Harmful Effects of Radiation: Its Implications on Your Health

The harmful effects of radiation come from either the UV rays of the sun or tanning booths, ionizing energy from medical treatments and radioactive elements from nuclear power plants. Side effects of radiation include thyroid cancer and poisoning.

Radioactive elements include Iodine-131, Cesium-137 and Plutonium. These elements pose a lot of dangers on your health such as . . .

1. Release of free radicals - Damage to the DNA of your genes is one of the harmful effects of free radicals

2. Harmful mutations in the DNA - These may lead either to a malignant tumor or to the death of the cell, and

3. Damage to the RNA and the proteins that oversee vital cell processes.

The DNA is very sensitive to effects of ionizing radiation. When the DNA is charged, it becomes unstable and weak against harmful chemical changes. However, each of your cell is capable of repairing certain levels of cell damage.

At low doses and infrequent exposure to ionizing radiation, cellular damage can be rapidly repaired. Tumors also don't grow overnight.

It causes cancer when its side effects are extensive cell damage or genetic mutations that can't be repaired.

Either death of a cell or cell damage happens with frequent exposure to it. Failure of cells to replace whatever died and inability of tissues to function may also happen due to extremely high doses of harmful ionizing radiation.

Effects on tissues and organs in your body differ in terms of sensitivity. Organs highly sensitive to ionizing radiation are the:

• blood-forming organs like the bone marrow -- this is why patients undergoing radiation therapy are more vulnerable to developing leukemia,

  See Facts About Leukemia.

• thyroid gland,

  Your thyroid gland is very sensitive to the radioactive element known as Iodine-131. It easily absorbs I-131 causing mutations in its cells.

• reproductive organs

• skin,

  If you would like more info, see What is Skin Cancer - Facts, Tyeps, Signs and Causes.

• bones and teeth,

• muscles, and

• lungs.

  If you would like more info, see Facts About Lung Cancer.

The nervous system is the least sensitive to the dangers ionizing radiation brings.

If you want to know the types of cancer caused by radiation, see Different Cancers: Side Effects of Radiation.

To know how to protect yourself, see Prevention Strategies Against Radiation.