What is nuclear radiation? Nuclear radiation is a stream of microscopic particles released by the nucleus of an atom as it changes from one structure or energy state to another. Nuclear radiation can cause ionization or excitation of matter, so it is called ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is also divided into direct ionizing radiation and indirect ionizing radiation. Direct ionizing radiation includes charged particles such as alpha, beta, and protons. Indirect ionizing radiation includes photons (γ-rays and X-rays), neutrons and other uncharged particles. Nuclear radiation is radiation from the nucleus of an atom. There are three main types of nuclear radiation that affect humans, namely alpha, beta, and gamma rays. alpha radiation is a stream of particles consisting of the nucleus of a helium atom. It has a large mass and carries a lot of charge, but its ability to penetrate matter is weak and its range is short, and it can be blocked by an ordinary piece of paper. However, if it enters the human body, it will cause harmful internal damage, so it should be especially protected from alpha rays. beta rays are composed of high-speed electrons, which have greater penetration compared with alpha rays and can penetrate the cuticle of the skin and cause damage to living tissues. However, it is easily shielded by materials such as plexiglass, plastic or aluminum plates, and its inherent harm is less than that of alpha rays. gamma rays are similar to x-rays and are also composed of invisible photons. It has the strongest penetrating power and can penetrate a one-meter-thick concrete wall. A γ-ray with an energy of 1 MeV is enough to penetrate the human body, so the protection of γ-ray is the most important in the protection of external exposure. Since γ-ray is an uncharged photon, it cannot directly cause ionization, so it is less harmful than α and β-ray for internal exposure. What are the hazards of nuclear radiation? Early nuclear radiation in the first ten seconds of the nuclear explosion radiation out of the human eye invisible gamma rays and neutron streams. It is a nuclear explosion is unique to the killing and destruction factors. Early nuclear radiation travels in a straight line near the speed of light. By the time the flash is detected, personnel have long been exposed to the effects of radiation. Early nuclear radiation can penetrate human bodies and objects like X-rays.
It can penetrate several kilometers into the air layer. When the radiation is irradiated to the human body, killing cells to a certain extent, personnel will get radiation disease; irradiation to the soil, salt, alkali, food and some metal appliances, but also make these original non-radioactive substances produce induction radioactivity, but also can cause harm to personnel. It can also make optical glass darkening, film exposure, chemical failure, and can affect the performance of electronic instruments. In radiation medicine and human radiation protection, there are various measurement models and units of measurement for radiation dose. The more complete measurement model is the “equivalent dose”, which is the amount of radiation that reflects the strength of the biological effects caused by the absorption of various rays or particles. The international standard unit is the “sievert”, defined as 1 sievert per kilogram of human tissue absorbed. Excessive radiation exposure of the human body may lead to fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, skin redness, ulcers, bleeding, hair loss, leukemia, vomiting, diarrhea, etc., and sometimes increase the incidence of cancer, malformations, hereditary pathologies, affecting the health of several generations. Generally speaking, the more radiation energy the body receives, the more serious its radiation sickness symptoms and the greater the risk of cancer and teratogenicity. According to the standard set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the total radiation risk is 0.0165/sievert, which means that for every 1 sievert of radiation dose received by the body, the chance of cancer increases by 0.0165. Sievert is a very large unit, so usually use mSv, microsievert. 1 mSv = 1000 microsievert. According to China’s nuclear power safety expert Yu Zusheng, according to China’s standards, the amount of radiation exposure per person per year should be less than 2.7 mSv. In fact, the human body will not be affected if it is exposed to radiation of less than 100 mSv for a short period of time. Radiation dose of more than 4,000 millisieverts, it may be fatal. How does nuclear radiation affect human health? When radioactive materials decay, they release ionizing radiation that can cause serious damage to the body’s internal chemical environment. It breaks the chemical bonds between various atoms and molecules in various tissues of the body, and the body reacts automatically to try to repair this damage. However, sometimes this damage will be so extensive and severe that repair is nearly impossible and there is also the potential for errors to occur in the automatic repair process. The parts of the body that are most sensitive to radiation damage are the tissue cells in the gastrointestinal tract and the blood-forming tissue cells in the bone marrow. The damage caused by radiation depends on how long you have been exposed to the radiation and how much radiation you have received. Do iodine pills work to prevent nuclear radiation? Some common radiation protection measures, such as drinking green tea, eating fungus, wearing masks, and wearing radiation-protective clothing for pregnant women, do not work at all. The best way to protect yourself from radiation contamination is to keep the doors and windows of your home closed and to wash your hands and shower regularly. The iodine contained in iodized salt is very small, and the iodine medicine must be taken after the nuclear radiation contamination, once a day, each time a potassium iodide, to buy in advance to eat, which will instead cause drug-related harm to the body.