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1. RADIATION
POISONING
A.A.Akhilesh

2. •Radiation is energy that travels in form of waves or
high speed particles
•Radiation has a wide range of energies that span
the electromagnetic spectrum
•There are two basic types of radiation
1.Non-Ionizing radiation :
Light,radiowaves,Microwaves, and Radar. Does
not cause any tissue damage
2.Ionizing radiation : Produces immediate
chemical effects on human tissue. X-rays, Gamma
rays, and particle bombardment (Neutron beam,
Electron beam, Protons, Mesons)

3. • Radiation poisoning is the illness and
symptoms resulting from excessive
exposure to ionizing radiations
• In the body , Bone Marrow and the GI tract
are especially sensitive to Radiation Injury
• Children and babies still in the womb are
more likely to be severely injured
INTRODUCTION

4. Types of Radiation
Exposure
Radiation exposure can be
 Due to a single large exposure
(ACUTE)
 Due to series of small exposures
spread over time (CHRONIC)
Radaition exposure can also be
 Accidental
 Intentional (Radiation Therapy)

5. UNITS OF RADIATION
The earliest used Units of measurement of Radiation
are Curie and Becquerel
•1 Becquerel is equal to one disintegration/second and
1 Becquerel corresponds to 27 Picocuries
The other units are Gray (Gy) and Sievert (Sv)
•Gray (Gy): It is a unit that expresses the energy
absorbed by the target tissue per unit mass
•Sievert (Sv): It is a unit of equivalent dose that
depends on biologic rather than physical effects of

6. Potency of Radiation is measured in three ways
•Roentgen : Roentgen is the unit of exposure. It is the
amount of radiation absorbed in air at a given point
•Rad : Rad is the unit of absorbed dose. It is the amount
of radioactive energy absorbed per gram of tissue or
any material
•Rem : Rem is the product of the absorbed dose and
the modifying factors. Rem indicates the degree of
potential danger to health

7. ACUTE V/S CHRONIC
EXPOSURE
ACUTE EXPOSURE
•Acute exposure is radiation exposure that
occurs in a short period of time
•It can be an exposure that occurs once in
lifetime (Eg: X-ray of foot for broken leg)

8. Acute exposures can also be exposures that
occur more than once, but very infrequently
and for short periods of time (Eg: Dental X-
rays taken once in every few years)
Acute exposure can result in a small
radiation dose ( Like an X-ray) or Large
radiation dose that a person could receive in
an accident situation

9. CHRONIC
EXPOSURE•Chronic exposure is radiation exposure that occurs over a long
period of time
•It can be
Continuous exposure we receive daily from Natural background
radiation
OR
Radiation exposure that occurs Off and On routinely over a long
period of time in your life
Eg: Occupational Radiation Exposure
Getting exposed to radiation at work almost daily over
working lifetime
Chronic exposure can result in small or large radiation
doses

10. SYMPTOMS
Factors for the basis of symptoms are
 Type and amount of radiation
Duration of exposure
 The part of the body which was
exposed

11. Signs and Symptoms usually appear when entire
body receives an absorbed dose of atleast 1 Gy
Doses greater than 10 Gy to the whole body are
generally not treatable and usually lead to death
within 2 days-2 weeks
Initial Signs and symptoms of treatable radiation
poisoning are Nausea and Vomiting
In general, Greater the radiation exposure, more
severe the symptoms will be

13. The Chronic effects of Radiation poisoning generally
include
•Life shortening
•Carcinogenesis
•Cataract formation
•Chronic radiodermatitis
•Decreased fertility
•Genetic mutations