Nuclear Radiation Exposure
Maybe the likelihood of being affected by a nuclear event seems too low for you to even consider worrying, but know that the most likely scenario involves exposure to radiation from a nearby source - Chris Roberts
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FYI: How Does Nuclear Radiation Do Its Damage?
Ionizing radiation—the kind that minerals, atom bombs and nuclear reactors emit—does one main thing to the human body: it weakens and breaks up DNA, either damaging cells enough to kill them or causing them to mutate in ways that may eventually lead to cancer... Nuclear radiation, unlike the radiation from a light bulb or a microwave, is energetic enough to ionize atoms by knocking off their electrons. This ionizing radiation can damage DNA molecules directly, by breaking the bonds between atoms, or it can ionize water molecules and form free radicals, which are highly reactive and also disrupt the bonds of surrounding molecules, including DNA.
Articles of Interest
WHO updates critical medicines list for radiological and nuclear emergencies
The World Health Organization (WHO) today updated its list of medicines that should be stockpiled for radiological and nuclear emergencies, along with policy advice for their appropriate management. These stockpiles include medicines that either prevent or reduce exposure to radiation, or treat injuries once exposure has occurred.
After Japan Crisis, New Urgency for Radiation Drugs
The crisis has put a spotlight on some small biotechnology companies developing drugs to treat people exposed to radiation. Some say they are accelerating their efforts in light of the problems in Japan.
Exactly What Happens When Your Body Is Exposed to Radiation
Much like in chemotherapy, the first cells to be affected are the rapidly dividing cells of the intestines and bone marrow.The prodromal phase is miserable and akin to the flu, causing vomiting, lack of appetite, diarrhea, fever, sweating, muscle aches, and fatigue. This is followed by the latent—or symptom- free—period, which can be as long as one to three weeks if the dose was less than 4 Gy, or just a few hours if it’s greater than 15 Gy.
How to protect yourself from nuclear radiation
Duck and cover? More like: Go inside and stay inside.
Nuclear fallout: the mental health consequences of radiation
70 years on from the destruction of Nagasaki, much of the attention regarding radiation is still directed to the physical dangers, but the psychological consequences can also be damaging.
On Fringe, Radioactivity is Real, But Cures are Junk Science
Could Emily's radiation contamination really have been contagious? Not likely. As we learned by debunking the science in the show's premiere, contagions are reserved to microbial or viral threats--biological agents that multiply or reproduce once inside the body. "However, a person may become internally contaminated when they swallow or breathe in radioactive materials, or when radioactive materials enter the body through an open wound or are absorbed through the skin,"
