How Radiation Affects Humans
All the astronauts in space are exposed to space radiation and this space radiation has a major impact on the astronaut.
Research done on humans in space show that longtime exposure to solar radiation can initiate many health problems. This is due to the high energy fast moving particles that hit the skin, causing a chain of health problems. |
As these high energy particles hit the skin they gradually tear through DNA molecules splitting and damaging them. This type of cell damage can affect its abilities to give clear instructions, causing the cell to have dysfunctions in its reproduction functions. To put it in scale, an astronaut gets a dosage of 1 Sievert of radiation while an average person on earth is only exposed to 0.000001 Sievert of radiation.
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This difference in amount of radiation also explains the difference in the rate of fatal cancers. Studies show that astronauts have a five point five percent higher risk in developing fatal cancers than the average human being on earth.
One of the most common diseases that astronauts are prone to is Alzheimer’s disease. Because of all the solar radiation astronauts are exposed to, their chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease are significantly higher than the normal human being on earth. |