Radiation facts: fact and Fiction of Radiation exposure and nuclear attacks
If Nuclear Fallout lands on inanimate objects, they do NOT become radioactive
Radiation Sickness:
Medical self-help is an emergency measure to be used only in cases of sudden or extraordinary misfortune. If people require medical care during their normal, everyday living, they should always be treated by a doctor; however, when disaster strikes, you may not be able to obtain trained medical aid in a timely manner.
Many forms of disasters can happen to you and your family at any moment. This article is about self-help, teaching you what to do in an emergency when a doctor is not available.
Radiation:
Alpha, Beta, and gamma rays utilize the energy of the atom and can kill all living tissue within their beams. Both sick and healthy cells of the human body are destroyed; their invisible rays are so highly penetrating that, without protective shielding, even X-rays, which are much like the gamma rays of radioactive fallout, can be absorbed. There are many falsehoods and misconceptions about radiation.
We will teach you what you need to know about fallout so that if our country is ever subjected to a nuclear attack.
You can help yourself and your family to survive its dangers, for fallout is probably the most dangerous product of nuclear disaster, in terms of the number of people who could be affected by it. But it is also the one aspect of a
let’s examine what happens when a nuclear weapon is exploded near the earth
first there is blast or the pressure wave created by the explosion along with heat, the most intense ever created on earth, both will extend great distances from the point of the blast from 1 to 50 miles depending on the size of the weapon, however, the further away you are from the site of the explosion the less chances you will suffer the fatal effects of the blast and heat wave.
There is yet another immediate result of a nuclear detonation, the initial radiation from the blast, and the final effect is residual radiation. The primary concern for anyone surviving the blast is the radiation that follows the explosion and the residual radiation that remains at high altitudes for some time before falling back to Earth.
What exactly is residual radiation? Our Sun, like other stellar bodies in the universe, is a giant nuclear furnace burning at temperatures of millions of degrees while emitting various types of radiation, including gamma rays, which are shorter in wavelength than their closest neighbor, X-rays.
The Earth’s atmosphere prevents these radiations, which are dangerous to the health of man and animal, from reaching our planet; however, when a nuclear weapon is exploded, man creates on earth, in the splitting of atomic nuclei, his own nuclear furnace to produce the gamma and beta radiations of outer space.
Let’s see now just how this radiation is created:
At the time of the burst, vast amounts of dirt, stone, and other debris are vaporized by the explosion’s heat and sucked into the rising cloud as the mushroom cloud forms. These particles are made radioactive as they cool and condense, and they become contaminated with residue from the bomb. These particles, when they fall back to earth, are what we call radioactive fallout.
We cannot accurately predict the pattern by which fallout particles will return to Earth. The fallout pattern will depend on the number, size, and location of the nuclear strike, as well as the direction of the upper air current. Let’s, for example, explore the fallout produced by one of these atomic weapons.
It sends its column of radioactive material up to 80,000 feet or about 16 miles above the earth, here the radioactive particles begin to drift downward and are at the mercy of upper air currents, that vary from day to day descending at various altitudes through many different layers of air that may be moving at varying speeds and direction, thus winds on the surface of the earth give little help in determining the direction or the occurrence of fallout.
Meteorologists with their special instruments, however, can appraise altitudes as well as the total distance fallout will be carried in a nuclear attack, so stay tuned to your local radio or news stations, they will keep you posted where fallout is taking place and the approximate amount, though you will see this dust once it reaches the earth.
You cannot see or detect the radiation fallout emitted without the aid of radiological instruments, nor can you taste, smell, or feel this radiation. This is why fallout is so dangerous to human and animal life: each particle emits radiation like a tiny X-ray machine.
This radiation consists mainly of gamma rays, which are highly penetrating, like X-rays. Gamma rays can injure and even destroy the cells of the human body. If we are exposed to a sufficient dose for long enough or if we eat or drink material contaminated by fallout particles, the exposure to gamma rays can make us sick and can even cause death.
However, no matter how long one may be exposed to fallout, one will not become radioactive, nor can anyone catch radiation sickness from you like a contagious disease; in fact, this radiation cannot make anyone or anything radioactive.
Now, let us suppose that fallout has descended on a can of food. We will use salt to represent fallout dust and sprinkle the salt on top of the canned food. The particles don’t go through the tin can; the radiation does, but it is harmless to everything except living matter.
Effect of radiation on inanimate objects
On non-living materials, the radiation does not affect the food inside the can. Now, to use the canned food, carefully wipe away the fallout particles from the can, or better still, wash them away with water. The food inside is safe and free from contamination.
The same is true of all foods and liquids that have been protected by packaging or containers; even the thinnest layer of cellophane will preserve the food, as long as you don’t swallow the dust, and there is no ill effect.
