...concern the impact of releasing radioactive radon gas on your health but I’m here to assure you that you are not in too much danger and do not have to over worry. First, let’s consider the short-term effects of radiation damage to cells. If a whole body exposes to less than 100 rem (1 Sievert) dose of radiation, people will experience no short-term radiation illness. You will expose to approximately an extra 1 milli-Sievert whole-body dose per year due to the leak. The dose is far below 1 Sievert. So you will not be sick because the cells in your body can repair the tiny damage naturally. Then, I’ll talk about extra risks of getting cancers. According to the Linear Hypothesis which predicts cancer effects at very low levels, each of you will get 4*10^-5 extra risk of getting cancers each day, which is only 0.04 extra cancers. When we expand the time range into a year, extra 14 to 15 people in 1000 of you will get cancers due to radiation. Much fewer people than 14 will actually die from cancer. Even without radiation, about 40% people will get cancer and about 20% of them will die of it. So even if there is no releasing radiation, about 400 people among you will get cancer sometime in your lives and 200 people will die for it. So the danger of getting cancer from radiation is very minimal compared to the natural rate. Besides, the linear hypothesis is not approved even though it is widely used. There are possibilities that 1mSv will not produce any extra cancer risk at all. Therefore...
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...ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANT RADIATION Technology has a significant role in today’s world. It can also affect many peoples’ lives. It makes life easier and more efficient. However in today’s world, there are some who have considered about the danger it may cause. People have started destroying our environment by using destructive weapons to defeat and lead with possession. There is dangerous equipment which had been manufactured throughout the world. Nuclear weapon is one of the most destructive weapons ever made which could really destroy the world in just a moment. It can cause a big effect in our lives as well to our environment. Radiation is an environmental hazard that people tend to worry about only when it is artificially produced (Schneider 336). When atoms combine it can causes a radiation which will affect molecules, cells and tissues. However there are some who think of biological effects of radiation on human body. The atoms unite through a process called ionization. So the biological effects begin with the result of radiation combining with the atoms which develops cells. There are several sources of radiation. In fact, It can be found everywhere. The homes which we live by contain amount of radioactive elements that decay into a chemical element called radon gas. It can leak into our homes which. It can also be found mostly in industry to control measuring equipment. Radiation comes from natural or artificial resources. However it was commonly found in natural...
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...Radiation Exposure Karen Glave University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas Author Note Karen Glave, ARRT, RT (R) is the Lead Radiologic Technologist at the UT Physicians, Cinco Ranch Health Center in Katy, Texas. A multi-specialty, community based clinic that is a division of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. Correspondence concerning this report should be addressed to Karen Glave, RT, Department of Radiology, UT Cinco Ranch Health Center, 23923 Cinco Ranch Blvd, Katy, Texas 77494. E-mail: karen.glave@uth.tmc.edu Abstract During my 20 years of imaging in the radiology field, I have been questioned by patients about the dangers of radiation exposure daily. I often state that unlike other medical trials we are unable to intentionally test the long term effects of these procedures. To take a group of people and irradiate them, follow them throughout their lives. That type of study would be never-ending and difficult to follow. Our history lessons teach about the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 and the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion in Ukraine. However those events do not expose human beings to the same ionizing radiation that is used in the medical x-rays of today. I would like to put these risks into perspective. That the benefit of the information we receive from a test far outweighs the risk to the patient. My ultimate goal is to arm the patient with enough information to make...
