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Radio nuclides are materials, which produce radiation, such as X-rays, gamma rays, alpha particles and beta particles.
Depending on the level of exposure, radiation can produce adverse health effects. It can adversely affect individuals who are directly exposed as well as the children. Listed below are three radio nuclides, their source, the route of their entry into our body, and the health effects that they produce after they enter our body. To learn more about radio nuclides click on the link below.
| Radio Nuclide | Source | Route of Exposure | Health Effects |
|
Uranium |
Underground uranium mining, sea water. X-ray targets, nuclear explosion. | Inhalation,
ingestion |
Acute
Effects - burns, loss of hair, nausea, loss of fertility.
Chronic Effects - shortness of breath, cancer of the mouth region, pharynx, and larynx or leukemia, physical deformities, and mental retardation in children of exposed parents. |
|
Radon |
Basements of buildings and houses, sump
holes, cracks
in foundations and concrete floors, ground water( deep well). |
Inhalation, ingestion | Lung cancer |
|
Radium |
Radium forms when isotopes of uranium or thorium decay in the environment. It is in virtually all rocks, soil, and water at low levels. | Ingestion, inhalation | Lymphoma, bone cancer, leukemia and aplastic anemia |