Radiation

While natural sources account for most of the radiation we will all receive each year, as a civilization we are approaching a time where we are adding a multitude of others sources of radiation that we have never had before during our time on Earth. Radiation protection standards assume that any dose of radiation, no matter how small, involves a possible risk to human health. This deliberately conservative assumption is increasingly being questioned.

Radiation is energy in the process of being transmitted. Most radiation passes through us without harm. However, some radiation can affect us on a molecular level, such as nuclear, beta particles, gamma rays, x-ray, and cosmic radiation. Most radiation exposure is from natural sources, such as rocks and soil of the Earth's crust and cosmic radiation. Man-made radiation comes from x-rays, medical tools, power plants, security panels, cell phones, cell phone towers, and power lines.