Mom is taking the threat of a nuclear attack seriously. We know we need to stay indoors. She wants to get a detector to find out where the leaks are, what's safe and what isn't.

Russ recommended the Ranger and Adam 2 said the Gem 2. When it comes to detecting radiation after an attack, we know nothing. In the most basic terms, what do we need and need to know?

Jeanette Isabelle

I think it will depend in your personal situation.

Let me explain why I asked this question. I live in California, in a place where there are a lot of winds. In my location, winds from the San Joaquin Valley are funneled past my house. I know this because we have had a lot of pollen and fine dust in the air. It is getting picked up and funneled by the wind. Therefore, if there was a situation with contaminated dust in Central CA, my specific location location would not be good.

After thinking about the replies here, i decided on a very simple strategy ... for the time being. I will get a very simple device, of the type described by Adam2. This idea is attractive because "personal monitors" are much lower cost. Also, if i understand the technology, these personal monitors can "add up" your radiation exposure (compute your total radiation exposure over time). This is a good feature. I will place mine on the patio of my house, where it is protected from weather, but it will see the breeze.

My strategy is that if there is a nuclear incident, and my nuclear monitor switches to yellow, i will evacuate to a safer location. I am not saying that everyone needs to do this. My house just happens to get a lot of wind-blown dust.

I do not think that people should panic, or be overly worried about what is said in the news. I am skeptical that N. Korea could really mount an atomic bomb on a missile and send it to the USA - with a reliable chance of success. I do not think they have the capability to do this yet, and we shouldn't let their "war of words" disturb our peace. I do think that the USA is confronting N. Korea at exactly the right time :-)

I stated in another thread why I believe a nuclear attack will happen, if not now, later. It is, for this reason, I'm glad Mom is seriously considering a detector.

Jeanette Isabelle

It doesnt hurt to educate yourself and think about the options now. Sooner or later a nuclear device will be used in the world - I just hope its not on US soil. But no-one can predict the future. We don't even know what Kim Jong-Un will do in N. Korea.

Good luck and blessings.

I will post an update after i talk to various companies that sell these detectors.

Have a search around for a 'Spinthariscope'.

Ancient technology, very, very easy to make and use. They won't calculate dose for you but indicate radiation reliably, use no power supply and have no shelf life. I bought one years ago for a couple of quid, they seem to have gone up in price but maybe I am looking in the wrong place.

Also an old paraffin (kerosene) lamp mantle may be used to check if a detector is working. The old Thorium type give off significant amounts of alpha particles. Since around 1995 yttrium has been used though which is not radioactive.

Unless you have a personal space to hang out in for a very extended period - a radiation shelter stocked with lots of food, water and other supplies - what is the use of a radiation detector? The knowledge to stay inside, stay shielded as best you can, etc. would be your guiding principles. Would a detector materially alter what you do?

A detector might tell you just how bad it is out there, but since there's nothing you can do about it, who cares? I would think a good reference book on how radiation spreads, how to protect yourself from it, etc. would be the better resource to have. Knowledge.

Would a detector tell us where the leaks are so that we may patch them? What if all the patching in the world is not helping and we need to get out of Dodge very quickly?

Jeanette Isabelle

You know how sometimes when it rains you get a little and the next street gets a hosing? Radiation from a bomb is like that.

The initial radiation cannot be avoided but, by definition, does not last long. Fallout is subject to the vagaries of the wind and weather, perhaps you have none a mile away upwind from GZ, perhaps it 'rains out' and you have a lot just on you an hour later.

Fine particles go almost to space and get distributed around the world for years being diluted as they go, A ground burst also kicks up pebbles on which the radiation 'condenses' that fall out of the sky quite close and quickly. And there is everything in between. Air bursts are the most likely scenario as they do more damage (energy is not wasted digging a hole in the ground) and the fallout is minimal compared to a ground burst. You may not need to shelter for a "very extended period" probably just a couple of hours.

How do you know what you have without measuring your surroundings.

We have already experienced a nuclear war and many, many survived, even close to GZ.

You are actually very likely to survive a nuclear strike and the subsequent radiation

Radiation tends to fade quite quickly. You don't need a "very extended period". Most should be gone in a fortnight, and even 3 days will make a big difference. It's exponential.

I would hope that a survival detector would help one decide when it is safe to leave your shelter. Your probably safe to wait two weeks, but if you run out of food and means to dispose of waste after one, then being able to leave earlier could be invaluable. The alternative is to wait until the authorities give the all-clear, and who knows what criteria they are using?