37辐射与人体健康RadiationandHumanHealth.docVIP

Radiation and Human Health 1. Radioactivity occurs naturally. The main sources are in space, rocks, soil, water and even the human body itself. This is called background radiation and levels vary from place to place, though the average dose is fairly constant. The radiation which is of most concem is artificial radiation which results from human activities. Sources of this include the medical use of radioactive materials, fallout and contamination from nuclear industry, and the storage and dumping of radioactive waste. 2. While artificial radiation accounts for a small proportion of the totaL,its effects can be disproportionate.Some of the radioactive materials discharged by human activities are not found in nature, such as plutonium, while others which are found naturally may be discharged in different physical and chemical forms, allowing them to spread more readily into the food-chain. 3. For all these reasons, simple comparisons of background and artificial radioactivity may not reflect the relative hazards. Equally important, it has never been shown that there is such a thing as a safe dose of radiation and so the fact that we are progressively raising global levels should be of as much concern to us as the possibility of another major nuclear test, nuclear reactor or shipment of plutonium means an additional and unnecessary health risk. 4. In general, the effects of radiation can be divided into those which affect the individuals exposed and those which afFect their descendants. Somatic effects are those which appear in the irradiated or exposed individual. These include cancer and leukaemia. Hereditary or genetic effects are those which arise in subsequent generations. 5. Many of the elements which our bodies need are produced by the nuclear industry as radioactive isotopes or variants. Some of these are released into the environment, for example iodine and carbon, two common elements used by our bodies. Our bodies do not kn