Radiation poisoning what is it

Radiation sickness results when humans or other animals are exposed to very large doses of ionizing radiation. Radiation exposure can occur as a single large exposure acute. Or it can occur as a series of small exposures spread over time chronic. Exposure may be accidental or intentional as in radiation therapy for disease treatment. Radiation sickness is generally associated with acute exposure and has a characteristic set of symptoms that appear in an orderly fashion.

Chronic exposure is usually associated with delayed medical problems such as cancer and premature aging, which may happen over a long period of time. The risk for cancer depends on the dose and begins to build up, even with very low doses.

There is no "minimum threshold. The severity of symptoms and illness acute radiation sickness depends on the type and amount of radiation, how long you were exposed, and which part of the body was exposed. Symptoms of radiation sickness may occur right after exposure, or over the next few days, weeks, or months. Bone marrow and the gastrointestinal tract are especially sensitive to radiation injury. Children and babies still in the womb are more likely to be severely injured by radiation.

Because it is difficult to determine the amount of radiation exposure from nuclear accidents, the best signs of the severity of the exposure are: the length of time between the exposure and the onset of symptoms, the severity of symptoms, and severity of changes in white blood cells.

If a person vomits less than an hour after being exposed, that usually means the radiation dose received is very high and death may be expected. Children who receive radiation treatments or who are accidentally exposed to radiation will be treated based on their symptoms and their blood cell counts. Frequent blood studies are necessary and require a small puncture through the skin into a vein to obtain blood samples.

Your health care provider will advise you how best to treat these symptoms. Medicines may be prescribed to help reduce nausea, vomiting, and pain. Blood transfusions may be given for anemia low counts of healthy red blood cells. Antibiotics are used to prevent or fight infections.

Giving first aid to radiation victims may expose rescue personnel to radiation unless they are properly protected. Victims must be decontaminated so that they do not cause radiation injury to others.

Radiation can occur naturally or be man-made. There are two types:. Background radiation is all around us all the time. Most of it forms naturally from minerals. These radioactive minerals are in the ground, soil, water, and even our bodies. Background radiation can also come from outer space and the sun.

Other sources are man-made, such as x-rays, radiation therapy to treat cancer, and electrical power lines. Radiation has been around us throughout our evolution. So our bodies are designed to deal with the low levels we're exposed to every day. But too much radiation can damage tissues by changing cell structure and damaging DNA. This can cause serious health problems, including cancer.

Being exposed to a lot of radiation over a short period of time, such as from a radiation emergency , can cause skin burns. It may also lead to acute radiation syndrome ARS, or "radiation sickness".

The symptoms of ARS include headache and diarrhea. They usually start within hours. Those symptoms will go away and the person will seem healthy for a little while. But then they will get sick again. How soon they get sick again, which symptoms they have, and how sick they get depends on the amount of radiation they received. In some cases, ARS causes death in the following days or weeks. Exposure to low levels of radiation in the environment does not cause immediate health effects.

But it can slightly increase your overall risk of cancer. Before they start treatment, health care professionals need to figure out how much radiation your body absorbed. They will ask about your symptoms, do blood tests, and may use a device that measures radiation. If these initial blood counts are not taken, the dose can still be estimated by using CBC results over the first few days.

It would be best to have radiation dosimetrists conduct the dose assessment, if possible. If a patient is known to have been or suspected of having been exposed to a large radiation dose, draw blood for CBC analysis with special attention to the lymphocyte count, every 2 to 3 hours during the first 8 hours after exposure and every 4 to 6 hours for the next 2 days.

Observe the patient during this time for symptoms and consult with radiation experts before ruling out ARS. If no radiation exposure is initially suspected, you may consider ARS in the differential diagnosis if a history exists of nausea and vomiting that is unexplained by other causes.

Other indications are bleeding, epilation, or white blood count WBC and platelet counts abnormally low a few days or weeks after unexplained nausea and vomiting. Again, consider CBC and chromosome analysis and consultation with radiation experts to confirm diagnosis.

Initial Treatment and Diagnostic Evaluation Treat vomiting 5 , and repeat CBC analysis, with special attention to the lymphocyte count, every 2 to 3 hours for the first 8 to 12 hours following exposure and every 4 to 6 hours for the following 2 or 3 days.

Sequential changes in absolute lymphocyte counts over time are demonstrated below in the Andrews Lymphocyte Nomogram see Figure 1.

Precisely record all clinical symptoms, particularly nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and itching, reddening or blistering of the skin. Be sure to include time of onset. In Personal Dosimetry for Radiation Accidents. Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency; Note and record areas of erythema. If possible, take color photographs of suspected radiation skin damage.

Consider tissue, blood typing, and initiating viral prophylaxis. Promptly consult with radiation, hematology, and radiotherapy experts about dosimetry, prognosis, and treatment options. New York : Parthenon Publishing; Medical Management of Radiation Accidents, 2 nd ed.

Jarrett DG. Medical Management of Radiological Casualties Handbook, 1 st ed. LaTorre TE. Primer of Medical Radiobiology, 2 nd ed.

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