Radiation can disrupt both healthy and cancerous cell growth. The reason you wear a lead vest and the dental hygienist steps out of the room when she gives your teeth an x-ray is because too much radiation on your body can have negative effects.

Gamma radiation is a form of nuclear radiation produced by certain radioactive elements as they decay. In particular, gamma radiation is ionizing radiation, meaning that it is sufficiently energetic to break bonds in genetic material, structural components of cells and other biological molecules.

Radiation therapy is one of the many therapies available as of 2011 to battle cancer. Radiation therapy uses high-energy doses of radiation to destroy cancer cells. It is often used in conjunction with other treatments, including surgery and chemotherapy, to destroy cancer cells.

There are many forms of radiation. Some forms of radiation are found in the natural environment and others are due to modern technology. Whether natural or man-made, radiation can be both harmful and beneficial to the environment. The sun, for example can have positive and negative effects on plant and animal life.