Radiation Poisoning

We are being exposed to low levels of radiation every day through cooking with microwaves, using cell phones, air travel, computers and laptops, and contamination of our food or water.

Most of us are aware of what large doses can do, when we consider the side effects from chemo-therapy or the historical pictures of the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

When it comes to risks and toxic exposure levels, the most difficult thing is having a practical reference for what is a dangerous amount.

With the earthquake of March 2011 in Japan and the chain of events that have led to the Nuclear Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, the US sits waiting to understand the severity of the radioactive fallout that is blowing our direction.

The idea of the health risks associated with radiation poisoning has already caused a degree of panic and certain supplements are sold out. This is a perfect example of how important it is to verify your resources and understand data.

UC Berkeley has been testing both rain water and milk from grass feed cows and graphed their results in a very practical chart.

At the time this article was written, the chart reads that if you purchased contaminated milk with a best buy date of 4/4 (the highest reading for contamination so far and levels have dropped), you would have to consume 3,800 liters to equal the same radiation exposure for Iodine 131 as one round trip flight from San Fran to Washington DC.

Now doesn't that put all this into a greater and more usable perspective?

Actually didn't realize that air travel was radioactive as well as uncomfortable!

The value of having this type of data communicated is essential. It is also valuable to be prepared for this type of catastrophe, and so below is a chart of sypmtoms that outline the severity of levels of radiation exposure.

Initial signs and symptoms of Radiation Poisoning

The initial signs and symptoms of treatable radiation sickness are usually nausea and vomiting. The amount of time between exposure and when these symptoms develop is an indicator of how much radiation a person has absorbed.

After the first round of signs and symptoms, a person with radiation sickness may have a brief period with no apparent illness, followed by the onset of new, more serious symptoms.

In general, the greater your radiation exposure, the more rapid and more severe your symptoms will be.

An absorbed dose of radiation is measured in a unit called a gray (Gy). Diagnostic tests that use radiation, such as an X-ray, result in a small dose of radiation — typically well below 0.1 Gy, focused on a few organs or small amount of tissue.

Signs and symptoms of radiation sickness usually appear when the entire body receives an absorbed dose of at least 1 Gy. Doses greater than 6 Gy to the whole body are generally not treatable and usually lead to death within two days to two weeks, depending on the dose and duration of the exposure.

Please seek immediate medical attention if you feel you have been exposed to radiation.

As the flight attendants say before take off, "in the unlikely event of..."

The fact that an earthquake caused this nuclear accident which, as of 4/6/11, still has the real threat of a full blown explosion/meltdown, we should definitely become aware and as prepared as possible for the possibility of living with radioactive materials contaminating our water, air, and food.

Click on How To Detox Radiation Poisioning to learn more about dietary strategies that can help flush these toxins out of our body.

RESOURCES:

1. http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/2174

2. http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/RainWaterSampling

3. http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/1922

4. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/radiation-sickness/DS00432/DSECTION=symptoms