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Radiation can have harmful effects on solid materials as it can degrade their properties so that they are no longer mechanically sound. This is of special concern as it can greatly affect their ability to perform in nuclear reactors and is the emphasis of radiation material science , which seeks to mitigate this danger.
A measure of the heating effect is the specific absorption rate or SAR, which has units of watts per kilogram (W/kg). The IEEE [ 8 ] and many national governments have established safety limits for exposure to various frequencies of electromagnetic energy based on SAR , mainly based on ICNIRP Guidelines, [ 9 ] which guard against thermal damage.
Most X-rays occur during the third trimester of pregnancy. [8] There is sparse information on radiation exposure from the first trimester of pregnancy. [8] However, data suggests that the relative risk is 2.7. [8] Relative risk is a measure of probability of an outcome in one group versus the other.
Acute effects of ionizing radiation were first observed when Wilhelm Röntgen intentionally subjected his fingers to X-rays in 1895. He published his observations concerning the burns that developed that eventually healed, and misattributed them to ozone.
Natural color X-ray photogram of a wine scene. Note the edges of hollow cylinders as compared to the solid candle. William Coolidge explains medical imaging and X-rays.. An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays.
Elihu Thomson deliberately exposed a finger to an x-ray tube over a period of time and experienced pain, swelling, and blistering. [31] Other effects, including ultraviolet rays and ozone were sometimes blamed for the damage. [32] Many physicists claimed that there were no effects from x-ray exposure at all. [31]
Radiation and radioactive substances are used for diagnosis, treatment, and research. X-rays, for example, pass through muscles and other soft tissue but are stopped by dense materials. This property of X-rays enables doctors to find broken bones and to locate cancers that might be growing in the body. [7]
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.