By their very nature, the effects of radiation are extremely harmful to any living organism. Even a small dose of radiation is enough to initiate cellular reactions in the body, leading to cancer and genetic damage. However, more often, a person who encounters radiation risks dying in a matter of days after fatal contact. The consequences of radiation in large doses are terrible: damage to organs, destruction of the body from the inside, and natural death.
Degree of exposure
In case of serious exposure, damage appears in the first days after what happened. Radionuclides accumulate in the body due to the action of metabolism. They replace natural atoms and thus change the structure of cells. With the decay of radionuclides, chemical isotopes appear that destroy the molecules of the human body. Another feature of irradiation is that its result may not affect the organ that first came under attack. If we are talking about a little contact, then the effects of radiation in the form of cancer can be felt many years later. Such an incubation period can stretch for decades.
However, sometimes the effect of radiation affects not just through the years, but through the generation. This happens when the effects of radiation leave an imprint on the genetic code. It, in turn, affects the offspring generated by a young irradiated organism. This result manifests itself in the form of hereditary diseases. They can be transmitted not only to children, but also to grandchildren, as well as to subsequent generations of the family.
Acute and long term effects
The rapidly manifesting effects of radiation on humans are also called acute. They are easy to identify. But long-term results are much more difficult to determine. Very often, in the first time after irradiation, they do not give themselves away. In this case, as a rule, irreversible changes occur at the cellular level. Such transformations are not noticeable either to the person himself or to the doctors. In addition, special equipment cannot “detect” them, which does not at all reduce the threat to health.
It is also important that the effects of radiation on humans can depend on the individual characteristics of the body. This is especially true for long-term factors. Specialists still can not accurately determine the level of exposure required for the oncological diseases. Theoretically, a small dose is sufficient for this. Each person has their own repair mechanism, which is responsible for cleaning up radiation. However, in the case of a large dose, anyone faces a deadly threat.
Health hit
In laboratory conditions, the effects of radiation on animals and humans are studied on the basis of material obtained from the analysis of the numerous results of the use of radiation therapy for medical purposes. They resort to it in the fight against cancer and tumors. Such therapy harms malignant diseases in the same way that uncontrolled radiation hits living human tissues.
The results of many years of research show: each organ reacts to radiation to a varying degree. The most vulnerable parts of the human body are the spinal cord and the circulatory system. At the same time, they have a remarkable ability to regenerate.
Harm to eyesight and the reproductive system
There are other serious consequences of radiation for humans. Photos of radiation victims indicate that the eyes are another risk area for infection. They are highly sensitive to radiation. In this regard, the most fragile part of the organs of vision is the lens. When perishing, the cells lose their transparency. Because of this, first there are areas of turbidity, and then cataracts occur. Its last stage is final blindness.
Also, the dangerous effects of radiation on the human body are an impact on the reproductive system. Indeed, just a single small irradiation of the testes can lead to sterility. These organs are an important exception in the human body. If other parts of the body are much easier to tolerate the radiation dose, divided into several doses than in one contact, then with the reproductive system, the situation is the opposite. In this regard, another important feature is the ratio of female and male organisms. The ovaries are noticeably more resistant to radiation than the testes.
Threats to children
The damage caused by radiation to an adult, in the case of a child’s body, grows several times. A little irradiation of the cartilage tissue is enough, and bone growth will stop. Over time, this anomaly becomes a cause of violations in the development of the skeleton. It is logical that the younger the child, the more dangerous radiation for his bones. Another vulnerable organ is the brain. Even if radiation therapy is used to treat cancer, children often lose their memory and ability to think clearly. Radiation in uncontrolled quantities further enhances this dangerous effect.
Pregnancy Consequences
Speaking of children, one cannot fail to mention how radiation affects the fetus inside the mother's body. During pregnancy, the period from 8 to 15 weeks is the most vulnerable. At this time, the formation of the cerebral cortex occurs. In the case of exposure to the mother during this period, there is a danger that the child will be born with serious deviations in mental development. For such a fatal effect, even excessive exposure to conventional X-rays is sufficient.
Genetic mutations
Of all the consequences of irradiation, genetic disorders are the least studied. In general, they can be divided into two groups. The first is a change in the structure or number of chromosomes. The second is mutations within the genes themselves. They can also be divided into dominant (in the first generation) and recessive (in subsequent). Depending on many factors, some of which are not exactly studied by science, any of these genetic disorders can lead to hereditary diseases. At the same time, in some cases, these mutations remain undeveloped.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II provided much material for investigating this problem. A significant number of residents of the surrounding areas survived the deadly attack. However, all these people received a dose of radiation. The consequences of that echoing were given to the offspring of those who fell into the zone of the initial lesion in 1945. In particular, the number of children born with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities has increased.
Technogenic radioactivity
The main danger to humans and other living organisms emanating from the radiation factor is the so-called. technogenic radioactivity. It arises as a result of human economic activity. In the XX century, people learned to redistribute and concentrate radionuclides and thus noticeably change the natural radioactive background.
Human factors include, to a lesser extent, the extraction and burning of natural resources, and the use of aviation. However, the most dangerous radiation threat arises from the use of nuclear weapons, as well as the development of the nuclear industry and energy. The most tragic catastrophes associated with the exposure of many people are caused by accidents at such infrastructure facilities. So, since 1986, the name of the city of Chernobyl has become a household name throughout the world. Its tragic history forced the world community to reconsider its attitude to nuclear energy.
Irradiation and animals
In modern science, the effects of radiation on animals are studied in the framework of a special discipline - radiobiology. In general, the results of irradiation for tetrapods are similar to those that a person encounters. Radiation primarily affects immunity. Biological barriers that prevent infections from entering the body are destroyed, due to which the number of leukocytes in the blood decreases, the skin loses its bactericidal properties, etc.
With increasing exposure, the effects of exposure to radiation are becoming more fatal. In the worst case, the body is unarmed before exogenous infections and harmful microflora. A lethal dose of radiation leads to death during the first week. Younger dies faster. Death can occur not only after direct exposure, but also after eating contaminated food or water. This relationship shows that the effects of radiation on nature are no less dangerous than on animals or humans.