Does radiation kill

Answer 1

Radiation is a natural part of our environment.

In fact, everyone has a small percentage of radioactive hydrogen and radioactive carbon in their bodies, and the air you breathe has a small amount of radioactive radon gas in it. You also receive some radiation from the sun.

So a little radioactivity (often termed as background radiation) is normal.

X-rays, fluoroscopy, and CT scans give a person small doses of radiation, but usually it is believed that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Radioactive decays can damage genes. However, the cells in your body have complex mechanisms to repair damaged genes. Unfortunately, not all damaged genes and gene transcription errors are fixed, and these errors can lead to cancer.

Ironically while radiation can cause cancer, it is also a common treatment for cancer due to its ability to kill rapidly dividing cells.

There are multiple theories about small does of radiation. Some theories suggest that any amount of radiation is harmful and increases cancer risk. However, there are many studies about an effect called hormesis in which low doses of radiation actually activate the immune system and have a beneficial effect.

High doses of radiation, however, can be very damaging and can be lethal. See the wikipedia article on radiation linked below. An acute dose of 300 to 400 REM is considered 50% lethal. An acute dose of over 1000 REM is considered 100% lethal. However, the radiation poisoning and death can occur over several days post-exposure.