Radioactive substances in wearables - risks and concerns

Presence of radioactive substances in products and associated concerns - a brief

 Radioactive substances in wearables - risks and concerns

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• The story: The Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS), Netherlands, released a statement identifying various wearable products containing more radioactivity than valid limits.
• What is radioactivity: As the term implies, radioactivity is the act of emitting radiation spontaneously. This is done by an atomic nucleus that, for some reason, is unstable; it "wants" to give up some energy in order to shift to a more stable configuration. is a physical, not a biological, phenomenon. The radioactivity of a sample can be measured by counting how many atoms are spontaneously decaying each second. A curie (abbreviated "Ci" and named after Pierre and Marie Curie, the discoverers of radium) is simply a shorthand way of writing "37,000,000,000 disintegrations per second," the rate of disintegration occurring in 1 gram of radium.

1. Sievert (Sv), is the unit of radiation absorption in the International System of Units (SI). The sievert takes into account the relative biological effectiveness of ionizing radiation. When the physical energy absorbed by tissues from x-rays, gamma rays or electrons is one Joule/kg, the biologically effective dose is considered to be one Sv.
2. Since Sv is a huge unit, specialists use milliSv or “mSv”(one-thousandth of an Sv) as a unit. Skin dose in a chest x-ray exam is about 1 mSv. Products such as Magnetix Magnetic necklace, Magnetix Sport boost bracelet, Smiley Kids bracelet, Athletic necklace among others that contained radioactivity more than permissible limits.
3. The agency warned the public against using “Quantum Pendant,” “anti-5G pendant” or “negative ion” jewellery items or sleep masks. An air purifier (negative ionizer) is a device that emits two million healthy negative ions per sec from the black brush on its top.The “negative ion products” may contain radioactive substances.

• Reasons for concern: Researchers found that eight out of the 20 pendants were capable of exposing the wearers to an annual effective dose above the dose limit of one mSv for the public. The dose from the most radioactive pendant was 8 mSv/year.The products tested contained radioactive materials and therefore continuously emit ionizing radiation, thereby exposing the wearer. Exposure to ionizing radiation can cause adverse health effects. Wearing the products for extended periods could pose health risks that include tissue and DNA damage.

1. Harmful effects of radiations are  - Skin burns, Acute radiation sickness that causes cancer and hairfall, Temporary reduction in white blood cells, Possible chromosomal damage, Reduction in resistance to infection.
2. In another IAEA supported project, researchers found that the undergarment industry in Malaysia and elsewhere advertised that their “negative ion undergarments” contain tourmaline, monazite and zircon, all known to contain uranium and thorium.
3. Among the 13 samples of undergarments they assessed, three were capable of exposing their wearers to annual effective doses above one mSV.

• Summary: Radiation exposure has adverse health effects and considering the potential health risk they pose, there is a need for policy intervention to prohibit their usage through law.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) What are the research and developmental achievements in assessing the harmful effects of new technologies on human health? How will these achievements help society? (2) What do you understand by Radioactivity and radioactive substances and how is it helping in the health sector?  
  

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