What levels or length of exposure of x rays and/or microwaves is dangerous to adults and/or babies?

Answer 1

2 grys of radiation is lethal to a baby. 4 grys is lethal to an adult. Microwaves put out zero grys (the gray is a measure of ionizing radiation). Damage from radiation comes from the ability of said radiation to ionize molecules. Microwaves do not have the energy to ionize biological molecules. You can give a high wattage and boil a person with microwaves but then it would be the boiling blood that kills them, not radiation poisoning.

I could run you the numbers for x-rays but unless you've studied physics, those numbers are meaningless. Every type of x-ray uses different durations. The actual exposure to x-ray radiation is quite variable depending on what the doctors are looking at. This is why patient history is so important. Always keep track of procedures you have done.

Answer 2

A few comments from a historical aspect. Radar technicians in the WWII era had a higher incidence of cataracts thought to be due to microwave exposure. Modern microwave equipment is shielded, but they can leak. I don't know how to measure exposure Putting a living organism in a microwave oven would result in thermal burns.

Very old x-ray equipment required a lot of radiation to expose a film. Also, there was a lot of scatter. Shielding and filtering reduced most of the scatter. As more sensitive film was developed, the dosage decreased. It was further decreased by coating the film on both sides, further still by coating the cassette that holds the film with fluorescent material. The next advance in technology (late 1950s?) was image intensification, where the image was amplified electronically. This was especially useful in fluoroscopic studies. Nowadays, many radiographic studies are produced digitally and viewed on a high definition TV monitor. Even lower amounts of radiation are required for these procedures.

Nevertheless, medical radiation remains an issue, especially CT scans. I bow to Science Geek's superior knowledge of radiation physics.

Answer 3

I am a dental assistant certified by Bryman college and you can not take a full mouth x-ray more than once a year
and you could take bite wings and the tooth or teeth that are bothering you at your dental visit but if you don't have your x-rays fullmouth x-rays at your visit they have too or get your last ones from the other dentist if its been within that year or they might do it themselfs and put you in a higher exposure of radiation than you should be and make sure they put on the protection barier apron that goes over your neck to protect the throat and stomach,ovaries, and men's testicles because radiation exporsure to those areas can cause damage. they have to do that during your x-rays. Microwaves don't give out the same dangerous radiation but its not like your going to stand in front of the microwave everytime you use it. the sun also gives you radiation thats why there is uv sun lotion and all that stuff. the same goes for babies. and if your in your first or second trimester pregnancy you are not allowed to take x-rays at the dental office.
call your dentist for all questions and check the manufacture for you microwave for all hazards,warnings, and correct useage.
Take Care!

Answer 4

We want to limit ionizing radiation to 100 rads in acute exposure. Preferably, lower than 50. Low radiation sickness starts at 50-100 rads. 500 rads is approximately 50% chance of death.

To give you a rough idea, xray of the extremities like the hands or feet in a typical doctor's office is 0.01 rads. This is about same amount as flying 1,000 miles. CT scan is about 1-2 rads. GI series is about 2-3 rads. Radiation exposure can be further reduced by type of xray equipment (digital xray is 80% less than traditional xray machine), filters (20-80% less, depending on factors), tube film distance, and xray exposure factors.