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Radiation sickness
Radiation poisoning; radiation injury; rad poisoning
Radiation sickness is illness and symptoms resulting from excessive exposure to ionizing radiation.
There are two basic types of radiation: ionizing and nonionizing.
- Nonionizing radiation comes in the form of light, radio waves, microwaves and radar. This kind of radiation usually does not cause tissue damage.
- Ionizing radiation is radiation that produces immediate chemical effects on human tissue . X-rays, gamma rays, and particle bombardment (neutron beam, electron beam, protons, mesons, and others) give off ionizing radiation. This type of radiation can be used for medical testing and treatment, industrial and manufacturing purposes, weapons and weapons development, and more.
Considerations
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 a series of small exposures spread over time ( chronic ). Exposure may be accidental or intentional (as in radiation therapy ).
Acute
Acute means sudden or severe. Acute symptoms appear, change, or worsen rapidly. It is the opposite of chronic.
Chronic
Chronic refers to something that continues over an extended period of time. A chronic condition is usually long-lasting and does not easily or quick...
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-powered x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells.
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 of cancer depends on the dose and begins to build up, even with very low doses. There is no "minimum threshold".
Exposure from x-rays or gamma rays is measured in units of roentgens. For example:
- Total body exposure of 100 roentgens/rad or 1 Gray unit (Gy) causes radiation sickness.
- Total body exposure of 400 roentgens/rad (or 4 Gy) causes radiation sickness and death in half of the individuals who are exposed. Without medical treatment, nearly everyone who receives more than this amount of radiation will die within 30 days.
- 100,000 roentgens/rad (1,000 Gy) causes almost immediate unconsciousness and death within an hour.
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 immediately 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.
Causes
Causes include:
- Accidental exposure to high doses of radiation, such as radiation from a nuclear power plant accident
- Exposure to excessive radiation for medical treatments
Symptoms
You may have symptoms such as:
-
Bleeding from the nose
, mouth, gums, and rectum
Bleeding from the nose
A nosebleed is loss of blood from the tissue lining the nose. Bleeding most often occurs in 1 nostril only.
ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article - Bloody stool
- Bruising
- Confusion
-
Dehydration
Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when your body does not have as much water and fluids as it should. Dehydration can be mild, moderate, or severe, based on how muc...
ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article - Diarrhea
- Fainting
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Hair loss
- Inflammation of exposed areas (redness, tenderness, swelling, bleeding)
- Mouth ulcers
- Nausea and vomiting
- Open sores on the skin
-
Skin burns (redness,
blistering
)
Blistering
A vesicle is a small fluid-filled blister on the skin.
ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article - Sloughing of skin
- Ulcers (sores) in the esophagus (food pipe), stomach or intestines
-
Vomiting blood
Vomiting blood
Vomiting blood is regurgitating (throwing up) contents of the stomach that contains blood. Vomited blood may appear either a bright red or dark red c...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Weakness
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.
Anemia
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. Different type...
First Aid
Unfortunately, giving first aid to radiation victims may expose rescue personnel to radiation unless they are properly protected. Victims must be decontaminated as part of the resuscitation process so that they do not cause radiation injury to others. This may complicate the first aid and resuscitation process.
- Check the person's breathing and pulse.
-
Start
CPR
, if necessary.
CPR
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is an emergency lifesaving procedure that is done when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Remove the person's clothing and place the items in a sealed container. This stops ongoing contamination.
- Vigorously wash the victim with soap and water.
- Dry the victim and wrap with a soft, clean blanket.
- Call for emergency medical help or take the person to nearest emergency medical facility if you can do so safely
- REPORT EXPOSURE TO EMERGENCY OFFICIALS.
If symptoms occur during or after medical radiation treatments:
- Tell the provider or seek medical treatment.
- Handle affected areas gently.
- Treat symptoms or illnesses as recommended by the provider.
Do Not
- DO NOT remain in area where exposure occurred.
- DO NOT apply ointments to burned areas.
- DO NOT remain in contaminated clothing.
- DO NOT hesitate to seek emergency medical treatment.
Prevention
Preventive measures include:
- Avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation.
- Persons working in radiation hazard areas should wear badges to measure their exposure level.
- Protective shields should always be placed over the parts of the body not being treated or studied during x-ray imaging tests or radiation therapy.
References
Feldman R. Radiation injury. In: Schaider JJ, Hayden SR, Wolfe RE, Barkin RM, Rosen P, eds. Rosen and Barkin's 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult . 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007.
Schultz CH, Koenig KL. Weapons of mass destruction. In: Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, et al., eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice . 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2014:chap 194.
-
Radiation therapy - illustration
Radiation therapy is used to fight many types of cancer. Radiation targets rapidly dividing cells like cancer cells. Radiation prevents cell division and the replication of DNA (the genetic building blocks).
Radiation therapy
illustration
Review Date: 1/12/2015
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