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...its radiation. Radiation, in Physics, it is defined as the process of transmitting energy through space. There are two types of radiation exposure—82% is from natural resources such as cosmic and solar rays and 18% of the exposure is from man-made radiation. Radiation injures the body by destroying cells and parts of cells. It hinders cells from dividing which gives rise to cells which does not have the ability to reproduce. The reason why the researchers have chosen this topic is to stress out the hazardous effects of computer radiation.Long-term exposure to radiation increases the risk of all forms of cancer, tumors, blood disorders, miscarriage, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, aging of the skin, skin burn, etc. Radiation exposure over time can cause skin burn, dry wrinkled skin and photo aging. This skin damage is identical to sun damage and causes the same health problems. Many electronic products that we use on a daily basis expose us to harmful radiation. A television, microwave oven, cellular phone and computer are examples of products that emit radiation. To preserve your health use electronic products carefully, in ways that shield your body from radiation. Computer radiation is most harmful to skin health because we sit directly in front of the computer for long periods of time with our face absorbing the radiation. Lessening this type of harmful radiation is important. Computer radiation can...
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...Blackbody Radiation At issue here is how radiation interacts with matter. When heated, a solid object glows and emits thermal radiation. As the temperature increases, the object becomes red, then yellow, then white. The thermal radiation emitted by glowing solid objects consists of a continuous distribution of frequencies ranging from infrared to ultraviolet. The continuous pattern of the distribution spectrum is in sharp contrast to the radiation emitted by heated gases; the radiation emitted by gases has a discrete distribution spectrum: a few sharp (narrow), colored lines with no light (i.e., darkness) in between. Understanding the continuous character of the radiation emitted by a glowing solid object constituted one of themajor unsolved problems during the second half of the nineteenth century. All attempts to explain this phenomenon by means of the available theories of classical physics (statistical thermodynamics and classical electromagnetic theory) ended up in miserable failure. This problem consisted in essence of specifying the proper theory of thermodynamics that describes how energy gets exchanged between radiation and matter. When radiation falls on an object, some of it might be absorbed and some reflected. An idealized “blackbody” is a material object that absorbs all of the radiation falling on it, and hence appears as black under reflection when illuminated from outside. When an object is heated, it radiates electromagnetic energy as a result...
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...Conduction, Convection, and Radiation By: Spencer Smith Physics 2010 – Online Dr. Stone 30 April 2014 Physics is a controlling factor in our vast universe. It literally controls how our reality operates and how our existence came to be in this universe, it actually it what made our universe. When you think about physics you probably think about friction and forces but it is a much broader idea. Physics is what controls how the atoms that make up everything work with each other to form the things we see, the things we use, and even ourselves. Physics is a fundamental basis of our idea of the universe; yes there could be another parallel universe that has a different set of laws of physics but if it exists and we discover it physics will be there to help us understand the cause of this great phenomenon. Conduction, convection, and radiation are a processes of heat transfer and we experience these processes every day, some people might not realize it but these studies of physics are happening right now, all around us. Heat transfer is really just the transfer of energy and to understand how energy is transferred one must understand the physics of heat. “Conduction is the process of heat transfer in solids. If one end of a solid is heated, the particles of the solid gain kinetic energy thus moving faster. In a solid the particles are held together by strong forces of attraction. The only way in which the particles can move is to vibrate forwards and backwards. The...
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...Radiation therapy plays a large role in the treatment of melanoma cancers as well as many other types of cancers found in the body. Cancer is the abnormal growth of a cell with mutated DNA. This abnormal growth rate can cause cancerous or benign tumors and they are treated based on where they originate. Melanoma originates on the skin so when caught at an early stage it is easier to treat with surgical removal and low dose radiation. Radiation can be used to shrink a tumor before surgery or to damage the cancerous tumor and tissue surrounding to cause it to die. Radiation therapy has proven to be an important role in treating the different types of melanoma. The various types of therapies allow a patient to get a more specific dose and treatment...
