Are you safe from radiation?
Radiation is the emission of energy in a form that is invisible to the human eye. It can be emitted from natural sources, such as the sun, or manufactured sources, such as nuclear explosions, so you need to get a radiation suit (more on this in a minute).
Radioactive substances also emit radiation. There are various types of radiation, and they vary in their ability to damage living tissue and break down DNA molecules.
The type of radiation you should avoid at all costs is ionizing radiation because it has the ability to cause cancer and other diseases by breaking down DNA molecules in cells.
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How To Protect Yourself From The Dangers Of Radiation
Here are just some of the precautions you can take to help protect yourself, and those around you, from the dangers of radiation.
a). Keep the time of exposure to a minimum
Unfortunately, the idea of using radiation is not new. It has been in use for many years in the fields of medicine, science, and engineering. However, it is only recently that experts realized the potential for harmful effects on human health.
In order to protect yourself from radiation, you should reduce the time of exposure as much as possible. The guidelines recommend that people limit their time in areas where there are high levels of radiation to less than 15 minutes at a time and no more than four hours per day.
Sure, four hours is a small amount of time, but it can add up to a year. If you’re concerned about radiation levels, you should look for information on the ground or find out where your water is coming from. Groundwater and drinking water tend to carry less contamination than surface water.
b). Maintain distance from the source
Maintaining a distance from the source of radiation is one way to protect yourself from the harmful effects of radiation.
See, radiation is the emission of energy from a source in the form of waves or particles.
As such, the distance between the source of radiation and an object or person determines how much exposure to radiation that object or person will experience.
With that in mind, keeping the distance can protect you from radiation because the energy in radiation decreases as the distance from the source of radiation increases.
The intensity of the radiation is proportional to the square of the distance from its source. This means that if you are twice as far away, you will be four times less affected by it.
c). Use a shield between you and the radiation source
A shield is a protective barrier that blocks the passage of radiation and other harmful particles.
There are three general types of shields:
- Radiation shields: They protect against ionizing radiation (x-rays, gamma rays) and non-ionizing radiation (microwaves).
- Electromagnetic shields: this helps to guard against electromagnetic fields.
- Protective clothing: these shields can be either passive or active. Passive clothing shields include garments made with metalized fabric, while active clothing shields include garments that generate an electric field to block electromagnetic fields.
d). Get proper protective clothing
A protective cloth can stop radiation from coming into contact with your skin by reflecting it away and blocking it from reaching you. For example, there are portable shields on the market designed for over-the-head usage.
In an emergency, improvised methods like a tourniquet can stop radiation from coming into contact with your skin.
In fact, long sleeves and pants, such as those made of Tyvek, can help protect your skin from the effects of radiation. It is important to take care in how you prepare yourself for radiation.
