Humans fear radiation all the time but there are somethings to understand about radiation. There are two types of radiation, Ionising and Non-ionizing. The former causes changes in atoms where as the latter doesn't. We should be worried about the types of radiation that come under the ionising category.
X-Rays, Gamma rays, Alpha and beta particles are some of the types of radiation that are ionising in nature. These are the ones that have the most harmful affects on us. Microwaves, Radio and TV signals and sunlight don't cause any harmful affects to humans. Overall radiation is bad for us and exposure to it in any form for long periods of time is harmful.
Radiation is energy that is emitted usually in the form of electromagnetic waves. We fear it because we can't see it and it can harm us without even giving a clue about its presence. The electromagnetic waves produced around you by humans is equivalent to the amount of radiation produced my maybe 8 bananas. A banana usually produces 0.1 micro-sieverts. They are radioactive because of the presence of Potassium. But it doesn't affect you because it is in such small quantities.
According to studies one Sievert of radiation can cause illness if absorbed all at once. Eight sieverts will lead to death even with treatment. But in our everyday life we aren't exposed to as much radiation. The sun is a primary source of radiation in Space. It is highly dangerous if we go to close to it. On Earth though the Sun's radiation isn't as deadly.
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| The Fukushima Nuclear disaster in Japan. |
You certainly won't die of radiation unless there is a nuclear disaster in your area. The chernobyl disaster and the Fukushima Japan incident that occurred on March 11, 2011 are some examples. The areas in and around the affected area are exposed to high levels of radiation which has made these places inhabitable for thousands of years.
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