What are the differences between radiation and chemical injury?

Different ballpark: Chemical injuries are common, because we use chemicals everyday. They are mostly toxic to the areas they touch - skin mostly, but eyes, in the mouth if swallowed, etc. Radiation emits a variety of unseen particles. After a nuclear explosion, radiation can kill immediately, if you are close enough, but with lesser exposures, (like a meltdown) cancers can be created many years later.

Wow: In general, early effects of ionizing radiation-induced skin injury manifest in the epidermis, whereas late effects appear in the dermis. Radiation burns differ from thermal or chemical burns in various ways including. Thermal or chemical burn injuries evolve immediately following insult to skin. Ionizing radiation-induced skin injuries carry a small but real potential for malignancy: late effect.