What are the hazards of nuclear leakage to human body

Nuclear energy is a very important energy source with numerous advantages, especially in terms of electricity generation. Nuclear energy has many uses, the most well-known of which is the atomic bomb. While nuclear energy helps us, it also hides huge threats. If a nuclear leak occurs, it will have catastrophic consequences. The most recent one was the nuclear leak in Fukushima, Japan. We must be aware of the damage caused. So, what are the hazards of nuclear leakage to the human body? Let’s take a closer look below.

The biggest long-term health risk is cancer. Normally when body cells become damaged or age to a certain extent, they eliminate themselves. When this self-elimination ability disappears, cells gain "immortality" and can continue to divide uncontrollably, which evolves into cancer.

Our bodies have many mechanisms to prevent cells from becoming cancerous and to replace damaged tissue. However, damage caused by radiation can seriously disrupt these mechanisms in the body, greatly increasing the risk of cancer. In addition, if the body cannot repair the damage and changes to chemical bonds caused by radiation, mutations may occur in our genes. These mutations not only increase one's own cancer risk, but may also be passed on, causing the effects of radiation to manifest in future generations. These effects include a smaller head and brain, defects in eye development, slowed growth, and severe cognitive learning deficits.

The extent of health damage depends on the duration of exposure and the ionizing radiation produced by the decay of radioactive materials. It can destroy the chemical bonds between molecules and atoms in human tissues, and may have serious effects on important biochemical structures and functions of the human body.

Our bodies try to repair this damage, but sometimes the damage is so severe or involves too many tissues and organs that repair is impossible.

Also, there is a high chance that errors will occur during the body's natural repair process. Parts of the body most vulnerable to radiation damage include the epithelial cells of the stomach and intestines and those cells in the bone marrow that produce blood cells.

I think everyone should be clear about the hazards of nuclear leakage to the human body. Although we do not have many opportunities to come into contact with nuclear leaks in our daily lives, if we could prevent them from happening 100%, the incident that occurred in Japan would not have happened. Therefore, we still need to pay special attention to this aspect and take precautions before it happens.