"Risky Rainbow"

“Risky Rainbow”

Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the least damaging type of dangerous radiation. The sun is the main natural source of UV. 99% of UV radiation emitted by the sun is absorbed in the Earths ozone layer. It is also invisible to the human eye.

UV radiation comes with risks. As it is an ionizing type of radiation it can cause cell damage. As sun rays emit UV, it most commonly causes skin damage. This is when the UV rays damage skin cells, and sometimes even killing them. The damage caused by UV radiation usually only occurs on the surface of the body as it is not very penetrating. Most commonly, UV causes sunburn, and in more extreme cases, skin cancer. Eyes and the immune system can also be damaged by UV radiation.

A positive effect of UV is that it brings about the production of in the skin. It also has other medical uses, and is used in florescent lights.

UVC rays are the highest energy, most dangerous type of ultraviolet light. Little attention has been given to UVC rays in the past since they are filtered out by the atmosphere. However, their use in equipment such as pond units may pose an exposure risk, if the lamp is switched on outside of its enclosed pond sterilization unit.

X-Rays

X-Rays are most frequently used for medical uses. ...

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A positive effect of UV is that it brings about the production of in the skin. It also has other medical uses, and is used in florescent lights.

X-Rays

X-Rays are most frequently used for medical uses. They are more penetrating than UV, and so the rays can pass through more dense objects.

X-rays are most commonly used to get images of internal organs. As the rays are penetrative enough to pass through soft tissue, but are blocked by harder tissue such as bones. X-rays have proven to be very beneficial and are widely used.

As X-rays are more penetrating, they can cause cell damage deeper than the body surface. From a single x-ray, the chance of any damage is very small. However, x-rays are only carried out when completely necessary to keep the risk level low.

Gamma Rays

Gamma rays are the most penetrative type of radiation. They are so penetrative that they can pass through dense substances, such as bones (making gamma unsuitable for x-rays). Gamma radiation is also widely used.

Gamma radiation is used to power nuclear power plants. It is also used medially, to sterilise medical instruments, and is used to kill tumours and growths. It is also used in nuclear warfare. When used carefully, gamma radiation can be used for a wide range of things. It can even be ingested safely in humans in medical procedures.

As gamma radiation is so powerful, it can be very dangerous when not handled properly. As is so penetrative, careful measures have to be taken when handling and gamma source. A strong gamma source can easily burn flesh. Even small amounts of gamma exposure have been known to cause serious long term problem such as cancers. When used in warfare, nuclear bombs have proven to be very devastating. Such weapons are referred to as “weapons of mass destruction”. A single bomb has the power to destroy a whole city.

Peer Reviews

Here's what a star student thought of this essay

skatealexia

2nd of Jul 2012

Quality of writing

Grammar, punctuation and spelling are all done to a high well. The candidate communicates clearly and sentences are easy to read. The layout and paragraph structure is appropriate and well done.

Level of analysis

The candidate discusses the properties of UV light well and clearly as well as describing its uses. The paragraphs are clearly set out. The candidate could have gone into greater scientific depth about the ionising effects to gain higher marks. The candidate goes on to explain both gamma rays and x rays very well.

Response to question

Overall a very well done piece. The candidate responds to the topic very well and explains each different type of radiation very well. The way the candidate could have improved would have been to include pictures and diagrams to support text, wider or greater scientific depth and sources and a bibliography.

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