Illness from high radiation dose is called what?

• A. Contamination
• B. Acute Radiation Syndrome
• C. Irradiation
• D. Toxicology

Answer: (B)

Acute Radiation Syndrome is the illness produced by a high dose of radiation. When a large portion of the body is exposed, especially the bone marrow, gut lining, and blood vessels, rapid cell death occurs. This leads to a characteristic course: early nausea and vomiting, a brief quiet period, then symptoms that reflect which body systems are most affected. Bone marrow suppression causes fatigue, infections, and easy bleeding; higher doses bring gastrointestinal symptoms; extremely high doses can cause rapid collapse of the nervous system. The other terms aren’t describing the illness itself: contamination means radioactive material is present on or inside the body, irradiation is the exposure to radiation, and toxicology is the broader study of poisons.