The accidental or hostile exposure of individuals to ionizing irradiation is of great public and military concern. Radiation sickness (acute radiation syndrome, or ARS) occurs when the body is exposed to a high dose of penetrating radiation within a short period of time. Systemic infection is one of the serious consequences of ARS. There is a direct relation between the magnitude of radiation exposure and the risk of developing infection. The risk of systemic infection is higher whenever there is a combined injury such as burn or trauma. Ionizing radiation enhances infection by allowing translocation of oral and gastrointestinal flora, and reducing the threshold of sepsis due to endogenous and exogenous microorganisms. The potential for concomitant accidental or terrorism-related exposure to bio-terrorism agents such as anthrax and radiation also exists.

This site is made of a home page that presents new developments and updates on the management of acute radiation syndrome including concomitant exposure to radiation and anthrax. Separate pages are dedicated to the treatment modalities.

Friday, April 1, 2022

Kharkiv nuclear research facility hit by shelling

      The Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology is intended for the research and production of radioisotopes for medical and industrial needs. It was hit by shelling of the laboratories and nearby buildings four weeks ago. The "good news" is that the newly built neutron source is always subcritical, and the inventory of radioactive material very low, thus reducing the risks of high amounts of radiation being released, according to the IAEA. The IAEA said that radiation levels at the Chernobyl site had reached 9.8 microsieverts/h, or roughly 86 millisieverts/y; IAEA safe level standards are 1 mSv/y for the general population and 20 mSv/y for radiation workers. A rule of thumb for increased risk of radiation-induced cancers is 5 per cent per Sievert, or 1 per cent for every 200 mSv. However, at these low levels the risk/dose ratio isn't linear and the algorithms don't include the dose rate.

Written by Glen Reeves MD




 

 

Posted by at 7:03 AM

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