NationStates Jolt Archive

That's right, X-rays are lethal.

That's right, X-rays are lethal.
Depends on how many.

So is vitamin A.

Depends on how many.

yes it does. And where they are absorbed.

Ra-di-a-tion. Yes, indeed. You hear the most outrageous lies about it. Half-baked goggle-box do-gooders telling everybody it's bad for you. Pernicious nonsense! Everybody could stand a hundred chest X-rays a year. They ought to have them, too. When they canceled the project it almost did me in. One day my mind was full to bursting. The next day - nothing. Swept away. But I'll show them. I had a lobotomy in the end.

"When you're getting x-rayed, the technician puts a little lead bib over your balls, then he walks behind concrete and says, 'You'll be fine.' " -Robin Williams

:D

Ra-di-a-tion. Yes, indeed. You hear the most outrageous lies about it. Half-baked goggle-box do-gooders telling everybody it's bad for you. Pernicious nonsense! Everybody could stand a hundred chest X-rays a year. They ought to have them, too. When they canceled the project it almost did me in. One day my mind was full to bursting. The next day - nothing. Swept away. But I'll show them. I had a lobotomy in the end.
Repo Man may be one of my favorite cult movies ever. Nice Post!

...

...

If you decided to live in an X-Ray machine for a few years then maybe.

Suppose you're thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly someone will say, 'Plate' or 'Shrimp' or 'Plate of shrimp,' out of the blue. No explanation and there's no point in looking for one either. It's all part of the cosmic unconsciousness.

You know the way everybody is into weirdness right now? Books in all the supermarkets about the Bermuda Triangle, UFO's, how the Mayans invented television, that kind of thing? Well the way I see it it's exactly the same. There ain't no difference between a flying saucer or a time machine.

People get so hung up on specifics, they miss out on seeing the whole thing. Take South America for example. Every year in South America thousands of people turn up missing. Nobody knows where they go. They just disappear. But if you think for a minute, realize something: there had to be a time when there was no people right? Well, where did all these people come from? I'll tell you where: the future. Where did all these people disappear to: the past. How did they get there? Flying saucers, which are really, yeah, you got it: time machines.

17 people died from radiation exposure in hospital in Panama city in 2000/2001

Sure X-rays are lethal, but so is everything. Even oxygen. Depends on the concentration.

18 dead and 9 with major injuries in Spain in one incident in a hospital in 1990

Try the Therac-25 accidents. Canadian engineering at its best!

Water is lethal. It kills people on a frequent basis.

Bwah ha ha! You didn't know that, did you??

*runs around in high concentrations, killing off the strong and wealthly..er..healthy*

Nah but really, of course X-rays can lead to death. It's only like a weaker form of gamma.

So is vitamin A.

Or vitamins D, E, or K. Fat-soluable vitamins taken in actual vitamin rather than pre-cursor form build up in the body.

Hell, most people think that vitamin C is harmless, and that taking huge amounts of it is no big deal. I had a nutrition teacher that works as a dietician in local hospitals. There was a guy brought in once that had been involved in a bad auto accident. He couldn't eat, so he was hooked up to an IV for nutrition. His health took a sudden turn for the worst later, he was showing deterioration that was in no way connected to the accident. The doctors couldn't figure it out at first, but after questioning about his eating habits they found out that this guy was a health freak and took daily doses of vitamin C that were about 6000% of the RDA. The IV was only giving him 100%. His body reacted to those levels as a deficiency, and he had developed scurvy.

Granted, this has nothing to do with X-rays, but its a good story about danger being relative to the amount of exposure.

Bwah ha ha! You didn't know that, did you??

*runs around in high concentrations, killing off the strong and wealthly..er..healthy*

Nah but really, of course X-rays can lead to death. It's only like a weaker form of gamma.

Most things can lead to death.

The leading cause of death has been, and always will be, living.

Bwah ha ha! You didn't know that, did you??

*runs around in high concentrations, killing off the strong and wealthly..er..healthy*

Nah but really, of course X-rays can lead to death. It's only like a weaker form of gamma.

So is "red". And enough red light can kill you. By "enough", I mean "enough to heat your body to 150 degrees Farenheit".

-c.

Nah but really, of course X-rays can lead to death. It's only like a weaker form of gamma.

TECHNICALLY, X-Rays are NOT like gamma rays... x-rays and gamma rays are both Electrmagnetic radiation, like heat and visible light; X-Ray. however, are defined to have wavelengths from 10E-9m to 10E-12m, while Gamma rays are higher than that.

Kinda a lame post, but, hey, no no issues for my country right now....

