Dangers of EM Radiation

This lesson covers the hazards associated with different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum — as required by AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (8464), Physics Paper 2, section 6.2. You must know the dangers of each type of EM radiation, understand the concept of ionising radiation, and be able to explain how exposure is minimised.

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Ionising and Non-Ionising Radiation

EM waves can be divided into non-ionising and ionising radiation based on their energy:

graph LR
    subgraph "Non-ionising"
    direction LR
    R["Radio waves"] --> MW["Microwaves"]
    MW --> IR["Infrared"]
    IR --> VL["Visible light"]
    end
    subgraph "Ionising"
    direction LR
    UV["Ultraviolet"] --> XR["X-rays"]
    XR --> GR["Gamma rays"]
    end

    style R fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style MW fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style IR fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style VL fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style UV fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style XR fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style GR fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff

• Ionising radiation has enough energy to remove electrons from atoms, creating ions. This can damage or destroy living cells and DNA, potentially causing mutations and cancer.
• Non-ionising radiation does not have enough energy to ionise atoms, but can still cause harm (e.g. heating, burns).