Radiation from a Mobile Phone vs a Nuclear Reactor
People are scared of the word “radiation”, irrespective of its origin. Is the radiation from mobile phones similar to that from a nuclear reactor? Are the two equally harmful? Let us explore all these questions in this story.
You must have heard about all the fuss about 5G these days. People are scared that 5G radiation will cause widespread health hazards such as weakened immune systems and cancer. But Is the radiation from 5G towers dangerous? How is it compared to other radiations, such as from a nuclear reactor? How about the background radiation we are always submerged in? Let us try to understand all these topics in today's story.
A little introduction of radiation
First of all, radiation is an umbrella term. There are many types of radiation. The type of radiation we are discussing today is uncharged and electromagnetic(EM) in nature. The visible light that enables us to see is very similar to 5G radiation from mobile phones. Moreover, the radio signals, wifi network, Bluetooth, and NFC in bank cards all work on similar EM radiation. The UV radiation from the Sun also falls under the same category.
What distinguishes different EM radiations?
Now the question is how all these radiations are different from one another? The answer is frequency. All the EM radiations mentioned above are identical, except they all have different frequencies. How can the frequency make such a huge difference in the nature of radiation? The frequency determines the kind of interactions the particular EM radiation can have and, thus, determines its nature.
What about the radiation from a nuclear reactor?
A nuclear reactor houses a whole ecosystem of radiation. 😆
Inside a nuclear reactor, you will find charged radiation like electrons, protons, and alpha particles; uncharged radiation such as neutrons, X-rays and γ-rays. But most of the radiation does not come out of a reactor. That is what they are designed for. Nevertheless, some radiation can always come out, like the highly penetrating γ-rays.
Naturally occurring radiation
The surface of the earth has many naturally occurring radioactive elements such as ⁴⁰K, ²²²Rn, ²³⁸U, ²³⁵U, ²³²Th, etc., which emit radiation. The Sun is also a significant source of radiation. All these contribute to the natural radiation background that we live in all our lives, from birth to death, every second. So even if there were no mobile towers and 5G technology, we were still exposed to radiation. Humans have been living along with radiation for millions of years.
Radiation from Mobile vs nuclear reactor
For the sake of comparison with radiation from mobile towers, let us consider only the EM radiation from a nuclear reactor, for example, γ-rays. How are γ-rays different from 5G signals. Both are EM radiations, which carry energy and travel at the speed of light. However, as mentioned earlier, the two radiations differ vastly in frequency. Gamma-rays have a frequency range of 10²⁰ to 10²⁴ Hertz, while 5G can have a maximum frequency of 10¹¹ Hertz. This makes a huge difference in the nature of the interaction of both these radiations with the human body. Gamma rays are highly energetic and can destroy DNA molecules if it interacts with them. 5G radiation does not have enough energy to destroy the DNA molecules and is considered safe for humans.
In the end
So we can safely use our 5G mobile phones as they will not cause any damage to our DNA. And you should stay away from a nuclear reactor, even if only a fraction of the radiation inside comes out.
I hope you enjoyed today’s story. Follow for more such exciting stuff.
Salut.
