Interação da radiação ionizante com a matéria e seus efeitos no corpo humano

Abstract

After the discovery of ionizing radiation by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895, the possibility of using this new phenomenon for the treatment of human body dysfunctions such as cancer was immediately noticed. As a result, the media started to develop theories regarding the "miraculous"aspect of radioactivity. Treatments using radionuclides gained popularity because they promised to rejuvenate people, make the blind see and even turn black people into white. The manipulation of radioactive products became hackneyed and started to be a component of make ups, toothpaste, chocolate, etc. As a result, deaths regarding the banality of radioactive products increased. One case occurred with girls that worked for a company of name Undark. They covered the numbers of the clock with a paint that had Radium as a component and every time they wanted to taper the brush the girls would bring thebrushintotheirmouthsandlickit. After a period oftime, the girls would develop a sickness with uncommon symptoms such as vomit, nausea, anemia, bone fracture, chintumors that could end up in death. Although the company tried to hide the cases, it was clear that there was a relationship between the radiation and the symptoms displayed by the girls. It was necessary a profound study in the area of the effects of ionizing radiation with matter but prior to that, how the interaction of radiation with matter happens should be discovered. The radiation revealed to be efficient in breaking chemical bonds through the transfer of energy to the medium. This way, important human body molecules (such as the DNA) could be damaged and result in cell death. Thus, causing copious effects in the human body. The objective of this work is to analyze how every kind of radiation interacts with matter and how those interactions affects our body.