Exposure to radiation can have a dramatic and immediate effect on the human body. The gastrointestinal system is very sensitive to radiation, leading to nausea and vomiting immediately after exposure. The blood system is often the hardest hit, although antibiotics and transfusions may allow a recovery. But severe radiation damage to the immune system can cause overwhelming infections. And although nerves and the brain are most resistant to radiation, acute exposure usually results in damage to the central nervous system.
High doses can kill outright.
Windows Media 28K 80K Medical Correspondent Dr. Steve Salvatore looks at the effects of radiation exposure. The long-term effects of radiation exposure can include sterility, cancer and genetic damage that can be passed to children. For some materials, the process is quick, but for others, it takes centuries. As officials in Japan cope with radiation exposure from Thursday's accident, they will also try to avoid some of the mistakes made 13 years ago when a serious accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. People in the affected area were actually told to gather outside, despite high levels of radiation still coming from the plant.