If water for washing is in short supply, canned goods that may have been exposed to fallout can be handled safely with a piece of paper towel.
Use one sheet of paper to lift the cans and turn it upside down there is no dust on the bottom, now dispose of the paper towel, use another paper towel to wipe the sides of the can with a new piece of towel and don’t forget to put the contaminated paper in a covered receptacle, now open the clean top there will be no harmful particles in the food itself.
A sealed loaf of bread that has been exposed to fallout can be salvaged similarly: turn the loaf upside down to reveal the bottom, which will be clear of dust, then dispose of the towel.
Now, insert a sharp knife through the wax paper at the center of the loaf and cut upwards, creating a 5-inch-long slot. Insert your fingers through the slot and slowly rip the paper open. Then, remove the bread and transfer it to a clean plate or container, and discard the bread wrapper.
Vegetables such as potatoes can be prepared using a clean piece of newspaper, starting in one corner. Cut off one end, then transfer the potato to a clean paper surface. Peel the potato, and move it to another piece of clean paper. Remove the other end. Dispose of all peelings and soiled paper carefully.
After handling any contaminated food containers or vegetables, wash your hands thoroughly. Fume dust is hazardous, but it can be managed by following safe procedures.
Does Radioactive fallout mean death to all living things
There is another widespread legend and fear that fallout spells death to all life on earth. The plain fact is that even if a significant number of nuclear weapons were exploded, the resulting fallout would cover only a small area of the world’s total landmass; The real concern is if we are in that area, how do we protect ourselves?
Gamma-ray fallout can penetrate almost any type of building material; the following are the materials and their corresponding thicknesses. 99% of radiation will pass through glass. 66% of radiation will pass through a house’s wood siding.
Approximately 50% of gamma radiation would penetrate 18 inches of concrete through a brick veneer wall, and 1% would penetrate 1 inch of concrete. To see more information on radiation CDC radiation emergencies
Although it’s not a building material, it’s essential to know that only 1% of it would pass through 25 inches of earth.
Aside from the shielding effect of building materials, the intensity of radiation decreases with the square of the distance from the source. Thus, 10 feet away from a particle of fallout, the radiation rate is only 1% of that encountered at 1 foot.
Other things being equal, the central parts of a building are safer, the radiation rate or the intensity from fallout decreases with the passage of time in fact for every seven-fold increase in time the radiation will be reduced by a factor of ten that means that at 7 hours after the explosion the radiation level will be about 10% of its intensity at one hour.
At 49 hours, it will be about one percent. Within two weeks, the radiation rate is expected to decay to about 1/10 of 1%. Therefore, the most vital period to seek protection from fallout is the first few days after a nuclear attack, especially the first few hours.
However, remember that even with the passage of time, a low level of radiation can still be hazardous; that is why you may need to remain in a sheltered area for up to two weeks.
The basic factors of protection from radioactive fallout
So, the three basic factors in protection against fallout are time, distance and shielding, time meaning the longer you stay protected from fallout the safer you will be; distance, or the further away you get from fallout, the safer you will b,e and shielding meaning the more mass or weight you put between yourself and fallout, the safer you will be.
If and when fallout should ever occur in your area, just how much radiation can you receive without becoming sick? We measure exposure to gamma radiation from fallout in units called Röntgen, the same units used to measure X-rays, named after Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, the discoverer of X-rays.
People and animals may develop radiation sickness if they have been exposed to large amounts of radiation over a short period of time; however, few people become sick who have been exposed to a total radiation dose of 100 Röntgen or less. Exposure to more than 300 Röntgen over a period of a few days will cause sickness and may cause death. If you receive an exposure of 600 Röntgen in that same period, death is almost inevitable.
How can you tell just how much radiation you’ve been exposed to? There are instruments commonly used to detect and measure radiation that are part of the equipment supplied to the radiological monitoring team at every public FEMA shelter. With them, you can determine not only the total amounts of radiation received but also the dose rate per unit of time or the dose rate in Röntgen per hour.
This is called a dosimeter, conveniently shaped to be worn on one’s person at all times, and it can measure the total accumulated radiation exposure in Röntgen.
Radiation Facts: Measuring Radiation
The Geiger counter, which measures radiation in fractions of Röntgen per hour, is used both within and outside the shelter or home. And finally, the survey meter can measure higher radiation intensities that may exist outside the shelter or home shelters.
These measuring instruments are available from commercial sources; however, most households will rely chiefly on their radios or cell phones (if there is still service) to receive readings as they are taken by civil defense monitoring teams.
