Effects of low-level ionizing radiation on human health and environment: A brief note

Radiation is a form of energy, that travels in the form of waves or particles. Radiation is all around us all time everywhere. Radiation can occur naturally or be man-made. Natural radioactive sources in the soil, water and air, as well as man-made sources resulting from mining and use of naturally radioactivity materials in power generation, nuclear medicine, consumer products, military equipment’s and industrial applications contribute to radiation exposure. Generally, there are two broad categories of electromagnetic radiation on the spectrum depending on its wavelength and frequency, namely ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. Most attention is given to ionizing radiation because it has higher frequencies. This type of radiation is very harmful to all living being as it breaks the chemical bond of DNA by entering our body and may cause transformation in the cells. Ionizing radiation includes X-rays, gamma-rays, beta particles, neutrons and the varieties of cosmic rays. While non-ionizing radiation is low energy radiation, usually harmless to human health and environment.