Radiation Effects on Water Slide 3 of 16

Go to slide: 1: Radiation Effects and Risks 2: Radiation Effects on Water 3: Radiation Effects on Water 4: Cell Structure 5: Radiation Effects on Cells 6: Radiation Effects on Cells 7: Radiation Damage and the Results 8: Cell Radiosensitivity 9: General Order of Cell Radiosensitivity 10: Limits of Exposure 11: Radiation Effects 12: Acute Radiation Syndrome 13: Risk Estimate 14: What are the chances? 15: Relative Risk 16: Doses from Various Sources

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Secondary reactions occur after free radicals have been produced in the irradiated water. The free radicals want to combine with other free radicals to become more chemically stable. There are three possible combinations: 1. A hydrogen free radical combines with another hydrogen free radical to produce hydrogen gas. Cells already have a measureable amount of dissolved hydrogen gas present so this reaction has little impact. 2. A hydrogen free radical combines with a hydroxyl free radical to produce water. As we know, the introduction of another water molecule is not a problem. 3. A hydoxyl free radical combines with another hydroxyl free radical to produce hydrogen peroxide. If you think this sounds harmful to the cell you are right! The hydrogen peroxide is poisonous to the cell as well as the peroxide radicals that can be formed which in turn attack other bio-organic molecules to form stable organic peroxides. The organic molecule that was attacked may have been imperitive to the cell's cycle and is no longer available for utilization, eventually causing the cell's death.* *Source: Basic Radiation Protection Technology, 1994.