Gamma Radiation Health Effects
Science has known about the existence of gamma radiation for over 100 years. Gamma radiation poses all of the same health risks that other high energy radiation, like X-rays, cause. Negative health effects from gamma radiation include damage to genetic material that can eventually lead to cancer and mutations at even the lowest doses. However, gamma rays do have a beneficial use for medical equipment irradiation.
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Identification
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French physicist Henri Becquerel is credited with discovering gamma rays in 1896. Shortly before Becquerel discovered gamma radiation, William Roentgen had discovered X-rays. Becquerel theorized that uranium gave off invisible light like an X-ray. Gamma rays have thousands of times the energy of visible light and contain no mass or charge.
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DNA Damage and Cancer
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Even low doses of gamma radiation, such as those experienced by professionals who use X-ray machines in the medical field, can damage DNA and cause genetic mutations, according to a study on the government's PubMed database. The study showed that amounts as low as 5 centi-Grays (a standard measurement for the amount of energy one kilogram of matter absorbs) can damage a person's genetic material. Damaged DNA often leads to cancer and chromosome mutations.
Radiation Sickness
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Gamma rays are usually the main culprit when people suffer from radiation sickness, reports the Merck Online Medical Manual. Technically known as "acute radiation syndrome," radiation sickness symptoms develop in two to 31 days of exposure to gamma radiation. Typical effects from ARS include nausea, vomiting and general fatigue due to the body's weakened immune system.
Positive Health Effect
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Although gamma absorbed through the skin can cause several health risks, the medical field often uses gamma radiation to kill bacteria and sterilize equipment, according to medical supplier Steritech. The DNA-damaging effect of gamma radiation destroys germs, which have much less DNA than animals and humans. Gamma irradiation is a "cold process" that does not increase the temperature of an object.
Prevention/Solution
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The Environmental Protection Agency claims that one can reduce exposure to gamma radiation through a few preventative steps. Always wear protective clothing around radiation. Anything emitting gamma radiation should bear a symbol that can review. Gamma radiation occurs naturally in some isotopes of potassium, but the most controllable way to avoid gamma rays is to limit medical X-rays. Ask a doctor if taking an X-ray for a procedure such as a mammogram is really necessary.
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