Radiation Damage and the Results Slide 7 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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Numerous possiblilites can occur when a radiation is incident upon a cell. The radiation can pass through the cell and no damage occurs or if damage does occur the cell can repair itself. Radiation can also cause injury to a cell that is not repairable. The cell will either die or continue to reproduce itself in the damaged state over a period of years. Over long periods of time, these incorrectly produced cells can cause delayed health effects (cancer) or genetic mutations which can be passed along to future generations. One cells death is not detrimental to the whole system, cells die every minute, however, multiple cell deaths in one organ can cause misfunction of complete inoperablity of that organ.* *Source: Primer on Radiation, FDA Consumer (HEW Publication No. 79).