Why is X-ray radiation harmful?

For their study, the scientists exposed a magnesium salt solution to X-rays. Magnesium salt is frequently found in the human body, for example in nerve cords and in certain DNA proteins. As the Research Group describes in a recently published paper, they used it to trigger cyclically occurring radiation damage.

X-rays, such as those used in medical X-rays or radiotherapy, contain radiation with a low wavelength and high energy, in contrast to infrared and visible light, for example, which have a high wavelength and low energy. "The radiation sets a cycle in motion," explains Dana Bloß, a doctoral student at the Institute of Physics at the University of Kassel. In the magnesium salt solution, the irradiation produces water radicals and electrons with low energies; the latter are known for their mutagenic effect, for example by causing radiation damage such as double-strand breaks in DNA.

What is special about the investigated cycle is that the dissolved magnesium ions, despite their initial excitation, fall back into their original state after the production of the aforementioned particles. This allows the process to start again. The damaging release of electrons is repeated in a locally concentrated area of the tissue, just like hammering on the same spot over and over again.

This opens up a new perspective in understanding radiation damage. "This is basic research," emphasizes Bloß. "But we want to understand the processes, and the results are quite surprising. The better we understand these processes, the better other, more application-oriented Research Groups will be able to improve the devices used in X-rays and radiation therapy, for example."

An international group of scientists from the University of Kassel, the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin, the University of Heidelberg and Uppsala University (Sweden) worked together on the study. The experiments were carried out at X-ray radiation sources in Hamburg and Berlin.

Original publication:
D. Bloß et al, "X-ray radiation damage cycle of solvated inorganic ions", published on 30.05.2024 in Nature Communications, 15, 4594 (2024)

Contact:

Dana Bloß
University of Kassel
E-mail: dana.bloss[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
Phone: 0561 804-4001

Dr. Andreas Hans
University of Kassel
E-mail: hans[at]physik.uni-kassel[dot]de
Phone: 0561 804-4062