The Link Between Everyday Radiation and Cancer

In 1987, it is estimated that six thousand and seven hundred cancer deaths would be expected in men and about seven thousand and one hundred deaths in women as a result of the background radiation that is received other than radon, each year. Many different types of radiation occur within our every day lives, these include: cosmic rays, radiation within the earth, radon and finally medical x-rays. It is questionable whether or not background radiation can cause an increase in certain types of cancer. Many different kinds of research have been done regarding background radiation and cancer, this including studies on humans.

Followed by heart disease, cancer is the number two leading cause of death in the United States by approximately four hundred and thirty thousand. But does the background radiation that surrounds us everyday including the altitude that we live at have an effect on the increase of cancer? I also want to include medical x-rays in this theory. My hypothesis to this theory was, yes that the different kinds of background radiation that we are exposed to does have some effect on the increase cancer statistics. Many different types of background radiation are present in our every day lives. Some of the background radiation includes: cosmic rays, radiation coming from the earth and radon. I will further discuss each one of these. Also, I would like to discuss medical x-rays as those may or may not contribute to the increase cancer statistics.

First, cosmic rays are a type of radiation that come from outer space and hit the earth. Cosmic rays include the stars and the sun, being the main source. Cosmic ray radiation takes part in about on average eleven percent of the radiation that we are exposed to. Being exposed to the sun for to long can do damage to the skin, this is the main cause of skin cancer. Although, there are many factors that can be included in being exposed to cosmic ray radiation. My thoughts originally was that people living in like Denver, Colorado with an altitude of five thousand two hundred and thirty feet above sea level compared to people that are living in New York City, New York at an altitude of thirty three feet above sea level receive more cosmic ray radiation because they are closer to sun. That theory sounded very reasonable to me and I am sure to others as well, but after doing some research living at higher altitudes does not have anything to do with the increase of skin cancers. This also includes pilots, a conducted research from scientists concluded that pilots that have flown planes for many years have not shown an increase in skin cancer.

Could tanning beds be a safer alternative instead of spending so much time in the sun? Some people may argue that is this a safer alternative, but it is not. Tanning beds use artificial ultra violet rays, which when one goes tanning they are exposed to this very harsh radiation for a short amount of time. People believed that using a tanning bed was a safer alternative to being in the sun because that is how tanning beds were advertised, but there was actually no proof that was true. Being exposed to this harsh radiation for such a short amount of time is about being out in the sun in the afternoon when the ray is the strongest. Cosmic radiation that comes from the sun can actually bounce off of snow, water, sand, pavement and even grass. This is just one factor on how the cosmic radiation from the sun increases. Others include: the distance from the equator, what season it is which the cosmic radiation is typically stronger in the spring and in the summer and finally depending on what time of the day it is, which the sun is stronger between the hours of ten a.m. and four p.m.

Next, radiation from inside the earth, which comes from natural man, made sources like rocks and soil. Due to this being in rocks and soil, this radiation can come through the floors or walls of buildings that have cracks in them and end up within buildings. Since certain foods and water come from the soil and ground, these items can also include radiation from the earth. Also, radiation from within the earth exists within the human body. This type of radiation is unlikely to affect humans and their health. As we are exposed to radiation within the earth, we are exposed directly to the radiation kind of like we would be if we were getting medical x-rays done. Radiation from within the earth is approximately seven percent of the annual dose received by humans and this can be equivalent to the radiation we would receive from two chest x-rays, so very minimal.

Much like radiation within our earth, radon radiation can also occur in houses and buildings. Radon radiation is the largest source of background radiation that we receive. Radon is formed when the radioactive elements in the ground and break down forming gas. This gas is in the air, so it is impossible to avoid it. The radon can be released from water supplies into the air, which then it can be inhaled. Radon can be more prominent in basements and crawl spaces. Another place that could have an excessive amount of radon is underground mines. Being exposed to this type of radiation for to long can eventually lead to lung cancer because that radon can get broken down into radioactive elements which can get caught in the lining of ones lungs, this will eventually start to damage the cells which will lead to lung cancer. With smoking cigarettes being the most common cause of lung cancer, radon radiation is the second leading cause. Scientist have estimated approximately twenty thousand deaths per year due to radon. Also. radon can be present in households. It is suggested to have radon levels in ones household checked twice a year, which I do not think some people do not really understand or at least personally did not until the research I have done. To do a radon check in your house, you can just purchase a kit at a local hardware store and if your radon levels are high in your house then it should be rechecked again to compare. In average per year the radon levels in United States homes are approximately two hundred and twenty eight millirem, which is a measurement of radiation.

Finally, medical x-rays play a role in the radiation that is received and are a naturally occurring type of radiation. Medical x-rays are very important in the medical field because they assist in the diagnosis of many different problems. There are different types of radiography procedures that can be done like; generalized radiography, fluoroscopy and computed tomography. Generalized radiography is the most familiar type of imaging modalities, and is used for bones and the dentist. This type of radiography uses the least amount of radiation. Fluoroscopy is where the radiologist and radiographer work together under live x-ray and this uses more radiation than a typical x-ray, but still does use small amounts. Then there is computed tomography that uses the most radiation out of all of the modalities. Can medical x-rays have an influence on cancer? The answer is yes, because these x-rays can possible cause mutations in our DNA which just means the x-rays can change the structures of a gene, therefore later in life cancer could be caused by this. Although there is still a risk of receiving cancer from medical x-rays, the pros outweigh the cons.

There is minimal chance one could receive cancer, but is always still a possibility. When performing a medical x-ray it is always very important to shield the patient with a lead drape, unless the shield will obscure the anatomy of interest that you are imaging. There are speculations that shielding patients has no effect in protecting them from this radiation. In my opinion, I believe that shielding does help protect the patient and I think it should be used at all times when appropriate because even if you cannot protect the patient fully every bit of protection possible will help. In radiography we are all about radiation safety and patient protection! Here are some equivalents from medical x-rays to background radiation: a chest x-ray is equivalent to two and a half days of natural background radiation, a skull x-ray is equivalent to twelve days of natural background radiation, a lumbar spine x-ray is equivalent to one hundred and eighty two days of natural background radiation, an upper gastrointestinal exam is equal to two years of natural background radiation, a computed tomography head exam is about equal to two hundred and forty three days of natural background radiation and finally a computed tomography abdomen exam is equal to about two and a half years of natural background radiation. These facts regarding medical x-rays and how they compare to the background radiation that we are exposed to in every day life is mind blowing.

In conclusion, it is always important to protect our selves as much as possible from all of the background radiation that we are exposed to. As stated previously radiation can affect ones health when it causes certain changes in the cells of the human body. Many different types of background radiation our present in our lives like: cosmic rays, radiation that occurs in the earth and radon radiation. My hypothesis was that receiving cancer from background radiation as well as medical x-rays could result in an increase in cancer. My hypothesis is partially correct because background radiation and medical x-rays can have an influence on cancer.

References

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