Deadly Radiation Doses Can Be Prevented By Drugs
A double-drug therapy tested in mice confirmed that the effects of high radiation doses can be prevented. Researches claimed that these drugs are known to be safe in people and because of that, they can easily be used in case of emergency like a terrorist attack or a nuclear accident.
Mice can still survive the lethal effects of high radiation doses if a double-drug therapy is applied even after 24 hours of exposure. A combination of oral fluroquinolone and injections of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) was found to increase the survival rate of mice.
Since both drugs are safe to humans, a group of Harvard researchers believe that the drugs can also help to reduce radiation risks in man.
Eva Guinan and Ofer Levy from the Harvard Medical School also conducted research and studies among human subjects. They studied 48 bonemarrow transplant patients and their radiation doses levels. After the radiation exposure, they observed that the bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein levels are reduced to almost 71 times below the normal levels.
Effects of Radiation to People
High doses of radiation can cause different harmful diseases to man. It targets the cells and cause damages.
Radiation is known to be one of the main causes of various types of cancers. Because of too much exposure, cells can be injured and damaged. When cells try to repair themselves, they might do it incorrectly causing biophysical change. This can then lead to formation of cancer cells.
But aside from that, everyone should know that radiation can also cause other health problems. Radiation can cause a sudden drop in blood cell levels which can result to infection (white blood cells), anemia (red blood cells), and hemorrhage (platelets).
Gastrointestinal problems can also be experienced like nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and loss of appetite. These symptoms normally occur one to two hours after exposure.
But the most harmful effects of exposure to radiation are neurovascular damages. Symptoms like dizziness, headache, and decreased level of consciousness can be observed.
When the radiation exposure is prolonged, more health problems can be experienced like internal bleeding and destruction of gastrointestinal linings. And even worse, it can even result to sudden death.