The walls of your home can block much of the harmful radiation. Because radioactive materials become weaker over time, staying inside for at least 24 hours can protect you and your family until it is safe to leave the area.
"The most dangerous critical indoor locations to avoid are the windows, the corridors, and the doors," said co-author Ioannis William Kokkinakis. The best location is in the half of the building farthest from the blast, in a room with no windows.
Fallout creates large areas of contamination and the ionizing radiation coming off the fallout which can damage tissues and penetrate through thin walls and glass.
Alpha particles can be stopped completely by a sheet of paper. Beta particles travel appreciable distances in air, but can be reduced or stopped by a layer of clothing, thin sheet of plastic or a thin sheet of aluminum foil.
Shielding: Barriers of lead, concrete, or water provide protection from penetrating gamma rays. Gamma rays can pass completely through the human body; as they pass through, they can cause damage to tissue and DNA.
Buildings provide considerable protection from fallout
A brick building provides better protection from radiation than does a brick veneer building, which is better than that of a frame building. Less radiation exposure (increasing the Protection Factor) is seen at interior locations and below ground.
Install eight-inch-thick concrete and steel doors that open out. Add a ventilation and air-filtration system that can be operated with a hand crank in case of a power failure.
Close and lock all windows and doors, and close fireplace dampers. When you move to your shelter, use duct tape and plastic sheeting to seal any doors, windows, or vents for a short period of time in case a radiation plume is passing over (listen to your radio for instructions).
Lead has long been considered "the element of choice" for radiation shielding due to its attenuating properties. Lead is a corrosion-resistive and malleable metal. Lead's high density (11.34 grams per cubic centimeter) makes it an effective barrier against X-ray and gamma-ray radiation.
Thus materials such as iron, lead, and bismuth are the best for gamma shielding. Therefore, to make a composite or a mixture of elements which is capable to attenuate both neutrons and gamma rays, the composite or the mixture must contain heavy and light absorbing elements.
THE NEXT 48 HOURS
You have been sheltered because of the potential for dangerous levels of radiation in the first 24 hours following a nuclear detonation. After 24 hours, outdoor radiation levels will have fallen significantly but may still warrant protective measures in your area.
STAY INSIDE: Take shelter unless told otherwise.
If possible, turn off fans, air conditioners, and forced-air heating units that bring air in from the outside. Close windows and doors. Close fireplace dampers.
The resulting inferno, and the blast wave that follows, instantly kill people directly in their path. But a new study finds that some people two to seven miles away could survive—if they're lucky enough to find just the right kind of shelter.
The study published in the journal Risk Analysis describes Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as the island countries most capable of producing enough food for their populations after an “abrupt sunlight‐reducing catastrophe” such as a nuclear war, super volcano or asteroid strike.
The safest place: the corners of a room, author Ioannis Kokkinakis of Cyprus' University of Nicosia said in a statement. “Even in the front room facing the explosion, one can be safe from the high airspeeds if positioned at the corners of the wall facing the blast,” Kokkinakis added.
Radiation levels are extremely dangerous immediately after a nuclear detonation, but the levels reduce rapidly, in just hours to a few days. This is when it will be safest to leave your shelter and participate in an orderly evacuation.
Glass as a Radiation Shield
Today, lead glass and other types of specialized glass are considered vital materials for protection against radiation exposure. As well as offering tunable mechanical, chemical and optical properties, glasses that contain lead strongly absorb gamma, x-ray, and neutron radiation.
In December 2001, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said if there was a radiation emergency, people should take a drug that would help protect them from thyroid cancer. This drug is called potassium iodide (KI). The New York State Health Department agrees.
Abstract. Lead and plastic are commonly used to shield beta radiation. Radiation protection literature is ubiquitous in advising the placement of plastic first to absorb all the beta particles before any lead shielding is used.
The Smart Survivalist named the Nordic country as the safest place in the event of a nuclear war. “Because Iceland is isolated from the rest of the world by the North Atlantic Ocean, it would be very difficult for a nuclear missile to reach Iceland without being detected first,” it said.
To minimize the effects of radiation, it is useful to have bunkers, basements, etc. that are lined with materials that prevent hazardous radioactive elements from seeping through. Remember that it is not safe to venture out unless deemed safe to do so by the experts and authorities in charge of the situation.
The initial radiation pulse from a 1 KT device could cause 50% mortality from radiation exposure, to individuals, without immediate medical intervention, within an approximate ½ mile (790 m) radius. This radius increases to approximately ¾ mile (1200m) for a 10 KT detonation.
First responders must exercise special precautions as they approach the fallout zone in order to limit their own radiation exposure. The dangerous fallout zone can easily stretch 10 to 20 miles (15 to 30 kilometers) from the detonation depending on explosive yield and weather conditions.
“Sandbags, bricks, containers filled with water, or any heavy materials that you can find can be used to protect against a nuclear blast,” Richardson notes. Just place these items against your walls—particularly the windows where radiation can still sneak through, or on the floors above wherever you are.
At 4,000 feet, only 6 inches of concrete is necessary, while, at 5,000 feet from the burst, no shelter is needed for survival from the explosion itself.