Question: how dangerous is radiation?

Alex Evans answered on 16 Mar 2017:

Mostly, it depends on the type of radiation!

Visible light is actually a form of electro-magnetic radiation, and that is pretty much harmless because it is what we use to see the world around us!

However, other types of radiation, especially ‘ionising’ radiation can be very dangerous. Ionising radiation, such as X-rays and gamma rays, is made up of particles called photons that carry a huge amount of energy – enough to break the chemical bonds that hold our cells and DNA together! Therefore, exposure to high doses of gamma rays can cause lots of damage to our bodies and will often be fatal!