RADIATION AND IT'S BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS Research Paper

RADIATION AND IT'S BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS - Research Paper Example This paper discusses radiation and it narrows down to the biological effects of radiation. Introduction When a nucleus of an atom emits high-energy photons and particles such as gamma rays, this kind of radiation is referred to as nuclear radiation. X-rays behave in a similar way as they do gamma rays, although unlike gamma rays, they do not involve the nucleus. For this reason, in describing nuclear radiation and x-rays, the term ionizing radiation is used. While non-ionizing radiation is vital to life, excessive exposures cause tissue damage. All ionizing radiation forms have adequate energy to ionize atoms that may in return destabilize molecules within cells ensuing into tissue damage (Francis & Kirkpatrick, 538). Although radiation is useful biologically as aforementioned, for instance in the treatment of cancer due to its ability to destroy cancerous tissues, exposure of human tissue to higher energies associated with nuclear radiation has adverse biological effects – it causes severe damage to the tissues (McCall, 213). Whenever any radiation passes through a matter, it deposits energy along its path, which leads to ionization, increased temperatures, and atomic excitations. The ionization that radiation passing through living tissue causes can lead to the damage of organic molecules if the electrons are involved in molecular binding. In the event that there is the destruction of too many molecules in this manner or in the event that there is the damaging of DNA molecules, cells may either become cancerous or die (Francis & Kirkpatrick, 538). In addition to cancer induction, other biological effects include changes in the central nervous system, heritable effects, formation of cataract and early effects on body organs as well as their function (National Research Council Staff, 2). Deliberate exposure of living tissues to radiation therefore is something to be avoided unless it is utterly necessary. In fact, the World Congress on Medical Physics an d Biomedical Engineering 2009 documents that extreme care is not an option whenever radiation is used and the advantages of using radiation must always be greater than harm and risk from it (111). Radiations that are associated with nuclear explosions include gamma rays, neutrons, and to a much lesser extent, beta particles. During an explosion, most of the gammas and all the neutrons are essentially generated in fusion and fission reactions. The capture of neutrons in the surrounding air, water or earth as well as in the explosion-weapon debris generates additional gamma rays in addition to a large array of radioisotopes, which comprise the radioactive fallout. Normally, both gamma rays and neutrons are strongly absorbed all over the body thereby affecting all organs (Hafemeister, 5). Francis & Kirkpatrick point out that radiation’s outcome on people’s health is dependent on the amount of radiation that living tissue absorbs as well as the biological impacts linked wi th this absorption (538). To explain further, radiation’s harmful biological effects are attributable to destructive ionization generated within an exposed organism’s cell bodies. In animal tissues, both neutrons and gamma rays’ mean free paths are in the order of twenty centimeters, which is the range that inflicts maximum damage to the organism. In the event tha

Child abuse policies and services Research Paper

Child abuse policies and services - Research Paper Example The rest of this paper will focus on a basic description of child abuse, and specifically take a look at the law that governs it. While the legislation of this issue has improved over the years, further improvements are necessary as some children, such as minority groups and disabled children are still falling through the cracks. Child abuse is generally thought to be either one of or a combination of four different types: physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect or general maltreatment (Cicchetti & Barnett, 1991 from Skowron & Reinemann, 2005). It was reported that in 2000, there were 879 000 victims of child abuse the USA alone (Skowron & Reinemann, 2005). In 2005, this number had risen to 900 000. Shockingly, 40% of victims received no follow up care in 2005 (APA Public Interest Government Relations Office, n.d.). In addition, in 2004, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that child abuse is the primary cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 4 years (Skowron & Reinemann, 2005). In fact, approximately 1,530 children die of abuse or neglect each year (Keita, 2008). There are usually several common factors in child abuse and these include that the child is well-known to the abuser, most abusers tend to be men and in about 50% of cases of abuse, the family is receiving assistance from the government. In addition, many cases involve abusers who commonly abuse substances and some common characteristics of abusive parents usually include them being extremely stressed, have little knowledge of child development and few parenting skills (APA Public Interest Government Relations Office, n.d.). The long term effects of child abuse are many and some of the conditions that manifest later in life vary. These may include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, somatic complaints, suicidal tendencies, all of which are internalizing disorders.