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...ADVERSE EFFECTS CAUSED BY EXPOSURE TO RADIATION Radiation is the process that involves the travelling of energetic particles and waves containing unrequired media. The two types of radiation include non-ionizing and ionizing radiation caused by spontaneously decaying of radioactive materials. Both non-ionizing and ionizing radiation are harmful to the human organism and can cause a change in the natural environment. Nevertheless ionizing radiation is more harmful to living organism. The effect of radiation depends on the type of radiation and the period of exposure. Some of the effects include cancerous cells caused by the high dose of x-ray radiation that disrupts normal chemical processes of the body cells causing them to die or to grow abnormal. Also, excessive exposure of X-rays to pregnant women may result in severe outcomes like infant death, congenital abnormality and a far extent stillbirth. Consequently ionizing radiation is a potential hazard to the foetus since it can lead to the teratogenic mutation that includes small head or brain, abnormally slow growth rate and mental retardation. Another effect of radiation caused by cosmic rays that are high energy radiation originated outside the solar system leading to a change in human genes. It results from the passing of cosmic rays through the human body ionizing various fluids within the body thus changing the DNA makeup. However, it also leads to premature aging and radiation sickness whose symptoms are hair...
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...Radiation Physics 10/24/14 Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Intensity-modulated radiation therapy is a high-tech precise way to deliver prescribed cancer treatment. It is more effective in killing cancer with far less chance for reoccurrence than conventional radiation therapy. The advantages of intensity modulated radiation therapy out-way the disadvantages. As IMRT technology advances and spreads more cancer patients will have the benefit of the technology. The theory behind IMRT has been around for many years but not until the year two thousand did we have the ability and technology to create a working treatment machine with IMRT capabilities. The theory behind IMRT is largely attributed to Brahme A. in 1982. The image above is an illustration of the IMRT principle from Brahme (1988). A number of intensity modulated beams (5 in this case) with their intensity profiles are shown. The schematic shows an axial cut through the patient’s body where the hatched area symbolizes the target volume. The intensities are typically reduced in those regions where the rays pass through critical structures and increased where the rays ‘see’ primarily the target volume. (Sprmn) The concept behind IMRT is to modulate the intensity of the radiation beam at different angles to lower the dose of critical structures and organs within the patient’s body. With this same concept IMRT technology increases the intensity of the beam when critical structures are not compromised to...
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...Medical Coding for Radiation Oncology Radiation oncology, as the branch of medicine concerned with the use of ionizing radiation in the treatment of cancer, and certain non-malignant medical conditions, is comprised of several layers of care and treatment modalities that are highly complex in nature. Coding for radiation oncology requires a unique set of skills and abilities that are specific to this highly technical and multi-faceted clinical specialty. Certified radiation oncology coding specialists are adept at navigating the subtleties and distinctions that define this field of concentration including the various procedures that comprise treatment delivery. Radiation oncology procedures: • High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy • Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) • Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) • 3D Conformal Treatment • 4D Treatment Planning and...
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...Radiation Therapy Schools in North Carolina Radiation therapists play an important role of providing radiation therapy services to patients with various illnesses, including cancer. Radiation treatment often goes hand in hand with chemotherapy and surgery. Most radiation therapists work in general medical and surgical hospitals, oncology centers, colleges and universities and medical and diagnostic laboratories. To become radiation therapists, you need to complete an accredited radiation therapy program. Students can undertake a one year Certificate program, an Associates, Diploma or Bachelors degree in community colleges, 4-year universities and hospitals. In most states students need to obtain licensure and a pass in a prescribed national certification. Students who have graduated from accredited training programs can take a nationally recognized exams in order to earn an R.TT certification. There are no state mandated requirements to work in the radiologic technology sector in the state of North Carolina. However, most employers...
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...When Radiation therapy Kills? Case Study Mar, 5, 2012 Submitted To: DR. Hassan M. Selim Prepared by: Group 4 Khaled Al Qubaisi Waleed Al Zaabi Ali Al Tamimi Mohamed Al Jefri Summary The new radiation therapy comes with high expected from manufacturers, doctors and technicians a long with the hospitals and state oversight agencies to cure people illness from cancers; however, what if these complex machines show the negative impact of technology and its power to kill people and steal the hope of having a healthy life! Also, in many cases, low software design, poor human – machine interfaces and lack proper training are other reasons of hospital failing to cure people who have cancer. This case study illustrates how bad radiation therapy machines are and the carelessness of technicians using these machines; both cause people death. Some examples regarding the awry of radiation treatment are the death of Scott Jerome-Parks and Jn-Charles. Jerome-Parks has tongue cancer and after getting dosages of radiation, his illness becomes worse. This is because of machine malfunctions and technicians error in using it. What has happened to him is that his brain and neck has exposed to a big amount of the radiation because of a computer error as technician uses the new multi-leaf collimator. As a result, he has deafness, near blindness, teeth falling out and difficulty in breathing and eventually he died. The other patient, Jn-Charles, was having aggressive breast cancer and...
