Roadsignswith arrowsmeaning

Radiation sickness is caused by being exposed to a high dose of radiation. Radiation is the energy released from atoms as either a wave or a tiny particle of matter.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

Widthmarker signs meaning

Radiation sickness also is called acute radiation syndrome or radiation poisoning. Radiation sickness is not caused by common medical imaging tests that use low-dose radiation, such as X-rays, CT scans and nuclear medicine scans.

If you're advised to evacuate, follow the instructions provided by your local authorities. Try to stay calm and move quickly and in an orderly manner. Travel lightly, but take supplies, including:

One wayhazard Marker

Being exposed to a source of high-dose radiation increases the risk of radiation sickness. Sources of high-dose radiation include:

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. Please fill in this survey (opens in a new tab).

Radiation sickness happens when high-energy radiation damages or destroys certain cells in the body. Areas of the body most at risk of being affected by high-energy radiation are the bone marrow cells and the lining of the intestinal tract.

Two wayhazard marker meaning

Be aware that most emergency vehicles and shelters won't accept pets. Take them only if you're driving your own vehicle and going someplace other than a shelter.

Although radiation sickness is serious and often fatal, it's rare. Since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II, most cases of radiation sickness have occurred after nuclear industrial accidents, such as the 1986 fire that damaged the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, Ukraine.

Hazard markerbuoy

After the first round of symptoms, a person with radiation sickness may have a brief period with no noticeable illness, followed by the onset of new, more-serious symptoms.

Black and white arrow road signmeaning

Blue panels indicate that the motorway starts at the junction ahead. Motorways shown in brackets can also be reached along the route indicated. White panels indicate local or non-primary routes leading from the junction ahead. Brown panels show the route to tourist attractions. The name of the junction may be shown at the top of the sign. The aircraft symbol indicates the route to an airport. A symbol may be included to warn of a hazard or restriction along that route.

Hazard signsqld

Traffic signs used, including signs giving orders, warning signs, direction signs, information signs and road works signs.

An accident or attack that causes radiation sickness would lead to a lot of attention and public concern. If such an event happens, listen to radio, television or online reports to learn about emergency instructions for your area.

HazardMarkers Victoria

Green panels indicate that the primary route starts at the junction ahead. Route numbers on a blue background show the direction to a motorway. Route numbers on a green background show the direction to a primary route.

Having radiation sickness can contribute to both short-term and long-term mental health problems, such as grief, fear and anxiety about:

In the event of a radiation emergency, listen to the radio or watch television to hear what protective actions local, state and federal authorities recommend. Those actions depend on the situation, but you will be told to either stay in place or evacuate your area.

The severity of radiation sickness symptoms depends on how much radiation you've absorbed. How much you absorb depends on the strength of the radiated energy, the time of your exposures, and the distance between you and the source of radiation.

Although The Highway Code shows many of the signs commonly in use, a comprehensive explanation of our signing system is given in the Department’s booklet Know Your Traffic Signs, which is on sale at booksellers. The booklet also illustrates and explains the vast majority of signs the road user is likely to encounter.

Symptoms also are affected by the type of exposure, such as total or partial body. The severity of radiation sickness also depends on how sensitive the affected tissue is. For instance, the gastrointestinal system and bone marrow are highly sensitive to radiation.

If you've had a mild exposure, it may take hours to weeks before symptoms begin. But with high exposure, symptoms can begin minutes to days after exposure.

Radiation sickness is damage to the body caused by a large dose of radiation often received over a short time. This is called acute radiation sickness. The amount of radiation absorbed by the body, called the absorbed dose, determines how bad the illness will be.

The first symptoms of treatable radiation sickness are usually nausea and vomiting. The amount of time between exposure and when these symptoms develop is a clue to how much radiation a person has absorbed.

The signs illustrated in The Highway Code are not all drawn to the same scale. In Wales, bilingual versions of some signs are used including Welsh and English versions of place names. Some older designs of signs may still be seen on the roads.