The Sequelae of the Cutaneous Radiation Syndrome

Abstract

The probability of cutaneous injury by nuclear weapons or dispersed nuclear material has, in contrast to post cold-war euphoria, considerably increased during the past 13 years. This is in part due to a temporary loss of control over nuclear material including uncontrolled deployment, in part to an increasing capability and apparent willingness of terrorist and other criminal groups to use such material for their purposes. A relatively recent danger emerges from the development of so-called robust nuclear earth penetrators (RNEPs) to destroy very deep bunkers, which may be used in future in “conventional” wars, and which without doubt will cause contamination with short-ranging radioactive nuclides. These nuclides again will affect the skin primarily. In summary, the probability of cutaneous radiation exposures with, in part, extremely high absorbed doses (< 60 Gy) with concomitantly survivable bone marrow doses has increased.