What should you do if you are exposed to radiation?

What should you do if you are exposed to radiation?

If you are indoors during a radiation emergency:

1. Stay inside. Close and lock all windows and doors. Go to the basement or the middle of the building.
2. If possible, turn off fans, air conditioners, and forced-air heating units that bring air in from the outside. Close fireplace dampers.

How do I know if I was exposed to radiation?

Symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), or radiation sickness, may include nausea, vomiting, headache and diarrhea. These symptoms start within minutes to days after the exposure, can last for minutes up to several days, and may come and go.

What happens if you are exposed to nuclear radiation?

Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome (“radiation sickness”). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

How often are you exposed to nuclear radiation?

If you lived within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant, you would receive an average radiation dose of about 0.01 millirem per year. To put this in perspective, the average person in the United States receives an exposure of 300 millirem per year from natural background sources of radiation.

Can radiation be washed off?

It is important to get radioactive material off your body as soon as possible to lower your risk of harm. Removing radioactive material from a person, object, or place is called decontamination. Decontaminating yourself will lower your exposure to harmful radioactive material.

How long can you be exposed to radiation?

Tremors and convulsions will occur 5 to 6 hours after exposure. Within 3 days, there will be coma and death. People who experience repeated doses, or who appear to recover, may have long-term effects.

Is it safe to live next to a nuclear power plant?

All Answers (7) Yes, is safe to live near Nuclear Power Plant.. The fact is, cancer rates and risks in general are lower around NPP. That has nothing to do with the plant itself, but instead with the higher standard of living of the people who live and work there.

Can you get radiation from someone who has been exposed?

For example, people who have radioactive dust on their clothing may spread the radioactive dust when they sit in chairs or hug other people. People who are internally contaminated can expose people near them to radiation from the radioactive material inside their bodies.