Radiation monitoring carried out at industrial enterprises and nuclear power plants does not exclude the likelihood of a catastrophe. Therefore, everyone needs to know how to protect their life and health in this situation. Our article contains basic information on this issue.
What is a PRU
In the event of a radiation catastrophe, special shelters are used - anti-radiation shelters (abbreviated as PRU). They serve to protect the population from ionizing radiation that occurs when the area is infected with radiation. In addition, they are used to protect against penetrating radiation (including neutron flux), light radiation, shock waves (partially), poisonous, radioactive substances, as well as biological (bacterial) agents on clothing and human skin.
Periodic checks of the PRU are carried out by the Ministry of Emergencies. Moscow, for example, has several thousand shelters, some of which are surrendered to commercial organizations. In order to control at the level of enterprises, districts and areas where they are located, special commissions are created. They include representatives of various executive bodies, BTI and the Ministry of Emergencies. Moscow is the capital of our country, so the state of the PRU in it is often checked. It is necessary to ensure that they do not break the tightness.
Materials and facilities for switchgear
Anti-radiation shelters are most often arranged in the basement floors of various buildings. Sometimes prefabricated freestanding shelters can be constructed. To do this, use such industrial building materials as bricks, prefabricated reinforced concrete elements, rolled products, as well as local materials (stones, wood, etc.). The thickness of the walls should be sufficient for protection. The thicker they are, the more reliable the shelter will be. In treeless places, if there are no other building materials, one can build PRU from fascin, which is made from cane, brushwood, straw, reeds, sunflowers, corn stalks.
All buried premises suitable for the purpose of protection can be adapted for anti-radiation shelters. These are cellars, cellars, caves, underground workings, vegetable stores. Ground buildings are also suitable, the walls of which are made of materials having protective properties. The area of the premises may be different.
Sealing
To increase the protective properties close window openings, as well as additional doorways. A layer of soil is poured onto the floors. If necessary, outside the walls protruding above the earth's surface, make a soil bed.
Sealing is achieved by carefully sealing holes, cracks and cracks in the ceiling and walls, at the junction of door and window openings, and the introduction of water and heating pipes. It is also provided by fitting doors that should be upholstered with felt, and the narthex should be sealed with a roller made of felt or other dense soft fabric.
Ventilation
If the area of the room is small, the ventilation of such shelters, designed to accommodate no more than 30 people, occurs naturally through an exhaust and supply duct. The first to create traction do about 1.5-2 m above the second. In addition, they build visors on the ventilation ducts (their external terminals). At the input, tightly fitting flaps are made, closing when the threat of radioactive fallout occurs.
Internal organization
If the room, which is adapted for shelter, is not equipped with sewage and water supply, water tanks are placed in it. It is necessary to have about 3-4 liters per person per day. A toilet with a cesspool or portable container is also being built. Shelves, benches or chests intended for food are made in the shelter. The room is illuminated either by portable electric lamps, or from an external electrical outlet.
Protection factor
The protective properties of anti-radiation shelters are different. To assess them, an indicator such as the protection coefficient is used. He talks about how many times this shelter reduces the radiation dose. Many factors influence this coefficient: wall thickness, the material from which they are made, degree of sealing, etc. Retrofitting of internal rooms or basement floors of buildings can increase their protective properties by several tens or even hundreds of times. For example, in equipped basements of houses made of wood, the protection coefficient reaches 100, and for stone ones - 1000. Unequipped cellars weaken radiation by about 7-12 times, and equipped ones reduce its effect by 350-400 times. So, the shelters of the simplest type have a low coefficient of protection, and more reliable - a higher one.
How to behave in shelters
There are certain rules of conduct in the PRU. Anti-radiation shelters are filled quickly and organized. First of all, children, elderly people and women with children are allowed into the shelter. They are located in places designated specifically for them. A person in a shelter should take with him a supply of food for two days (in a plastic bag). He should also have documents, toilet accessories, personal protective equipment (we will talk about them a little later) and a minimum of personal belongings.
