how are xrays dangerous?

Answer 1

They are dangerous because you are being exposed to radiation. A single x-ray is not enough to harm a healthy adult.

Answer 2

xrays are taken by using radiation of high frequency which can penetrate the soft tissue but not the bones. Those high frequent radiation is in the so called X-Ray spectrum and is different from Radioactivity (as someone suggested).
However the radiation is rich with energy and long exposure or exposure to high doses can harm your cells. Particularly the DNA or RNA can get damaged which is difficult to repair for the body if that happens in many cells.
Some tissues like those of Embryos - which are in development - can take even greater harm by getting exposed to those effects. They have a weaker ability to repair and also grow fast. That can result in mutations.

But normally when an X Ray is taken the doctors take precaution and protect your reproductive areas with lead aprons. And they use low dosage and so on.

One remark - the destructive effect of X-Rays is being used to destroy cancer cells for example.

Answer 3

x-rays inevitably cause damage to genetic material. That is the D.N.A. in chromosomes, and less importantly the R.N.A. in the cells and ribosomes. Most of the damage is repaired by genetic repair mechanisms in the cell. (the r.n.a. and d,n,.a, polymerases). But a small % of breaks or base pair substitutions are not repaired. These pile up through life and are accelerated by exposure to more x-rays or higher doses. An error could show up in an important cell division control protein and start a cell to become cancerous. That is, to start rapid cell division without control or stopping.
That is why our bodies are shielded with a lead apron everywhere except the region that needs to be x-rayed. Also, technology has reduced the energy level of the x-ray that is required to do the job, over the last 50 years.
Dan.

Answer 4

x-rays are dangerous becasue they are flooding your body with radioactive waves. There are alpha waves and beta waves and gamma rays. Some are worse then others. Just an example a cat scan is like having 10,000 x-rays. Not so good. But how else are the doctors going to know what's going on with you. It takes a lot of exposure to have something bad happen to you. If your pregnant NO X_RAYS....

Answer 5

x-rays are high energy light waves that knock atomic particles and atoms loose in your DNA. The body can compensate for some damage (we are exposed to all kinds of radiation from the sun and space at some lower levels), but too much exposure can cause more damage than our bodies can repair. The more you are exposed to x-rays, the more likely a mutation will occur that can replicate itself and start a cancerous tumor.

Answer 6

Because xrays have high amounts of radiation that go through your body at one time in one spot.

Answer 7

xrays are dangerous the same way BULLETS are.

Xrays are particles, very tiny... but they tear up tissue as they pass through. The more particles, the more damage. They can also, because they are so tiny... alter cellular structure.

I hope this helps.

Answer 8

They expose you to radioactive rays! But it's in small amounts, and you typically wear the lead apron over the parts they aren't looking at. In the long run you're in a lot more trouble if you don't get the X-ray and leave a bone possibly broken

Answer 9

X-rays are the same thing as gamma rays. They just originate from a different part of the atom. X-rays can damage the cells of your body by ionizing them as they interact with the atoms in those cells.

Medical/dental X-rays are very controlled and they shield vulnerable parts of your body as much as possible.

Answer 10

Dera lisa b
X rays are a mixture of 3 components:particles alfa. electrons and gama rays.
the particles do not go beyond some 1 centimeter from the surface of the skin.
However, and depeding of the TIME of exposure, the gamma rays will cause the DNA of the cells (breaking the helix or misconecting it after repair) causing premature death of the cells and tissues, or at least, reducing its growth speed, and sometimes atrophy.(shrinking and drying)
If the damage to DNA of cells is extensive enough, (again depending on the time of exposure) some of them will undergo transformation into maligant (cancer) cells.
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