How do deal with radiation during a zombie outbreak
It is mostly accepted that zombies cannot be created through the effects of radiation. Even with this being true, we still have our concerns. Surviving in a large scale outbreak with radiation being present only makes the situation worse. You may ask, how do you protect yourself from this added threat? Is my area susceptible to radiation? Will the radiation kill zombies? Let's take a look at these questions.
How much radiation is too much?
With recent events in Japan, everybody is becoming more informed of the subject of radiation. You should really check out this link on radiation levels Radiation Dosage Chart
To summarize this chart, the general public is allowed to be exposed to 1 msv (milliSieverts) per year by the EPA. Here are some examples of radiation dosages; a spinal X-ray exposesses you to 1.5msv, smoking 1.5 packs of cigarettes per day for a year exposes you to 36msv and a fatal dose of radiation is considered to be 10,000msv.
The area 50km from the Fukushima nuclear plant exposes you to only 3.6msv per day. Spending one hour at the Chernobyl grounds will expose you to 6msv. So from this we can see that the radiation exposure from these nuclear plants is not as high as the media is making it out to be. The chance of being exposed to radioactive zombies or radiation is not that high. However, it should be noted that if many reactors throughout the United States had a melt down, there would be much more residual radiaton.
How do I protect against radioactive zombies?
Purchasing Potassium Iodide tablets is one step to take. These pills help protect you against one type of radiation. However, it only helps protect your thyroid against cancer. This is not a cure for radiation poisoning and should be taken in the correct dose ONLY if you know that radiation is present.
Length of Exposure:You will also need to reduce the time you spend in open radiation. The effects of radiation will accumulate in your body if you actively being exposed. If you know the area you are in has a high radiation level, try to stay indoors as much as possible.
Proximity to the Source:Staying in the area will eventually effect your health. You must distance yourself from the source of the radiation even if this exposes you to possible radioactive zombie attacks.
Protection Against the Radiation: Lead is very effective at shielding against radiation compared to other materials. The use of concrete and steel will also help shield radiation. However, common construction materials such as wood will not help as much. In the end, you are going to want to move anyways.
You will also not want to eat anything that comes from the affected area. Plants will carry large amounts of radiation because of settling on their leaves. Animals will then be exposed to radiation from eating these plants. You in return will be exposed from eating both of these sources of food. Lastly, the zombies will be affected from eating your radioactive, rotting corpse.
What areas are likely to have radioactive zombies?
Any area that has an nuclear power plant should be avoided. You can find a list of these places by following this link. Map of Power Reactor Sites These plants are often found right outside high population areas so these are not suitable long term camps anyways. You may want to consider the center of the country where there are not large amounts of power plants. Also the jet stream travels from West to East, pushing the radiation to the East Coast.
Hopefully this will answer some of your basic questions about radiation and radioactive zombies. We are not experts on radiation and the effects on your body. This information has been collected to give you a base knowledge of what to look out for. You should be more worried about the zombies more than the radiation levels.
Pro Tip: Taking a shower after exposure will greatly reduce the radioactive materials on your body. Just remember to dispose of the clothing.