Symptoms of Radiation Poisoning

Experts say even small radiation doses, as low as 100 millisieverts, can slightly raise cancer risk
Exposure to 1,000 millisieverts is estimated to increase risk of fatal cancer by about 5%
Leukaemia, a bone marrow cancer, is the most common radiation-induced cancer
Others include cancer of lung, skin, thyroid, breast and stomach; can take years to develop
Half of those exposed to between 4,000-5,000 millisieverts die within one month

Beta Radiation & Thermal burns
Immediate vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, erythema
Reduced circulating lymphocytes (lymphocytopenia)
Large scale cell destruction, impaired organ function
Swelling, dryness, ulceration of mucous membranes
Painfully difficult breathing and swallowing
Low white blood cell and platelet count
Impaired immune system
Damage to bone-marrow

Vomiting, fever, toxemia
Moderate decline in platelets and white cell counts
Beta radiation burns
Mucous membrane damage
Cancerous cell production
Hereditary defects
Stochastic effects
Hair loss

Procedures involve replacement of blood constituents, fluids and electrolytes, antibiotics, antifungal agents, barrier nursing and bone marrow transplantation. Special hygienic measures are taken to change patients' clothes at least twice a day and aseptic techniques used. Patients who received doses above 2 Gy are commonly given anti-fungal agents after the second week. Antibiotics and gamma globulin can also be administered.

Increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer(from 6 years up to 20+ years after exposure)
Increase in lung and other cancers
Cataracts
Chromosome aberrations
Immune suppression
Negative social and psychological effects like the mistrust of politicians and government, especially in the field of nuclear power, public outrage.
Social issues relating to relocation
Extreme anxiety and stress are directly related to the presence of contamination
Stress related symptoms include headaches, depression, sleep disturbance, inability to concentrate, and emotional imbalance.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Findings from Chernobyl
In children, the thyroid cancers are:
- largely papillary and particularly aggressive in nature often self presenting with local invasion and/or distant metastases;

- more prevalent in children aged 0 to 5 years at the time of the accident, and in areas assessed to be the more heavily contaminated with 131I;

- apparently characterised by a shorter latent period than expected; and

- still increasing for children younger than 5 years in 1986.

Iodine deficiency and screening, have almost certainly had an influence on observed risk factors can be said that the increase of thyroid cancers in children is clearly established to be linked to exposure of radioactive iodine isotopes releases. The number of these cancers is still increasing in adults.