What Is Radiation ?
Radiation is nothing more than the transmission of energy from one place to another in the form of rays or grains. All radiation can also be viewed through the eyes of rays consisting of energy packets that vibrate at a wide range of frequencies. Ionizing radiation consists of either electromagnetic (EM) rays, such as X-rays and gamma rays, or very fast grains, such as Alpha and betas. This kind of radiation is called ionizing radiation, because it ionizes them as a result of the fact that they are high enough energy to remove electrons from molecules and atoms
What Is Radioactive Material?
Substances that spontaneously emit alpha, beta, and gamma rays from atomic nuclei are called radioactive substances.
Em radiations (or EM waves) broadcast from mobile phones and base stations, also called radio waves, are not ionizing radiations because they cannot remove electrons from atoms due to their much lower energy. They can be much less effective with the energy they enter and transfer into tissues and cells, but they can't be effective with the atom and atom entering the nucleus.
The possibility of cancer?
‘X-rays’ that enter our body from an X-ray machine while taking X-rays, alpha, beta and gamma rays released from radioactive substances, can also cause cancer with very little probability when they enter our body. Whether or not cancer occurs in our body depends on the type and amount of rays (radiation), the type of affected organ and the duration of irradiation. With the radiation energy transferred, its duration is the basis of the concept of ‘effective dose’, which we will explain below, and this dose is an important criterion for the likelihood (risk) of cancer.
Ways to protect yourself from radiation ?
The aim of ionizing radiation protection is to protect people and the environment from radiation occurring in Nature, Medicine and technology, as well as to benefit people from the applications of radiation in medicine and technology. For this reason, every radiation application in medicine and technology should always have a justification that will benefit the person, and the radiation dose to be taken during the application should also be ‘as low or as low’ in accordance with our reason and logic. For example, in Medicine, X-ray film shooting and computer tomography scanning, these applications are accepted because they benefit us for diagnostic purposes and the radiation doses taken can be kept low in accordance with reason and logic.
Energy Dose
Radiation research has shown that the effect of radiation on the body depends on the amount of energy (Joules) transferred to that organ per kilogram of the relevant organ, which is the unit of energy dose Joule/kg, abbreviated Gray (Gy) and milligray (mGy).
1 Gray=1000 mil Gray= 1 Joule / kg (energy absorption in any substance, e.g. body tissue).
Equivalent Dose
Because different radiations at the same dose of energy leave their energy at different distances in tissues in the body along their path, they can affect the cells they pass through intensively or less, thus causing different decay. For example, alpha rays with large masses can cause 20 times more decay than X-rays of the same energy dose by absorbing cells on the surface of the skin or transferring their energy to them. From here comes the concept of' equivalent dose', which consists of multiplying the energy dose by a coefficient called the' quality coefficient ' (quality coefficient for alphas : 20). The equivalent dose unit is Sievert (Sv), but mili Sievert (mSv), which is more than one-thousandth, is used.
Effective Dose
Because the sensitivity of various organs and tissues in the body to radiation is different, the concept of 'Effective Dose' is derived both to compare their effects and to calculate the dose that the whole body is affected by and the risk of cancer that may occur. As a rule, an effective dose, which is a biological dose, is used to protect against radiation. The effective dose includes not only the characteristics of the radiation, but also the sensitivity of the irradiated organ to this radiation. For this reason, the effective dose also shows the person how effective radiation can be.
For example, for the same equivalent dose, the probability (risk) of cancer in the lungs is 3 times higher than in the thyroid gland. In order to predict the likelihood of cancer of the entire body, cancer probabilities must be calculated and collected for each type of radiation and each affected organ. The effective dose consists of multiplying the equivalent dose by the 'dose weight coefficient', which takes into account the sensitivity of an organ to radiation, its unit Sievert (Sv, mSv). The dose weight coefficients of organs are included in Table 1. As can be seen, the sum of the dose weight katayarınlar should be 1 for the whole body. The international Radiation Protection Board (ICRP) explains these values in its respective publications, depending on the scientific research that develops over time. The last values are in the ICRP publication in 2007.
Dose weight coefficient for example 0.04 for the thyroid gland. What this means, for example, iodine 131 in order to determine the size of the thyroid gland the thyroid gland of a patient who MSV radyoaktiviteli water of 100 'thyroid dose' (if equivalent dose) this dose run the risk of creating cancer of the thyroid in patients, receiving a dose of 4 mSv a result of that person's entire body (100 x0,04= 4 mSv whole body Effective dozu of) is that the risk of cancer in the body will be the same.
In summary,' effective dose', with the concept, compares the effects of various sexes and induced radiation in the body, cancer risks, the same values as mSv, show the same cancer probability (risk).
Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On The Body?
The effects of radiation on the body can only be observed at doses such as 300 - 1000 mSv and even higher (for example, redness of the skin, changes in the blood). Although at high doses, the effect increases as the dose increases, at low doses of radiation, the effect increases the ‘probability of the effect’, not as the dose increases.
