Term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Term paper - Essay Example In addition, industrial hazards vary depending on the nature of the work environment and outcomes of work performed. Industrial hazards include fire and explosion, biologic hazards, ionizing radiation, heat stress, chemical exposure, electrical hazards, oxygen deficiency, noise, safety hazards, and cold exposure. These hazards among other incidents or situations in the contemporary industrial sector require the skill of an industrial hygienist. Furthermore, events such as the anthrax scares, terrorist attacks, and the potential use of â€Å"dirty bombs† enhance the importance for the awareness on the principles of industrial hygiene. The framework or main principles of industrial hygiene and toxicology include recognition, anticipation, control, and evaluation of workplace hazards. As such, an industrial hygienist must take into consideration these principles to ensure safety and health in the workplace. This paper will discuss ionizing radiation, a physical agent in industria l work environment. It will also discuss its effects on exposure, control, principles, and regulations. Ionizing radiation constitutes particles that hold sufficient energy to free an electron from a molecule or atom, thus ionizing it. This radiation is produced through nuclear reactions, natural or artificial, and by extremely high temperature. Ionizing radiation is also generated through high-energy particle production using particle accelerators, nuclear decay, or charged particles acceleration through electromagnetic fields created by innate processes such as supernova explosions and lighting (Wilson para.10). As such, natural sources of ionizing radiation include the supernova explosions, lightning, the sun, and artificial sources that include x-ray tubes, particle accelerators and nuclear reactors. Ionizing radiations includes x-rays, gamma, beta, alpha, and cosmic rays. There are three harmful radiation emitted by radioactive materials, which