The Causes and Symptoms of Radiation Poisoning

When radioactivity was first identified in the 1800s, scientists did not yet know about the dangerous effects of radiation and radioactive materials on human health. Many of the first scientists to research radioactivity developed radiation poisoning, cancer, and other diseases as a direct result of their contact with radioactive materials. Since then we have learned about the dangers of radioactive materials and how to protect people from them.

There are many types of radiation, some of which are more harmful to human health than others. Short-term exposure to gamma radiation--a form of very high energy radiation--can cause traumatic damage to any part of the body. Gamma radiation can pass through almost any barrier, even including many concrete walls, so the damage it can inflict to our soft internal organs is immense.

The two most common symptoms of radiation poisoning are vomiting and nausea. Symptoms may take some time after exposure to develop. Mild cases of radiation poisoning may take one or two days to develop, in some cases longer. In general, the sooner symptoms appear after exposure, the greater the risk to the patient's health.

Moderate doses of radiation can cause hair loss and bloody vomit in addition to nausea, with symptoms setting in within a day of exposure. Severe radiation poisoning shows symptoms within an hour of exposure, including diarrhea and high fever. Very high doses of radiation can cause dizziness, disorientation, and a drop in blood pressure. Half of all people who suffer severe poisoning parish.

Common sources of radiation poisoning include direct exposure to many radioactive materials, such as being in the same room as a sample of uranium without adequate protection. The waste byproducts of nuclear power plants can also cause radiation sickness if they are not contained and disposed of properly. Nuclear weapons, which have not been used in warfare since the American bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, use radiation as their primary destructive force.

Radiation can cause damage to the cells' DNA, encouraging the development of cancer. You may have heard of radiation being used to treat cancer, but that is a side-effect of the ability of radioactive substances to destroy cancer cells as well. Cancer doctors use small, very precise doses of specific types of radiation to kill cancer cells without damaging the other parts of the body.

If you or someone you love has suffered from radiation poisoning, and you believe another person's negligence is at fault, you may be able to win compensation for your medical bills, losses, and suffering. To learn more about the rights of victims, visit the website of the experienced Champaign personal injury lawyers of Spiros & Wall, P.C.