Hacker News Reader

Comment by redox99 | Hacker News Reader

The title and some of the comments assume it would be something like if you take 15 extra minutes you would just die. When in reality it would just be an increase in cancer risk. If it were THAT contaminated they'd use the AREA CLOSED the article mentions anyways.

To be fatal within days you need about 10,000 mSv of exposure. Even with heavy fallout, exposure would probably be around 10 mSv per hour.

View on HN

I'd imagine the concern is the radioactive dust / fallout getting stuck onto the vehicle, clothes, and hair which would increase your exposure time; getting through that zone as quick as possible could limit that dust sticking. But that's just my guess.

This is the problem. It's not just being in the area, it's inhalation/ingestion and direct exposure to radioactive dust. If you look at [https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Quick%2...], the levels just from increased radiation from a single detonation there are certainly not fatal in a few minutes, but with multiple detonations it's not difficult to get a lethal dose in a few or hours or a day or two. Couple that with the inhalation/contamination issue, and yeah, be afraid.

If I saw that sign I'd be a hell of a lot more concerned than "oh, miniscule cancer risk later in life, meh, I guess I'll just slowboat this one".

changing engine and cabin air filters would become an extremely hazardous affair

I'd read the title as 'if you see this there's a nuclear war going on and it will escalate and you'll die'

Maybe not what was intended but that's how I see it

If there's time to manufacture and place these signs, and there's still a nuclear war going on, I think I've vastly misunderstood MAD doctrine. I wouldn't be surprised if war continued after nuclear strikes, but I'd think you'd use them up pretty soon. And it's gotta take at least 6 months to put up new speed limit signs on a stretch of highway.

Some Chernobyl radiation levels recorded in 2009, were not this high. (They were higher in the blast, though.)

https://www.chernobylgallery.com/chernobyl-disaster/radiatio...

Well 10mSv per hour is a really small dose rate considering post-SIOP environment. That's what will be there for a threshold of "heavy" (300Sv total dose) fallout areas, in 6 months. Or pretty much everywhere including areas with no hits for hundreds of km away and no visible fallout, for at least a week.

Everyone makes this mistake -- reducing radioactive fallout harm to just one metric.

In reality, a much larger danger are heavy radioactive isotopes that can be eaten/breathed in. E.g. you can walk in most of the Chernobyl areas, but don't you dare eating anything that grows there.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com