10-14-2021, 09:30 AM | #11 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
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Usually beta particles have so little pentration that you don't bother calculating their effects. Strontium is different because it mimics calcium and binds to bones producing bone cancer and leukemia...... eventually. So in the probable time frame of your adventure the effects might be nothing with very serious long-term effects significiantly later..
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Fred Brackin |
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10-14-2021, 10:32 AM | #12 | |
Join Date: May 2010
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
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10-14-2021, 11:38 AM | #13 |
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Luxembourg
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
Civilian radiation sources can and have killed by unshielded contact or proximity.
Such as the one used in medical devices, food chain irradiation or RTG. Fuel rods, probably not, unless exposed to fluor based acids, and someone breath the fumes ? I think there was such a case at one time. Some real life deadly accidents : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...tion_accidents Some of those match your descriptions, such as the ones on September 13, 1987, or December 2, 2001 (RTG) Not to mention https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core (weapon core that went supercritical by mishandling) However, I am not sure how to calculate the Accumulated Dose for Gurps consequences. I am on my phone, but I think there was information in either space or THS, I will check later. Last edited by Celjabba; 10-14-2021 at 11:43 AM. |
10-14-2021, 11:48 AM | #14 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
Penetration of beta in water or flesh is about 5mm per MeV, so unshielded Sr-90 is plenty able to produce localized radiation burns, though not the whole body doses the GURPS radiation rules assume.
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10-14-2021, 04:09 PM | #15 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
I think what you want is someone being careless with food irradiation equipment. Gear that will sterilise bulk meat will do nasty things to living humans. The source it's easiest to be careless with is Cobalt-60, which produces lots of 1.17 and 1.48 MeV gamma rays, which have plenty of penetrating power.
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The Path of Cunning. Indexes: DFRPG Characters, Advantage of the Week, Disadvantage of the Week, Skill of the Week, Techniques. |
10-14-2021, 04:24 PM | #16 | ||
Join Date: May 2010
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
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(Edit: I mean nuclear waste from a reactor—old cobalt-60 is of course another variety of nuclear waste.) Last edited by Michael Thayne; 10-14-2021 at 04:30 PM. |
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10-18-2021, 12:16 PM | #17 | |
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Pennsylvania
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
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10-18-2021, 03:03 PM | #18 | ||
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
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If someone does inhale/ingest alpha or beta particles, or get them on their body or clothing, the race is on to get them decontaminated and on chelating drugs or otherwise remove as much radioactive material from their body as fast as possible. Hunting down potential victims in time treatment to do any good might be an adventure in itself. Another possible avenue for exposure is objects or materials which have spent so much time in such close proximity to strong radiation emitters that they have become radioactive themselves. While they're unlikely to be so strongly radioactive that they cause burns or radiation illnesses, they have a strong potential to be long term cancer risks. The list of radiation accidents referenced above gives a good selection of such incidents. A final risk from low level radiation is that it could be weaponized and scattered across a wide area. While the actual radiation risks are very low and likely to dissipate quickly, just the knowledge that the area is irradiated will get most normal people in a panic. Quote:
Effects of long term low-level radiation exposure can take the form of penalties to Aging rolls, Susceptibility to certain cancers, the Sterility feature, and possibly the equivalent of 1-2 levels of Short Lifespan. OSHA, CDC, DOE, etc. web sites have all sorts of info on these sorts of hazards. |
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10-18-2021, 03:16 PM | #19 | |
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Re: GURPS effects of exposure to a nuclear fuel source
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Summary of GURPS 3E Compendium 2 rules: Divide "whole body dose" of ionizing radiation by % of body exposure to determine total Rads of exposure. (e.g., 1/15 for head or one limb). The GM can also assess the equivalent of Burn damage to the radiated hit location, assessed over several months, with attendant risk of Infection. Treat damage from massive or charged particles like Alpha particles as just slow-moving burn damage. Treat lighter uncharged particles as pro-rated whole body exposure as described above. |
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meltdown and fallout, radiation |
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