How to protect yourself from Radiation in a Nuclear War

[walt willis]

A Geiger counter and a radiation detector will both meter fallout radiation from a nuclear weapon detonation, but there are some differences I found on "Survivor" web site. JWR has a new book that should be ready by October first 2013.

First, you have to understand what you need and want. There are both Geiger counters and survey meters and they are VERY different in what they do. Survey meters measure levels of radiation that will peg out a Geiger counter. I guess the best way I can explain their uses is in a scenario:

Tensions are rising and you decide that now would be a good time to make final preperations for a nuke attack. You check the stocks in your shelter and break out your survey meter. In most models, there is a detachable probe that you leave ourside your shelter and keep the meter in your shelter. Uh-oh, the mushroom shaped ballon has now gone up and fallout is heading your way. This is when your survey meter outside the shelter begins to register and generally at levels that are not condusive to your good health. Go outside right now and you are going into a microwave. Not good.

Now after a couple weeks, radiation levels begin to decay to the levels that is alright to leave the shelter for short periods of time. This is where your dosimeters come into play. These devices that you carry with you moniter the radiation dose you receive along with the dosimeter. Now the safe dosage varies by several factors to include age, prior radiation exposure, etc. so some people can be out a bit longer than others. Now you check your dosimeter and realize that it's time to get back inside the shelter.

As you come to your shelter door, you go through your decontimation procedures. You are pretty sure you removed all contamination off but do you KNOW for sure you're going to drag radioactive contamination back into the shelter with you.

Your dosimeter measures cumulatively and won't tell you if you are still contaminated and your survey meter that was designed to measure gross and current levels of radiation is far too insensitive to measure smaller amounts.

This is where your Geiger counter comes into play. Your Geiger counter that would be overloaded from initial fallout is sensitive enough to detect small particles that you may still be contaminated with. You DID wash behind your ears, didn't you? Ok, maybe you missed that spot so you hit the spots you missed and now you can re-enter your shelter without dragging in contaminates with you. If you use a Geiger counter you will need to use timer to keep track of your exposure time related to the diferent levels of radiation that will vary over the time exposed. Clear as mud?

1rem = .01 sievert = 10 millisievert
What the levels mean:
Background radiation-------0.01 to 0.05 mR/hr
Very low level radiation-----0.1 mR/hr
Daily human safety limit----1 mR/hr
Small danger--------------10mR/hr (=0.01 R/hr)
Moderate danger----------100 mR/hr (=0.1 R/hr)
High danger---------------1000 mR/hr (=1 R/hr)
Read more at Is there any need to buy a geiger counter? - Survivalist Forum

 

[Samstwitch]

Walt, thanks for that explanation.

 

[walt willis]

I added more info opinions. There was some good points made by this guy. Radioactive dust ingested into your lungs will kill you over time. You must always protect yourself a family from bringing that dust back inside your home. We have a wash off room set aside with a warm water shower stall and drain as well as a place to dispose of the full body painters suit with the N-95 face mask/and goggles. John Titor may be for real and the story of a nuclear war may be as well.

You will not detect radiation from Fukushima. The total radiation in Fukushima is less than our Natural Background here in the USA. We get 99.9% of our radiation from natural sources, called Natural Background Radiation. That was true in spite of the 600 in-atmosphere bomb tests during the 1950s and 1960s.

WHERE DID NATURAL BACKGROUND RADIATION COME FROM?

The visible universe [ignoring dark matter and dark energy] started out with only 3 elements: hydrogen, helium and lithium. All other elements were made in stars or by supernova explosions. Our star is a seventh generation star. The previous 6 generations of stars were necessary for the elements heavier than lithium to be built up. Since radiation processes built the heavier elements, they were very radioactive when first made.

Our planet was made of the debris of a supernova explosion that happened about 5 billion years ago. The Earth has been decreasing in radioactivity ever since. All elements heavier than iron were necessarily made by accretion of mostly neutrons but sometimes protons onto lighter nuclei. Radioactive decays were necessary to bring these new nuclei into the realm of nuclear stability. That is why all rocks are still radioactive. The supernova made all radioactive elements including plutonium, cesium 137, neptunium, and americium etcetera.

Radiation also comes from outer space in the form of cosmic rays. Cosmic rays come from supernovas that are very far away. There will always be cosmic rays. Cosmic rays turn nitrogen in the air into radioactive carbon. We date Egyptian mummies with the radioactive carbon they ate thousands of years ago. Of course it is not possible to be exposed to less radiation than the natural background where you live.

Again: 4 Billion years ago, the Earth was a lot more radioactive than it is today. There is no place in or on Earth or in space where there is no radiation. There never was.

ZERO PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM FUKUSHIMA RADIATION IN THE U.S. SO FAR.

"Fear of Radiation (unnecessarily hasty evacuation and other measures) has killed 761 and radiation has killed none from Fukushima" as of August 07, 2012

573 certified deaths were due to evacuation-related stress at Fukushima. Zero due to radiation. As of February 4, 2012

ZERO PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM 3 Mile Island RADIATION.
Fewer than 100 died from Chernobyl radiation. The Chernobyl reactor was a primitive Generation One machine without a containment building. American reactors have containment buildings that can contain any accident. (Added- "Up to a point until the bottom melts and breaches into the water table."

Professor Allison says we can take up to 10 rems per month, a little more than 1000 times the present "legal" limit. The old limit was 5 rems/lifetime. A single dose of 800 rems could kill you, but if you have time to recover between doses of 10 rems, no problem. It is like donating blood: You see "4 gallon donor" stickers on cars. You know they didn't give 4 gallons all at once. There is a threshold just over 10 rems. You are getting .35 rems/year NATURAL background radiation right where you are right now. Children are less able to handle radiation then adults.

Divide 5 rems by your present Natural Background Radiation. For Americans, Natural Background Radiation is at least .35 rems/year. Our Natural Background Radiation uses up our 5 rems/lifetime when we are 14 years old.

Natural Background Radiation is radiation that was always there, 1000 years ago, a million years ago, etc. Natural Background Radiation comes from the rocks in the ground and from exploding stars thousands of light years away. All rocks contain uranium. Radon gas is a decay product of uranium. Too much Radon may cause of Leukemia in people.

 

[Samstwitch]

Thanks Walt. This is a great topic! This is very important information that I feel will be needed in the not-too-distant future. I do believe a Nuclear War is in the making.

 

[HDRKID]

People who claim that all is fine are lying to you. Fukushima is getting worse. First off, the reactors are still leaking nuclear waste into the ocean.