Irradiation of chicken feet does not cause cancer, and iodized salt and white clothes are difficult to prevent radiation...
Don't listen to rumors!
This hard "core" knowledge is the one to believe
◎Reporter Tang Fang
Refute rumors
"Pickled peppers and chicken feet are resistant to storage due to nuclear technology" on Weibo's hot search list on the eve of New Year's Day this year.
Many netizens are surprised that nuclear technology can be used for chicken feet storage. At the same time, they are also worried about the safety of "nuclear radiation chicken feet". Some even claim that chicken feet that have been "radiated" may cause cancer.
In fact, people’s worries about nuclear radiation have always existed, and rumors related to this technology have never stopped: living next to a nuclear power plant will be irradiated, and there will be no cure after being exposed to nuclear radiation... Are these claims true or false?
Is nuclear radiation really that terrible?
Nuclear radiation causes cancer in chicken feet?
The truth: Irradiated food is different from nuclear food
With the help of nuclear technology for irradiation sterilization, chicken feet with pickled peppers can only be stored for 3 to 5 days, and the shelf life can be extended to half a year or even longer.
But there are rumors that this type of irradiated food is radioactive and can even cause cancer.
Is this really the case?
"Food spoilage is mostly caused by the reproduction of microorganisms. Food irradiation technology is based on radiation processing technology, using gamma rays emitted by radioisotopes, electron beams generated by accelerators, and X rays to break the DNA molecular chain of microorganisms and kill Killing pathogens and extending the storage time of food." Huang Cheng, director of the Operation Department of the Radiation Engineering Technology Center of Sichuan Institute of Atomic Energy, said in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that food that has been irradiated once will not be contaminated with radioactive substances. , And because few preservatives are used, it improves food safety.
Since irradiation is a cold process, it will hardly affect the temperature of food, so the nutrients lost in food are relatively small, and the original flavor of food can be retained to the greatest extent.
"Irradiated food is definitely not equivalent to nuclear food." Peng Guangxiong, a professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Science and Technology Daily reporter that what caused the public's sensitivity was food contaminated with radioactive nuclear contaminants, that is, nuclear contaminated food. .
This kind of food will continuously release nuclear radiation because it is contaminated with radioactive materials. Careless consumption can cause harm to the human body.
Irradiation technology is a nuclear application technology that can be used as an efficient and safe sterilization method for food preservation and epidemic prevention.
Can eating iodized salt and iodine tablets prevent nuclear radiation?
The truth: the protection against nuclear radiation is extremely limited
After the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011, nuclear dust in the air was determined to contain the radionuclide iodine-131.
Subsequently, there was a phenomenon of looting for iodized salt in many places, and it was said that it was not easy to absorb the above-mentioned radioactive elements by ingesting more iodine.
To this day, some people still believe in this statement.
In this regard, Peng Guangxiong pointed out that iodine is an essential trace element for the human body, and the harm of iodine deficiency and excess iodine should not be underestimated.
Iodine-131 is a radioactive isotope of iodine. Careless ingestion or exposure to it can threaten human health.
"Eating iodized salt and iodine tablets can reduce the absorption rate of iodine isotope, and it will have a slight mitigation effect for people living in areas contaminated by radioactive iodine." Huang Cheng said that the main component of iodine tablets is potassium iodide. It can inhibit the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland of the human body, so that the radioactive iodine is excreted from the body, so as to protect the body tissues.
However, Peng Guangxiong said that there is no need to rob or hoard iodized salt.
First of all, the content of iodine in table salt is extremely low, not reaching the amount required to suppress radioactive iodine. Excessive iodine intake is also harmful to the body.
Furthermore, iodine supplementation has no effect on other radioactive components such as cesium, plutonium, and tritium.
Therefore, whether or not to supplement iodine and how to supplement it depends on national policies and doctors' guidance.
Living next to a nuclear power plant will be exposed to high doses of radiation?
The truth: the annual average radiation is about equal to a plane ride
Some people believe that the general public’s fear of nuclear power plants stems from the following three aspects: they are worried that their safety is not high and they are afraid of leakage; the waste they produce cannot be disposed of; if they live in the surrounding area, they are afraid Be radiated.
