UV electromagnetic radiation

For nearly two hundred year s microscopy as a science depended on the use of visible and, rarely, near UV electromagnetic radiation. In the early part of this century developments in theoretical Physics opened other avenues of seeing objects. The following is not an exhaustive list but does illustrate the expansion in the science of microscopy which began earlier this century and which continues today. First came the use of electrons in the forms of transmission and scanning electron microscopies [TEM and SEM 3,4]. Then, relatively recently, came the use of sound as an imaging medium in the development of acoustic microscopy [5,6]. Most recently, near-field optical microscopy [7] and the family of scanning probe microscopies have been developed [8]. 

Ultraviolet (UV) Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than visible light but longer than X-rays (13 to 400 billionths of a metre 13 400 nm). Used in analytical chemical techniques. Reacts with components of the skin. 

It is universally accepted that ionizing and UV electromagnetic radiation induce toxic effects in man. It has been shown above that these toxic effects are exacerbated when irradiation is coupled with xenobiotic exposure. Conversely, the toxic effects of xenobiotic exposure are enhanced by simultaneous exposure to ionizing or UV radiation. 

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