|
Table 2: Acute Radiation
Syndromes (CDC, 2003b) |
| Bone Marrow (Hematopoietic) |
0.7 – 10 Gy (70 –1000 rads)
(mild symptoms may occur as low as 0.3 Gy or 30 rads) |
anorexia, nausea and vomiting
occurs 1 hour to 2 days after exposure
lasts for minutes to days |
stem cells in bone marrow are dying, though patient
may appear and feel well
lasts 1 to 6 weeks |
drop in all blood cell counts for several weeks
anorexia, fever, malaise
primary cause of death is infection and hemorrhage
survival decreases with increasing dose
most deaths occur within a few months after exposure |
in most cases, bone marrow cells will begin to repopulate the
marrow
there should be full recovery for a large percentage of individuals
from a few weeks up to two years after exposure
death may occur in some individuals at 1.2 Gy (120 rads)
the LD50/60 is about 2.5 to 5 Gy (250 to 500 rads) |
| Gastrointestinal (GI) |
10 – 100 Gy (1000 – 10,000 rads)
(some symptoms may occur as low as 6 Gy or 600 rads) |
anorexia, severe nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea
occurs within a few hours after exposure
lasts about 2 days |
stem cells in bone marrow and cells lining GI tract
are dying, though patient may appear and feel well
lasts less than 1 week |
malaise, anorexia, severe diarrhea, fever, dehydration, electrolyte
imbalance
death is due to infection, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance
death occurs within 2 weeks of exposure |
the LD100 is about 10 Gy (1000 rads) |
| Cardiovascular (CV)/ Central Nervous System (CNS) |
› 50 Gy (5000 rads)
(some symptoms may occur as low as 20 Gy or 2000 rads) |
extreme nervousness; confusion; severe nausea, vomiting, and watery
diarrhea; loss of consciousness; burning sensations of the skin
occurs within minutes of exposure
lasts for minutes to hours |
patient may return to partial functionality
may last for hours but often is less |
return of watery diarrhea, convulsions, coma
begins 5 to 6 hours after exposure
death within 3 days of exposure |
no recovery |