UGANDA: NUCLEAR ENERGY APPLICATIONS IN UGANDA, RADIATION WARNING SYSTEM.

This is the third editions of the series of atomic energy council we are bringing to our esteem readers. 

GULU-UGANDA: Mr. Moses Oboo the radiations officer atomic energy warns people against the symbolic danger of radiation hazards that would lead to cancer and death.

Mr. Oboo in his message argues that ionizing radiation is electromagnetic radiation whose waves contain sufficient energy to overcome the binding energy of electrons in atoms, thus causing atom to become charged or ionized.

He warns that radiation can cause danger to human DNA, and radiation cannot be detected by human senses (eyes, ears, or noise). But radiation can only be detected by use of instrument and detectors.

Oboo says some sources of ionizing radiation exposure include natural sources among others; nature background, torrential, cesmic, cesmogenic and NDRMS.

Others are artificial sources such as medical, industrial, consumer products which many people are not aware that some cosmetic used in the open markets is not the sources of ionizing radiation, Oboo argues.

He outlined the various types of ionizing radiation groups to include things like Alpha, Beta, X-ray machine, Gamma ray and Neutrons. Oboo informed the medical and administers who turn-up for two day sensitization workshop at Bomah Hotel in Gulu that modes of exposure to radiation varies in our body external exposure from the above-mentioned radiation, internal exposure through inhalation, ingestion, iodine 131 ( Beta Particles Thyroid.). Cesium 137 (Gamma Rays muscle and Soft tissue) through lung heart limbs we have contact infection like Phitonium 239 (Alpha

Particle lung liver bone, Oboo elaborates.

He says that the general statistical result on sources of radiation exposure are among other nuclear medicine 4% consumer product 8% terrestrial 8% internal 11% while radon are at 55%, Oboo insists.

Medical applications includes X-ray generators are devices which emit radiation when they are power and turned on, they are used for diagonisation of therapeutic purposes.

X-ray generators used for diagonistic purposes are categorized into convention X-ray generator. Conventional X-ray machines, plain X-ray machine Dental X-ray machine, mammography X-ray machines and Computer Tomography machines.

Others are interventional X-ray generators includes fluoroscopy machine c-arm machine.

He says many people do not know that or aware that things they daily handle are application of ionizing radiation. In Uganda they are majorly medial applications, industrial applications, security applications and education application

In the next edition we shall look at the details of radiation in medical applications.