The consequences of radiation for animals and humans

By their very nature, the effects of radiation are extremely harmful to any living organisms. Even a small dose of radiation is sufficient to initiate in the body cellular reactions leading to cancer and genetic damage. However, much more often a person who collides with radiation risks to die in a matter of days after a fatal contact. The consequences of radiation in large doses are terrible: damage to organs, destruction of the body from within and a logical death.

Degree of irradiation

In case of severe exposure, damage occurs in the first days after the event. Radionuclides accumulate in the body due to the action of metabolism. They replace natural atoms and thus change the structure of cells. During the decay of radionuclides, chemical isotopes appear that destroy the molecules of the human body. Another feature of the irradiation is that its result can not affect the organ that was first hit. If it is a question of a small contact, the consequences of radiation in the form of oncological diseases make themselves felt many years later. Such an incubation period can last for decades.

However, sometimes the effect of irradiation affects not only in years, but in a generation. This happens when the effects of radiation leave an imprint on the genetic code. It, in turn, affects the offspring generated by the young irradiated organism. This result is manifested in the form of hereditary diseases. They can be transmitted not only to children, but also to grandchildren, as well as to subsequent generations of the genus.

Acute and long-term consequences

The rapidly manifested effects of radiation on a person are called acute in another way. They are easy to identify. But the long-term results are much more difficult to determine. Very often in the first time after irradiation they do not betray themselves. In this case, as a rule, irreversible changes occur at the cellular level. Such transformations are not appreciable neither to the person, nor to physicians. In addition, they can not be "detected" by special equipment, which in no way reduces the threat to health.

It is also important that the consequences of radiation for a person can depend on the individual characteristics of the organism. Especially it concerns long-term factors. Experts still can not accurately determine the level of radiation required for the onset of cancer. Theoretically, a small dose is sufficient for this. Each person has his own reparation mechanism, which is responsible for cleaning up radiation. Nevertheless, in the case of a large dose, anyone faces a deadly threat.

Beat on health

In the laboratory, the effects of radiation on animals and humans are studied on the basis of the material obtained from the analysis of numerous results of the use of radiotherapy for medical purposes. It is used in the fight against cancer and tumors. Such therapy damages malignant outbreaks in the same way as uncontrolled radiation hits live human tissues.

The results of many years of research show that each organ reacts differently to irradiation. The most vulnerable parts of the human body are the spinal cord and circulatory system. At the same time, they have a remarkable ability to regenerate.

Harm to vision and reproductive system

There are other serious consequences of radiation for humans. The photos of the victims of irradiation show that the eyes are another risk zone for infection. They have an increased sensitivity to radiation. In this respect, the most fragile part of the organs of sight is the lens. By killing, cells lose their transparency. Because of this, the areas of turbidity first appear, and then cataracts occur. The final stage is final blindness.

Also, the harmful effects of radiation on the human body are in the impact on the reproductive system. Indeed, only a single small irradiation of the testes can lead to sterility. These organs are an important exception in the human body. If other parts of the body are much more tolerant of the radiation dose divided into several receptions than in one contact, then the reverse is true with the reproductive system. In this regard, another important feature is the ratio of female and male organisms. The ovaries are much more resistant to radiation than the testes.

Threats to children

Harm caused by radiation to an adult man, in the case of a child's body grows several times. Enough small irradiation of cartilaginous tissues, and bone growth will stop. With the passage of time, this anomaly causes abnormalities in the development of the skeleton. It is logical that the younger a child, the more dangerous for his bones is radiation. Another vulnerable organ is the brain. Even in the case of radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer, children often lose memory and the ability to think clearly. Radiation in uncontrolled quantities even more visibly reinforces this dangerous effect.

Consequences for pregnancy

Speaking of children, we can not fail to mention how radiation affects the fetus inside the mother's body. In pregnancy, the most vulnerable is the period from 8 to 15 weeks. At this time, the formation of the cerebral cortex takes place. In the case of irradiation of the mother during this period, there is a danger that the child will be born with serious deviations in mental development. For such a fatal effect, even excessive exposure to conventional X-rays is sufficient.

Genetic mutations

Of all the effects of irradiation, genetic disorders have been least studied. In general, they can be divided into two groups. The first is a change in the structure or number of chromosomes. The second is a mutation within the genes themselves. They can also be divided into dominant (in the first generation) and recessive (in the following). Depending on many factors, some of which have not been accurately studied by science, any of these genetic disorders can lead to hereditary diseases. At the same time, in some cases, these mutations remain unobserved.

A lot of material for research on this problem was given by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. A significant number of residents of the surrounding areas experienced a deadly attack. However, all these people received a dose of radiation. The consequences of that irradiation echoed on the offspring of those who fell into the zone of the initial defeat in 1945. In particular, the number of children born with Down syndrome and other developmental abnormalities increased.

Technogenic radioactivity

The main danger to humans and other living organisms, originating from the radiation factor, is the so-called. Technogenic radioactivity. It arises from human economic activity. In the 20th century, people learned to redistribute and concentrate radionuclides and thus significantly change the natural radioactive background.

To human factors, the extraction and burning of natural resources, the use of aviation can be to a lesser degree. However, the most dangerous radiation threat arises from the use of nuclear weapons, as well as the development of the nuclear industry and energy. The most tragic catastrophes associated with the irradiation of many people are caused by accidents at similar infrastructure facilities. So, since 1986 the name of the city of Chernobyl has become a household name throughout the world. Its tragic history forced the world community to reconsider its attitude to nuclear energy.

Irradiation and animals

In modern science, the effects of radiation on animals are studied in a special discipline - radiobiology. In general, the results of irradiation for tetrapods are similar to those encountered by humans. Radiation first of all beats on immunity. Biological barriers that prevent infections from entering the body are destroyed, because of which the number of leukocytes in the blood decreases, the skin loses its bactericidal properties, and so on.

As the degree of irradiation increases, the consequences of contact with radiation become more and more fatal. In the worst case, the body is unarmed before exogenous infections and harmful microflora. A lethal dose of radiation leads to death within the first week. Faster die young. Death can occur not only after direct exposure, but also after eating contaminated food or water. This relationship shows that the consequences of radiation for nature are no less dangerous than for animals or humans.