Have you been exposed to ionizing radiation or worried about it? Here are things you should know about this on your health.  First, It is essential to know that controlled ionizing radiation does not represent any risk to our health. Radiation coexists with us since they are found in nature and are also used for the benefit of man in many areas such as medicine or industry. However, misuse of ionizing radiation can produce harmful effects on health.

How Does this Process Occur?

As its name suggests, ionizing radiation can produce ionizations in the atoms they interact with due to their high energy. Thus, these radiations can alter the chemical structures of the molecules that make up our body cells. If the altered molecule is essential for the function of the cell, as is the case with DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), there will be harmful consequences for the cell. Depending, among other factors, on the radiation dose, the damage produced will be of greater or lesser severity, which in turn will determine the type of effect that can occur in the body.

If severe damage occurs as a result of the irradiation, the cell will die. If the number of cells that die is small, there will be no consequences since our body can replace these cells. However, suppose the number of cells that die in a tissue or organ due to irradiation is high. In that case, a detrimental effect will occur, depending on the tissue or organ most affected by the radiation. These effects occur after exposures to high doses of radiation and are known as tissue reactions or deterministic effects.

The first deterministic effects, or the less severe, appear only after doses of 1 Gy (Gray). A dose of this magnitude can only be given in the case of a radiological accident. Generally, these first effects consist of nausea, vomiting, or superficial redness of the skin. When the doses received by the person are higher, diarrhea, hair loss or loss, and sterility can occur.

Can it Cause Cell Death?

Radiation exposure does not always cause cell death. At low doses, the damage produced is milder and typically involves an alteration in the DNA molecule, known as a genetic mutation. 

Specific mutations can favor cancer development or inheritable genetic diseases (that would be evident in the offspring of the irradiated person). These stochastic effects occur after exposure to low doses of radiation, and, importantly, they are probabilistic. 

This implies that increasing the dose of radiation received does not increase the severity of the effect but rather the probability that said the effect would occur. For example, if we think about cancer development, a higher dose would make it more likely to develop, but it does not mean that cancer will be more serious.

Remember, the effects that radiation can produce on our health depend on many factors such as the dose and type of radiation, the age of the individual at the time of irradiation (the younger, the younger the sensitivity to ionizing radiation), and genetic factors.

Ionizing is not deadly unless exposed to severe levels. However, recent scientific studies have shown that medications that contain EUK-134 (81065-76-1) can help reduce the negative effect of ionization radiation on the cell.