In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

Related to a previous discussion about improving public information and preparedness for the nuclear threat, I thought I’d mention that I unexpectedly will be making a small contribution to medical research in this area as part of my recent hospitalization. Before starting my treatment for leukemia, I volunteered to be part of a medical study, “Radiation Biodosimetry in Patients Treated with Total Body Irradiation (TBI)” which aims to help medical personnel treat victims of a radiological accident or attack. The release I signed described the objective:

“The purpose of this study is to develop blood tests and urine tests that can tell doctors how much radiation a person has been exposed to. Doctors know how much radiation patients are exposed to in certain medical situations…However, doctors may not know how much radiation patients are exposed to in non-medical situations would be a radiation accident or a terrorist attack.”

“The research study will help researchers develop tests to show how much radiation a person has been exposed to. This would be very helpful information to doctors if people were exposed to. This would be very helpful information to doctors if people were exposed to radiation in an accident, or in a terrorist attack.”

Recently, I also happened to see an Associated Press article, “Dirty-bomb test for terror may aid cancer research,” which reports on new findings that will potentially benefit both cancer patients and terrorism victims:

With a few drops of blood, scientists are creating a way to tell who has absorbed dangerous radiation levels, part of the government’s preparations against a terror attack, and advance research that just might point toward new cancer care, too.

Duke University’s work aims to allow rapid triage in the aftermath of a dirty bomb explosion or other radiological emergency, to sort out who among potentially thousands of panicked people need treatment for radioactive fallout and who can go home. At the same time, it illustrates an evolving new approach to developing so-called “medical countermeasures” for defense: They ought to have an everyday use, too.