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Ionizing radiation has many industrial, military, and medical uses. Its usefulness must be balanced with its hazards, a compromise that has shifted over time. For example, at one time, assistants in shoe shops in the US used X-rays to check a child's shoe size , but this practice was halted when the risks of ionizing radiation were better ...
Radiation oncology is the medical specialty concerned with prescribing radiation, and is distinct from radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis. Radiation may be prescribed by a radiation oncologist with intent to cure or for adjuvant therapy.
Radiation used for cancer treatment is called ionizing radiation because it forms ions in the cells of the tissues it passes through as it dislodges electrons from atoms. This can kill cells or change genes so the cells cannot grow. Other forms of radiation such as radio waves, microwaves, and light waves are called non-ionizing.
Different types of ionizing radiation interact in different ways with shielding material. The effectiveness of shielding is dependent on stopping power, which varies with the type and energy of radiation and the shielding material used. Different shielding techniques are therefore used depending on the application and the type and energy of the ...
If administered at appropriate levels, all forms of ionizing radiation can sterilize objects, including medical instruments, disposables such as syringes, and sterilize food. Ionizing radiation (electron beams, X-rays and gamma rays) [3] may be used to kill bacteria in food or other organic material, including blood.
In 2009, the US TSA introduced full-body scanners as a primary screening modality in airport security, first as backscatter X-ray scanners, which use ionizing radiation and which the European Union banned in 2011 due to health and safety concerns. These were followed by non-ionizing millimeter wave scanners. [39]
Radiobiology (also known as radiation biology, and uncommonly as actinobiology) is a field of clinical and basic medical sciences that involves the study of the effects of ionizing radiation on living things, in particular health effects of radiation. Ionizing radiation is generally harmful and potentially lethal to living things but can have ...
The misuse of ionizing radiation is a radiation offence under German criminal law. The use of ionizing radiation to harm persons or property is punishable. Since 1998, the regulations can be found in § 309 StGB (in German) (previously § 311a StGB old version); the regulations go back to § 41 AtG old version.