• Question: What is the most dangerous frequency to humans?

    Asked by anon-208724 to Gill on 1 Mar 2019. This question was also asked by anon-208922, anon-208854.
    • Photo: Gill Harrison

      Gill Harrison answered on 1 Mar 2019:

      Good question.
      I tend to work with ultrasound, which is generally less dangerous than many other frequencies.
      Gamma rays have a very short wavelength (so have high frequency), which makes them more likely to cause harm.

      I think this slide shows it well

Comments

  • Photo: Hannah

    Hannah commented on :

    Whilst gamma rays are definitely the most dangerous, I would say that ultraviolet (UV) and X-rays can be dangerous too (especially in large doses).

    As an astronomer, the Earth’s atmosphere causes a lot of problems for us because it makes it much more difficult to observe objects in space. However, if we didn’t have the atmosphere we wouldn’t be protected from all of the harmful frequencies (i.e. ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays) that the Sun gives off.

    I quite like this image as well. 🙂

  • Photo: Gill

    Gill commented on :

    Thanks Hannah, I like your image too, it’s really useful.

    Is global warming causing problems for everyone/everything else, but possibly making it easier for astronomers in some areas of the world to see things more clearly?

    Previously I spent many years working with x-rays and we always take precautions to avoid too much exposure to us and patients/relatives. That’s why we usually don’t let anyone into the x-ray room when they have an x-ray (or if they do come in, they have to stand behind the lead screen with the radiographer to protect them). Ultrasound is much less harmful at the levels we use in diagnostic scanning, so we usually allow someone in the room if you come for an ultrasound scan.

  • Photo: Titus

    Titus commented on :

    This is not my area but in the electromagnetic spectrum we have high energy waves that are not save for human exposure. some of them include the UV, x-rays and gamma rays. We use the Ultraviolet light in the laboratory to kill dangerous cells (It can also affect human cells on exposure) where by they affect and denature DNA. The x-rays and Gamma rays are quite penetrating and potentially destructive to human body cells.

  • Photo: anon-208948

    anon-208948 commented on :

    Good answer

  • Photo: Stuart

    Stuart commented on :

    In real life, it depends on how much you get exposed too. I use ultraviolet light at work (frequency roughly = 820,000,000,000 waves per second) so for me that’s probably the most dangerous because I don’t really work with many other frequencies of radiation. (As Titus said ultraviolet light can damage the DNA in your cells).

    But in reality we have lots of safety procedures, so my biggest risk is probably not ultraviolet light from work, but getting sunburnt on a warm day, because I’ll get exposed to much more then.

  • Photo: anon-208867

    anon-208867 commented on :

    wow your too smart. 🙂

  • Photo: anon-208683

    anon-208683 commented on :

    Thanks for the live chat!! I loved it❤️✌🏽