In case of a Nuclear attack:
If there is a nuclear attack and you survive the initial effects of an explosion, you will have at least half an hour to get to a public or home fallout shelter, therefore, to be safe from radiation sickness. FEMA Nuclear Emergency Survival Guide
Get into the best available shelter as soon as possible, and once there, stay put because each time you’re exposed to fallout radiation over a period of a few days, the dosage continues to build until it reaches dangerous levels.
Leaving the Shelter
Suppose you’re among those who are compelled or must travel through a fallout area on essential errands. In that case, there are specific rules to follow to protect your body, including wearing boots or rubber gloves, headgear, and outer clothing that can be removed before re-entering the shelter.
Upon returning, thoroughly brush off the rest of your clothing, as well as any parts of your body that may have been exposed to fallout.
Exposure to Radiation
If sufficient water is available, wash your face and hands carefully. Remember, these are the dosages of radiation as they affect human health: 100 Röntgen, little or no effects; 300 Röntgen, sickness or death; 600 Röntgen, death.
Recovery from radiation sickness is nothing new. Patients who receive X-rays often develop this condition and recover. Of course, the dosages they receive are carefully measured, just as in combating the virus of the common cold; your general state of health will often govern how quickly you can recover from the effects of mild or moderate radiation sickness.
In an emergency where there is no doctor, always treat radiation sickness by treating its symptoms. In fact, these symptoms are often similar to those produced by extreme anxiety or emotional stress, so it’s best not to try to determine their cause. I repeat, do not attempt to diagnose.
But merely treat the symptoms just as you would if they were the result of any other type of illness. Symptoms of radiation sickness may appear shortly after exposure to fallout.
Radiation Facts: Signs of exposure and Treatment
1. Fatigue
2. loss of appetite
3. Nausea and vomiting
Ensure the patient receives sufficient rest. For nausea, you may give the patient any commercial preparation that settles an upset stomach, or 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of water. Additionally, tea and other hot liquids may be helpful.
When a high fever is present, apply cold wet packs, give aspirin or Tylenol; this will reduce the fever in severe radiation sickness. Along with the early symptoms, other symptoms may appear a week or more after exposure. Recovery is possible, but it’ll take longer.
Long-term symptoms include diarrhea, mouth and throat inflammation, and hair loss. Administer anti-diarrhea medication and aspirin dissolved in warm water for gargling. People are naturally alarmed at the thought of bodily changes that may follow severe radiation sickness, such as loss of hair or sterility. These conditions are usually temporary and will disappear with recovery.y
I hope we’ve dispelled another commonly held myth: that you can recover from radiation sickness just as you recover from the common cold. Nevertheless, don’t minimize the danger of fallout, and remember that if the effects are cumulative, the only real protection against it is to take shelter as soon as possible.
Radiation Facts Recap
Depending on your local radio station to tell you where fallout is taking place, you may be able to see some of the fallout dust when it reaches the earth, but you cannot taste, smell, or feel the radiation itself. Gamma rays emitted by fallout can injure or destroy the living cells of our bodies if we are exposed for a prolonged period. Also see FEMA Radiation Emergencies.
Food or water in containers that prevent contamination by fallout dust is perfectly safe; radiation is harmful only to living tissues, packaged foods that have been exposed to fallout should be open carefully by following proper procedures.
You can eat such foods without danger to your health.
Radiation can pass through most building materials, but its intensity is diminished in proportion to the material’s weight and mass, or to the shielding.
The intensity also decreases with distance from the fallout. The radiation rate will decrease or decay rapidly with time. It is most dangerous in the first few days after the explosion. Thus, the three basic factors that protect you from fallout radiation are time, distance, and shielding.
You should know the location of the nearest public shelter in your community, inside it, you will be at least 40 times safer from fallout than you would be outdoors and should have been stocked with supplies to sustain its occupants for up to two weeks.
If you’re not within distance of public shelters, you can provide a satisfactory home shelter for your family.
Radiation is invisible, but we have accurate instruments with which to measure it in Röntgen units. The dosimeter can be worn on the person and measures both the accumulated radiation exposure and the total dose at any given time.
The Geiger counter measures radiation in fractions of Röntgen per hour inside or outside the shelter, and the survey meter measures the higher radiation intensities that may be present outside the shelter.
Assuming that you have the protection of a good shelter within a half hour after nuclear attack you will probably have little or no radiation sickness, if there are victims who appear to have radiation sickness do not diagnose simply treat the symptoms.
Perhaps the most important thing we have learned is to see the danger in its proper perspective, make no mistake a nuclear attack would be a terrible catastrophe with millions of people killed by the initial blast and heat wave. Millions more would be threatened by death from radioactive fallout, but that is a threat that can be combated with knowledge and preparation.
