re: #173 wheat-dogg

Radiation can be lethal in several ways, like any other environmental contamination. Alpha particles are relatively slow and don’t penetrate very deep into your body. Beta particles (electrons) can penetrate deeper and can disrupt cells and DNA. Gamma can pass right through you and cause a lot of molecular damage. Proximity makes a big difference, too. A short burst of radiation from 10,000 feet away can damage your body, but your cells can recover given time. On the other hand, the hero of the Manhattan Project who prevented a mass of U-235 from going critical by manually separating the subcritical halves got a massive exposure of everything from a few feet away. He died horribly a few days later.

Prolonged exposure to even low-level radiation is a different story, a lot like ingesting small amounts of lead or mercury over time. Before medical experts realized X-ray machines and cathode-ray tubes (TV sets) were zapping everyone nearby with ionizing radiation, you could go to the shoe store and look at the bones of your feet while X-rays also coursed through other parts of your body, like your ‘nads. Now X-ray exposure is carefully regulated, especially for radiologists. Early CRTs also leaked lower level radiation as the electrons smacked into the metal anode behind the viewscreen (Brehmsstrahlung radiation is how X-ray tubes work). TV tubes were eventually shielded and the velocity of the electrons regulated to prevent ionizing radiation.

Fallout from a nuclear strike remains in the environment and the food chain for years, or longer, depending on the isotopes involved, with significant health effects. Ask people from Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl.

Actually, that was a plutonium core, and you’re referring to the Demon Core incidents.