This article is from WeChat public account: pineapple factor (ID: checkpoint_1) , of: pineapple, from FIG title: visual China

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Speaking of the risk of cancer, many people are most afraid of radiation. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 and the recent accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant further deepened everyone’s fear of radiation.

Many people think that microwave ovens are carcinogenic, so they are not used at home. Many people think that WIFI signals and cell phone signals may also cause cancer. Every day, they are frightened and scared.

The recent 5G network has risen. I heard that the signal is stronger and faster. Many people have begun to worry and found some “evidence.”

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About 5G is carcinogenic. After reading this article, everyone will know. If you don’t have time to peruse it, you can go straight to the last paragraph to find the answer.

In our daily life, every momentThey are all exposed to radiation, also called “electromagnetic radiation.” In the morning, the first rays of sunlight coming in from the window contain ultraviolet rays, which are electromagnetic radiation. The daily use of mobile phones, microwave ovens for hot meals, high-voltage wires outside the building, etc., also bring different radiation.

There are so many types of radiation, which ones are carcinogenic and which are actually harmless?

In fact, there are a lot of sayings, including “microwave carcinogenic”, “high-voltage electric tower cancer”, “Wi-Fi carcinogenic”, etc. All have no scientific basis.

But why have you heard it?

Relying on those who “full-time dissemination of pseudoscience”, they have created a large number of pseudo-scientific marketing articles for their own interests, which are widespread.

There are two types of people who like to spread all kinds of pseudo-science rumors:

The first category relies on the flow of pseudo-scientific articles to earn advertising fees. For them, the most important thing about the article is sensational, which makes everyone fear, because it will make everyone turn Go to each group, for fear that the people around you don’t know these “helpful messages.”

Everyone looks at the articles that the elders often turn to the family group. Are they mostly with the “intimidation” headings of these “keywords”?

The second category is for people who sell a variety of “radiation-proof” products. For them, the more fearful people are about radiation, the more likely they are to buy their products. Anti-radiation hats, radiation protection clothes, radiation protection curtains… everything. The radiation-proof potted plants are even more exciting and the sales are amazing.

I can’t understand why the prickly pear can prevent radiation because the thorns on the body look like lightning rods?

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Of course, the best-selling, there are also anti-radiation maternity clothes. This is one of the most successful marketing gimmicks in recent years.

Even if the media, including CCTV, have repeatedly stated that there is currently no evidence that daily exposure to radiation can cause miscarriage or fetal malformation in pregnant women.

Even if many people are not worried about themselves, they will hold the idea of ​​”not afraid of 10,000, just afraid of it”, buy to protect the baby, and successfully pay the IQ tax.

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Pregnant women’s fears and rumors about radiation have not only recently emerged.

In fact, as early as the 1980s, with the popularity of television and computers, many people began to worry that the radiation of the screen would cause women to abort.

Until 1991, a large study in the New England Journal of Medicine reassured everyone.

Scientists tracked more than 2,400 women for four years, these womenHalf of the long-term work in front of the monitor, half of it is not. Through the comparison of the two sets of data, it was found that the first woman who had been in contact with the monitor for a long time did receive more low-frequency radiation. Second, there was no evidence that the radiation had an effect on the body, no matter how many hours women worked in front of the monitor every week. And even work during pregnancy, there is no difference in abortion.

History is always repeated.

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Radiation sounds terrifying, but it is actually a widespread phenomenon in nature. In winter, the sun shines on the warmth of the body, and it is also the credit of radiation.

You may not know, In theory, any object with temperature is a source of radiation. Everyone emits radiation, and your cat and dog also emit radiation. Only such a weak radiation has no effect on the world at all.

The vast majority of radiation does not actually harm the human body, so don’t worry. What is really a carcinogenic risk is a special type of radiation called “ionizing radiation.”

Depending on the level of energy, radiation can be divided into two broad categories: ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation.

Ionized radiation energy is high, can directly destroy DNA, causing genetic mutation, so it is a cancer risk, not low energy of ionizing radiation, not enough to destroy DNA, so there is no theoretical risk of cancer.

So, to know if a radiation is harmful or not, it is necessary to first determine whether it is ionizing radiation.

Guess, mobile phones, microwave ovens, high voltage power, Wi-Fi, which emit ionizing radiation?

The answer is simple, none of them!

All four are non-ionizing radiation.

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Non-ionizing radiation energy is not high enough to cause direct effects on cells and DNA, and theoretically it will not cause cancer. Moreover, scientists have actually done a lot of research, and the conclusions are very clear. Exposure to these radiations will not increase the probability of cancer.

For example, in order to study whether cell phone signal towers are carcinogenic, scientists compared the incidence of cancer among workers and ordinary people who set up and repair towers.

Conclusion: There is no difference in cancer, except that work is dangerous.

For example, in order to study whether a microwave oven is carcinogenic, scientists put a high-power microwave oven on the side of the mouse, and let the microwave oven continue to work.