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...powerful and fast growing, that an aggressive approach is the only way to remove it. Unfortunately, this approach can also lead to destruction of the normal cells, tissues, and organs. Radiation therapy is a treatment that delivers high doses of radiation to a tumor or an area of cancer cells in order to shrink the tumor or eliminate it completely. When cells are exposed to high-energy radiation, the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is targeted and damaged. Once that DNA is damaged beyond repair, the cells either stop dividing, or die off completely. To prevent healthy cells from being targeted, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) has been implemented into the treatment plan for some patients. IGRT utilizes positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and computed tomography (CT) to obtain images of the area where the tumor or cancer is located (National Cancer Institute). These images are obtained before every treatment session so that the exact location of the cancer can be identified and targeted. These...
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...A STUDY ON RADIATION PROTECTION AMONG PATIENTS AND STAFF IN THE IMAGING DEPARTMENT AT KENYATTA NATIONAL HOSPITAL. RESEARCH DONE BY: DENIS NOVENA MUNG’AHU COLLEGE NUMBER: D/MIS/10007/191 RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL IMAGING SCIENCES-NYERI CAMPUS IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE STUDY. JANUARY 2013 KENYA MEDICAL TRAINING COLLEGE P.O BOX 466 NYERI. Contents DECLARATION 1 DEDICATION 3 List of abbreviation 4 Operational definition 5 Chapter 1 6 1.0 Introduction 6 1.1 Broad objective 6 1.2 Specific Objectives 6 1.3 Problem Statement 6 1.4 Research Question 7 1.6 Study Justification 8 Chapter 2 9 Literature review 9 2.0: Introduction 9 2.1: Practice of radiation protection principles by the radiographers 10 2.1.1: Beam collimation by the radiographer 10 2.2.2: Beam Limiting Devices 11 2.2.2: Technique Selection 12 2.2.3: Patient identification 12 2.2: The practice of the radiation protection principles 13 The principle of limiting time 13 2.2.2 The principle of distance 14 2.2.3 The principle of applying shielding 15 2.3 To determine patients' level of knowledge 15 2.4 Conclusion 16 Chapter 3 16 Methodology 16 3.0 Background information 16 3.1 Position and size 16 3.2 Topography, climate and temperature 17 3.3 Population 17 3.5 Design 18 3.6 Study area 18 3.7 Sampling size determination 18 3.8 Ethical consideration 19 CHAPTER 4 19 APPENDIX I...
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...The discovery of Cosmic Background Radiation (CBR) in 1965, the Red-Shift of ever-distant galaxies and the abundance of helium and hydrogen in the universe allows the Big Bang theory to be the most widely accepted explanation for the origin of our universe as opposed to alternative theories like The Steady-State Theory. In 1965, astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were testing their highly sensitive microwave receiver and antenna at Bell Telephone Labs, through mere accident, the two scientists uncovered the leftover light from The Big Bang. This “fingerprint” of the Big Bang is referred to as Cosmic Background Radiation. As the universe inflated and expanded in size after approximately 380 000 years, it cooled down enough to allow both protons and electrons to merge. The lack of unused electrons gave photons the freedom to travel in all directions amongst the universe. The CBR is made up of these photons that were released during this time and that were detected by Penzias’ and Robert Wilson’s antenna thus confirming scientists’ predictions...
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