Ultraviolet light is a type of electromagnetic radiation that makes black-light posters glow,

and is responsible for summer tans — and sunburns. However, too much exposure to UV
radiation is damaging to living tissue.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation that comes from the
sun and man-made sources like tanning beds and welding torches.

Radiation is the emission (sending out) of energy from any source. There are many
types of radiation, ranging from very high-energy (high-frequency) radiation – like x-rays
and gamma rays – to very low-energy (low-frequency) radiation – like radio waves. UV
rays are in the middle of this spectrum. They have more energy than visible light, but
not as much as x-rays.

There are also different types of UV rays, based on how much energy they have.
Higher-energy UV rays are a form of ionizing radiation. This means they have enough
energy to remove an electron from (ionize) an atom or molecule. Ionizing radiation can
damage the DNA (genes) in cells, which in turn may lead to cancer. But even the
highest-energy UV rays don’t have enough energy to penetrate deeply into the body, so
their main effect is on the skin.

UV radiation is divided into 3 main groups:

 UVA rays have the least energy among UV rays. These rays can cause skin
cells to age and can cause some indirect damage to cells’ DNA. UVA rays are
mainly linked to long-term skin damage such as wrinkles, but they are also
thought to play a role in some skin cancers.
 UVB rays have slightly more energy than UVA rays. They can damage the DNA
in skin cells directly, and are the main rays that cause sunburns. They are also
thought to cause most skin cancers.
 UVC rays have more energy than the other types of UV rays. Fortunately,
because of this, they react with ozone high in our atmosphere and don’t reach
the ground, so they are not normally a risk factor for skin cancer. But UVC rays
can also come from some man-made sources, such as arc welding torches,
mercury lamps, and UV sanitizing bulbs used to kill bacteria and other germs
(such as in water, air, food, or on surfaces).
 Electromagnetic radiation comes from the sun and transmitted in waves or particles at
different wavelengths and frequencies. This broad range of wavelengths is known as
the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. The spectrum is generally divided into seven regions
in order of decreasing wavelength and increasing energy and frequency. The common
designations are radio waves,microwaves, infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), X-
rays and gamma-rays.

Ultraviolet (UV) light falls in the range of the EM spectrum between visible light and X-
rays. It has frequencies of about 8 × 1014 to 3 × 1016 cycles per second, or hertz (Hz),
and wavelengths of about 380 nanometers (1.5 × 10−5 inches) to about 10 nm (4 ×
10−7 inches). According to the U.S. Navy's "Ultraviolet Radiation Guide," UV is generally
divided into three sub-bands:

 UVA, or near UV (315–400 nm)

 UVB, or middle UV (280–315 nm)
 UVC, or far UV (180–280 nm)

UV radiation has enough energy to break chemical bonds. Due to their higher energies,
UV photons can cause ionization, a process in which electrons break away from atoms.
The resulting vacancy affects the chemical properties of the atoms and causes them to
form or break chemical bonds that they otherwise would not. This can be useful for
chemical processing, or it can be damaging to materials and living tissues. This damage
can be beneficial, for instance, in disinfecting surfaces, but it can also be harmful,
particularly to skin and eyes, which are most adversely affected by higher-energy UVB
and UVC radiation.

Gamma-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, as are radio waves, infrared

radiation, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and microwaves. Gamma-rays can be used to
treat cancer, and gamma-ray bursts are studied by astronomers.
Gamma-rays travel to us across vast distances of the universe, only to be absorbed by the Earth's
atmosphere. Different wavelengths of light penetrate the Earth's atmosphere to different depths.
Instruments aboard high-altitude balloons and satellites like the Compton Observatory provide
our only view of the gamma-ray sky.

Gamma-rays
fall in the range of the EM spectrum above soft X-rays. Gamma-rays have frequencies
greater than about 1,018 cycles per second, or hertz (Hz), and wavelengths of less than
100 picometers (pm), or 4 x 10^9 inches. (A picometer is one-trillionth of a meter.)

Gamma-rays were first observed in 1900 by French chemist Paul Villard when he was
investigating radiation from radium, according to the Australian Radiation Protection and
Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). A few years later, New Zealand-born chemist and physicist
Ernest Rutherford proposed the name "gamma-rays," following the order of alpha rays and beta
rays — names given to other particles that are created during a nuclear reaction — and the
name stuck.

The discovery of gamma rays is generally credited to French physicist Henri Becquerel in
1896. A high frequency form of electromagnetic radiation, gamma radiation is known to
cause types of cancer and other medical issues in human beings. Nevertheless, when used
in a controlled environment, gamma rays can be applied to a number of fields from medical
science to food preservation with both beneficial and highly effective results when
administered in low doses.

Gamma rays are used in an industrial setting to detect defects in metal castings and to find
weak spots in welded structures. In a process known as industrial radiography, sections of
structures are bombarded with gamma rays which safely pass through the metal. The metal
is then observed by portable gamma cameras which show a darkening of the weak points in
the structure on a photographic image. Gamma rays are also used to examine airport
luggage and cargo. Begun in 2002, the Container Security Initiative has been employing the
use of Vehicle and Container Imaging Systems that use gamma rays in much the same way
as diagnostic medicine to take gamma ray images of cargo as it is being imported and
exported from the United States.