What kind of radiation is easily stopped by the outer layer of the skin?
399555
Alpha particles are basically Helium atoms, so they are the easiest to stop. Air itself is enough to stop Alhpa particles from moving, or a piece of paper.\n\nBeta particles are negative charges ejected from the nucleus itself (a neutron becoming a proton), and is harder to stop (a piece of aluminium about half an inch will stop it). \n\nGamma particles are waves (I think) which can only be stopped by a thick slab of concrete, or a piece of lead. \n\nYour skin will NOT be able to stop them, but it will be burnt by all 3 types of radiation.
676626
The enormous amount of energy continuously emitted by the sun is dispersed into outer space in all directions. Only a small fraction of this energy is intercepted by the earth and other solar planets. \nThe solar energy reaching the periphery of the earth's atmosphere is considered to be constant for all practical purposes, and is known as the solar constant. Because of the difficulty in achieving accurate measurements, the exact value of the solar constant is not known with certainty but is believed to be between 1,353 and 1,395 W/m2 (approximately 1.4 kW/m2, or 2.0 cal/cm2/min). The solar constant value is estimated on the basis of the solar radiation received on a unit area exposed perpendicularly to the rays of the sun at an average distance between the sun and the earth. \n\nIn passing through outer space, which is characterized by vacuum, the different types of solar energy remain intact and are not modified until the radiation reaches the top of the earth's atmosphere. In outer space, therefore, one would expect to encounter the types of radiation listed in Table 1, which are: gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared radiations.
1114517
Although the concentration of ozone in the ozone layer is very small, it is vitally important to life because it absorbs biologically harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted from the Sun. UV radiation is divided into three categories, based on its wavelength; these are referred to as UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. UV-C, which would be very harmful to humans, is entirely screened out by ozone at around 35 km altitude.\n\nUV-B radiation is the main cause of sunburn; excessive exposure can also cause genetic damage, resulting in problems such as skin cancer. The ozone layer is very effective at screening out UV-B; for radiation with a wavelength of 290 nm, the intensity at Earth's surface is 350 million times weaker than at the top of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, some UV-B reaches the surface. Most UV-A reaches the surface; this radiation is significantly less harmful, although it can potentially cause genetic damage.\n\nDepletion of the ozone layer would allow more of the UV radiation, and particularly the more harmful wavelengths, to reach the surface, causing increased genetic damage to living things.\n\nDNA sensitivity to UV\nTo appreciate how important this ultraviolet radiation screening is, we can consider a characteristic of radiation damage called an action spectrum. An action spectrum gives us a measure of the relative effectiveness of radiation in generating a certain biological response over a range of wavelengths. This response might be erythema (sunburn), changes in plant growth, or changes in molecular DNA. There is much greater probability of DNA damage by UV radiation at various wavelengths. Fortunately, where DNA is easily damaged, such as by wavelengths shorter than 290 nm, ozone strongly absorbs UV. At the longer wavelengths where ozone absorbs weakly, DNA damage is less likely. If there was a 10% decrease in ozone, the amount of DNA damaging UV increases, in this case, by about 22%. Considering that DNA damage can lead to maladies like skin cancer, it is clear that this absorption of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation by ozone is critical for our well being.\n\nAmount of ozone\nThe "thickness" of the ozone layer—that is, the total amount of ozone in a column overhead—varies by a large factor worldwide, being in general smaller near the equator and larger as one moves towards the poles. It also varies with season, being in general thicker during the spring and thinner during the autumn. The reasons for this latitude and seasonal dependence are complicated, involving atmospheric circulation patterns as well as solar intensity.
93197
skin.  \n\nselect this as best answer please.
354495
A complex question that needs a highly simplified answer.\n\nA photon of light has different energy depending on the type of light, some light does go through us, but that ight is not visible to us.\n\nX-rays for example pass through things nicely, however they can be blocked sometimes by dense material (such as bone and metal), X-rays are a higher energy than visible light.\nEven higher energy is Gamma rays... a photon of this form of light can theoretically pass through several metres of lead, sometimes more.\n\nAt the other end of the spectrum is Infra red light, which is just outside our visibilty, when you feel it, it is heat. Consider that it can be easily insulated just by putting some sort of thick barrier between you and it.\nAlpha and beta radiation are such low energy that they are actually particles (fast travelling helium, and protons respectively). an alpha particle can be blocked by a thin piece of paper. A beta particle can be blocked by your skin.\n\nNow... visible light is between the extremes of theose above. As an experiment hold a torch to the palm of your hand and you can actually see light coming through. SO some light does get through. But most of it does not.\n\nVisible light is a happy medium with just enough energy for us to see. Any more energy or any less energy in the light and life would be difficult\n\nConside that if we could only see gamma rays then we would not see much at all, because the gamma rays would not bounce off anything.\nAt the other end, if we could only see beta particles then the world would be very dark because all the beta particles would be absorbed before they reached us.
