Radiation Poisoning

Radiation poisoning, sometimes referred to as radiation sickness or rad flush, is a collection of health effects due to exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation over a short period of time. Symptoms often begin within an hour and can last several months. Initial symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite. If gone untreated, radiation poisoning can lead to symptoms such as anemia, loss of key body functions, and death.

Cause
Radiation poisoning in the wasteland is often caused by exposure to high amounts of radioactive particles, often found in areas that are still highly irradiated (i.e. malfunctioning nuclear reactors, nuclear test sites, and exclusion zones). When a creature comes in contact with high levels of radioactive particles, whether it be dust or silt on their skin or tiny particles inhaled into the lungs, they begin to suffer from radiation poisoning.

Symptoms and Treatment
Radiation poisoning has many symptoms, and are often easily identified. During the first few hours after being irradiated, a creature will begin to feel light-headed and nauseous. This soon turns into aggressive vomiting and a loss of appetite, which can seriously harm them if they do not properly sustain themselves. If the person does not get treatment during these first symptoms, they will begin to grow increasingly faint, and their blood will begin to thin over the course of the next few days. These symptoms will stay for about a week before they start to lose bodily functions; losing sensation in certain body parts, experiencing blurred vision, and becoming prone to random muscle spasms. These symptoms will continue to grow without treatment, until the victim dies from either lack of nutrition, or from total organ failure.

If a creature is treated with antibiotics and given proper nutrients for at least two weeks following exposure to radiation, they can recover completely. However, if someone suffers from radiation poisoning for too long, they will suffer irreversible side-effects. Such effects include anemia, epilepsy, permanent blindness/deafness, and in some cases, Wasteland Madness.

Prevention
The only known ways to prevent radiation poisoning is to avoid high levels of radiation. This includes simply avoiding irradiated areas and objects, as well as wearing protective clothing when entering an irradiated area. Some mutants have grown a tolerance to radiation poisoning; some even seeming immune to it. Huskers have been known to perform strange rituals to protect themselves from the damages caused by radiation, though the specifications of these invocations are of some conjecture. It should be known, however, that Huskers already prove to be resistant to the negative effects of radiation.