15.10 Radiation sickness: general symptoms

Acute radiation syndrome occurs with very high doses received in a short time (usually minutes) that reach most of the body. Sheltering well is precisely what prevents those doses. According to the CDC:

• First symptoms: nausea, vomiting, headache, and diarrhea. They start between minutes and days after exposure and may come and go.
• Afterward: the person may seem healthy for a while and then get sick again, with loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, and, in severe cases, seizures and coma.
• Skin: redness, itching, and swelling similar to a bad sunburn, sometimes with blisters; they can appear hours or days later and return weeks afterward. High doses can cause temporary hair loss.
• What to do: seek medical care when authorities say it is safe to go out. Treatment focuses on preventing infection, maintaining fluids, and treating wounds and burns.