How Damaging is Radiation?

What is radiation? Are all types harmful? What are the most common sources of damaging radiation? Most people view radiation as harmful and negative without understanding what makes it potentially damaging and which forms should be avoided. For example, many felt radiation from mobile phones probably caused cancer but few focused on the carcinogenic effects of UV rays.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• radiation
• what is radiation
• science literacy
• x-rays
• mobile phones
• gamma rays
• alpha particles
• beta particles
• microwaves

[kingderderder]

All waves are made of particles; All the types of electromagnetic radiation are made of photons, its just easier to treat them as waves.

[1veritasium]

@kingderderder ok, but they are massless particles not matter particles.

[ramblingrich]

Sunlight is non-damaging? I have a sunburn that says otherwise.

[1veritasium]

@ramblingrich that's the UV - visible light it ok.

[colossus999]

I sort of question your classifying sunlight as part of the nondamaging type. It's true that from our vantage point sunlight is undamaging, but try it from outside our atmosphere.

[1veritasium]

@colossus999 should have been clear about sunlight meaning visible light

[zebruh]

Fascinating! You need more subscribers.

[subsystems]

@Jakeness21 Yes, people drive like idiots when talking on mobile phones.

[MusicalAndTall]

Some people need to learn more in school :/

[theslayermon]

@Jakeness21 non damaging is loosely used, at mobile phone powers it isnt noticably damaging because it only causes minimal heating. If you made a giant kitchen microwave and got in then it would damage you.

[Jakeness21]

If microwaves are non-damaging, is there any reason to minimize contact with mobile phones?

[kingderderder]

@essboarder23 got thanks, =)

[essboarder23]

@kingderderder They have no rest mass. This has to do with Einstein's theory of general relativity and spacetime. Gravity does not affect photons, but it does affect spacetime, and photons travel through spacetime. If spacetime is bent, then so will the path of the photon.

[bemanos12345]

0.53 .HES LYING

[infinitysquaredmusic]

dear god, these videos are addicting.

LEARNING IS POWER

[ramblingrich]

But it's a really nicely done video!