Radioactive Food Contamination

Topics in this lecture

What

is radiation? What is radioactivity? Biological effects of radiation Radioactive food contamination vs food irradiation

What is radiation?
Radiation

is particle or wave or photon (energy) moving or travelling in space or medium (object). particle is alpha, beta, protons and neutrons while the wave (or photon) is xray , gamma ray, radiowaves, microwaves, ultraviolet rays, infra red .

The

Categories of Radiation

Radiation can be divided into two categories:

1. 2.

Ionizing radiations Non-ionizing radiations

Ionizing radiations Ionizing radiations means radiations that can ionize atoms (i.e. remove electrons from orbit of atom).

These radiations are therefore high energy radiations because it requires energy to ionize atoms.

Ionization

Non-ionizing Radiations Non-ionizing radiations are low radiations that cannot ionize atoms.

energy

Examples of non-ionizing radiations are radio waves, microwaves, infra-red, visible light and ultraviolet rays. Except for visible light, all radiations are invisible. This whole topics is only concerned with ionizing radiations only, i.e. x-rays, gamma rays, and particle radiations (alpha, electron, proton and neutron beam.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Sources of radiation
X-rays

are produced whenever charged particle decelerate (slowing down, change direction or stopped). charged particle can be either electrons, protons or alpha particles. x-rays produced bremsstrahlung x-rays. is called

The

The

 Bremsstrahlung

x-rays is the type of x-rays that is produced by x-ray machines.

Gamma rays
Gamma

rays is physically similar to x-rays in every aspects. The only difference between them is the method of production.

 Gamma

rays are radioactive materials.

produced

by

Radioactive

materials are substances that are undergoing radioactive decay.

Particle radiations
Particle

radiations such as electron, proton, neutron and alpha radiations are produced whenever any of these particles are accelerated to a very high speed. particles are accelerated to a very high speed in a machine called an accelerator.

These

Characteristics of ionizing radiations

Invisible Able to penetrate substances (ionizing radiations only). Can ionize atoms. Can damage DNA. Can be stopped by certain heavy material such lead. Can produce fluorescence (glowing) in certain substances. Can expose photographic films.

What is radioactivity?
Radioactivity

(or radioactive decay) is the spontaneous disintegration of atomic nuclei. nucleus emits particles, particles, and gamma rays during this process.

The

 Atoms

are radioactive because the nucleus is unstable. This is due to imbalances in the number protons and neutrons in the nucleus. radioactive decay, the nucleus approaches a more stable neutron to proton ratio. radioactive atom is usually radionuclide or radioisotope. called a

Through

Radioactive

made.

substances can be natural or man-

The Half-life
The

half-life of a radioactive substance is the time required for the number of radioactive nuclei to decay to half its initial value. half-life is independent of the physical state (solid, liquid, gas), temperature, pressure, the chemical compound in which the nucleus finds itself, and essentially any other outside influence. shorter the half-life, the faster the radioactive substance reach the stable state or non-radioactive state.

The

The

 Our

world is radioactive and has been since it was created. 60 radionuclides (radioactive elements) can be found in nature, and they can be placed in three general categories:
1. 2. 3.

Over

Primordial - from before the creation of the Earth Cosmogenic - formed as a result of cosmic ray interactions Human produced - enhanced or formed due to human actions (minor amounts compared to natural)

 Radionuclides are found naturally in air, water and soil. They are even found in us, being that we are products of our environment. Every day, we ingest and inhale radionuclides in our air and food and the water. Natural radioactivity is common in the rocks and soil that makes up our planet, in water and oceans, and in our building materials and homes. There is nowhere on Earth that you can not find Natural Radioactivity.

Biological effects of radiation

Biological effects of radiation in living organisms results from effects on cells. biological effects of radiation on living cells may result in three outcomes:

(1) injured or damaged cells repair themselves, resulting in no residual damage; (2) cells die, much like millions of body cells do every day, being replaced through normal biological processes; or (3) cells incorrectly repair themselves resulting in a biophysical change.

 The

amount of damage to the body depends on the following factors: 1. The dose of radiation 2. The size of area of the body exposed 3. The type of cells of the body exposed

Radiation Dose
Radiation

dose refers to the amount of energy absorbed by the tissue from the radiation (remember that radiation is energy that is travelling). simple form, the longer the body is exposed to the radiation the more dose is received by the tissue.

In

 There

is a threshold dose when exceeded will results in the effect can be seen. example, redness of the skin. After a certain amount of dose is reached, then redness on the skin can be seen. Below the threshold dose, no redness of skin can be seen.

For

This type of effects is called deterministic effects. Other examples of deterministic effects are vomiting, alopecia, diarrhea, mucositis, malaise, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, erythrocytopenia, and erythema. There is however, effects in which there is no threshold dose. This means there is no minimum dose for the effects to occur. This effect is called stochastic effects.

stochastic effect is an effect which may or may not occur after irradiation. the probability of occurrence increases with increasing dose but the severity in affected individuals does not depend on the dose. there is no threshold dose for stochastic effects which means there is no minimum dose for the effect to occur. of stochastic effects are cancer and genetic diseases (diseases affecting offspring of the exposed person).

However,

Therefore,

Examples

Radioactive food contamination vs food irradiation

Radioactive

food contamination means food that are contaminated by radioactive substances.

can become contaminated with radioactive materials when they are released as the result of a nuclear or radiological emergency.

Foods

In

these circumstances, radioactive material falling from the air or carried in rain water or snow, can deposit on the surface of foods like fruits and vegetables or animal feed.

 Also,

over time, radioactivity can build up within food, as radionuclides are transferred through soil into crops or animals. can also be washed into rivers, lakes and the sea where fish and seafood could take up the radionuclides. severity of the risk depends on the radionuclide mix and the level of contaminant released.

Radioactivity

The

 Radioactivity

cannot contaminate food that is packaged; for example, tinned or plasticwrapped food is protected from radioactivity as long as the food is sealed. nuclear accidents, foods at the highest risk for radioactive contamination are dairy products and fresh produce. Radiation levels of contamination reported in milk, water, and fresh produce.

During

What are the potential health effects of consuming contaminated food?

Consuming

food contaminated with radioactive material will increase the amount of radioactivity a person is exposed to and could increase the health risks associated with exposure to radiation. exact effect will depend on which radionuclides have been ingested and the amount.

The

 According

to data reported so far, radioactive iodine and caesium are the main contaminants, and concentrations in some food samples have been detected at levels above the regulatory limits.
iodine has a half-life of eight days and decays naturally within weeks. If ingested, it can accumulate in the body, particularly the thyroid gland, and increase the risk of thyroid cancer, particularly in children.

Radioactive

 The

ingestion of potassium iodide is an established method to prevent the accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid.

Radioactive

caesium has a half-life longer than that of radioactive iodine (up to 30 years) and can stay in the environment for many years. Like all radionuclides, exposure to radiation from radioactive caesium can result in a increased risk of cancer.

Food irradiation
Food

irradiation means foods that are irradiated with radiation to kill any bacteria that may be harmful to human and also to preserve the food so that the food can stay fresh for a longer time. In this situation the food will not become radioactive.

 Whether

the food is safe to eat or not remains debatable.

THE END