ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - Electromagnetic Radiation
Benjamin G. Ferris, Jr. · 1966
A 1966 New England Journal of Medicine article surveyed the clinical implications of nonionizing electromagnetic radiation, from sunlight and ultraviolet radiation to lasers.
Plain English Summary
This 1966 review in the New England Journal of Medicine described the electromagnetic spectrum and its clinical implications, limited mainly to nonionizing forms of radiation. It covered the sun as the source of practically all electromagnetic energy reaching the earth, the biologic effects of ultraviolet radiation, and lasers, which it described as a special category of visible light.
Why This Matters
This 1966 review by Benjamin G. Ferris, Jr., of the Harvard School of Public Health places electromagnetic radiation on a single spectrum that includes microwaves, television and radio waves, heat, light and ultraviolet radiation. It notes that many of these forms are sensed or used every day, and that only the part of the spectrum with sufficiently high energies can cause ionization.
The review limits itself mainly to nonionizing radiation. Its coverage includes the biologic effects of ultraviolet radiation and the development of lasers, whose beams can reach enormous power densities.
Figures from the Original Paper
Diagram extracted from the original research document.
Show BibTeX
@article{environmental_hazards_electromagnetic_radiation_g3890,
author = {Benjamin G. Ferris and Jr.},
title = {ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - Electromagnetic Radiation},
year = {1966},
}