Brent Godwin, age 13, of Gray, Maine, for his question:
WHAT IS RADIATION?
People working with radioactive material must be shielded since radiation can damage living tissue. Under careful control, however, radiation is used successfully in the treatment of certain types of cancer. Radiation seems to damage cells most during cell division. Cancer cells divide more often than normal cells, so radiation kills more cancerous cells than normal ones.
Radiation is the process in which energy is emitted as particles or waves. Radioactivity is the process by which atoms emit radiation, or atomic particles and rays of high energy, from their cores or nuclei.
There are three kinds of radiation: alpha rays, beta rays and gamma rays. Alpha rays have a postive electric charge and are made up of two protons and two neutrons. Beta rays are electrons which have a negative charge of electricity. Gamma rays have no electrical charge but are much more penetrating than alpha and beta particles.
Radiations originate in the nuceli of radioactive atoms. Alpha particles, which are made of protons and neutrons, are fragments of the nuclei that emit them. But no electrons exist in the nucleus.
In beta radiation, an electron is created by the charges of a particle in the nucleus. When atoms emit alpha or beta radiation, they transmute or change into atoms of another element. Emission of gamma rays does not result in transmutation.
Very powerful radiation, such as gamma rays, can produce anemia by breaking down the body cells, especially blood constituents such as the red cells and the antibodies that protect against infection.
The less radiation received over the whole body the better, since radiation effects are cumulative. However, medical authorities tell us there is no need for panic on the subject. Local radiation from X rays, such as those you receive from your dentist or doctor, is not harmful as long as it is not done too frequently. Most medical people are perfectly competent to judge the safety limits.
Prolonged radiation treatments are not advisable unless the ailment being treated is worse than the danger of radiation.
The body is used to small amounts of radiation throughout life and can tolerate several times as much without harm.
Studies made by the Army Medical Corps indicate that the human body can withstand larger doses of radiation than previously thought.