Warning!! Ionizing Radiation actually Melts your Molecules!

People keep downplaying the danger of Ionizing Radiation in the mainstream media, on the street, and even on our beloved ATS.

I am going to put an end to this nonsense now with actual scientific information and I shall show you exactly how Ionizing Radiation causes damage in organic structures.

This is all very simple and basic. Everyone should be able to grasp this information.

Biological effect begins with the ionization of atoms. The mechanism by which radiation causes damage to human tissue, or any other material, is by ionization of atoms in the material. Ionizing radiation absorbed by human tissue has enough energy to remove electrons from the atoms that make up molecules of the tissue.When the electron that was shared by the two atoms to form a molecular bond is dislodged by ionizing radiation, the bond is broken and thus, the molecule falls apart. This is a basic model for understanding radiation damage.

Sourced from Jefforson Lab.

Please read the entire link in depth if you care to have a clue about this stuff.

We consider the chromosomes to be the most critical part of the cell since they contain the genetic information and instructions required for the cell to perform its function and to make copies of itself for reproduction purposes. Also, there are very effective repair mechanisms at work constantly which repair cellular damage - including chromosome damage.

It lists the 4 possible outcomes of being exposed to ionizing radiation on a cellular level.

Cells are undamaged by the dose
Cells are damaged, repair the damage and operate normally
Cells are damaged, repair the damage and operate abnormally
Cells die as a result of the damage

So basically what it comes down to this is.
How much damage happened? Was the organism capable of self-repair? Was the repair fully successful or resulting in further problems?

Basically it becomes a race between the organism's capability to repair the damage vs the speed at which the damage is being caused.

Please folks, read up.
Ionizing radiation causes your molecules to fall apart because the chemical bonds holding the atoms together are broken.

Next time someone tells you that ionizing radiation is "safe", ask them "what mechanism does radiation cause damage to your body?" I betcha they don't have a clue.

Mod Edit: All Caps – Please Review This Link.

reply to post by muzzleflash


There are different types of radiation. gamma rays Ionize your cells, alpha and beta and x-rays do not do the same damage as gamma rays because of the wavelength size which is so small its able to go through most of the cells in our body ionizing them as they are hit


The good news is, gamma rays are not a concern in this crisis unless your at the emergency site.

You are right that it splits the cell, but melting it is a far fetched statement.

I work in emergency management. I have taken all the classes for radiation and other nuclear incidents and I deal with experts(PHD types) in this all the time.

According to this google search, it claims that
1 Rad = .01 Sieverts

.01 Sieverts = 10 millisieverts
(1 sievert = 1000 millisieverts)

So 1 Rad = 10 millisieverts

Blood-forming organ (Bone marrow) syndrome (>100 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that divide at the most rapid pace (such as bone marrow, the spleen and lymphatic tissue). Symptoms include internal bleeding, fatigue, bacterial infections, and fever.

So Blood-forming organ syndrome will become likely and apparent at over 100 rad, or over 1000 millisieverts.
AKA 1 Sievert. (100 Rad = 1 Sievert)

At over 10 Sieverts this becomes likely ::

Gastrointestinal tract syndrome (>1000 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that divide less rapidly (such as the linings of the stomach and intestines). Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, electrolytic imbalance, loss of digestion ability, bleeding ulcers, and the symptoms of blood-forming organ syndrome.

And when you reach 50 Sieverts or more, this becomes likely:

Central nervous system syndrome (>5000 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that do not reproduce such as nerve cells. Symptoms include loss of coordination, confusion, coma, convulsions, shock, and the symptoms of the blood forming organ and gastrointestinal tract syndromes. Scientists now have evidence that death under these conditions is not caused by actual radiation damage to the nervous system, but rather from complications caused by internal bleeding, and fluid and pressure build-up on the brain

Originally posted by THEDUDE86
reply to post by muzzleflash

 

There are different types of radiation. gamma rays Ionize your cells, alpha and beta and x-rays do not do the same damage as gamma rays because of the wavelength size which is so small its able to go through most of the cells in our body ionizing them as they are hit


The good news is, gamma rays are not a concern in this crisis unless your at the emergency site.

You are right that it splits the cell, but melting it is a far fetched statement.

I work in emergency management. I have taken all the classes for radiation and other nuclear incidents and I deal with experts(PHD types) in this all the time.

Wrong. Misinformed sir!

The cell does not split! This is not Mitosis or Meiosis or whatever.

IT causes Molecules to break apart (melting is a great word), because individual atoms become ionized thus losing an electron thus incapable of maintaining their prior chemical combinational structures.

Your statement proves that we are in deep trouble because mr emergency management guy doesn't even know what hes talking about.

reply to post by muzzleflash


I realize all that, but internal bleeding, and melting your molecules are different.


and your little Google search and me able to actually talk to the experts and having them explain to me in layman terms....I am going to say I will take my results

All i am saying is internal bleeding, and you saying that we our molecules are melting is different.

