Biological effects of exposure to radiation radiation can harm either the whole body somatic damage or eggs and sperm genetic damage its effects are more pronounced in cells that reproduce rapidly such as the stomach lining hair follicles bone marrow and embryos this is why patients undergoing radiation therapy often feel nauseous or . Whether the source of radiation is natural or man made whether it is a large dose of radiation or a small dose there will be some biological effects in general ionizing radiation is harmful and potentially lethal to living beings but can have health benefits in medicine for example in radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer and thyrotoxicosis this chapter briefly summarizes the . Biological radiation a9tion comprises all levels of biological organization it starts with the absorption in essential atoms and molecules and ends with the development of cancer and genetic hazards to future generations the structure of the book reflects this beginning with physical and chemical fundamentals it then turns to a description of chemical and subcellular systems cellular . The effect of radiation on human tissue or any other material can be studied as the biological effects of radiation the radiation produced by nuclear reactions includes high energy charged particles alpha and beta neutrons of various energies and photons gamma and x rays in addition to this primary radiation nuclear fission also produces radioactive isotopes of many elements which