Radiation Safety Concerns

Although there is much public health concern about radiation and its effects on the human body, it is everywhere. Radiation is basically defined as energy traveling through space. We receive radiation in the form of sunshine on a daily basis. Other forms of radiation make its way to us via deep space events that emit energy, as well. The average human being receives about 620 millirems of radiation per year. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission sets any yearly exposure under 10,000 millirem as a low dose; however, there are safety concerns for the public at large.

Exposure

• There are many ways in which human beings can be subject to radiation. Of these many ways, of paramount importance and concern for many people is the exposure factor. There are three components to exposure that play a role: time, distance and shielding. Time is a factor of how long a person is exposed to a certain radiation source. Distance is how far away the person is from the source. Shielding can be obtained either by lead aprons for medical procedures or certain suits and/or structures between the person and the radioactive agent. All of these factors play a role in the amount of radiation received from an event.

Diagnostic Procedures

• Overuse of CT scans can be a health hazard.

  X-rays and CT scans use radiation to view the body. When we have these tests, we absorb radiation. The University of California states that a "new study concludes the radiation U.S. patients receive from these medical exams will eventually result in 29,000 new cancer cases and 15,000 new cancer deaths each year at current levels of CT usage and cancer cure rates."

Children

• Understandably, there is some concern on the exposure levels that children receive from radiation. With the increasingly affordable technology and trend of diagnostic procedures, children may be exposed to more radiation over their lifetime than those in the past. Dr. Adam Dorfman of the University of Michigan says, "We know that exposure to radiation is additive over a lifetime, and we know that kids are more susceptible to the adverse effects of a given amount of radiation than adults." This is due to children's rapidly growing bodies, with cell division many times that of an adult.

Fallout

• Radiaton from nuclear fallout is a grave issue for health.

  Probably the most fantastic concern regarding radiation is that due to fallout from a large source, such as a bomb or nuclear power plant melt down. The March 11, 2011, earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan brought these concerns to the forefront when a nuclear power plant starting emitting radiation at high levels. Potassium iodide in pill form was in great demand as there was some impression that this would protect from any drifting radiation due to the catastrophe.