I am not saying your wrong, the atoms DNA breaks apart. DNA into RNA stuff, this is what causes the cell to not be able to repair itself correctly.

I just feel like melting is not the correct term....melting point is a scientific term that does not apply to what you are talking about now.

Originally posted by THEDUDE86
reply to post by muzzleflash

 

I realize all that, but internal bleeding, and melting your molecules are different.

I will explain the use of the terminology "melt". It is easy for people to understand and its EXTREMELY accurate in this sense.

When a molecule, for example your DNA chain, falls apart into separate atoms, and if you were able to watch this process up close, it would almost certainly resemble a piece of ice melting in some respect. **Granted we could put the DNA chain onto a flat surface etc**


I never said that internal bleeding and molecular destruction were the same thing.

I would say "You must work for the Government" , but hey, you already admitted you are into that stuff.

Originally posted by THEDUDE86

I just feel like melting is not the correct term....melting point is a scientific term that does not apply to what you are talking about now.

edit on 8-4-2011 by THEDUDE86 because: (no reason given)

There is over 15 definitions to the word "melt".

However, the term we SHOULD use is WORSE than the scientific melting point terminology.

Melting Point is when something turns from "solid" into "liquid" without changing it's chemical structure.

However the process of ionizing molecules is worse, because it CHANGES THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE of each Atom!!

So it's actually WORSE than melting your molecules. Haha!

Funny how the boomerang comes right back at ya huh?

reply to post by muzzleflash

No one is saying radiation isn't dangerous (except Ann Coulter?)

There isn't enough radiation reaching the US to cause concern..

Originally posted by Miraj
reply to post by muzzleflash

 

No one is saying radiation isn't dangerous (except Ann Coulter?)

There isn't enough radiation reaching the US to cause concern..

More BS for me to shovel out of my thread? Ok, cool. Call me the janitor.

Where did I mention that radiation in the US is high enough to cause this? WHERE???

Your post hath been debunked.
Next.

reply to post by muzzleflash


Ok. So whats the point of this thread?

Radiation is bad for you? Thanks for the statement there Captain Obvious.

Can I call in Captain Hindsight when this thread fails to tell you how pointless this was?

No one is arguing that radiation can damage your cells.

Originally posted by Miraj
reply to post by muzzleflash

 

Ok. So whats the point of this thread?

That is easy to articulate.

The point of the thread is to inform people the exact mechanism of "why ionizing radiation is harmful to organic molecules".

Most people don't have a clue about radiation and how it effects the human body. I am sharing the TRUTH with those people to help them better understand the situation at Fukushima, and why it is so dangerous and why a nuclear material containment breach can become extremely disastrous.

What is the point of your posts? I bet that will be much harder to articulate because you keep attempting to "debunk" the purpose of the thread by coming up with all kinds of unrelated issues and making inaccurate assumptions.

reply to post by muzzleflash


You honestly think that someone who hasn't studied biology or chemistry is going to understand this?

Most people probably couldn't even name what a molecule is without looking it up.


Also: What debunking?! I just said it. Radiation is dangerous. Especially at fukushima levels.

Average individual background radiation dose: 0.23μSv/h (0.00023mSv/h); 0.17μSv/h for Australians, 0.34μSv/h for Americans[8][4][9]

Also

Highest reported level during Fukushima accident: 1000 mSv/h reported as the level at a pool of water in the turbine room of reactor two

*(1000 mSv = 1 Sievert)
Wiki source for those 2 quotes

The video posted in THIS ATS THREAD where the journalists go right up to the Fukushima disaster area, the levels increased rapidly as they got closer and closer. And they called it off when their meter reached 110-120 mSv. (.1 Sievert)

So it was only 1/10th the level reported from within the pool at block 2.

Now, back to my original quote in this post = average US radiation exposure is .34 MICRO Sieverts.

.34 μSv = .00034 mSv = .00000034 Sievert

Just to give you an idea of how the radiation levels are. Also use the OP link as reference to gauge the danger levels.

I am pretty sure I did the math right on this stuff. If I made any slight errors let me know, but if anything, I missed a simple zero somewhere and it's a minor mistake.



CORRECTION = The video showed it reaching 120 MICRO sieverts not Milli. MY BAD.
Rather than .1Sievert (uber dangerous) the level was actually .0001 Sievert. Still pretty dangerous but 1000x less dangerous than my miscalculation (due to a simple misreading) My bad- I have corrected this.

Still though .0001 Sievert is a lot more than .00000034 Sieverts.

Highest reported level during Fukushima accident: 1000 mSv/h reported as the level at a pool of water in the turbine room of reactor two

*(1000 mSv = 1 Sievert)

Blood-forming organ (Bone marrow) syndrome (>100 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that divide at the most rapid pace (such as bone marrow, the spleen and lymphatic tissue). Symptoms include internal bleeding, fatigue, bacterial infections, and fever.

(100 Rad = 1 Sievert)