It is forbidden to bring strongly smelling and flammable substances into the switchgear. Also, do not bring pets, take bulky things. You can’t walk around the premises unnecessarily. No need to light homemade lamps, candles, kerosene lamps without permission. People in the shelter must follow all the instructions and requirements of the commander.
The withdrawal from the shelter is carried out either if necessary, or after the signal "End". If the main outputs are blocked, it is carried out through the emergency exit. In the absence of the latter, measures must be taken to clear the blockage and open the doors with the help of people in the shelter.
How to protect yourself from radiation?
All radiation sources carry a high danger. Despite this, there are ways to protect against radiation. The purpose of the anti-radiation shelter is to minimize the negative effects of radiation. However, it cannot completely eliminate the harmful effects. It must be remembered that there are other ways to protect yourself from it. They can be divided into 3 types: distance, time and personal protective equipment. Briefly consider each of them.
Time protection
The essence of this protection method is to minimize the length of a person’s stay near a radiation source. The harm to our health is the greater, the longer we are not far from a radiation source. This method of protection was used, in particular, during the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident. The liquidators of the consequences were given only a few minutes to complete their work and return to safe territory. Excessive time during which you can be in the affected area leads to very sad consequences. The level of radiation increases, as a result of which radiation sickness can develop.
Distance protection
If you find an object that is a source of radiation that is a danger to human health and life, you need to move away from it at such a distance where the radiation and radiation background do not exceed acceptable standards. In addition, the radiation source can be removed for burial or placed in a safe area.
Personal protective equipment
Sometimes it is necessary to carry out some activity in places with increased radiation background. For example, this cannot be avoided when eliminating the consequences of an accident at a nuclear power plant or when working at various industrial enterprises in which there are radiation sources. In such areas, continuous radiation monitoring should be carried out. You can’t be there without protective equipment. It is dangerous to human health and even to human life. For such cases, personal protective equipment against radiation was created. These are screens made of materials that delay certain types of radiation. In addition, protective clothing includes protective clothing.
There are several types of radiation, depending on the charge and nature of the radiation particles. Therefore, protective equipment is made of various materials that can withstand certain types of radiation.
In order to protect yourself from alpha radiation, you can wear rubber gloves, a normal respirator or use a "barrier" of paper. If beta radiation prevails, then you will need a screen of a thin sheet of aluminum, glass or plexiglass. A normal respirator is not able to protect the human respiratory system from this type of radiation. In this case, you will need a gas mask.
It is most difficult to protect yourself from gamma radiation. Clothing that is protected from this type of radiation should be made of steel, cast iron, lead, tungsten or other metals with a large mass. When carrying out work at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, clothes made of lead were used.
Different kinds of barriers made of polyethylene, polymers and even water can protect you from the harm caused by exposure to neutron particles.
Nutritional Supplements and Products
Food additives are very often used to protect against radiation in conjunction with screens and workwear. They must be taken orally either before entering the radiation zone, or after. In many cases, they help reduce the negative effects of radionuclides on the human body.
Some foods also help reduce the harmful effects of radiation. Among them, wheat, white bread, nuts and radishes should be noted. To a small extent, these products can reduce the effects of radiation on humans due to the presence of selenium in them, which prevents the onset of tumors caused, inter alia, by radiation exposure. In the fight against it, bioadditives made on the basis of algae (chlorella, kelp) are also very good. Even garlic and onions are partially able to rid the body of the radioactive nuclides that have penetrated into it.
Ginseng Root is an effective herbal remedy against radiation. It is sold in every pharmacy. It must be used in an amount of 40-50 drops twice before meals. In addition, the extract of Eleutherococcus helps to reduce the concentration of radionuclides in the human body. It should be consumed in an amount of 0.25-0.5 teaspoon per day with tea in the morning and afternoon. To protect against radiation, a medunica, zamani, and leuzea, which are also sold in pharmacies, are useful.
It should be noted that no drug is able to completely eliminate the harmful effects of radiation. The best way to protect against it is to avoid contact with infected objects and leave places with increased radioactive background as soon as possible. Shelters and anti-radiation shelters will help significantly reduce the negative impact of radiation if it is impossible to leave a dangerous place.