Risks of Radiation

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

| A |

| B |

| C |

| D |

| E |

| F |

| G |

| H |

| I |

| J |

| K |

| L |

| M |

| N |

| O |

| P |

| Q |

| R |

| S |

| T |

| U |

| V |

| W |

| X |

| Y |

The energy released by radiation in significant doses can damage the DNA in living cells, yet our bodies carry out a continuous process of repair. Lower doses lead to cells that have repaired themselves incorrectly and which may be at increased risk of developing cancerously owing to these mutations. The body already has cells like this from other causes, but damage from radiation increases the number of cells and therefore the risk of developing cancer over the long term. However, it is important to put the risks from radiation into perspective.

The extra risk of developing cancer from low doses of ionising radiation is so small that it is undetectable in the population. The extra risk from higher doses is just detectable. Even with high doses, it is not always possible to determine if radiation is the direct cause of the cancer because there may be many other factors involved.

A lifetime of exposure to all sources of ionising radiation (naturally-occurring and manmade) is thought to amount to an additional risk of contracting fatal cancer of one per cent. This should be compared to a general lifetime risk of cancer of between 20-25% from other causes, such as smoking, poor diet, or exposure to large amounts of strong sunlight.

The risk to health of not having medical treatment involving radiation far outweighs the risk of developing serious illness from the procedure itself.