So is "red". And enough red light can kill you. By "enough", I mean "enough to heat your body to 150 degrees Farenheit".

-c.
Red light is a cousin of gamma radiation? NO SHIT! [/sarcasm]

I was just comparing X-rays and gamma because they are reasonably close in the EM spectrum. Gamma rays and visible light are a...few orders of magnitude different on the freq. scale.

TECHNICALLY, X-Rays are NOT like gamma rays... x-rays and gamma rays are both Electrmagnetic radiation, like heat and visible light; X-Ray. however, are defined to have wavelengths from 10E-9m to 10E-12m, while Gamma rays are higher than that.

Kinda a lame post, but, hey, no no issues for my country right now....
10E-9m is quite long for X-rays. Anyway, read my other post. ^^

Dihydrogen monoxide is lethal too... it suffocates people!

Dihydrogen monoxide is lethal too... it suffocates people!

Heh, I read that one...great study in fear via ignorance.

Dihydrogen monoxide is lethal too... it suffocates people!
OH MY GOD! I MUST RUN AND HIDE THE CHILDREN FROM THIS TERRIBLE POISON!!!!!!!

*ducks and covers. Ironically*

yea so are the two chemicals that make up salt

yea so are the two chemicals that make up salt
Not as the ions in RDA quantities they aren't

yea so are the two chemicals that make up salt

Table salt is lethal without splitting it into sodium and chlorine, you just need more of it.

Water is lethal. It kills people on a frequent basis.
Oh no! :eek:
We must ban all water!

an X-ray is about = to 10 min exposure to the sun. Eventually the sun will kill you. So if you have enought X-rays it will kill you. I would like to see the shape of the people who were killed by the X-ray.

Dihydrogen monoxide is lethal too... it suffocates people!
I hear that it's a main ingredient in most pesticides & herbicides too.

an X-ray is about = to 10 min exposure to the sun. Eventually the sun will kill you. So if you have enought X-rays it will kill you. I would like to see the shape of the people who were killed by the X-ray.
An X-ray of 10E-9m is 1.99E-16J. A UV ray (say, 100*10E-9m) is 1.99E-18J. So E X-ray=100xE UV ray. Assuming DNA has a work function or similar (based on the fact that UVA is harmful (i think) but UVB isn't)....


...I have no idea where I'm going with this.

I hear that it's a main ingredient in most pesticides & herbicides too.
Yeah well, I hear the government puts it in drinking water.

That's right, X-rays are lethal.

So is bread ;) http://www.eskimo.com/~spban/bread.html

"When you're getting x-rayed, the technician puts a little lead bib over your balls, then he walks behind concrete and says, 'You'll be fine.' " -Robin Williams

:D

Or he walks behind the concrete, and shuts an big heavy stell door and says, "you'll be fine."

So is bread ;) http://www.eskimo.com/~spban/bread.html
I hate to use it, but:

ROFLMAO!

Oh no! :eek:
We must ban all water!

I'm more worried about the Dihydrogen monoxide personally :confused: :( :eek:

An X-ray of 10E-9m is 1.99E-16J. A UV ray (say, 100*10E-9m) is 1.99E-18J. So E X-ray=100xE UV ray. Assuming DNA has a work function or similar (based on the fact that UVA is harmful (i think) but UVB isn't)....


...I have no idea where I'm going with this.

the energy of the photon is important in how much damage it can cause, so it is not directly comparable. Long term low dose may or may not be harmful,the models cannot account for it yet

X-rays have been conclusively shown to be a class 4-A powerful mutagen (see the consumer protection website www.whydoisuddenlyhaveeighttesticles.com). However, people are far MORE at risk from several other common and dangerous electromagnetic phenomena, including:
--Stray Voltage
--Power line EM flux
--Leaking Microwave Ovens
--Navy ULF transmitters
--Cell phone signals
--Computer CRT emmission
Folks particularly at risk are advised by federal authorities to wear special protective clothing whenever exposed to stray EM radiation - http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html

My point in this thread was that my thread about medical physics got no hits, but one titled 'X-rays kill people' got dozens of views.

And that is part of what is wrong with society, you have to sensationalise everything to get anyone interested.

That's right, X-rays are lethal.

In enough dosage.... However...

It takes far less Microwaves to kill, than X-rays.

And X-ray radiation is no where near as lethal as Gamma or Neutron radiation.

BTW, you are being bombarded with X-ray, Gamma and Microwave radiation everytime you walk around outside....

My point in this thread was that my thread about medical physics got no hits, but one titled 'X-rays kill people' got dozens of views.

And that is part of what is wrong with society, you have to sensationalise everything to get anyone interested.

