Early Acute Somatic Effects.

DOE-HDBK-1109-97

Radiological Safety Training for Radiation-Producing (X-Ray) Devices

Student's Guide

SOMATIC EFFECTS

Somatic effects are biological effects that occur in the individual exposed to radiation.

Somatic effects may result from acute or chronic doses of radiation.

Early Acute Somatic Effects.

The most common injury associated with the operation of X-ray analysis equipment

occurs when a part of the body, usually a hand, is exposed to the primary X-ray beam.

Both X-ray diffraction and fluorescence analysis equipment generate high-intensity, low-

energy X-rays that can cause severe and permanent injury if any part of the body is

exposed to the primary beam.

The most common injury associated with the operation of industrial X-ray equipment

occurs when an operator is exposed to the primary X-ray beam for as little as a few

seconds.

These types of injuries are sometimes referred to as radiation burns.

ii. Difference Between X-Ray Damage and Thermal Burns (Key Item).

Most nerve endings are near the surface of the skin, so they give immediate warning of

heat or a surface thermal burn such as the participants might receive from touching a high-

temperature object. In contrast, the body can not immediately feel exposure to

X-rays.

X-ray damage has historically been referred to as a radiation "burn," perhaps because the

reaction of the skin after the radiation exposure may appear similar to a thermal burn. In

fact, X-ray damage to the tissue is very different from a thermal burn and there is no

sensation or feeling as the damage is occurring.

In radiation burns, the radiation does not harm the outer, mature, nondividing skin layers.

Rather, most of the X-rays penetrate to the deeper, basal skin layer, damaging or killing

the rapidly dividing germinal cells that are otherwise destined to replace the outer layers

that slough off. Following this damage, as the outer cells are naturally sloughed off, they