For the prevention of radiation sickness, attention must be paid to the reduction of risk factors
Environmental exposure – Intoxications (poisonings).
- Occupational contact with radiation/radioactive substances (radionucleotides).
Other risk factors
- Radiation accidents
- Atomic bomb explosion (e.g. nuclear power plant accident).
Preventive measures
The most important primary measures are distance, shielding and minimum exposure time.Shielding is done by clothing or special protective suits. These must be tested for radioactivity after wearing and, if in doubt, disposed of. This protects against contamination with alpha emitters in 90% of all cases. Protection against incorporation of radioactive substances by inhalation is provided by respirators (a simple mouth guard is almost ineffective). Protection against gamma radiation is provided only by shielded protective suits, which are heavy and cumbersome. Staying indoors – especially in the basement – reduces the radiation dose by 80-90%! All mentioned measures are only promising if the affected persons can leave the contaminated area. The essential factor for the consequences of radiation is the exposure time!
The most important secondary measure is consistent decontamination (persons are decontaminated in a three-stage process: Removal of clothing, cleaning (shower) and re-dressing).
Note on potassium iodide!Potassium iodide in tablet form (colloquially known as “iodine tablets“) is administered as a preventive measure in the event of radiation accidents. This causes an iodine blockade and thus leads to a reduction in the uptake of radioactive iodine into the thyroid gland by a factor of 90 and more.The iodine blockade should take place before the uptake of the radioactive iodine,at the latest within two hours after exposure. If taken later, potassium iodide can still shorten the retention time of the radioiodine in the body. However, initial use should not be later than one day after ingestion of radioactive iodine, otherwise its excretion will be delayed and the residence time in the body will be increased.
