Professor with 20 years experience as a sport medicine trainer Ms. Nancy Osher invited Jeff Buske of Rocky Flats Gear to talk to here health education class about radiation.

The nature of particle and wave or electromagnetic radiation was covered, Ionizing radiation with it's ability to break chemical bonds and create damaging free radicals.  Radiation damage is done on an atomic level in a few billionths of a second, the damage is cumulative.  Soft x-rays used in many new security and mammography systems interact with Phosphorus (P) K-shell electrons breaking the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA.

FIG 1 Double DNA Break

The intense pencil x-ray beam used in new airport security scanners creates a local region were the probability of a double DNA break is greater. 

FIG 2 Backscatter x-ray Scanner 

Double DNA breaks are difficult for the body to repair and damage is cumulative. About 5% of the population has defects in the BRAC gene on chromosome 17 that interferes with DNA repair.

FIG 3. BRCA1 DNA Repair Gene

Damage to DNA may lead to cancer and or be transmitted to future generations. Ionizing radiation in all forms is hazardous to rapidly dividing cell found in young children, fetus and skin cells. 

Natural Sources create random background radiation that has a much lower statistical chance of creating double DNA breaks than the equivalent dose of backscatter x-rays used in security and some bone density systems.  Contrary to what you may think hard medical x-rays are slightly less harmful than and equivalent dose of soft x-rays.  We are concerned that mass irradiation of perhaps 750 million travelers per year will create a increase in skin, breast, testicular and other health issues for thousands in years to come.

Questions about radioactive iodine in light of the Japan Reactor were asked.  We would like to thank Ms. Osher and Danville Area Community College for the invitation.

Jeff Buske BSEE, CTO Rocky Flats Gear

Danville Area Community College offers more than 100 career and transfer programs for credit within three academic divisions, Math and Science; Liberal Arts; and Business and Technology. The College has partnerships with four-year universities that bring courses to campus, or offer degree-completion programs online, so students can complete advanced degrees without leaving the community.