h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Gamma Radiation is of course traveling at the speed of light and is more penetrating than most X-rays. The main danger from gamma is that it can strike and ionize atoms deep inside the body where they can do major damage. There is somewhat less danger that gamma radiation may cause DNA or mutation damage.

Most of the danger from combat radiation comes from Alpha and Beta radiation. Alpha radiation is from positively charged ions. Beta radiation is generally from relatively high energy free electrons. Alpha particles are large and can be stopped by a sheet of paper. Beta 'particles' are somewhat more penetrating but can be stopped with reasonable amounts of ordinary materials. The real problem with these forms of radiation is that dust particles in the air may be radioactive and inhaled which leads to a lot of ionizing effects inside the lungs and through contact with the rest of the body.

You do not discuss filtration of shelter structure air supplies which is easily done with rolls of toilet paper as filter elements or some such. You do not discuss concerns about contamination at some disttance from a blast.

You do not discuss beneficial uses of radiation including evolution. You do not discuss the fact that we are constantly being bombarded with radiation every day of our lives and that it is the amount of radiation within a given amount of time that determines when a dangerous or lethal dose has been received. I guess it wouldn't hurt to mention actual dossages from things like TV's and Cell Phones as well as minimum danger threasholds.

Barton

...sounds like a follow-up article to me.

You might also want to reference Nevil Shute's disturbing novel "On The Beach", which describes the process of dying from radiation poisoning. If that doesn't make you join CND...

And 'biorobot' might not be as harsh as it sounds. Doesn't the word 'robot' simply mean 'worker' (in Czech?)

Great article, though. Even I could understand it and, as you know, I know about little else other than conkers!

This is actually part of a University Project that I'm doing on and off on Nuclear Chemical and Biological Warfare.

I don't know what the CND is, but the goal of the entries isn't to scare people and shape their political views. It's to inform them about the threat and means of protection. Eventually, I'll finish out the rest of the project, and these will be edited entries. As such, they should be neutral.

Hi, Two Bit. Didn't subscribe to this entry, so didn't notice this thread until now...

I *think* the article is neutral. If not, feel free to tinker.

CND = Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a left-wing organisation in the UK which campaigned for, well, you know, but specifically for UNILATERAL disarmament. Pivotal event in their history was a march on the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston in the 1960s. Political influence waned after that. In today's climate their influence is pretty negligible.

Give me a shout if there's anything else you need on this project which you think I might be able to help with...

H.

I was responding to jwordsmith. I wouldn't want to include something about the horrors of radiation poisoning. That would tend to induce panic.

All the focus that the press has put on 'dirty bombs' has assured that a device which is difficult to produce and unlikely to cause do more than raise cancer rates will cause numerous deaths due to panic.

Actually, the proper term is radiation dispersal devices. A dirty bomb is a nuclear weapon that isn't efficient and cause a lot of highly radioactive fall out.