Ionizing Radiation Research Paper

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Radiation is often seen by individuals as a substance that is rare and uncommon. Others believe that it only comes from nuclear bombs. However, that isn’t the case. It is found in everything from the soils that people walk on every day, to the walls and floors inside their homes. There’s radiation found in food and water that are consumed by people on a day-to-day basis. It is found within the gases inside the Earth’s atmosphere, and from cosmic rays from space ("Radiation in Everyday Life"). Even the human body has radiation within the muscles, bones, and other tissues. Radiation is found all over the earth. There are two main types of radiation that make all this possible, ionizing radiation and nonionizing radiation ("Radiation Explained"). …show more content…
Some examples of these types of imaging are: X-rays, PET scans, CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds (Boodman). MRI and ultrasounds do not use radiation. Even though people will attempt to avoid radiation, it will build up inside them and it will never leave. Though the technology of radioactive imaging individuals have been able to provide images of the inside the body that have assisted medical professionals avoid exploratory surgery. Different types of radioactive imaging use ionizing radiation to produce these images. Some of these are X-rays, PET scans, and CT scans. However, since this imaging uses ionizing radiation, it can be damaging to the DNA within the human body and can increase the chances of cancer. CT scans are three-dimensional images that are very detailed. It is made up of hundreds of X-rays that are being taken so that doctors are able to see things that they wouldn’t normally be able to see unless went through a surgery or a biopsy. However, even though CT scans, Computed Tomography Scans, have truly helped seeing the inside of the body without immense harm, they do have a downfall. Columbia University and the UCI made a prediction in 2007 and in 2009 that CT scans might have a chance of

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