[ He gave her a look that clearly read 'oh boy'. ]
Uh - radiation is energy, basically. Is the simplest way to put it. It radiates out from a source - like the sun, or radioactive material. The whole universe itself has somethin' we call 'background radiation' which is left over from when the universe began. A little bit of it ain't bad. Certain wavelengths are what drive life. Like sunlight and plants, right? They feed off that energy to grow.
The smaller the wavelength, the more destructive it is. It can start breakin' down your cells, your DNA. The amount and the time period in which you get dosed with it are the real kickers. A little bit over a long time ain't gonna do too much, save maybe make it more likely that you'll get cancer.
A big dose, all at once? Can kill you in a couple hours.
no subject
Uh - radiation is energy, basically. Is the simplest way to put it. It radiates out from a source - like the sun, or radioactive material. The whole universe itself has somethin' we call 'background radiation' which is left over from when the universe began. A little bit of it ain't bad. Certain wavelengths are what drive life. Like sunlight and plants, right? They feed off that energy to grow.
The smaller the wavelength, the more destructive it is. It can start breakin' down your cells, your DNA. The amount and the time period in which you get dosed with it are the real kickers. A little bit over a long time ain't gonna do too much, save maybe make it more likely that you'll get cancer.
A big dose, all at once? Can kill you in a couple hours.