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Infrared or red radiation from a common household radiator or electric heater is an example of thermal radiation, as is the heat emitted by an operating incandescent light bulb. Thermal radiation is generated when energy from the movement of charged particles within atoms is converted to electromagnetic radiation.
Radiation damage is the effect of ionizing radiation on physical objects including non-living structural materials. It can be either detrimental or beneficial for materials. It can be either detrimental or beneficial for materials.
A common example of such radiation is sunlight, which is thermal radiation from the Sun's photosphere and which contains enough ultraviolet light to cause ionization in many molecules and atoms. An extreme example is the flash from the detonation of a nuclear weapon , which emits a large number of ionizing X-rays purely as a product of heating ...
For example, ionizing radiation is one cause of chronic myelogenous leukemia, [22] [23] [24] although most people with CML have not been exposed to radiation. [23] [24] The mechanism by which this occurs is well understood, but quantitative models predicting the level of risk remain controversial. [citation needed]
Dielectric heating from electromagnetic radiation can create a biological hazard. For example, touching or standing around an antenna while a high-power transmitter is in operation can cause burns. The mechanism is the same as that used in a microwave oven. [6]
This radiation is a small portion of the total emitted during radium 226 decay. Radium 228 emits beta particles, and is also a concern for human health through inhalation and ingestion. The gamma rays emitted from radium 226, accounting for 4% of the radiation, are harmful to humans with sufficient exposure.
The level of health risk is dependent on duration and the type and strength of irradiation. Penetrating radiation such as gamma rays, X-rays, neutrons or beta particles pose the greatest risk from an external source. Low penetrating radiation such as alpha particles have a low external risk due to the shielding effect of the top layers of skin.
There is a small increase in the dose, due to naturally occurring gamma radiation, around small particles of high atomic number materials in the human body caused by the photoelectric effect. [24] By comparison, the radiation dose from chest radiography (about 0.06 mSv) is a fraction of the annual naturally occurring background radiation dose. [25]