Effects From Nuclear Radiation

The three effects of a nuclear explosion are heat, blast and radiation. Heat from the explosion causes fires and burns. The blast forcefully surges out from the epicenter and levels buildings and other structures. These first two effects are immediate, and their results are clearly visible. The third effect, radiation, is more subtle and long-lasting. Radiation can cause acute sickness and death, and in lower doses it can cause long-term health deficiencies, including some cancers. Unlike the blast and heat, which are over within moments or days, radiation can take years to dissipate. Along with nuclear explosions, like those at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear accidents can also result in leaks of radiation, as seen during the incident at Chernobyl. The effects of nuclear radiation are harmful, and depending on the dosage, radiation sickness or poisoning can be fatal.

Nausea, Vomiting and Hair loss

• Radiation doses are measured in rems, and a one-time exposure to less than 100 rems of radiation is not typically dangerous, though repeated exposure to small doses of radiation can cause long-term health effects. Exposure to approximately 100 to 200 rems of radiation causes radiation sickness. Someone with radiation sickness may experience nausea and vomiting as well as hair loss. Hair loss from low-level radiation sickness is not usually permanent, and hair should regrow normally. A person may also have headaches with the other symptoms.

Internal Damage

• With exposure to 300 rems or higher, severe internal damage is likely. Radiation causes loss of white blood cells, which are necessary for the body's immune system to fight infections. Because of the decreased white blood cells, people with radiation sickness are more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Radiation also causes damage to the cells lining the digestive tract, nerve cells and blood platelets. Patients with radiation sickness are at risk of severe hemorrhaging. High doses of radiation also cause fevers and digestive upset. Exposure to levels of radiation over 450 rems can be fatal, and anything over 800 rems is always lethal.

Long-term Effects

• Repeated exposure to small doses of radiation, or one incident of exposure to radiation levels of 200 rems or above, may not be lethal, but they can cause long-term health problems. Radiation can cause certain cancers, such as leukemia and thyroid cancer, to appear later in life after recovering from radiation sickness. Radiation also affects reproductive systems by damaging reproductive cells. It can cause sterility, or it can cause mutations to the genetic material in cells. People exposed to radiation may later give birth to children with birth defects because of radiation's effects on the reproductive system.