The Impact of Gamma Rays on Health and Technology
Gamma rays, a form of electromagnetic radiation, have both beneficial and harmful effects. Used in cancer treatment and technology advancement, they also pose risks such as cell damage and mutations. Learn more about how gamma rays affect us and their diverse applications.
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Presentation Transcript
DOES GAMMA RAYS CAUSE MORE HARM THAN HELP MIKE MCINTOSH
WHAT IS A GAMMA RAY Gama rays are a from of electromagnetic radiation, the same as radio waves, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and more. Gama rays can be used to treat to treat cancer. Gama rays were first observed in 1900 by a French chemist Paul Villard when he was investigating radiation from radium.
HOW ARE GAMMA RAYS PRODUCED? Gama rays are produced by 4 primarily nuclear reaction: fusion, fission, alpha decay, and gamma decay. Nuclear fusion is the reaction that powers the sun and stars. It occurs in a multi step process where 4 protons, or hydrogen nuclei, are forced to fuse under extreme tempature. Alpha decay
WHAT IS GAMMA RAYS USED FOR Since Gamma rays can kill living cells we use them to kill Cancer cells to avoid difficult surgery s, this is called Radiotherapy, it works really well because healthy cells can repair themselves fairly well when damaged by the Gamma rays where as Cancer cells cant. There s also targeted Radiotherapy where the whole body gets a dose of it but only a low dose where the targeted part gets a bigger dose. Targeted Radiotherapy is used to treat prostate cancer, and is under study of lung cancer and more.
HOW HAS GAMMA RAYS HELPED US ADVANCE IN TECHNOLOGY Gamma rays has help us advance in technology such as X-rays and also used in Radiotherapy, sterilise food so it lasts longer and keeps it fresh, it also sterilise medical equipment getting rid of the bacteria so the medical equipment is clean for the next patient so no cross contamination can happen. Even though Gamma rays are used to kill cancer cells they also have the negative effect of causing a variety of cancer and can cause mutations in growing tissues making unborn babies the most vulnerable.
HOW DOES GAMMA RAYS AFFECT US Gamma rays affect us by creating free radicals inside our body by ionizing water. The free radicals then can go and damage DNA. This has been happening for billions of years from the natural background sources of radiation. Humans have cells that have built in mechanisms to repair most of the damage cause by Gamma rays. Some times a cell won t be able to repair itself so it dies. Very rarely the cell may mutate and become a abnormal cell which leads to the making of a tumor.
DO GAMMA RAYS CAUSE MORE HARM THAN HELP? In my opinion, Gamma rays help more than cause harm. Gamma rays have the power to shrink and kill tumors and cancer cells so we don t have to do as many risky surgeries. Gamma rays are also used to sterilise things such as medical equipment and food. Even though Gamma rays have negative effects on the human body, our cells have special mechanisms to heal most of the damaged cell and very rarely a cell dies because it couldn t fix the cell.
CITATIONS https://www.livescience.com/50215-gamma-rays.html http://www.darvill.clara.net/emag/emaggamma.htm https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=13506 https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radiation-health-effects
