Before the big catastrophe and even before the asteroid and the virus, factories around the world were producing advanced Geiger counters (these could detect all three forms of radiation, instead of just two or one - alpha, beta and gamma) in large quantities, since residual radiation in the surroundings was a common thing with the various nuclear refineries, power plants, research labs and even home appliances.
Just before the nuclear warheads struck their targets, a very large chunk of the world's population had their personal, portable Geiger counters. This proved to save a lot of lives after the war and almost everyone has the small, easy to use, solar powered Geiger counter.
Using and reading such a Geiger counter is simple. After the counter is turned on and a button is pressed, the display gives the user a number in "REMs" per hour - It reflects the absorbed dose of radiation in röntgens. Below is a small chart about what your character can expect with certain rad readings.
The following chart is slightly graphic, so if you have a really weak stomach, don't read on (we'll just tell you when your characters falls over and plays dead).
(source: wikipedia - edited)
5–20 REM - No symptoms. Nothing to worry about - while this exposure is not exactly healthy, the post-nuclear war is full of such pockets. Rad pills will counter this without a problem.
20–50 REM - No symptoms. The number of red blood cells decrease temporarily.
50–100 REM - Mild radiation sickness with headache and increased risk of infection due to disruption of immunity cells.
100–200 REM - Light radiation poisoning. Mild to moderate nausea with occasional vomiting, beginning 3 to 6 hours after irradiation and lasting for up to one day. Characters also feel fatigue.
200–300 REM - Severe radiation poisoning. Nausea and vomiting occurs, loss of hair all over the body, fatigue and general illness.
400–600 REM - Acute radiation poisoning. Symptoms start half an hour to two hours after irradiation and last for up to 2 days. Infections and internal bleeding are common.
600–1.000 REM - Survival depends on intense medical care. Organs and tissue suffer serious damage. Infections and internal bleeding occur. While recovery from this state is possible, it is very unlikely without special medical treatment (which the wastelands do not have) and would leave the person crippled for years.
1.000–5.000 REM - After powerful fatigue and immediate nausea caused by direct activation of chemical receptors in the brain by the irradiation, there is a period of several days of comparative well-being, called the "walking ghost" phase. After that, cell death in the gastric and in-*test*-('")inal tissue, causing massive diarrhea, in-*test*-('")inal bleeding and loss of water, leads to water-electrolyte imbalance. Death sets in with delirium and coma due to breakdown of circulation. Death is inevitable.
5.000–8.000 REM - Immediate disorientation and coma in seconds or minutes. Death occurs after a few hours by total collapse of nervous system.
8.000 REM+ - Immediate death.
Just before the nuclear warheads struck their targets, a very large chunk of the world's population had their personal, portable Geiger counters. This proved to save a lot of lives after the war and almost everyone has the small, easy to use, solar powered Geiger counter.
Using and reading such a Geiger counter is simple. After the counter is turned on and a button is pressed, the display gives the user a number in "REMs" per hour - It reflects the absorbed dose of radiation in röntgens. Below is a small chart about what your character can expect with certain rad readings.
The following chart is slightly graphic, so if you have a really weak stomach, don't read on (we'll just tell you when your characters falls over and plays dead).
(source: wikipedia - edited)
5–20 REM - No symptoms. Nothing to worry about - while this exposure is not exactly healthy, the post-nuclear war is full of such pockets. Rad pills will counter this without a problem.
20–50 REM - No symptoms. The number of red blood cells decrease temporarily.
50–100 REM - Mild radiation sickness with headache and increased risk of infection due to disruption of immunity cells.
100–200 REM - Light radiation poisoning. Mild to moderate nausea with occasional vomiting, beginning 3 to 6 hours after irradiation and lasting for up to one day. Characters also feel fatigue.
200–300 REM - Severe radiation poisoning. Nausea and vomiting occurs, loss of hair all over the body, fatigue and general illness.
400–600 REM - Acute radiation poisoning. Symptoms start half an hour to two hours after irradiation and last for up to 2 days. Infections and internal bleeding are common.
600–1.000 REM - Survival depends on intense medical care. Organs and tissue suffer serious damage. Infections and internal bleeding occur. While recovery from this state is possible, it is very unlikely without special medical treatment (which the wastelands do not have) and would leave the person crippled for years.
1.000–5.000 REM - After powerful fatigue and immediate nausea caused by direct activation of chemical receptors in the brain by the irradiation, there is a period of several days of comparative well-being, called the "walking ghost" phase. After that, cell death in the gastric and in-*test*-('")inal tissue, causing massive diarrhea, in-*test*-('")inal bleeding and loss of water, leads to water-electrolyte imbalance. Death sets in with delirium and coma due to breakdown of circulation. Death is inevitable.
5.000–8.000 REM - Immediate disorientation and coma in seconds or minutes. Death occurs after a few hours by total collapse of nervous system.
8.000 REM+ - Immediate death.