Are these concerns necessary?
"The shielding and protective facilities of nuclear power plants are now well built. Living near nuclear power plants will not cause radiation hazards." Huang Cheng said that radiation is everywhere in the human living environment. People breathe in air and eat food. The radiation dose of water is about 0.25 mSv/year, and the radiation dose of an X-ray examination is about 0.1 mSv.
"The radiation dose received by flying 2000 kilometers by plane is about 0.01 mSv, which is the average amount of radiation received by residents living next to nuclear power plants each year."
"Compared with other industrial facilities, the probability of accidents in nuclear power plants is the lowest." Peng Guangxiong said that my country's nuclear power plants are at the forefront of the world in terms of design, management, and technology.
For example, the "Hualong No. 1" nuclear power system independently developed by my country adopts third-generation nuclear power technology to meet the latest international safety requirements for nuclear power plants.
These have effectively reduced the possibility of nuclear accidents and their impact on human health and the environment.
Can wearing white clothes block nuclear radiation?
The truth: whether nuclear radiation can be protected depends on three factors such as distance
Usually, in the summer in the sun, we feel cooler in white clothes than black clothes.
This is because white clothes have a higher reflectivity of visible light, which can reach 90%.
Some people therefore claim that wearing white clothes can also reflect nuclear radiation.
is this real?
"Compared with clothes of other colors, white clothes do not have advantages in terms of nuclear radiation protection." Huang Cheng explained that the three elements of nuclear radiation protection are distance, time and shielding degree, regardless of color.
Clothes of different colors have different absorption capacities for heat radiation, but basically no difference in their ability to block nuclear radiation.
"If you encounter nuclear radiation, you should shorten the exposure time as much as possible, stay away from the radioactive source, and take special care to avoid it. When entering or leaving a nuclear-contaminated area, you should wear protective clothing and take a shower in time to remove nuclear pollution." Science Popularization of the Chinese Medical Association Nuclear Medicine Branch Expert Zhang Chunyin said.
There is no cure after nuclear radiation?
Truth: Even after being exposed to high doses of radiation, there is still hope for survival
"There is no cure for nuclear radiation. It is nonsense." Huang Cheng said that the severity of an individual's exposure to nuclear radiation is related to the type of radiation, the dose, the location of the exposure, and individual differences.
People use sieverts and millisieverts as radiation dose units to measure the damage of radiation to biological tissues.
"In daily life, people have been exposed to extremely low doses of radiation." Huang Cheng said that as long as the threshold of deterministic effect is not reached (radiation above this level has a very serious impact on individuals), the human body has almost no clinical symptoms.
Even if the threshold of deterministic effect is reached, when the radiation dose is less than 1 sievert, a timely and correct treatment plan can save most people's lives.
Even with higher doses of radiation, there are many cases of successful treatment.
Focus
People will not be exposed to excessive nuclear radiation in daily life
First, let us understand what nuclear radiation is.
Huang Cheng explained that nuclear radiation is a phenomenon in which a stream of microscopic particles is released during the transformation of the nuclear structure or energy state, accompanied by energy release.
With the continuous advancement of science and technology, mankind's ability to control and use energy is constantly improving.
Currently, nuclear radiation related technologies have been applied to many fields.
In agriculture, it is mainly used for radiation breeding, crop preservation, pesticide residue reduction, traceability, etc.; in industry, it is mainly used for radiation detection, material modification, disinfection and sterilization, etc.; in medicine, it is mainly used for medical diagnosis , Imaging, radiotherapy, radiopharmaceutical production, etc.
So, is it possible for people to be exposed to nuclear radiation in daily life?
In long-term practice and application, people have found that a small amount of radiation in a short period of time has little impact on human health, and excessive radioactive rays can cause harm to the human body, causing illness and death.
The longer the exposure time, the greater the radiation dose and the greater the harm.
"Ordinary people do not receive large doses of radiation in their daily lives under normal circumstances." Huang Cheng said. For those engaged in radiation work, the radiation application devices in their workplaces are usually marked with eye-catching Signs of ionizing radiation, and there are physical isolation measures, staff will not be exposed to serious radiation.
In addition, people can also detect radiation dose through radiation detection equipment.