by Danna Martínez
Radiation is energy that spread around space from an atom reaction. The human eye cannot see the different radiations. However, this fact did not impede studies, discoveries, and advances about it. Nowadays, radiation is one of the most valuable resources for treatments and industry.
The term radiation comes from the Latin radiatonem. The word in Latin refers to an act of emitting light.
Some bodies emit energy in the form of particles or rays. There are two kinds of radiation. One is ionizing, and the other one is non-ionizing.
All radiation contains energy. However, non-ionizing radiation does not have enough energy to complete the atomic ionizing process. Ionization is the process of removing electrons. Despite not ionizing, this type of radiation creates enough movement to allow the atoms to vibrate and propagate. Some examples of non-ionizing radiation are radio waves, visible light, and microwaves.
Visible light is the only type of light that the human eye can capture. Furthermore, the sun is the only natural body that has non-ionizing radiation emissions.
Ionizing radiation, on the contrary, has so much energy that it can make the ionizing proceed without an obstacle. The ionizing radiation eliminates the electrons from the atoms. As a result, this radiation negatively impacts living beings.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “People are exposed to natural radiation sources as well as human-made sources on a daily basis. Natural radiation comes from many sources including more than 60 naturally-occurring radioactive materials found in soil, water, and air.”
The constant exposure to ionizing radiation means a health risk. Some effects of the radiation are tissue and gene DNA damage. Radioactive elements, x-rays, and space objects are some primary examples of this radiation.
Within the two-mentioned categories, there are different forms of radiation with distinct properties and effects.
Radiation is currently used for different purposes. For example, some medical treatments have been discovered thanks to the study of radiation. As well, radiation has allowed the industry, agriculture, and investigation fields to advance.
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