Hands/Feet Observational Drawing
Hands/Feet Observational Drawing
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Stages of Deterioration from Radiation PoisoningRadiation poisoning, also known as acute radiation syndrome (ARS), occurs when a person is exposed to a high dose of ionizing radiation in a short period. The severity of ARS depends on the radiation dose and the duration of exposure. The first stage is the prodromal phase, occurring within hours of exposure, where symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue appear as the body’s rapidly dividing cells are destroyed (Waselenko et al. 39). Following this is the latent phase, during which symptoms temporarily subside, creating a false sense of recovery while internal damage progresses. The manifest illness phase then follows, with the emergence of severe symptoms like infections, internal bleeding, and gastrointestinal distress due to the destruction of bone marrow and immune cells (Mettler and Voelz 491). In extreme cases, neurological symptoms such as seizures and confusion occur, leading to coma and death. If exposure is lethal, death typically follows within days to weeks due to multi-organ failure (Hall and Giaccia 201).Radiation damages the body at an atomic level by ionizing atoms within cells, leading to molecular instability and biological malfunction. Ionizing radiation strips electrons from atoms, creating free radicals that cause oxidative stress and damage DNA, proteins, and cell membranes. This disruption leads to mutations, apoptosis (programmed cell death), or uncontrolled cell division, increasing the risk of cancer. High doses of radiation directly break DNA strands, preventing proper cell replication and leading to widespread cell death, particularly in rapidly dividing tissues like bone marrow and the gastrointestinal lining. As radiation exposure intensifies, cumulative damage causes multi-organ failure, ultimately leading to death.
Henry K. Daghlian’s Exposure and DeathHenry K. Daghlian Jr. was a physicist working on the Manhattan Project when he was fatally exposed to radiation on August 21, 1945. While conducting an experiment on the plutonium “demon core” at the Los Alamos Laboratory, Daghlian accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto the core, causing it to enter a supercritical state and release a burst of neutron radiation (Serber 52). Though he quickly removed the brick, he had already received a fatal dose of radiation. Daghlian was estimated to have received a dose of 510 rem (5.1 Sv) of neutron radiation, from a yield of 1016 fissions. He developed immediate symptoms of ARS, including nausea and severe burns on his hand. Over the next few weeks, his condition rapidly deteriorated as his immune system failed, and he suffered from extreme swelling, necrosis, and organ failure. After 25 days of worsening health, Daghlian succumbed to his injuries on September 15, 1945, making him the first known fatality from a criticality accident (Coster-Mullen 134).
Works CitedCoster-Mullen, John. Atom Bombs: The Top Secret Inside Story of Little Boy and Fat Man. Self-published, 2012.Hall, Eric J., and Amato J. Giaccia. Radiobiology for the Radiologist. 7th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2012.Mettler, Fred A., and George L. Voelz. “Major Radiation Exposure—What to Expect and How to Respond.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 346, no. 7, 2002, pp. 491-497.Serber, Robert. The Los Alamos Primer: The First Lectures on How to Build an Atomic Bomb. University of California Press, 1992.Waselenko, John K., et al. “Medical Management of the Acute Radiation Syndrome: Recommendations of the Strategic National Stockpile Radiation Working Group.” Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 140, no. 12, 2004, pp. 1037-1051.
Henry K. Daghlian’s Exposure and DeathHenry K. Daghlian Jr. was a physicist working on the Manhattan Project when he was fatally exposed to radiation on August 21, 1945. While conducting an experiment on the plutonium “demon core” at the Los Alamos Laboratory, Daghlian accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto the core, causing it to enter a supercritical state and release a burst of neutron radiation (Serber 52). Though he quickly removed the brick, he had already received a fatal dose of radiation. Daghlian was estimated to have received a dose of 510 rem (5.1 Sv) of neutron radiation, from a yield of 1016 fissions. He developed immediate symptoms of ARS, including nausea and severe burns on his hand. Over the next few weeks, his condition rapidly deteriorated as his immune system failed, and he suffered from extreme swelling, necrosis, and organ failure. After 25 days of worsening health, Daghlian succumbed to his injuries on September 15, 1945, making him the first known fatality from a criticality accident (Coster-Mullen 134).
Works CitedCoster-Mullen, John. Atom Bombs: The Top Secret Inside Story of Little Boy and Fat Man. Self-published, 2012.Hall, Eric J., and Amato J. Giaccia. Radiobiology for the Radiologist. 7th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2012.Mettler, Fred A., and George L. Voelz. “Major Radiation Exposure—What to Expect and How to Respond.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 346, no. 7, 2002, pp. 491-497.Serber, Robert. The Los Alamos Primer: The First Lectures on How to Build an Atomic Bomb. University of California Press, 1992.Waselenko, John K., et al. “Medical Management of the Acute Radiation Syndrome: Recommendations of the Strategic National Stockpile Radiation Working Group.” Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 140, no. 12, 2004, pp. 1037-1051.
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