At low doses, decay can occur in the target cell molecules as a result of the transfer of radiation energy to the body. For example, by breaking the bonds of DNA molecules in their cells, they can not be repaired, despite the cell's own repair mechanism, resulting in the appearance of cancer. If the radiation dose exceeds a certain upper limit, then decay can also begin in the tissues. Typical dose upper limit value: a few hundred miles Sievert.
The effect on the body at low doses is statistical. For example, in a large community (for example, 10 thousand, 100 thousand people), if each person received the same dose of radiation, it can be said that some people randomly get cancer. However, among those who have cancer in the future from this community, it is impossible to determine who has cancer under the influence of this low dose of radiation. Because we know that there are many other factors that can cause cancer. For example, a chop cooked on a well-burned coal fire contains hundreds of cancer-capable substances that accumulate. Those who breathe air contaminated by chemicals in factory flues and car exhaust gases can also get cancer. Around the world, on average, 40% of people get cancer during their lifetime for various reasons (or unknown reasons), and up to 25% of those who die also die from cancer.
In summary: it is impossible to determine whether there were deaths from radiation among the very large number of cancers, and how many people and who they were if they happened.
Effective Dose Measurements
Since measurement cannot be performed in every organ in the body, direct measurement of the effective dose in the body is possible
not. Therefore, the radiation where the target is a person, a fixed or portable device with a radiation dose rate (radiation dose received per hour : mSv/h) or 'ambient radiation' measured and what there is left for that person besides determining, the received dose equivalent calculated. Finding an effective dose from an equivalent ambient dose can be done by taking into account the types of radiation involved and the dose weight coefficients (Table 1), or this is provided by the relevant internal correction in the measuring instruments.
How To Reduce Radiation Dose?
If there is a source of radiation around us, staying as far away from it and reducing the time we are there, as well as using wall armor such as lead and iron, will greatly reduce the dose of radiation our bodies will receive. /4/.
Examples Of Dose Values
Both natural radiation (for example, Uranium passing from soil to nutrients, as well as cosmic rays) and radiation sources used in medicine and technology, especially according to our needs in medicine, we are more or less irradiated.
The global average of natural radiation dose, which shows large variations, is 2.4 mSv (effective dose) per person per year.
In addition, as a result of the use of radiation sources in medicine and technology, we receive an effective radiation dose of 1.6 mSv per year on average.
Thus, the total average effective dose we receive per year is: 4 mSv.
The average effective dose of cosmic rays on a flight from Europe to New York is approximately 0.05 mSv.
The average effective dose we receive when we take X-ray chest film is 0.02-0.05 mSv.
The effective dose taken in computer tomography (CT) scan varies from 1 to 10 mSv.
Limit values in Radiation Protection
In addition to the need to justify each radiation application and optimize the planned work and receive less radiation doses, limit values should be observed in Radiation Protection. Since those who deal with radiation are under constant control and can be suspended from work for some time when necessary, the limit value of the radiation dose they can receive per year is 20 mSv per year, while the limit value for a person from the public is only 1 mSv. There is no limit value for natural radiations.
For applications in medicine, the patient's improvement is not put at the forefront, and the risk of radiation is taken to the background.
Radiation therapy dose received
Since the goal of radiation treatment is to kill cancer cells, it is pointless to consider the additional risk of cancer that radiation will create. Here, between 10 and 50 Gray or even higher energy doses are used to kill tumors.
We Are Constantly Beaming With Natural Radiation
In fact, man has been living together with cosmic rays from space and radiation emitted from "natural radioactive substances" found around him and in his body ever since he was found on earth. Radioactive substances found in air, water, all plant and animal foods (albeit a small one) enter our body through respiratory and digestive pathways, they accumulate in various organs over time.
Every second in our body, up to 9000 atomic nuclei decay (disintegrate). Close to 800 million a day! And the high-energy radiations that occur with each fragmentation beam the human body "from the inside."
In addition, we are constantly being targeted "externally" by cosmic rays and the Rays released from radioactive substances in all the substances around us. Radiation emitted from our bodies also teleports people close to us around us, albeit a little. On the other hand, when we take an X-ray, there is no "significant damage" or disease in the body, despite the fact that up to 100 billion rays enter our body. Although cells protect themselves by making the necessary defenses against radiation, there is a possibility that highly penetrating ionizing rays can cause damage to cells and organs, and very rarely in low doses, lead to diseases that can lead to death, such as cancer.
Natural and human structure are affected by radioactive substances, Rays released from X-ray instruments, cosmic rays. The amount of energy that they transfer to our body forms the radiation dose, and this dose makes changes in atoms and molecules.
As we have emphasized above, every radiation application in medicine and technology should always have a justification that will benefit a person, and the radiation dose to be taken during the application should also be ‘as low or as low’ in accordance with our reason and logic. Natural radiation dose is also an important criterion that allows us to compare and evaluate it.
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