Everyone knows nuclear radiation is harmful when exceeding a certain limit. Is it different from other forms of radiation such as electromagnetic radiation from electronic devices? Like if I got blasted with some sort of super WiFi would I be harmed in the same way as nuclear radiation?
In: 5
It’s like getting shot with a nerf dart versus getting shot with a bullet. The nerf dart won’t go inside you, it probably won’t damage your skin, but being hit with a massive wall of nerf darts can harm you if there’s enough of them constantly bombarding you. A bullet will always harm you, it may completely go through you, and having good body armor only lessens your injury rather than preventing it. It may not even stop you from dying.
There’s a unit called an electron volt (eV) which can be used to measure radiation. A photon of visible light might be about 2 eV. You’re obviously familiar with what light can and cannot penetrate. That’s a lot more than signals from electronic devices.
Most nuclear radiation is alpha, beta or gamma radiation. An alpha particle is a helium nucleus. Beta particles are electrons. Gamma rays are photons, like light. The energy of each of theses is hundreds of thousands or millions of eV. That’s enough energy to break apart lots of molecules. This can cause burns or can damage your DNA and cause cancer. Alpha and beta radiation isn’t that dangerous unless the emission source is inside you, in which case you absorb all the energy from the emission. Gamma rays are extremely dangerous. They’re like X-rays, but with more energy and more penetrating ability. You can’t perfectly shield yourself from them. Most processes that emit alpha or beta radiation also emit gamma rays, so nuclear radiation is altogether unsafe.
Latest Answers