Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Physical Science. Nuclear Science. A pair of workers clean up a radiation spill dressed in protective gear designed to block their exposure to dangerous alpha and beta particles. See more pictures of nuclear meltdown disasters. Cite This! Print Citation. Try Our Sudoku Puzzles! More Awesome Stuff. An accident or attack that causes radiation sickness would no doubt cause a lot of attention and public concern.
If such an event occurs, monitor radio, television or online reports to learn about emergency instructions for your area. Radiation is the energy released from atoms as either a wave or a tiny particle of matter. Radiation sickness is caused by exposure to a high dose of radiation, such as a high dose of radiation received during an industrial accident.
Radiation sickness occurs when high-energy radiation damages or destroys certain cells in your body. Regions of the body most vulnerable to high-energy radiation are cells in the lining of your intestinal tract, including your stomach, and the blood cell-producing cells of bone marrow.
Having radiation sickness can contribute to both short-term and long-term mental health problems, such as grief, fear and anxiety about:. In the event of a radiation emergency, stay tuned to your radio or television to hear what protective actions local, state and federal authorities recommend. Recommended actions will depend on the situation, but you will be told to either stay in place or evacuate your area.
If you're advised to stay where you are, whether you're at home or work or elsewhere, do the following:. If you're advised to evacuate, follow the instructions provided by your local authorities. Try to stay calm and move quickly and in an orderly manner. In addition, travel lightly, but take supplies, including:.
Be aware that most emergency vehicles and shelters won't accept pets. Take them only if you're driving your own vehicle and going someplace other than a shelter. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Radiation sickness is damage to your body caused by a large dose of radiation often received over a short period of time acute. The technician, meanwhile, will leave the room when taking the image. While one small dose is not dangerous, repeated small doses could be. A sudden, short, low dose of radiation is unlikely to cause a problem, but extended, intense, or repeated doses can be.
When radiation damages cells, it is irreversible. The more often a person is exposed, the greater their risk of health problems. Radiation dosage can measured in various ways.
Some of the units used are Grays, Sieverts, rems, and rads. They are used in a similar way, but 1 rad is equivalent to 0. A person who experiences an atomic explosion will receive two doses of radiation, one during the explosion, and another from fallout, when radioactive particles float down after the explosion. Radiation sickness can be acute, happening soon after exposure, or chronic, where symptoms appear over time or after some time, possibly years later.
Symptoms of severe radiation poisoning will normally go through four stages. Prodomal stage : Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, lasting from a few minutes to several days.
Overt stage : Depending on the type of exposure, this can involve problems with the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematopoietic, and central nervous system CNS. Recovery or death : There may be a slow recovery, or the poisoning will be fatal.
Hematopoietic stem cells , or bone marrow cells, are the cells that all other blood cells derive from. The risk of illness depends on the dose. Very low doses of radiation are all around us all the time, and they do not have any effect. It also depends on the area of the body that is exposed. If the whole body is exposed to, say, 1, rads within a short time, this could be fatal.
However, far higher doses can be applied to a small area of the body with less risk. After a mild dose, the person may experience symptoms for just a few hours or days.
However, a repeated or even a single, relatively low dose that produces few or no visible symptoms around the time of exposure may cause problems later on. A person who is exposed to 3, rads will experience nausea and vomiting, and they may experience confusion and a loss of consciousness within a few hours. Tremors and convulsions will occur 5 to 6 hours after exposure. Within 3 days, there will be coma and death.
There may also be skin redness, cataracts , and heart problems. Localized exposure may lead to changes in the skin, loss of hair, and possibly skin cancer. Exposure to certain parts of the body is more dangerous than others, for example, the intestines.
Exposure to radiation can result from workplace exposure or an industrial accident, radiation therapy , or even deliberate poisoning, as in the case of the former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London by polonium placed in his tea.
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