Estimation of radiation-induced health hazards from a“dirty bomb”attack with radiocesium under different assault and rescue conditions

In the case of a terrorist attack by a“dirty bomb”,blast injuries,external irradiation and the incorporation of radioactivity are to be expected.Departing from information about the radiological attack scenario with cesium-137 in the U.S.National Scenario Planning Guide,we estimated the radiological doses absorbed.Similar calculations were performed for a smaller plume size and a detonation in a subway.For conditions as described in the U.S.scenario,the committed effective dose amounted to a maximum of 848 mSv,even for very unfavorable conditions.Red bone marrow equivalent doses are insufcient to induce acute radiation sickness(ARS).In the case of a smaller plume size,the ARS threshold may be exceeded in some cases.In a subway bombing,doses are much higher and the occurrence of ARS should be expected.The health hazards from a dirty bomb attack will depend on the location and the explosive device.The derived Haddon matrix indicates that preparing for such an event includes education of all the medical staff about radiation effects,the time lines of radiation damages and the treatment priorities.Further determinants of the outcome include rapid evacuation even from difficult locations,the availability of a specific triage tool to rapidly identify victims at risk for ARS,the availability of an antidote stockpile and dedicated hospital beds to treat seriously irradiated victims.

Superabsorbent Fibers for Comfortable Disposable Medical Protective Clothing

Disposable medical protective clothing for 2019-nCoV mainly consists of stacked layers with nanopore films,polymer coated nonwoven fabrics and melt-blown nonwoven fabrics against anti-microbial and anti-liquid penetration.However,such structures lack moisture permeability and breathability leading to an uncomfortable,stuffy wearing experience.Here,we propose a novel medical protective clothing material with a superabsorbent layer to enhance moisture absorption.Poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)/polyvinyl alcohol superabsorbent fibers(PAAAM/PVA fibers)were prepared via wet spinning.And the superabsorbent composite layer was stacked from PAAAM/PVA fibers,bamboo pulp fibers(BPF)and ethylene-propyl-ene side by side fibers(ESF).The novel disposable medical protective composite fabric was obtained through gluing the superabsorbent layer to the inner surface of strong antistatic polypropylene nonwoven fabric.The resultant composite fabric possesses excellent absorption and retention capacity for sweat,up to 12.3 g/g and 63.8%,and a maximum hygroscopic rate of 1.04 g/h,higher than that of the conventional material(only 0.53 g/h).The moisture permeability of the novel material reached 12,638.5 g/(m^(2) d),which was 307.6%of the conventional material.The novel material can effectively reduce the humidity inside the protective clothing and significantly improve the comfort of medical staff.