Radiation and Human Health A 19-year-old, 118 p

During a routine physical examination 18 months later, the subject was found to suffer from spina bifida and situs inversus.

Did radiation cause this patient's medical abnormalities?

There are few topics more misunderstood than radiation. Much of the fear associated with radioactivity derives from its association with nuclear war. Such concerns only intensified following the Chernobyl reactor accident in April of 1986. Moreover, media reporting of epidemiological studies tends to emphasize positive rather than negative results. Consequently, the actual hazards inherent to low-level radiation exposures are often exaggerated. Although the biological effects of radiation can be dramatic, these phenomena have been well documented.

Considerable research has been performed on the physiologic alterations caused by radiation. For the most part, this alteration depends on the amount of energy imparted to the absorbing biologic material (6:393). Acute effects may include erythema, blood changes, vomiting, loss of hair, and even death. Acute changes seldom occur at radiation doses belo

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illary permeability and a subsequent transient interruption of myelin synthesis. Symptoms are typically influenced by the exposed person's age. Children, for example, may exhibit anorexia, irritability, and somnolence. In contrast, among adults, nausea, vomiting, and ataxia are more common (2:66-72). There are several theories as to the pathogenesis of late-delayed radiation injury to the brain. This phenomenon may take several months to years to develop. Findings can include a "loss of oligodendrocytes, gliosis, appearance of hemorrhage, vascular changes with hyalin thickening of the vessel wall, and endothelial proliferation (2:66-67)." Symptoms may include progressive dementia, ataxia, and urinary incontinence. Some persons may become severely disabled. Radiation exposure can also cause direct injury of the spinal cord. The most radiosensitive regions appear to be the upper thoracic, lower lumbar, and sacral segments. Spinal cord deterioration has been reported, for example, among patients receiving radiotherapy for neoplasms outside the CNS. This so-called "radiation myelitis" may be either transient or permanent (6:230-231)." As far back as the 1940s, myelitis has been a "clearly identified radiation hazar
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1639
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)