Ionizing Versus Non-Ionizing Radiation

There are two categories of radiation: ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation.

Ionizing radiation is radiation with enough energy to remove tightly bound electrons from the orbit of an atom during an interaction with the atom. The removal of the electrons from the orbit of the atom causes the atom to become charged or "ionized." Ionizing radiation comes from radioactive elements, cosmic particles from outer space, and X-ray machines. It is also used in electricity production.

Ionizing radiation is dangerous because when atoms in living cells become ionized, the cells do one of three things - they die, they repair themselves, or they mutate incorrectly and become cancerous. Ionizing radiation does not affect all cells in the same way. Typically, cells that are least specialized and reproduce the most, such as cells in a forming fetus, are those that are most likely to be affected by ionizing radiation.

Non-ionizing radiation does not have enough energy to remove electrons from the atoms it encounters. Instead, it causes them to vibrate or move around. Some examples of non-ionizing radiation are radio waves, visible and ultraviolet light, and microwaves.

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