NCJ Number
189902
Date Published
December 1999
Length
152 pages
Annotation
This document provides training for health care professionals in the management of uncontrolled ionizing radiation exposure.
Abstract
The proliferation of nuclear material and technology has made the acquisition and adversarial use of ionizing radiation weapons more probable than ever. Military personnel and their nation’s population will expect that a full range of medical modalities will be employed to decrease the morbidity and mortality from the use of these weapons. Fortunately, the treatment of radiation casualties is both effective and practical. The two most significant radiosensitive organ systems in the body are the hematopoietic and the gastrointestinal (GI) systems. The simplest effect of radiation is cell death with changes in cellular function occurring at lower radiation doses. The severe radiation sickness resulting from external irradiation and its consequent organ effects is a primary medical concern. Recovery of a particular cell system is possible if a sufficient fraction of a given stem cell population remains after radiation injury. Modern medical care dramatically improves the survivability of radiation injury. Casualties with unsurvivable irradiation are usually immediately killed or severely injured by the blast and thermal effects of a detonation. Unfortunately, significant doses of radiation below the level necessary to cause symptoms alter the body’s immune response and sensitize the person to the effects of both biological and chemical weapons. Procedures for management for acute radiation syndrome and decontamination are discussed. 6 tables and 7 appendices