X-Ray Studies and the Health Dangers of Radiation

This Monday in class, we discussed the various forms of x-rays. In an x-ray, a stream of electromagnetic radiation passes through a collimeter. A colimeter is a group of metal plates with a channel through their centers. As the radiation passes through the collimeter, the plates absorb the stray electrons. The beam then goes through a filter, which typically is a metal that has an atomic number one higher than the element the scientist is trying to study. The stream of electrons collides with the atoms and displaces electrons surrounding them. The beam then either diffracts, absorbs or reflects to a different detection source depending on what kind of x-ray is being performed.

Specifically, Dr. Norton focused on x-ray fluorescence (XRF). In XRF, a detector measures the energy emitted and the electron transmission from one orbital to the next. In wavelength dispersive (WD) XRF, the electrons pass from the source, to the specimen, off of a crystal and to the detector, which measures energy based on the reflection angles. In energy dispersive (ED) XRF, the beam travels from the source to the object, to a silicon lithium detector and ends at the multi-channel analyzer. WD specializes in studying 1 element of interest while ED can locate and identify multiple elements at one time.

In class, we spoke about the dangers of x-ray radiation on the human body. Sameer said that it would take 10,000 x-rays in a period of 3 days in order to seriously endanger someone. Dr. Norton acknowledged that she did not know the details of x-ray exposure but that too much radiation is considered unhealthy. Being an x-ray technician, I was naturally interested in the specific health risks involved, and I performed some research to find out. According to the Helmholtz Association, a German research group, it would take 300,000 x-rays in one day to kill body cells. However, there are other rare risks involved with less radiation. While the cells’ atoms and molecules absorb the energy from x-rays, they can sometimes lose electrons, becoming ionized, and will break apart molecules within the body. The physical effects of deterministic radiation damage include nausea, cataracts, skin damage, and on occasion, death. Also, with stochastic radiation damage, cells can mutate and the number of mutated cells exponentially grows to cancer.

Medical and scientific staff use the lead apron in order to protect themselves from the dangers of x-rays. The jackets are made of lead because its high density and high atomic number effectively block most kinds of radiation from passing through.  Even though the odds are in my favor and the major health threats are few and far between, let’s just say I will always be wearing my lead jacket when I am taking x-rays at work.