Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
In the event of a nuclear-device detonation, the initial extremely dangerous levels of radi-
ation will decay and diminish fairly quickly, so your best shot at avoiding serious radiation
sickness or death is to hole up in an area that is heavily shielded from radiation emanating from
deposits of radioactive fallout until the worst of the high levels of radiation have subsided, then
remove yourself to an area that is upwind from the contaminated zone. There were huge num-
bers of people who survived the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and they had no idea
whatsoever of what was going on.
In the case of a “dirty bomb” detonation, in all likelihood there will not be high levels of
radioactivity, such as from the detonation of a nuclear device or the breach of a reactor contain-
ment vessel, so the short-term danger will not be very high. However, the longer you remain in
the contaminated zone, the greater your chance of ingesting radioactive contamination that may
contribute to long-term negative health effects including cancers, tumors, chronic fatigue, de-
pressed immune-system response, and untimely death. After a terrorist attack or nuclear power
plant accident, unless you are very close to the site of the actual detonation, if you are armed
with proper information and make good decisions, you stand a decent chance of coming out of
your ordeal in relatively good shape.
Radiation and Protection Basics
In the event of an actual nuclear detonation, short-term high-level radiation will be a huge
threat. This comes in two forms. The first is the radiation burst coming from the actual detona-
tion, and the second is in the form of highly radioactive “fallout.” You will have no control
over the initial radiation burst, since that will travel at the speed of light, reaching victims be-
fore they hear anything or even have a chance to blink or shield their eyes. If possible, avoid
looking at a blast's fireball. This will help prevent blindness caused by exposing your eyes to
the thermal radiation emitted by a nuclear fireball. A nuclear detonation tends to create its own
weather pattern, causing shifting winds and usually resulting in a rainstorm even if the detona-
tion was on a clear day. It is absolutely imperative that you find shelter from direct contact with
fallout and black rain, as they contain highly radioactive materials. Fallout poses threats from
contamination through breathing and ingesting radioactive particles, as well as from exposure
to direct radiation that is emitted from the fallout when it settles to the earth and on top of ob-
jects such as rooftops and cars.
The radioactive components of fallout that give off the most deadly radiation (gamma rays)
decay very quickly. Fallout will lose about 90 percent of its gamma radiation after the first sev-
