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Abstract Radiation is the process by which energy is emitted as either particles or waves. Broadly, it can take the form of sound, heat, or light. However, most people generally use it to refer to radiation from electromagnetic waves, ranging from radio waves, though the visible light spectrum, and up through to gamma waves as shown in Figure 1.1 [1] Radiation is generally classified ionizing or non-ionizing, based on whether it has enough energy to knock electrons off atoms that it interacts with, as well as being able to do lower-energy damage such as breaking chemical bonds in molecules which Ionizing radiation is caused by unstable atoms giving off energy to reach a more stable state, is more of a health threat to humans because it involves changing the basic makeup of atoms in cells, and more specifically the DNA molecules inside of cells and Most non-ionizing radiation, such as radio and microwave energy, is considered harmful only to the extent of the amount of heat energy it transfers to whatever it hits. This is, in fact, the way that microwaves cook food. UV light is unique in that while it is non-ionizing, it does have the capacity to cause harmful effects like what ionizing radiation can create, such as an increased risk of cancer due to damage to DNA molecules. |