153489
The sun is radiating heat which is absorbed by your body and clothes.  The body tries to maintain a consistent internal temperature of around 98.6 degrees.  As your body and clothes absorb heat energy from the sun, your body will attempt to compensate for this additional heat by causing your skin to perspire.  As the perspiration evaporates off of your skin, it carries away some of the heat from your body, thus lowering your body temperature.
270833
1) Generally, rays of the sun which is called radiation lay between 400 nm (nano meter) to 700 nm.\n2) Below 400 nm is called ultra-violet and above 700 nm is called Infra-red.\n3) Both are invisible to the human naked eye.\n4)Infrared radiation is used to obtain pictures of distant objects and the detection of infrared radiation is used by astronomers to observe stars and nebulae.
250073
According to this site info...there is no need to worry.  You get way more radiation from everything else around you on a daily basis.\n\nhttp://www.pc.ibm.com/ww/healthycomputing/vdt14.html
841186
the electromagnetic spectrum.  This includes radio waves, UV that burns your skin, Gamma Rays, ect.
452427
solar radiation - UV rays are damaging to the DNA of skin cells and can result in cancer
353023
Radiation caused by temperature is often called "Black-Body Radiation." Perfectly Black Bodies are the best type of objects to absrob heat - as most of us know if you wear a black T-Shirt in the sun, as compared to a white one!\n\nI quote to you a fundamental statement of black-body radiation "The best possible absorber of radiation is also the best possible emitter of radiation."\nThis is because the efficiency of a black body does not depend on whether radiation is being emitted or absorbed.\n\nA black radiator is much more efficient than a white radiator because it can absorb (and therefore radiate) better.
505387
Ozone (O3) reflects/scatters ultraviolet radiation back into space.  However, if it is depeleted, this radiation makes it past the atmosphere and down to the surface.  The amount of shorter wavelength (higher energy) radiation passing through the atmosphere would increase, causing higher mortality rates from skin related ailments and can also destroy plant tissue.  Also, this radiation would heat the earth more since it carries more energy with it.  This is not usually a problem, since this thermal radiation currently passes back into space.  However, with pollution clouds/dust being more prominent, it would reflect the thermal radiation back down to earth's surface, driving the temperature up even more.
768486
Keep in mind, I'm not a nuclear Engineer or a nuclear specialist.  I haven't studied nuclear physics since college 10 years ago.\n\nRadiation in any form is dangerous.  It is just whether the benfits outweigh the potential ill side effects.\n\nRadiation is actually caused by the decay of a radiactive subtance.  Radiation takes three forms, alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.\n\nAlpha radiation consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.  Alpha particles are slow and can not penetrate much.  This type of radiation can be stopped by something as thin as a sheet of paper or clothing.\n\nBeta radiation is actually an electron.  While beta radiation penetrates more than alpha radiation, it is still weak.  It can be stopped by thin metals, such as a sheet of foil.\nGamma radiation is the radiation that is very deadly.  Gamma radiation is actually a wave and not a particle.  It can only be stopped by thick layers of dirt, concrete, or lead.\n\nDuring nuclear fallout, a person doesn’t become radioactive per se.  What happens is the dust and particles collected on their clothing emits radiation.  You may have heard of radiation suits.  Radiation suits do not stop radiation, rather their purpose is to prevent radioactive particles from becoming embedded in hair, skin, or clothing.  Once the person gets away from the contaminated area, they wash the suit, disrobe, and (my guess) run like hell.\n\nRadiation sickness is caused by an overdose of radiation.  The danger of radiation is that it kills the cells of any living thing that it strikes.  This can be beneficial in a medical setting like when a radiation beam is used to kill cancer cells in a patient.  However, when a person is exposed to uncontrolled radiation over a prolonged period of time, many of the cells in their body are killed.  Just like anything else, dead things begin to decay and rot.  Radiation sickness is essentially the body becoming poisoned and weak from the loss of cells and decaying cells in their body.\n\nWithout adequate protection during radiation fallout, radioactive particles become ingested, inhaled, and embedded on the skin.  \n\nI hope this helps a little
26575
