Young Writers Society

Since buying the game Fallout NV, I've become more interested in nuclear weaponry and the prospect of setting some stories in a world after a nuclear catastrophe. Problem is, I was rubbish at physics in school and we didn't get anywhere near this topic while I was still studying it. As a result, when I look up these things online, I can't really get my head around what I'm being told or pick out the info I actually need. o-o So that's where you come in.

Here are a couple of things I need to know:

- What would happen if a person entered a highly irradiated zone? How immediate would death be, and what would the death involve in itself?

-Would this person be able to feel anything happening as a result of the radiation before they died?

- For someone with radiation sickness, what would the last stage of their life be like?

- And finally, how far out from the centre of the blast would be considered 'an exclusion zone' i.e. too dangerous to enter? How far in would one have to travel in order for the radiation to kill them?

Kay, that ended up being nearly entirely about death. Sorry 'bout that. o-o Answer as much or as little as you like. :3 I'll cross out questions as they're answered to keep things tidy.

Anyone who I feel really helped will be offered points or a review, whichever they prefer. ^^

Thanks in advance!

What would happen if a person entered a highly irradiated zone? How immediate would death be, and what would the death involve in itself?

The death depends on the severity of the radiation, the person would experience mutation on his DNA contract Cancer and radiation poisoning, the person will have symptoms like:
1 Gy = 100 Rads
1. Nausea and Vomiting(1-2 Gy)
2. Headache(1-2 Gy)
3. Diarrhea(1-2 Gy)
4. Seizures, Tremor, Ataxia, Lethargy (30> Gy, which is REALLY high)
If not treated, people who are exposed to high amounts of radiations will die in 1-2 days(100% Mortality rate, even when under intensive care). Minor radiation poisoning will have a mortality rate of around 0-5% and 0-50%, if not treated, death will occur around 6-8 weeks, 2-4 weeks or shorter.

And finally, how far out from the centre of the blast would be considered 'an exclusion zone' i.e. too dangerous to enter? How far in would one have to travel in order for the radiation to kill them?

This one depends on the blast and what has happened. Take Japan (well, the only real example). Their nuke dropped on them had a blast radius of about 1.6 km (instant death from the heat, vacuum, and explosion) and then an additional five to eleven km radiation field (though dangerous would probably be the first six or seven km and minor would be the later). However, take Chernobyl and their danger zone stretched for several hundred km. My facts aren't 100% correct, but for the most part they're on the right track.

Radiation is a fickle thing however. It can travel by wind and water so you may have radiation as far as a thousand km that is potentially harmful.

P.S, if you like Fallout, try S.T.A.L.K.E.R

- What would happen if a person entered a highly irradiated zone? How immediate would death be, and what would the death involve in itself?

Radiation is all about chance. First off, it depends on the type of radiation:
Alpha radiation is the most dangerous, but also the least harmful. Anyone exposed to high doses of alpha radiation will contract radiation poisoning pretty damn soon. It is the highest ionising (It reacts the most with the atoms it hits), so will cause the most damage. However, because it reacts so much with the stuff it hits, it can't travel very far. A single sheet of paper will stop it. It is the same nature as a helium nucleus (2 protons, 2 neutrons)
Beta radiation is in the middle. It takes 8mm of aluminium to stop beta radiation. It's the same as an electron.
Gamma radiation is by far the worst. It takes 20mm of lead to properly stop gamma rays, or 1ft of concrete. Also, gamma is a wave, whereas alpha and beta are particles. All three are produced when unstable atoms emit particles to stabilize themselves.
So, if a person was to enter an irradiated zone, they would be bombarded with the radioactive particles from the stuff around them trying to stabilize. This would cause damage to them, such as the things described by Vitamin Cakes. The Gy thing is what is used to describe the dose someone receives from a radioactive substance. It is shown by the formula D=E/m, where E is the energy of the particles, D is the absorbed dose and m is the mass of the person. So, the higher energy the particles, and the lower the persons mass, the higher a dose they will receive. This causes damage due to the radiation ionising with the persons skin, producing heat, chemical change or physical change. So, with alpha being the highest ionising and the lowest penetrating, it will cause a huge amount of damage to a small area.
Death might not even occur, if the dose was small enough. However, if it did, it would be very painful.

-Would this person be able to feel anything happening as a result of the radiation before they died?

Yes. Yes they would.

- For someone with radiation sickness, what would the last stage of their life be like?

Very, very painful, and full of nausea and fear.

- And finally, how far out from the centre of the blast would be considered 'an exclusion zone' i.e. too dangerous to enter? How far in would one have to travel in order for the radiation to kill them?

I believe this has already been answered. However, if you're planning on doing a story where there has been a nuclear apocalypse, most of the world would be irradiated, with whichever countries that have been bombed being the worst, along with any countries downwind of them.

I hope this helped, and if not feel free to mail me any more questions!!