Nuclear Radiation Hazards to Your Health

One radiation expert, Jacqueline Williams, a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Rochester, New York, said that high levels of radiation can be lethal, because radiation can disrupt cells in the body and cause death. Exposure to high-level radioactive substances that can trigger a number of health problems like hair loss, nerve cell death, seizures and sudden death, circulatory disorders, heart disease, and damage the reproductive system.

Typically, the radiation that's released has two major components, namely radioactive iodine and cesium. Iodine-131 is one type of radioactive material is dangerous, inhaling or eating food contaminated by radioactive iodine can cause thyroid cancer. Food (especially dairy products) can become contaminated with radioactive dust which settles on crops, even on grass eaten by cows or other animals. While radioactive cesium-137 can cause harm in the long term and is a major threat to human health, including problems and lung cancer.

Anticipating the threat of radiation leaking from a nuclear reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant on Friday last week (11 / 3), Japanese authorities have asked about 180 thousand people away from a minimum radius of 20 kilometers from the center of reactor. At least 140 thousand residents who lived near the safety zone was also asked to not go out and close all the vents of the house.

Further treatment carried out by Japanese authorities to distribute potassium iodide pills, which is a simple compound is usually added to salt to prevent goitre and mental retardation. These pills can neutralize the influence of iodine by preventing the thyroid gland (a large endocrine gland located near the base of the neck, serves to produce hormones that help control growth and metabolism) to absorb iodine.

According to Drs. David J. Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University, iodine can enter the human body through various ways, ie, air or food exposed to radiation. He therefore argues potassium iodide pills less effective in preventing thyroid cancer due to nuclear radiation. Brenner also said that the government should prohibit people drink cow milk or eat a fruit that grows from the soil exposed to radiation.