Lindsey Shuler

Mr. Hensel
English IV
12 November 2014
Long Term Effects of Radiation on the Main Organs
Exposing yourself to radiation or radiation therapy can harm your main internal organs
drastically. These organs can affect your overall health and even shut down after too much
radiation. Once you are exposed to radiation it never goes away, only accumulates. Long term
effects of radiation and radiation therapy can harm the bodys main organs such as brain, heart,
lungs, blood system, and reproductive system.
The brain controls the whole body down to breathing and telling the heart to pump.
Complications dealing with the brain can be really dangerous, because small blood vessels in
the brain can become blockedmaking it hard for blood to travel through the brain (Long Term
Side Effects of Brain Tumor Radiotherapy). In your brain there is the pituitary gland which helps
with growth, development and hormones. Due to radiation it can become swollen causing
hormonal imbalance that controls your reproductive system and can control your offspring
(Long Term Side Effects of Brain Tumor Radiotherapy).
The heart is the main organ in your body; a large muscle the size of your fist that pumps
blood throughout the body. Radiation can damage the heart of one of several ways, including
damaging heart muscle, valves or arteries called cardiomyopathy, which affects the left
ventricle at most (Oeffinger). This means that the blood that is being pumped through the left
ventricle does not get pumped out fast enough causing blockages (Oeffinger). Radiation can

also damage the valves in the heart. Damaged valves causes the heart to pump backwards
leading to congestive heart failure and other problems with the heart (Oeffinger).
Some long term effects of radiation on your lungs can appear months or years after being
exposed. Radiation can be deadly cause pneumonitis is an inflammatory response of the lungs
(Eldridge). Lowering the level of lung suffocant which helps the lungs to expand is also a
result of pneumonitis (Eldridge). Radiation on the lungs can also cause pulmonary fibrosis is the
formation of scar tissue in the lungs this shortens your breath and makes you cough, affecting
your ability to exercise (Eldridge).
Your blood system controls you living, or not. Radiation on your blood system cause
leukopenia and lymphopenia. Leukopenia is the decrease in leukocytes or white blood cells
that are our primary defense against infection (Effects of Radiation on the Human Body).
Lymphopenia is our immune system that is unique in the extent of destruction of bacteria
(Effects of Radiation on the Human Body). Also radiation can cause worse problems to our
blood system. Thrombocytopenia, which is the destruction of platelets in the blood (Side
Effects of Radiation to Specific Areas). Anemia, a poison that makes red blood cells half-life
longer which your blood cells should only live 120 days (Side Effects of Radiation to Specific
Areas).
There are two kinds of reproductive systems; male and female. For males, radiation only
causes a few complication compared to females. A male has testicle as the main reproductive
organ and radiation can cause loss of sperm production/ count effecting their offspring
(Effects of Radiation on the Human Body). You can protect yourself from loss of sperm
production/ count by using a clam shell which you put over you when taking x-rays (Effects of
Radiation on the Human Body). Females unfortunately have to worry about way more

complications with their reproductive systems. Exposing yourself to radiation can cause early
menopause (Side Effects of Radiation to Specific Areas). Also females can become
permanently infertile unless they spare one of their ovaries (Side Effects of Radiation to
Specific Areas).
Long term effects of radiation and radiation therapy can harm the body's main organs
such as your brain, heart, lungs, blood system, and reproductive system. Radiation therapy can
cure your cancer but can also cause more problems. If you stay exposed to radiation you should
think about protecting yourself so that you wont have to worry about the harmful body effects.
Lead protective blankets are the most common protection towards radiation. Radiation is the
most harmful towards your body but the easiest to protect yourself from.

Work Cited

"Effects of Radiation on the Human Body." Atomicarchive.com: Exploring the History, Science,

and Consequences of the Atomic Bomb. National Science Digital Library, 2013. Web. 24
Sept. 2014.
Eldridge, Lynned. "Common Side Effects of Radiation Therapy for Cancer. About. Lung
Cancer Expert, 6 Nov. 2014. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.
Long Term Side Effects of Brain Tumor Radiotherapy. Cancer Research UK. Cancer
Research, 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.
Oeffinger, Kevin. "Late Effects to the Heart." Late Effects to the Heart. American Childhood
Cancer Organization, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
Side Effects of Radiation to Specific Areas. Side Effects of Radiation to Specific Areas.
American Cancer Society, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.