Radiation detection

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I have KI tablets, but I am looking for information on how to actually detect radiation so I know when to take them. If Y2K causes a meltdown in my friendly neighborhood power plant which I am downwind of. Any idea where to find such things?

Tim :wq

D'Oh!

-- Tim the Y2k Nut (tmiley@yakko.cs.wmich.edu), July 09, 1999

Answers

If you are vomiting and your hair is falling out... just kidding, of course. Radiation is silent, you know. No odor. Will they tell you on your battery-powered radio? Or watch for the guys rushing past in their space-suit type rigs. Sorry, but don't worry, we'll all get the fallout.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWAyne@aol.com), July 09, 1999.

Supposedly you can get such things here:

http://www.tacda.org/TACDA%20Store/dosimeter.htm

But I haven't tried it yet.

-- Jon Johnson (narnia4@usa.net), July 09, 1999.


A good starting pint is Nuclear War Survival, Chapter 10

-- de (delewis@Xinetone.net), July 09, 1999.

"pint?" how about a "point?"

-- de (delewis@inetone.net), July 09, 1999.

If you get a radiation detector, you will start measuring the natural background at around 80-120 mrem/year (more if you live at higher altitude, near lots of granite, or naturally occuring radon sources, or fly on an airplane. Then, you will have to decide if being bathed constantly at that level of radiation is hazardous. How will you do that? Do you know what a mrem is? If you're uncomfortable with 100 mrem/year, then I'll guess you'll have to take up residence on the moon (oops, that's worse...). Or, live in a lead-lined room. Oops, lead is hazardous...

Bob, Ph.D.

-- Bob (janebob99@aol.com), July 09, 1999.



Try Major Surplus and Survival (800) 441-8855. They typically sell radiation detection gear. I picked up a set of dosemeters and charger (they don't sell these anymore, that I know of), and a mil- surplus rate meter. You ought to have both dosemeters and rate meter - the dose meters tell you how much dose you have taken since your last recalibration, whereas the rate meter only tells you what the current radiation rate is.

-- Bill (billclo@msgbox.com), July 09, 1999.

The school science supply catalogs (will give the contact later, don't have it with me) stock geiger counters.

Note: Your money is probably MUCH better spent on something else. Food, clothing, alt. heaters, water, health care/medicine, and almost anything else should have priority. These will affect you and your family immediate and quickly. Worst case, even if present, radiation will affect very few. And even those minor effects won't appear for many years after - if at all. Malnutrition or cold, sickness, or bad water will kill immediately.

You can adequately shield yourself from any fallout by simply closing doors and windows till it decays - which you would be doing anyway to keep the heat indoors if that big a problem developes. Also, fallout is literally very small particles of "dust" and would be spread by wind, and "washed" from the air by snow, rain, or fog. (Which could mean even if an accident occured, the dust may not go in your direction, nor even be suspended long enough to spread far enough to affect you.)

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 09, 1999.


Email me if you've got other concerns. In my opinion, radiation detection shouldn't be your top priority unless all other prep's are complete.

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 09, 1999.

I have an RM-60 radiation monitor produced by Aware Electronics. It measures gamma, alpha and beta radiation (see Specifications). This is their low-end unit.

It was sensitive enough to pick up the transient increase in (gamma) background radiation here (near Atlanta) a few days after the big brush fire near Chernobyl in April 1996. The background readings went from 11-14 to 19-23 micro-R/hour, tapering back to normal by the second day. This was in a 3rd floor apartment in a wood frame structure.

I agree that food, water and heat ought to take priority over radiation detection. And probably U.S. reactors won't have any catastrophic incidents. But I'm not so sure about the rest of the world, particularly the Chernobyl-type reactors in Russia and elsewhere. The possible consequences of one or more meltdowns among these could conceivably be a real nuisance even this far away, if contamination of the food chain reached dangerous levels. This is where a low-level radiation detector could be useful, to alert you in time to take reasonable precautions.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), July 10, 1999.


I live within a few miles of a nuke reactor and one of my first concerns was protection.

I live far enough away not to be directly harmed by an explosion but close enough for a lot of fallout)

I have found that the CD V-777-1(r) is a great kit that includes 2 meters (one R/hr and one mR/hr) and 6 dosimeters plus everything needed to service and reset the dosimeters. Second concern was to get gas masks and enough NEW filters to last until we can leave the area.

Luckily I had extensive training in military on this subject. And if I say extensive I mean extensive. It is cheap and frugal to protect oneself and his family from radiation fallout or a chemical terrorist attack. All your food, water, guns and ammo will NOT help you a bit if you are not protected.

There are many different radiation and chemical test-kits out there. IMHO the most important radiation protection instrument will be a dosimeter. Only if you know to how much radiation YOU were exposed can you make the right decisions.

Look for US or other military surplus dosimeters or look for current medical dosimeters (you know those little things that they wear in labs and x-ray rooms) Just don't forget to get a means to reset them to zero. Call me paranoid but part of my preparations include metal barrels into which some of my 55Gal water barrels fit just nice.

To make my statement short, I believe radiation and chemical protection IS right up there with the need for medications, heat, food and water.

-- Rickjohn (rickjohn1@yahoo.com), July 11, 1999.



Check the concept behind your "metal barrels" theory of protecting your plastic water barrels from radiaiton.

Water itself is extermely difficult to activate (requires high energy nuetrons, or intense, low lasting thermal nuetron bombardment impossible to produce outside of the reactor flux itself.) The water could get contaminated by fallout (accepting your premis that fallout could occur, that it could spread in your direction, and that it will be serious enough to pose a threat.

But if your water is threatened by fallout, any simple (low tech) barrier such as a poly trash bag over the pump and top of container would suffice to prevent the dust from getting into the water. Best - again if you are worried - is to keep doors, windows, and storage area physically shut from outside dust (contamination particles) for the few days/hours needed to let the radiation decay.

Inside, keep you serving utensils and open containers such as pots and glasses secure (upside down) so particles can't "fall" into them. Keep hands and face clean if you have to go outside. Keep combusiton air (from outside) separate (if possible) from household air.

But above all, remember that radiation, while serious, is not life-threatening (and even then only to some individuals) at doses over 150 million mrem - as point out, the fallout from the Chernobyl fire was detectable at 18-19 mrem.

Just because radiaiton is detectable does not mean it is a serious health hazard.

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 12, 1999.


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