What is the most dangerous aspect of a radiological dispersion device?
What is the most dangerous aspect of a radiological dispersion device?
The main danger from a dirty bomb comes from the explosion, not the radiation. The explosion can cause serious injuries and property damage. People nearby could be injured by pieces of radioactive material from the bomb.
What is the most likely impact of a dirty bomb?
The main danger from a dirty bomb is from the explosion, which can cause serious injuries and property damage. The radioactive materials used in a dirty bomb would probably not create enough radiation exposure to cause immediate serious illness, except to those people who are very close to the blast site.
How does nuclear radiation affect the human body?
Ionizing radiation—the kind that minerals, atom bombs and nuclear reactors emit—does one main thing to the human body: it weakens and breaks up DNA, either damaging cells enough to kill them or causing them to mutate in ways that may eventually lead to cancer.
Why do you suppose it is dangerous to look at the blast created by a nuclear weapon?
Those who look directly at the blast could experience eye damage ranging from temporary blindness to severe burns on the retina. Individuals near the blast site would be exposed to high levels of radiation and could develop symptoms of radiation sickness (called acute radiation syndrome, or ARS).
Can we control our exposure to radiation?
Time, Distance and Shielding in addition to natural background radiation, limiting or minimizing the exposure time reduces the dose from the radiation source. Therefore, inserting the proper shield between you and a radiation source will greatly reduce or eliminate the dose you receive.
How do you protect yourself from a dirty bomb?
Prevent inhalation or ingestion of radioactive dust or deposition of radioactive dust on skin or a wound. Avoid areas with radioactive contamination. Decontaminate yourself in accordance with your site decontamination plan. Use radiation detection devices.
