WEBVTT - How Does Radiation Sickness Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain stuff from how stuff works. Hey, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Christian Segar, and this is brain stuff for most people.

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<v Speaker 1>Ionizing radiation isn't something we need to worry about, but

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<v Speaker 1>some unexpected events can make us sick from radiation, like

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<v Speaker 1>nuclear power plant accidents, atomic bombs, leaks, and medical or

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<v Speaker 1>industrial devices, or acts of terrorism. And what we know

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<v Speaker 1>about severe radiation sickness is from incidents like these. So

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<v Speaker 1>radiation it's actually everywhere. It's in the atmosphere, the ground,

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<v Speaker 1>the water, and even our own bodies. We call this

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<v Speaker 1>natural background radiation and it's perfectly safe. Radiation strips electrons

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<v Speaker 1>away from atoms, creating a positively charged atom called an ion. Therefore,

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<v Speaker 1>high energy radiation is called ionizing radiation. Releasing the electron

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<v Speaker 1>produces thirty three electron volts of energy, and this heat

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<v Speaker 1>surrounding tissue and disrupts some chemical bonds. Extremely high energy

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<v Speaker 1>radiation can destroy the nuclei of atoms, releasing even more

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<v Speaker 1>energy and causing more damage. The resulting radiation sickness is

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<v Speaker 1>a cumulative effect of all of this damage on a

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<v Speaker 1>human body bombarded with radiation. Now, radiation exposure is measured

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<v Speaker 1>in units called milarem or m REM. Higher readings are

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<v Speaker 1>measured in ms V, which are multiples of one hundred mrem.

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<v Speaker 1>In the US, we get an average annual dose of

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<v Speaker 1>three hundred and sixty m rem. More than eight percent

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<v Speaker 1>comes from natural background radiation, and there are three kinds

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<v Speaker 1>of ionizing radiation. Alpha particles are the first, and they're

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<v Speaker 1>the least dangerous. They don't penetrate deeply into our skin

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<v Speaker 1>if they do at all, because clothes can stop the particles,

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<v Speaker 1>but they can be inhaled or ingested, usually as a

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<v Speaker 1>raid on gas, and they can also lead to lung cancer.

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<v Speaker 1>Beta particles are another one. These are when electrons move

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<v Speaker 1>quickly with a lot of energy. There are eight thousand

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<v Speaker 1>times smaller than alpha particles, so they can penetrate the

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<v Speaker 1>skin and this can burn us or cause tissue damage.

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<v Speaker 1>Beta particles can be ingested if they enter food or

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<v Speaker 1>water supplies. And then we've got the most dangerous, which

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<v Speaker 1>are gamma rays, extremely high energy that travels through matter.

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<v Speaker 1>Since they have no mass, these can be only blocked

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<v Speaker 1>by several inches of lead or concrete. If you're exposed

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<v Speaker 1>to them, they run through your whole body, affecting the

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<v Speaker 1>tissue and even the marrow of your bones, and these

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<v Speaker 1>cause widespread systemic damage. So how does radiation make a

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<v Speaker 1>sick Well, it deposits energy into our tissue, causing cell damage,

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<v Speaker 1>and this can make our cells abnormal or malignant. Huge

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<v Speaker 1>amounts of radiation and kill within days or hours in

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<v Speaker 1>acute exposure and frequent exposure to low doses over long

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<v Speaker 1>periods is called chronic exposure. This causes a delay in

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<v Speaker 1>those health effects. However, when we're talking about amounts of

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<v Speaker 1>radiation needed to trigger radiation sickness symptoms, it's in terms

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<v Speaker 1>of total dosage, and this also takes into account radiation intensity,

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<v Speaker 1>how much is absorbed into the human body, how long

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<v Speaker 1>the exposure is, and the types of radiation involved. And

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<v Speaker 1>this is quantified as the c vert, measured by the

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<v Speaker 1>absorption of energy multiplied by the radiation type. So, for instance,

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<v Speaker 1>a ct scan is equal to point zero one siverts

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<v Speaker 1>of radiation. Now, federal guidelines limit your maximum annual dose

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<v Speaker 1>to point zero five siverts. The average person gets point

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<v Speaker 1>zero zero three six siverts from background radiation. Point seven

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<v Speaker 1>five sea verts can be enough to induce radiation sickness,

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<v Speaker 1>including nausea in a weak immune system. Three siverts is

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<v Speaker 1>more severe, but it won't kill you. Five siverts and

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<v Speaker 1>higher radiation will start damaging your skin so it doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>heal properly. Your hair will fall out, scars develop under

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<v Speaker 1>your skin, swelling and forming keloids. Now between three siverts

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<v Speaker 1>and ten siverts gives you a fifty percent chance of

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<v Speaker 1>dying in thirty days, and an instant dose of ten

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<v Speaker 1>siverts that will be fatal even with medical care. The

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<v Speaker 1>effects of radiation sickness include initial symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, headaches, fever,

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<v Speaker 1>and a loss of consciousness. With high doses, you'll also

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<v Speaker 1>see burns to the skin, and symptoms occur more quickly

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<v Speaker 1>the higher the dose, but they fade over one to

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<v Speaker 1>two days. The latent period is where there are no

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<v Speaker 1>symptoms over several weeks, and after this period real damage

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<v Speaker 1>is evident. Bone marrow is vulnerable and can't produce enough

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<v Speaker 1>red or white blood cells, and this makes victims anemic

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<v Speaker 1>and susceptible to infections. It also damages the digestive systems lining,

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<v Speaker 1>and this allows bacteria to migrate from there into your blood,

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<v Speaker 1>causing more infections. So you're probably wondering, well, what's the

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<v Speaker 1>treatment available. Well, that begins with decontaminating the patient. If

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<v Speaker 1>radioactive material is still present, Washing and special drugs like

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<v Speaker 1>Prussian blue dye can be used, and these drugs bind

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<v Speaker 1>radioactive particles and flush them from your body. You'll also

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<v Speaker 1>want to evaluate your exposure with symptom checks using blood

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<v Speaker 1>tests or a Geiger counter. You'll want antibiotics for the infections,

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<v Speaker 1>and blood transcusions are used to compensate for damaged bone marrow.

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<v Speaker 1>Actual marrow transplants are used in even more severe cases,

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<v Speaker 1>and pills can reduce the symptoms of exposure. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>potassium iodide tablets prevent radioactive iodine from concentrating in your thyroid. However,

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<v Speaker 1>it does not protect you from direct radiation exposure. To

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<v Speaker 1>prevent that, well, you can start by avoiding radiation, but

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<v Speaker 1>the CDC recommends that you stay inside your home because

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<v Speaker 1>the walls can block some radiation and the safest room

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<v Speaker 1>in your house is the one with the least windows.

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<v Speaker 1>Once you're in a safe place, figure out if you've

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<v Speaker 1>been contaminated. Ways to do this would be get out

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<v Speaker 1>of the area, remove your outer clothes, and put these

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<v Speaker 1>clothes in a plastic bag away from all others. Wash

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<v Speaker 1>all your exposed body parts, and any internal contamination may

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<v Speaker 1>need medical attention. Now you know what to do if

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<v Speaker 1>you've been exposed to enough radiation to cause serious sickness.

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<v Speaker 1>Check out the brain stuff channel on YouTube, and for

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<v Speaker 1>more in this and thousands of other topics, visit how

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