What is nuclear radiation and why is it dangerous?

Radiation can either kill cells or damage the DNA within them, which damages their ability to reproduce and can eventually lead to cancer. When radiation is present, high energy particles pass through your body. These can collide with atoms in your body and disrupt atomic structure.

Why is radiation dangerous for humans?

Radiation damages the cells that make up the human body. Low levels of radiation are not dangerous, but medium levels can lead to sickness, headaches, vomiting and a fever. High levels can kill you by causing damage to your internal organs. It’s difficult to treat high radiation exposure.

Is nuclear radiation always harmful?

No, ionizing radiation is only harmful to an organism as a whole when its amount gets too high. We are constantly bombarded with very small amounts of ionizing radiation that occur naturally, and we get along just fine with our lives without being seriously harmed by this radiation.

How does nuclear fallout affect humans?

Nuclear explosions produce air-blast effects similar to those produced by conventional explosives. The shock wave can directly injure humans by rupturing eardrums or lungs or by hurling people at high speed, but most casualties occur because of collapsing structures and flying debris.

What type of radiation is harmful to humans?

It depends on whether your exposure to radiation is internal or external. Alpha particles are the most harmful internal hazard as compared with gamma rays and beta particles. Radioactive materials that emit alpha and beta particles are most harmful when swallowed, inhaled, absorbed, or injected.

How is radiation harmful to the environment?

UV radiation generates ground-level ozone (O3) and some particulate matter (PM, frequently called aerosol) that include nitrate, sulfate, and organic aerosols causing adverse effect on human health and the environment. UV promotes the formation of hydroxyl radicals that act as cleaning agents for troposphere.

What are the effects of nuclear hazards?

The principal initial effects are blast and radiation. Blast causes damage to lungs, ruptures eardrums, collapses structures and causes immediate death or injury. Thermal Radiation is the heat and light radiation, which a nuclear explosion’s fireball emits producing extensive fires, skin burns, and flash blindness.