See UNC sheet

Used to intimidate a government or harm large numbers of people to accomplish political or social objectives;

Note to speaker: stress that BT not only affects human populations but forms of terrorism that affect our crop and food c
our economy

A great advantage terrorists have in using these agents, is that the agents have sufficiently long incubation periods to al
prosecution rate among perpetrators.

 Radiation: energy moving in the form of particles or waves

Radioactive Material: material that contains atoms that are radioactive

For example: A cobalt-60 source is radioactive material. The gamma rays
being emitted from the source are the radiation.

Alpha particles. Alpha particles do not penetrate the dead layer of skin and can be stopped by a thin
layer of paper or clothing. If an alpha emitting radioactive material gets inside the body through
inhalation, ingestion, or through a wound, the emitted alpha particles can cause ionization that results
in damage to tissue.

Beta particles. Depending on its energy, beta radiation can travel from inches to many feet in air and
is only moderately penetrating in other materials. Some beta radiation can penetrate human skin to
the layer where new skin cells are produced. If high enough quantities of beta emitting contaminants
are allowed to remain on the skin for a prolonged period of time, they may cause skin injury. Beta
emitting contaminants may be harmful if deposited internally. Protective clothing (e.g., universal
precautions) typically provides sufficient protection against most external beta radiation.

Gamma rays and x-rays (photons). Gamma rays and x-rays are able to travel many feet in air and
many inches in human tissue. They readily penetrate most materials. Thick layers of dense materials
are needed to shield against gamma radiation. Protective clothing provides little shielding from

 Exposure: irradiation from outside the body

Radioactive Contamination: radioactive material where it does not belong. It is
often attached to dust or dirt.
External contamination outside the body (on skin or clothes)
can usually be easily washed off
Internal contamination inside the body (taken in through inhalation,
ingestion or wounds)
usually passes through the body through the normal cleansing
mechanisms
Contamination can be composed of any radioactive material (perhaps several at
once) and the radiation emitted from it can be of any type (usually a combination of

In this segment we will discuss:

Acute Radiation Syndrome
Localized radiation injuries/cutaneous radiation syndrome
Internal or external contamination
Combined radiation injuries with
- Trauma
- Burns
Fetal effects

Unfortunately, terrorism is a very real threat to the U.S. in the 21st Century.
The use of radioactive materials in a radiological dispersal devise (RDD) or a nuclear weapon by a
terrorist is a remote but plausible threat. The medical consequences depend on the type of device used
in a terrorist event. Some possible scenarios are:
Nuclear power plant incident
An incident at a nuclear power plant (either accidental or designed) could release radioactive
material into the environment. There are well defined emergency plans in place at these sites that
are exercised frequently by local authorities including police, fire, and EMTs.
Hidden Source
A radiation source that is accidentally lost or abandoned; or one that is that is intentionally and
secretively placed in areas to expose people is referred to as a silent source.
Dirty bomb

 In many radiological terrorism events the vast majority of people involved will be exposed
to very low doses of radiation, if they are exposed at all. In these cases there will be no
immediate effects, with the potential for delayed effects increasing with increasing dose.
Some people may be exposed to doses large enough to cause immediate effects. The
severity of the immediate effects will also depend on the size of the radiation dose.
Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) (sometimes known as) is an acute illness caused by
irradiation of the entire body (or most of the body) by a high dose of penetrating radiation in a
very short period of time (usually a matter of minutes).
Acute Radiation Syndrome is actually a combination of syndromes, effecting different
systems, depending on the severity of the dose.
The three classic ARS Syndromes are:
Bone marrow syndrome (sometimes referred to as hematopoietic syndrome)
The survival rate of patients with this syndrome decreases with increasing dose.
The primary cause of death is the destruction of the bone marrow, resulting in

I. Emergency Decontamination
A. First responders may encounter contaminated victims at the
scene of a hazardous materials incident and could potentially
become contaminated themselves
1. Individuals contaminated during an incident must be
immediately decontaminated

Instructor Note: Use Slide

Instructor Note: Use Slide