Question

Contamination of radioactive materials are dangerous because it causes

• A. Biological magnification
• B. Gene mutation
• C. Photochemical smog
• D. Destruction

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Gene mutation

Radioactive materials give out ionizing radiation that cause DNA mutation by double-stranded breaks in DNA. These breaks can be repaired by the cell. Mutations occur if the repair mechanisms are defective and the wrong piece of DNA are joined together. This may lead to the deletion of important genes or change in the location of a gene within the DNA strand. Such mutations lead to cancer. Thus the correct answer is option B.