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From nuclear explosions to medical accidents: How does acute radiation syndrome occur?
Acute radiation syndrome (ARS), also known as radiation sickness or radiation poisoning, is a series of health effects usually caused by exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation over a short period of time. Depending on the dose of exposure, symptoms may begin within hours of exposure and may last for months. Initial symptoms often include nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite, which may improve over time but can then develop into more serious problems that may ultimately lead to recovery or death.
Diagnosis of ARS is based on exposure history and symptoms, and multiple blood tests provide an indication of the dose witnessed.
The occurrence of acute radiation syndrome generally requires a dose greater than 0.7 Gy (70 rad), usually from an external source and delivered within a few minutes. Sources of radiation may be nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, certain cancer treatment devices, nuclear or radioactive weapons. Acute radiation syndrome is generally divided into three main types: myeloid syndrome, gastrointestinal syndrome, and neurovascular syndrome. It is important to note that these symptoms present different characteristics, each corresponding to a different dose range.
Three major types of acute radiation syndrome
First, myeloid syndrome usually occurs at doses ranging from 0.7 to 10 Gy, and the main cells affected are rapidly dividing cells. Second, gastrointestinal syndrome usually occurs after doses between 6 and 30 Gy and manifests as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Of greatest concern are neurovascular syndromes, which usually occur at doses exceeding 30 Gy and are almost always fatal.
Symptoms and signs
Early symptoms of ARS include nausea, headache, fatigue and temporary redness and swelling of the skin. These symptoms can occur at radiation doses above 0.35 Gy (35 rad). However, these symptoms are also common in many diseases, making it difficult to diagnose based on these symptoms alone.
"The pathological effects of contact burns increase with increasing radiation dose and may cause irreversible DNA damage to cells."
Causes of ARS
The occurrence of ARS is often caused by exposure to ionizing radiation exceeding a certain dose. Radiation includes alpha, beta, gamma rays, etc., among which gamma rays and neutron radiation can penetrate the human body, causing whole-body irradiation. Therefore, acute radiation symptoms often occur when exposed to external radiation.
Accidental and intentional exposure
ARS can occur not only from accidents, such as nuclear medical and radiation therapy machine failures, but also from intentional actions. There have been several serious events in history, such as the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in a large number of ARS cases.
Treatment Plan
The treatment of acute radiation syndrome is mainly supportive therapy, including blood transfusion, antibiotics, hematopoietic stimulating factors or stem cell transplantation. It is important to keep your skin and stomach clean of radioactive material, so special attention is needed to remove contamination.
Future Outlook
Although acute radiation syndrome is still relatively rare in today's society, potential risks still exist, including radiation accidents, nuclear war and other extreme situations. In dealing with these challenges, we need to continuously improve society's awareness and protection of radiation safety.
Are you prepared for a potential radiation crisis and understand its possible effects?
