From bombs to bananas: A dose of radiation reality

[AussieNeil]

'It's easy to be worried about radiation in a way that we aren't about other environmental hazards. Radiation is tasteless, odorless, and, except in the greatest intensities, invisible.'

Given medical x-rays (particularly CT scans) can be a significant source of radiation exposure for us, this article by David Szondy puts our radiation risk into context.

Covered in this article:

- What is radiation

- Some different forms of radiation - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Neutron and Cosmic rays

- Where radiation comes from

- Why radiation is dangerous

- Radiation in common items, foods, other common sources

Then puts it all into perspective

newatlas.com/radiation-expl...

As David concludes - 'But the most important thing is to keep a sense of perspective. True, radiation is all around us, but the hazards it poses to our lives are so slight it can't be measured with any certainty. And there many other hazards that are more immediate.'

ThreeWs has provided a thorough series about CT scan radiation starting here: healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

Neil

Photo: Never forget that the biggest source of radiation - our sun, puts out around 1kilowatt of radiation per square metre/yard at midday.