Radiation Exposure In Everyday Life You May Be Unaware Of

No matter where you stay and what type of profession you are in, exposure to weather elements like sun, air and rain is almost unavoidable. Along with exposure to various weather elements, your body also has to cope with radiation exposure. Radiation can be defined as an energy form in waves. It is measured in spectrum with both high and low frequency forms existing.

How You Get Exposed to Radiation?

Whether you realize it or not, everyday you get exposed to varying levels of radiation. It is true that exposure to radiation has an impact on the body cells. However, the amount of effect is dependent on frequency of wave and duration of exposure. A majority of radiation exposure in everyday life come from background radiation happening in the environment naturally. However, you also get exposed to radiation when you undergo specific medical tests like x-ray and CT scan etc.

Sources of Radiation Exposure You May be Unaware of

Apart from clinical tests and radiation caused by nuclear plants, you get exposed to radiation in various forms on a daily level. Thankfully, most of these forms do not have serious consequences on your health. However, extensive data on long term effects of regular exposure to low levels of radiation do not exist. It is also believed that human body cells are capable of healing from the damage caused by exposure to low levels of radiation.

Below Listed are Top Sources of Daily Radiation Exposure:

Television:

While a lot of TV viewers are mostly immune to this risk owing to arrival and spread of LCD and LED based models, people in developing countries still use older cathode ray tube based sets. The same can be said about people sticking to older desktop computers with bulky monitors. The CRT based TVs and monitors emit a small amount of radiation. It is not only for protecting your eyes expert, ask you to sit away from the TV screen. It is also meant to reduce the impact of radiation exposure.

Microwave:

The microwave oven used in your kitchen also emits a small amount of radiation. However, it is not likely that you will use the device all over the day! So, this radiation is not likely to cause you much damage.

Soil and Plant:

Radioactive particles are found in soil of almost all places in the earth, as it is. The soil gets radioactive elements from cosmic radiation and nuclear plant wastes play a role behind it too. The particles also get released in the air that you breathe and some amount ends up in the water that you drink eventually. Besides, the plants and crops are based on the soil also get a dose of such radioactive particles. The fertilizers used to grow crop at some places may also contain radioactive materials. By growing vegetables at home or by using organic produce, you can minimize this type of radiation exposure to an extent.

Cell Phone:

Much has been written on the effect of radiation caused by cell phones on human health and studies have come up with contradictory findings so far. All mobile phones emit radio frequency weaker than the one found in X ray. However, they are not likely to cause cancer or cell damage. Still, you may keep them away when sleeping or not using the devices.

Radon Gas:

This is one radioactive gas that lacks any smell, color or odor, making it hard to trace. It is usually found in soil. If your house is based on soil that emits Radon, you and family members may be subjected to long term radon exposure. It seeps into the house through floors and walls. Long term radon exposure can lead to onset of cancer. Radon is formed by uranium decay in most instances. Nowadays, tests to detect radon and eliminate it from the house are available.

Water:

The sources of water you drink at home and other places may also subject you to radiation exposure. It is caused by the soil and rock present at the source of water. Of course, water obtained from lakes and rivers that are close to any nuclear plant can also contain radioactive particles. Using high end water purification devices can help neutralize some of these particles and radiation caused by them.

Airplane:

Cosmic radiation is present in the atmosphere and you cannot do anything about it. However, its amount varies on altitude. So, this explains why your body gets exposed to higher amounts of cosmic radiation when you use flights. When you fly in helicopter and airplanes, this radiation exposure is almost inevitable. However, pilots and flight attendants absorb more cosmic radiation than others. Incidentally, the full-body X-ray scanners used in most airports today also serve as a source of radiation-though the risk is negligible.

Medical Imaging Devices:

In various clinical setups like hospitals, specialty clinics and diagnostic centers, a wide range of radiation devices are used daily. The noticeable thing is these medical devices emit higher amounts of radiation compared to natural sources. While the dental and chest x ray machines deliver close to 10 mrem the CT scan devices may emit 1,000 mrem per scan. Naturally, the doctors and medical staffs cannot evade getting exposed to radiation for the nature of their work. As you can understand, for patients with certain serious ailments, undergoing such imaging tests cannot be avoided.

Wireless Connectivity Devices:

This includes a lot of PC peripherals used both at home and workplaces, including the likes of wireless router and Bluetooth devices emit radiation. In fact wi-fi devices and Bluetooth are also found in most cars nowadays. It becomes necessary to use these devices in life.

Smoking:

It is not only the tobacco you smoke that can cause damage to your health. Tobacco inhaling is injurious to the lungs and heart for sure. But when you smoke cigars you also inhale radioactive material in small amounts. This can come from fertilizers used to grow the tobacco plants.