X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation and are apart of the electromagnetic spectrum; x-rays consist of wavelengths which are shorter than the wavelengths of visible light. X-rays are mainly known of in the medical industry as they provide a convenient and painless procedure which produces images from the inside of the human body. X-rays, which are an electromagnetic wave of high energy and very short wavelength are able to produce images from inside the body as the x-rays pass through materials that are opaque to light.
The wavelength of x-rays ranges from 10-11 to 10-8 (0.001 to 10nm) and has a frequency of 3x1016 to 3x1019Hz.
X-rays, which are forms of ionizing electromagnetic radiation, have a high frequency and a short wavelength.
X-rays are produced when the electrons are accelerating with a high voltage allowing them to collide with a metal. When the electrons are then suddenly decelerated collisions occur with the metal, which produces x-rays. If the electrons have a sufficient amount of energy they are able to knock an electron out of the inner shell of the target metal atoms, this then causes electrons from higher states to fill that vacancy of the pushed out shell thus, emitting rays.
The process in which this procedure occurs is produced in an electrode machine, which is an electrode pair (anode and cathode) which sits inside a glass vacuum. The cathode is the filament that is heated in which the machine passes the current through the filament heating it up. The flat disc that is made up of tungsten is called the anode, this flat disc of tungsten draws the electrons across the tube. The anode and cathode consist of an extremely high voltage so that the electrons then fly through the tube at a great force. Whe...
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... DNA leading to mutation and radiation exposure. The people that have the highest risks when having x-rays are pregnant women, if women have to many x-rays it could possibly cause defects on the baby. However, most of these ailments only occur after copious amounts of x-rays, one or two isn’t going to hurt.
Even though there are many disadvantages to undergoing an x-ray, there are many advantages that outweigh these risks. The advantages include; detecting illnesses like tumors and cancers, detecting broken or fractured limbs and locating foreign objects in the body. Providing images from inside the body using x-rays is also painless as well as non-invasive. When saying that x-rays are convenient they truly are, a patient can go in on the day not knowing what is wrong, have an x-ray, wait half an hour and then get the results on the spot with everything explained.
The X-ray was first discovered in 1895 by a German physicist named W.C. Roentgen (“The Discovery”). W.C. Roentgen was working in his lab one day in 1895 and decided to send a high electrical current through a cathode ray filled with special gas. He realized that a dim green colored light was being produced, and decided to hold the cathode ray just above his wife’s hand. When he did this he observed that the light was able to penetrate human skin, but would leave all the bones visible. There is a picture below of the X-ray of W.C. Roentgen’s wife’s hand (“The Discovery”). He named it the X-ray because he did not know the identity of what kind of ray it was. He just named it X, because of its use in solving unknowns in algebraic equations (“The Discovery”).
During the cold winter of 1895, a German scientist by the name of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was working with a cathode-ray tube when he noticed nearby crystals were glowing. When Roentgen reached for the crystals he was amazed when the shadow cast on the crystal was not of his whole hand, but just his bones. Roentgen covered the tube with heavy black paper and saw that the crystals still glowed and the shadow of his hand bones still shown through, he then determined that a new ray was being emitted that could penetrate through thick materials. (1.) He later found that the rays could pass through most anything, but would cast a shadow of solid objects; these shadows could then be captured on film. Among the solid objects Roentgen shot with these rays was human tissue, the rays would penetrate the tissue, but the bones would cast a shadow, which could then be caught on film. One of Roentgen’s first experiments with X-rays was on his wife’s hand where, on the film, you could see her hand bones and her wedding ring. (1.) While the discovery of x-rays was a huge advancement in medical technology, they were not used in the medical field at first. Instead the mystical invisible rays that could penetrate solid objects were used in the industrial field.
Since the beginning of the propitious world, the core aspect that keeps it thriving is the propensity for people to discover innovations; however, progress of the past is, systematically, detrimental to the future. Not long after the revolutionary invention of the X-ray in the late 19th Century, an unprecedented number of medical examiners noticed (unknown to the time) radiation burns all over their body; decades later, an extraordinary surge in cancer cases had arisen. Perhaps, during the course of these years, scientists and researchers desired to further progress the x-ray (into the immense subsidiaries that are here today), and disregarded any flaws in the apparatus. This systematic inclination continues into the present time as Gary Marshall and Shane Keene notes in their 2007 article, “New technologies allow for patients to be overexposed routinely, and also allow for repeats to be taken quickly, making it easier for a technologist to multiply the patients dose without considering the implications” (5). The gaffes of radiology are present not only in the diagnostic setting, but also in the surgical and therapeutic areas. Working with radiation, it is imperative that the staff is aware of mistakes that are potentially fatal not only for patients, but themselves. It is especially important for medical radiologists to be cognizant of pediatric patients. The standard practice of pediatric radiology in the United States is to follow the step-by step formula from which adult patients are treated and diagnosed. There are copious consequences for following this technique since a child naturally has less body mass and a weaker immune and lymphatic system to manage radiation and its adverse effects. Medical radiology, being a...
