We don’t need to talk about “nuclear”

  The mental fatigue and anxiety that follows a nuclear leak, regardless of whether one has been or has not been physically contaminated by radiation exposure, is a normal reaction and is largely attributable to people’s self-perception of health risks.  First of all, it should be clear that nuclear radiation has always existed in our lives, not only with nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants, but also in the environment of natural nuclear radiation. Food, drinking water, houses, daily necessities, the surrounding sky and earth, mountains, rivers, grasses and even the human body itself all contain a certain amount of radioactivity, people are exposed to nuclear radiation about 82% from the natural environment, 17% from medical diagnosis, 1% from other activities. Nuclear radiation, all the time, everywhere.  According to current information, the nuclear material leaked from the Fukushima nuclear power plant is mainly iodine-131, others are strontium-90 and cesium-137, all of which are threatening to humans. Iodine-131 can be deposited on grass and transmitted to humans through dairy products made from cows that have eaten contaminated grass, or it can be deposited on the leaves of vegetables or collected in seafood and freshwater fish and transferred to human organs through the food chain. Strontium-90 enters the body mainly through food and drinking water, and the amount of its intake is often associated with bone disease, bone soft tissue tumors and leukemia. Cesium-137, with a half-life of 30 years, is another high-risk substance released from nuclear reactor cores and is often ingested through food and water or enters human organs through the respiratory tract.  As for the use of anti-radiation drugs, they are mainly somewhat effective within 24 hours of acute exposure. The principle of oral iodine tablets against nuclear radiation is that taking potassium iodide tablets first “occupies” the thyroid gland, saturating it with iodine and preventing the intake of radioactive iodine, thus reducing the dose to the thyroid gland, but iodine tablets do not protect against radioactivity from outside the body and radioactive substances other than iodine that are absorbed by the body. Excessive iodine intake by people who are not clearly threatened by nuclear contamination may cause side effects such as hyperiodothyroidism, especially in pregnant women, lactating mothers and patients with hyperthyroidism. As most of the domestic edible salt is iodized salt, and then moderate intake of seaweed, nori and milk, there is no need for additional oral iodine tablets at the present time.  Since radiation enters the body or adheres to the body surface through dust, masks can block radioactive dust from entering the body. However, for the time being it is not necessary to wear a mask until further information about the threat of nuclear radiation is released by the authorities. If direct radioactive contamination is suspected, people are best treated with a shower in the first instance.  Tightly closed portals need to be localized and flexible, after all, unlike the local contamination characteristics of the incident. It is recommended to open windows for 10 to 15 minutes every 1 to 2 hours. If windows are closed for a long time, the oxygen content of the limited indoor air is bound to drop, and the concentration of carbon dioxide and other wastes is bound to increase. Those who stay indoors for a long time are mainly the elderly, children and the sick, and the effects of dirty air on their health may be even greater than that of radioactivity.