Experiments have shown that radiation can cause DNA breakage or chromosome damage. In addition, biological macromolecules in the human body exist in a large number of water molecules. When radiation acts on water molecules, the water molecules will also be ionized or excited, producing harmful free radicals (such as OH-1, H+ free radicals, etc.), which will then damage the biological macromolecules in the water molecule environment. Although radiation may cause damage to the human body, if the dose is not high, the body can repair damaged cells or local tissues through its own metabolic processes. The extent of this repair effect is related to the extent of the original damage and may vary due to individual differences.

What are the health effects of exposure?

When the radiation dose exceeds a certain threshold, it may cause direct effects such as skin redness, hair loss, radiation burns and acute radiation sickness (ARS). Acute radiation syndrome is a group of symptoms and signs that may occur when the whole body is exposed to radiation doses exceeding 1 sievert. This is related to damage to the bone marrow, which produces blood cells. When a nuclear power plant accident occurs, it is unlikely that the general population would be exposed to high doses of radiation that would cause such consequences. Rescue workers and nuclear power plant workers are more likely to be exposed to high doses of radiation, causing acute effects.

What long-term effects can be expected from radiation exposure?

Radiation exposure can increase the risk of cancer. Among Japanese atomic bomb survivors, the increased risk of leukemia did not appear until several years after radiation exposure, while the risk of other cancers did not increase until more than ten years after exposure. In the event of a nuclear accident, radioactive iodine may be released. If inhaled or ingested, radioactive iodine will be deposited in the thyroid gland and may increase the risk of thyroid cancer. For people who have been exposed to radioactive iodine, the risk of thyroid cancer can be reduced by taking potassium iodide tablets, which help prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine. Children and young adults are at higher risk of developing thyroid cancer following exposure to radioactive iodine.

Employees working in nuclear power plants should pay attention to:

1. Reduce exposure time.

2. Stay away from strong radiation sources as much as possible.

3. Set up the shielding layer.

4. Secondly, when entering rooms with a lot of radioactive dust, you must wear protective equipment.

5. It is forbidden to touch anything in the controlled area (simply understood as the nuclear island)! What if you touch radioactive dust? It is also forbidden to touch your face or rub your eyes. Because there will inevitably be radioactive dust on the gloves during work, rubbing or touching them will bring the radioactivity into the body. And there is no possible protection in the body.

6. When leaving the controlled area, your entire body must be tested for radioactivity. If so, ask a professional to help remove it. If not, take off all your clothes and test again. The clothes taken off will be taken away by professionals for decontamination.

Employees who are engaged in medical exposure should pay attention to:

1. In the vicinity of a radiation source, a safety zone should be set up to prevent others from entering the vicinity without reason, and there should be a clear "ionizing radiation" sign at the boundary of the safety zone.

2. Monitor the radioactive source regularly to check for leaks.

3. Install protective lead plates on the floor slabs exposed to radiation sources to avoid unnecessary exposure to other personnel.

4. When installing and using new sources, the national "Radiation Protection Regulations" must be strictly implemented.

5. Emergency exposure shall not be carried out under any circumstances.

6. Waste radioactive sources must be handled by professional departments and must not be handled without authorization.

7. Personnel engaged in radioactive work should undergo regular physical examinations and personal metrological tests.

8. The radiation exposure received by workers engaged in radioactive work should be lower than the limit standards for non-radioactive workers in the national "Radiation Protection Regulations". When the national competent authorities detect that the level exceeds the standard, workers engaged in radiation work should enjoy necessary health care.

9. Place obvious radioactive signs on the radiation source device.

10. Post personnel should keep detailed records of post handovers for each shift, including the status and operation of the equipment.

11. The professional maintenance staff of the equipment shall conduct routine inspections regularly every week and keep detailed records, including whether the equipment is missing, the operating status of the equipment, the name of the inspector, the inspection time, etc.

13. There must be no flammable, explosive or corrosive items in the places where source equipment is used. The equipment in use must be registered. When it is not in use temporarily, an application must be made to the local environmental protection department, and it must be stored according to the prescribed procedures and the relevant handover procedures must be completed.

14. Strengthen safety education for employees to make them aware of its role and the huge and immeasurable harm to personnel and the environment caused by leakage, loss or theft due to improper use. Once a radiation accident occurs, protective measures must be taken immediately to control the impact of the accident, protect the accident site, and report it to the health and public security departments. At the same time, any possible environmental pollution must be reported to the local environmental protection department.