Not at all. It's just that people like to correct people who are wrong/misinformed, is this thread lead people to believe... that and it was quite amusing... :p

In enough dosage.... However...

It takes far less Microwaves to kill, than X-rays.

And X-ray radiation is no where near as lethal as Gamma or Neutron radiation.

BTW, you are being bombarded with X-ray, Gamma and Microwave radiation everytime you walk around outside....

I know plenty about dose, i am a medical physicist. This thread was for illustration purposes only.

eurgh, don't do the x-ray/gamma ray thing. I have this discussion with astrophysicists. Gamma rays come from the nucleus, x-rays from elsewhere.

Your microwave point is highly suspicious, bearing in mind the energy of microwaves compared to x-rays, what's your source?

In enough dosage.... However...

It takes far less Microwaves to kill, than X-rays.

And X-ray radiation is no where near as lethal as Gamma or Neutron radiation.

BTW, you are being bombarded with X-ray, Gamma and Microwave radiation everytime you walk around outside....
The sun is a black body radiator, so surely you are bombarded with every conceivable wavelength of light?

The sun is a black body radiator, so surely you are bombarded with every conceivable wavelength of light?

don't forget the atmosphere absorbs highly in several frequencies

so no

X-rays have been conclusively shown to be a class 4-A powerful mutagen (see the consumer protection website www.whydoisuddenlyhaveeighttesticles.com). However, people are far MORE at risk from several other common and dangerous electromagnetic phenomena, including:
--Stray Voltage
--Power line EM flux
--Leaking Microwave Ovens
--Navy ULF transmitters
--Cell phone signals
--Computer CRT emmission
Folks particularly at risk are advised by federal authorities to wear special protective clothing whenever exposed to stray EM radiation - http://zapatopi.net/afdb.htmlDon't leave home without your aluminum foil defense beanie! :rolleyes:

don't forget the atmosphere absorbs highly in several frequencies

so no
Water absorbs infra-red, the ionosphere absorbs UV...anything else?

Microsoft kills people! :D

Water absorbs infra-red, the ionosphere absorbs UV...anything else?

watch out for those CO2, CH4, N2O, O3 absorptions...

nice little graphy

http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~owen/CHPI/IMAGES/transir.html

X-rays only give a minimal dose. You would have to constantly stand in one for a long time to feel any effects from radiation. And the reason that nurses put the lead cover on you is that they dont like giving unnecessary amounts of anyhting, even if if is just an xray

watch out for those CO2, CH4, N2O, O3 absorptions...

nice little graphy

http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~owen/CHPI/IMAGES/transir.html
Oh shit, I really didn't think about those. Seriously.

EDIT: What is a micron?

X-rays only give a minimal dose. You would have to constantly stand in one for a long time to feel any effects from radiation. And the reason that nurses put the lead cover on you is that they dont like giving unnecessary amounts of anyhting, even if if is just an xray

ok, here's a couple of things

firstly, certainly in the UK, nurses don't deliver x-rays, radiographers do.

x-ray radiation DOES induce cancer. The risk is related to exposure. A radiographer would receive a very high exposure as they expose many people a day, where as a single patient gets a very small dose, so a tiny, tiny increased risk (like background radiation for a few days)

Oh shit, I really didn't think about those. Seriously.

EDIT: What is a micron?

millimeter (10E-3)
micrometer (10E-6) <-- Micron
nanometer(10E-9)

oh, and its a log scale btw

Or vitamins D, E, or K. Fat-soluable vitamins taken in actual vitamin rather than pre-cursor form build up in the body.

Hell, most people think that vitamin C is harmless, and that taking huge amounts of it is no big deal. I had a nutrition teacher that works as a dietician in local hospitals. There was a guy brought in once that had been involved in a bad auto accident. He couldn't eat, so he was hooked up to an IV for nutrition. His health took a sudden turn for the worst later, he was showing deterioration that was in no way connected to the accident. The doctors couldn't figure it out at first, but after questioning about his eating habits they found out that this guy was a health freak and took daily doses of vitamin C that were about 6000% of the RDA. The IV was only giving him 100%. His body reacted to those levels as a deficiency, and he had developed scurvy.

Granted, this has nothing to do with X-rays, but its a good story about danger being relative to the amount of exposure.

that is an interesting story. Most vitamin C is water based and anything more than you need comes out in the end and doesnt effect you.

damn those oil based pills. He must have been taking an oil based pill with something in it

millimeter (10E-3)
micrometer (10E-6) <-- Micron
nanometer(10E-9)

oh, and its a log scale btw
Ah, OK. I don't often write milli, micro or nano. It's just m, μ, or n with a suffix unit most of the time. And I've never written micron before.