In the radiology profession first you must write the patient’s file. This includes information about insurance, medical history, what the required x-ray is for and where it is going to be taken on the body. Writing in this way is similar to writing a small research paper. You must do research on the patients and there history and what insurance they have. Writing the report is important because the information must be accurate so the patient can be helped as much as possible. If the information about medical history is incorrect it can cause a huge problem for the patient. For example, if the patient is claustrophobic they would need to get an open room x-ray where the patient isn’t in an enclosed tube so they don’t have a panic attack and potentially injure themselves and others. It is very important to make sure the report has the correct area of where the x-ray needs to be taken. Having the wrong part of the body x-...
For decades, the effects of radiation has been studied by doctors around the world. X-rays are used in the medical and dental field to take radiographs of certain parts of a person's body. Some have become concerned of the long term and short term effects of having x-rays taken because of the radiation that is exposed. Since the rise of concern, studies have been done to find any type of link between cancer and radiation from x-rays. Specifically, in dental x-rays, researchers have been performing studies trying to prove that radiation from x-rays in the dental office can cause cancer .
Wald, M. L. (2010 , January 8). Cancer Risks Debated for Type of X-Ray Scan. Retrieved February 5, 2010 , from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/health/09scanner.html
Radiation has changed drastically over the past 118 years. Exposures are much quicker, digital imaging is a possibility in most hospitals, and most importantly, radiation protection. Many people have died, some without realizing that they were killing themselves, for the advancement of x-rays. Because of these advancements physicians are able to tell patients what is going on very quickly and without much delay. It is very important to remember the 3 cardinal rules: distance, time and shielding.
Many of the experts agree that the dose should be kept as low as possible with minimal exposure to the fetus of any age. It has been shown that fetuses before 16 weeks are the most sensitive to any dose of ionizing radiation and have been shown to have lower IQ’s and verbal scores than those exposed after 16 weeks. Fetuses exposed after 16 weeks have the same amount of risk as children up to 10 years old getting cancer. It is very important to take in to consideration gestational age, shielding, the position of the x-ray tube and the amount of necessity that is considered in taking a radiographic image or performing a radiographic procedure in a pregnant woman.
How does the X-ray work? Well first off let me tell you the difference of light rays and X-rays. The light rays are visible light waves and x-rays is a light that is smaller than atoms in your body. You can’t see them with the naked eye like sun rays. X-rays will only pick up items and body parts that are hard and also made of calcium. That light will then project your muscle that would look like a light gray and your bone structure that will be white onto a black piece of radio graphic film.
Apart of becoming a new patient at a dental office is taking an x-ray and some may have question along with taking an x-ray, like “will I be affected by the x-ray?” or “will I get cancer?”, “how long will it take” “are x-ray’s safe?”, the list goes on and on. So in this paper we will talk about different types of radiation affects such as affects on children and pregnant women as well as some things that may help reduce some of the radiation that may harm the human body.
In order to understand the risks associated with nuclear energy, it is necessary to understand the properties of radiation and their effects. The term radiation refers to a wide range of things. Ionizing radiation is the kind that can and does cause damage. Ionizing radiation creates ions when it strikes something, which can then affect matter such as human tissue. The two main types of ionizing radiation are electromagnetic and particle. Ionizing electromagnetic radiation includes x-rays, gamma rays, and cosmic rays. Ionizing particle radiation involves alpha particles, which are helium nuclei, beta particles or electrons, and neutrons. Gamma rays, alpha particles, and beta particles are the main forms of radioactivity associated with nuclear power (Taylor, 1996).
Marshall, G. W and S. Keene. “Radiation Safety in the Modern Radiology Department: A Growing Concern.” The Internet Journal of Radiology 5.2 2007: N. pag. 24 Apr. 2011 .
Wilhelm Roentgen discovered radiation which is also known as x-ray in 1895. Radiation is energy turned into waves or particles in
(Bushong, 2013, p. 405). This phenomenon of electron emission following light stimulation is called photoemission. The emission of just one electron through photoemission is dependent upon numerous light photons. The amount of electrons produced by the photocathode is directly proportional to how much light reaches it from the input phosphor, which is directly proportional to the intensity of the initial x-ray beam. These electrons will be accelerated to the anode where they will pass through a small hole to the output phosphor.
Electromagnetic radiation is energy that flows through free space. Electromagnetic radiation comes in a list of energies known as the electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic spectrum is the complete range of the different wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. It consists of light, radio waves, visible light, infrared waves, ultraviolet light, x-rays, microwaves and gamma rays.