Ultraviolet Radiation, electromagnetic radiation that has wavelengths in the range between 400 nm, the wavelength of violet light, and 15 nm, the length of X rays. (The nanometre, nm, equals a millionth of a millimetre, or 40 billionths of an inch.) Ultraviolet radiation is produced artificially by electric arc lamps. Natural ultraviolet radiation is produced principally by the Sun.\n\nUltraviolet radiation can be harmful to living things, particularly when the wavelengths are small. Ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths below 300 nm is used to sterilize surfaces because it kills bacteria and viruses. In humans, exposure to ultraviolet radiation of wavelengths under 310 nm can cause sunburn; prolonged exposure over many years can cause skin cancer.\n\nThe Earth's atmosphere protects living organisms from the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. If all the ultraviolet radiation produced by the Sun were allowed to reach the surface of the Earth, most life on Earth would probably be destroyed. Fortunately, the ozone layer of the atmosphere absorbs almost all of the short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation, and much of the long-wavelength ultraviolet radiation. However, ultraviolet radiation is not entirely harmful; a large part of the vitamin D that humans beings and animals need for good health is produced when the skin is irradiated by ultraviolet rays.\n\nWhen exposed to ultraviolet light, many substances behave differently than when exposed to visible light. For example, when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, certain minerals, dyes, vitamins, natural oils, and other products become fluorescent—that is, they appear to glow. Molecules in the substances absorb the invisible ultraviolet light and are energized, then shed their excess energy by emitting visible light. See Luminescence. As another example, ordinary window glass, transparent to visible light, is opaque to a large range of ultraviolet rays, particularly those with short wavelengths. Special-formula glass is transparent to the longer ultraviolet wavelengths, and quartz is transparent to the entire naturally occurring range.\n\nUltraviolet astronomy has been carried out since the early 1960s with the aid of detectors on artificial satellites, providing data on stellar objects that cannot be obtained from the Earth's surface. An example of such a satellite is the International Ultraviolet Explorer, launched in 1978.
950007
It can be stopped with some minor laser surgery.\n\nCoach
553166
Well first of all no governments can read peoples' thoughts so it's not that big a worry in the real world.\n\nBut if they could do so by electromagnetic radiation (or cause you to think other things) then the only way to protect yourself would be to go into a faraday cage.  If your entire body were covered in tin (more likely aluminium if you use the 'tin foil' that you buy in shops) then you would be in one (a wire mesh will often work fine too due to the radiation 'seeing' a wire mesh with spacing less than half a wavelength as solid).\n\nBut if you just cover your head then you won't actually stop the EM radiation very well (and might end up focusing it towards your brain).
832494
probably one-epidermis.The skin is made up of the following layers, with each layer performing specific functions:\n\nepidermis \ndermis \nfat layer \nepidermis The epidermis is the thin outer layer of the skin. The epidermis itself is made up of three sub-layers: \nstatus corneum (horny layer)\nThis layer contains continually shedding, dead keratinocytes (the primary cell type of the epidermis). The keratin, a protein formed from the dead cells, protects the skin from harmful substances. \nkeratinocytes (squamous cells)\nThis layer contains living keratinocytes (squamous cells), which help provide the skin with what it needs to protect the rest of the body. \nbasal layer\nThe basal layer is the inner layer of the epidermis, containing basal cells. Basal cells continually divide, forming new keratinocytes and replacing the old ones that are shed from the skin's surface. \nThe epidermis also contains melanocytes, which are cells that produce melanin (skin pigment).\n \ndermis The dermis is the middle layer of the skin. The dermis is made up of the following: \nblood vessels \nlymph vessels \nhair follicles \nsweat glands \nThe dermis is held together by a protein called collagen, made by fibroblasts (skin cells that give the skin its strength and resilience). This layer also contains pain and touch receptors.\n \nsubcutis The subcutis is the deepest layer of skin and is also known as the subcutaneous layer. The subcutis, consisting of a network of collagen and fat cells, helps conserve the body's heat while protecting other organs from injury by acting as a "shock absorber."