The ins and outs of nuclear war

Effects Of Radiation

Forever the fun topic. If you're eating stop, or finish before reading on, I always lose my appetite on this one.

After a nuclear blast is over, the biggest threat to your health will be radiation. Radiation comes in three forms: alpha, beta and gamma.

Alpha radiation is formed by two protons and two electrons (like an hydrogen atom) and is pretty weak; being stopped by a sheet of paper. Outside the body it poses little threat to your health but, due to it's strong ionising power, (meaning it removes electrons from the atoms in your body, creating mutations and cancers), it is incredibly dangerous inside of the body. It is also the heaviest of all the three types of radiation.

Beta radiation is formed of a single electron and can usually be stopped by a sheet or two of aluminium. Beta can penetrate the skin (not a good enough excuse to use the word penetrate, I know), but isn't really that dangerous until you encounter a lot of it, which in a post-apocalyptic world is a bit hit and miss. However, any increase in background radiation should be considered harmful.

And finally, gamma radiation is not formed from a physical atom or pat thereof, but rather a short burst of concentrated energy on the Electro Magnetic Spectrum. Gamma can only be stopped by a thick piece of lead or leather. Rather surprisingly though, gamma radiation has such a high penetrating power that inside the body, it does little harm, it just passes right through. But outside, it will kill you and therefore must be avoided as much as possible.

The detection of radiation, unless you have a Geiger or scintillation counter, is another matter. I use photographic film which, in the presence of radiation, changes colour. However the body also has it's own radiation detector built in, the sensory system. This can include: blindness (temporary or permanent), impaired vision, burning sensation in eyes, lungs, heart or on skin, bleeding from eyes or ears and finally death. (But at this point, it's usually a bit late).

If you are in or have been in a suspected area of radiation, please don't use body sprays, deodorants or dry shampoos as these will fix radioactive material to you causing long lasting bodily effects (otherwise known as death). If you have the means and deem the threat posed too great, you may want to remove and burn your clothing, I did tell you to bring spares.

Now, let's get onto radiation poisoning. 2-3 days after the blast, radiation poisoning will be hard to detect as the symptoms of this and panic are very similar. (racing heart, weakness, numbness, chills, chest pains, or, worst of all, nothing). After this period, an obvious split occurs. Radiation sickness symptoms include (in alphabetical order):

- Bleeding from bodily holes (any and every hole, you name it, it'll bleed)

- Bloody stool

- Bruising

- Confusion

- Dehydration

- Diarrhoea

- Fainting

- Fatigue

- Fever

- Hair Loss

- Irritation and inflammation of exposed areas

- Mouth ulcers

- Nausea and/or Vomiting

- Open sores on skin

- Skin burns

- Sloughing of skin

- Ulcers in the Oesophagus (food pipe), stomach or intestines

- Vomiting Blood

- Weakness of muscles and movement

Lovely, I know.

The symptoms range from person to person, some people don't even begin to show symptoms until it is too late. But the general rule to this is, if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Sadly, all the hospitals have probably been blown up or are full to capacity. Realistically, the most they'll do is attempt to make you comfortable, before the inevitable.

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I did warn you. Anyway, I might do "How to go about rebuilding society" next, I might not. Even I don't know. Still, I hope this is kinda interesting.