Conclusion: There is no difference in the probability of cancer, except that the mice are a little feverish.

So far, no rigorous scientific evidence has been found to prove that non-ionizing radiation, which is common in life, can cause cancer.

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The phone is worth talking about separately, because now everyone is more and more inseparable from the phone. At first glance in the morning, the last glance at night is no longer a husband and wife, but a mobile phone.

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In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) attributed electromagnetic radiation (mobile phone signal) to “probable carcinogens”, causing many people Panic. Some articles on the Internet say that long-term mobile phone calls may cause brain tumors.

What is the truth like?

No panic.

First of all, “possible carcinogens” does not mean that it is carcinogenic. In fact, it means “some people say that it may cause cancer, but it is still not proven, and it is worth continuing to pay attention.”

The International Cancer Research Institute’s “possible carcinogens” are all-inclusive and even have coffee.

The mobile phone 落 falls into the pit of “possible carcinogens”? Mainly because of a Swedish study: If you talk on a mobile phone for more than half an hour every day for more than 10 years, then this person has a glioma (a subspecies of brain tumors) is slightly higher (from 0.005% to 0.016%).

The scientific community has a lot of controversy about this research, mainly because its experimental design is not rigorous. For example, its data source is not an objective record, but rather a report by everyone. But the question is, can you really remember how long you have used your mobile phone every day for the past 10 years?

Although many scientists don’t buy it, the data is put there. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has given the phone a title of “possible carcinogens” for insurance purposes. The meaning is: “The letter is there, if not, there is no. I will have more data to talk about later.”

In addition, I personally do not believe that mobile phones can cause brain tumors. In addition to the radiation of mobile phones is non-ionizing radiation, there is also an important data support, that is, from 1985 to 2010, in just 25 years, the number of US mobile phone holders has soared from 240,000 to 300 million. Nearly a thousand times, but the number of brain tumor patients in the United States has not changed.

If cell phone radiation is really carcinogenic, shouldn’t you see brain tumors increase year by year? Not only the United States, but also the other developed countries in the world.

Therefore, from theory to reality, there is currently no scientific evidence to support the use of mobile phones to cause cancer, and everyone should not be overly nervous.

But then, every year, tens of thousands of people die because of mobile phones! Not because of cancer, but because someone is playing a mobile phone while driving, it hurts others.

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Speaking about radiation that is not carcinogenic for a long time, which radiation is ionizing radiation, can it really cause cancer?

First of all, nuclear radiation is definitely dangerous. The nuclear explosion in Japan during World War II and the leakage of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant directly caused a large number of cancer patients.

But everyone usually does not have access to nuclear bombs or nuclear waste. The ionizing radiation that is easily encountered in real life includes the following categories:

UV in the sun

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Europe and America. In the United States alone, more than 3 million people are diagnosed with various skin cancers each year. The most important reason is that they have a cultural habit, that is, sunbathing. Ultraviolet light is ionizing radiation, and long-term exposure can significantly increase the risk of skin cancer. If you often go to the seaside or the plateau where the sun is strong, be sure to pay attention to protection.

natural radioactive elements

There are many natural radioactive elements in nature, such as radium-226, cesium-232, helium, etc. They are widely found in stones, soil and air. If you use natural stone in your home, be sure to check the test report. . Helium is colorless, odorless, but radioactive, and is particularly prone to accumulation in a closed basement. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.Second only to smoking. Therefore, room ventilation is important. In China, the houses are mostly high-rise, so the enrichment of the suffocating is relatively small, but the students who have money to live in the villa remember to check.

medical radiation

X-ray, CT, PET, radiotherapy, etc., will produce ionizing radiation. Of course, the amount of radiation per time is not high, so if you are sick and need to be examined or treated, the use has to be used, because the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. However, when doing a health check, you must be cautious in doing such checks. Recently, some organizations are promoting PET-CT for physical examination. In fact, PET-CT is not only expensive, but also has a large radiation dose, which is mainly used for the diagnosis and monitoring of cancer patients. The physical examination for healthy people is more harmful than good, and strongly recommend. By the way, the principles of NMR and B-mode are different and are not part of ionizing radiation.

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All in all, we are surrounded by radiation, and most of them are harmless non-ionizing radiation. As long as you understand and circumvent the really risky ionizing radiation, such as applying sunscreen, paying attention to indoor ventilation, and avoiding excessive radiological examinations, there is nothing particularly worrying about, and don’t spend money.

Yes, the 5G network is also non-ionizing radiation and will not cause cancer. The leaves turned yellow, probably because autumn is here.

References:

1. Video Display Terminals and the Risk ofSpontaneous Abortion. N Engl J Med 1991; 324:727-733< /p>

2. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation

https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/brain.html< /a>

This article is from WeChat public account: Pineapple Factor (ID: checkpoint_1), Author: Pineapple