The information discussed here was provided as a non-profit project, built entirely by a group of young engineers. The entire website is based on their own personal perspectives and does not represent any company’s views in the energy industry.
The main purpose of this project is to help the public learn some interesting and important information about energy and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The authors realize that the basics in nuclear physics do not belong to fundamental human knowledge and the term “nuclear” often evokes a feeling of something negative or even dangerous. The engineers do not claim this or that opinion is the only right opinion. But it is noteworthy that most nuclear engineers, people who know what nuclear means, do not connect the term “nuclear” with anything negative or dangerous.
Anyone can come here, learn the basics of nuclear physics, reactor physics, and power engineering, and should be able to answer basic questions. Feel free to ask a question, leave feedback or take a look at one of our articles. The best way to promote nuclear power is to present the facts.
Radiation is all around us. We all are continually exposed to natural background radiation, which seems to be without any problem. Yes, high doses of ionizing radiation are harmful and potentially lethal to living beings, but these doses must be high. Moreover, what is not harmful in high doses? Even a high amount of water can be lethal to living beings.
The truth about low-dose radiation health effects still needs to be found. It is unknown whether these low doses of radiation are detrimental or beneficial (and where is the threshold). Some studies claim that small doses of radiation given at a low dose rate stimulate the defense mechanisms. Moreover, ionizing radiation can have health benefits in medicine, for example, in diagnostics, where X-rays are used to produce pictures of the inside of the body. We do not claim that everything is OK, and it also depends on the type of radiation and tissue which was exposed.
But finally, if you compare risks, which arise from the existence of the radiation, natural or artificial, with risks, which arise from everyday life, then you must conclude that fear of radiation is irrational. Humans are often inconsistent in our treatment of perceived risks. Even though two situations may have similar risks, people will find one situation permissible and another unjustifiably dangerous.
The problem of ionizing radiation lies in the fact that the radiation is invisible and not directly detectable by human senses. People can neither see nor feel radiation, and therefore, they feel fear of this invisible threat.
How Dangerous is Radiation
Radiation is all around us. In, around, and above the world we live in. It is a natural energy force that surrounds us, and it is a part of our natural world that has been here since the birth of our planet. From the beginning of time, all living creatures have been, and are still being, exposed to ionizing radiation.
For example, potassium-40 is one of the isotopes contributing to humans’ internal exposure. Traces of potassium-40 are found in all potassium, the most common radioisotope in the human body. Higher amounts can also be found in bananas. Does it mean eating bananas must be dangerous? Of course not.
Explanation - Banana Equivalent Dose
Whether the source of radiation is natural or artificial, whether it is a large dose of radiation or a small dose, there will be some biological effects. In general, ionizing radiation is harmful and potentially lethal to living beings. Still, it can have health benefits in medicine, for example, in radiation therapy for treating cancer and thyrotoxicosis.
But where is the threshold between positive and negative effects of radiation?
What does danger mean?
In the following thoughts, we try to summarize facts and hypotheses which can help you understand the problem. It is all about the risks from exposure to ionizing radiation and the consistency in all risks of everyday life. But first, we have to summarize key facts about ionizing radiation.
The intensity of Radiation – Dose and Dose Rate
Principles of Radiation Protection – Time, Distance, Shielding
The intensity of ionizing radiation is a key factor determining the health effects of exposure to radiation. It is similar to being exposed to heat radiation from a fire (in fact, it is also transferred by photons). If you are too close to a fire, the intensity of thermal radiation is high, and you can get burned. If you are at the right distance, you can withstand it without any problems, and it is comfortable. If you are too far from a heat source, the insufficiency of heat can also hurt you. In a certain sense, this analogy can be applied to radiation from ionizing radiation sources.
In short, to get burned (deterministic effects and demonstrable stochastic effects) by ionizing radiation, you must be exposed to a high amount of radiation. But almost every time, we are talking about so-called low doses.
As written today, the protection system is based on the LNT hypothesis, a conservative model used in radiation protection to estimate the health effects of small radiation doses. This model is excellent for setting up a protection system for all use of ionizing radiation. This model assumes that there is no threshold point and risk increases linearly with a dose, i.e., the LNT model implies that there is no safe dose of ionizing radiation. If this linear model is correct, natural background radiation is the most hazardous radiation source to general public health, followed by medical imaging as a close second.
It must be added that the research during the last two decades is very interesting and show that small doses of radiation given at a low dose rate stimulate the defense mechanisms. Therefore the LNT model is not universally accepted, with some proposing an adaptive dose-response relationship where low doses are protective, and high doses are detrimental. Many studies have contradicted the LNT model and shown an adaptive response to low dose radiation resulting in reduced mutations and cancers. On the other hand, it is very important to know what type of radiation a person is exposed to.
Read on for the more technical details ...... https://www.nuclear-power.com/
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
