If you are outside in an area
when a radiation emergency
happens,
you could be contaminated with
radioactive material.
Radioactive material can fall
from the air and land on people,
buildings, roads, cars,
and other objects.
This is called contamination.
Contamination may look like dust
or sand,
or it may be too small to see.
Radioactive contamination can
spread in the same way that dust
or mud can be tracked into the
home or spread to another person
or object.
It is important to get
radioactive contamination off
your body as soon as you can to
lower your risk of harm.
Removing contamination is called
decontamination.
One of the best ways to
decontaminate yourself is to
take a shower.
If you can't do that,
remove your outer layer of
clothing and wash your hands and
face.
Anything you can do to reduce
the amount of contamination on
your clothes or body will help
lower your exposure to
radiation.
Here are some ways to clean or
decontaminate yourself.
Take off your outer layer of
clothing: Depending on how you
are dressed,
taking off your outer layer of
clothing can remove most of the
contamination.
The less skin you have showing,
the less contamination you will
have on your body.
Be very careful in removing your
clothing to prevent radioactive
dust from shaking loose.
Put the clothing in a plastic
bag or other sealable container
and put the bag in an
out-of-the-way place,
away from other people and pets.
Wash yourself off.
If you can take a shower,
take a warm shower and gently
wash yourself with lots of soap.
Do not scald, scrub,
or scratch your skin.
Your skin helps protect the
inside of your body from
radioactive material.
Wash your hair with shampoo or
soap.
Do not use conditioner because
it will cause radioactive
material to stick to your hair.
Keep cuts and abrasions covered
when washing to keep from
getting radioactive material in
open wounds.
If you cannot take a shower,
wash your hands, face,
and parts of your body that were
uncovered at a sink or faucet.
Use soap and plenty of water.
If you do not have access to a
sink or faucet,
use a moist wipe,
clean wet cloth,
or a damp paper towel to wipe
the parts of your body that were
uncovered.
Pay special attention to your
hands and face.
Gently blow your nose,
wipe your eyelids, eyelashes,
and ears with a moist wipe,
clean wet cloth,
or a damp paper towel.
Put the used wipes,
cloth or towel in a plastic bag
or other sealable container and
place the bag in an
out-of-the-way place,
away from other people and pets.
Tap water sources may be
contaminated during a radiation
emergency.
If the tap water is
contaminated,
public health officials may
recommend that you drink bottled
water instead of tap water.
You can still use tap water for
decontamination.
Radioactive material that gets
into surface water or ground
water sources will be diluted to
very low levels by the water and
will be safe to use for washing
skin, hair, and clothing.
Washing with tap water that may
be slightly contaminated is
better than not washing at all.
Put on clean clothes.
Clothes in a closet or drawer
are safe to wear.
If you do not have clean
clothes,
go to a room or area away from
other people and pets,
take off your outer layer of
clothing,
and shake or brush off your
clothes.
Cover your nose and mouth while
you do this to keep from
breathing in radioactive
material.
After you have brushed off your
clothes,
you can put them back on.
Wash yourself first,
before helping infants,
small children,
or others who may need help
washing.
When assisting others,
wear waterproof gloves and a
dust mask - or other material to
cover your mouth - if you can.
Keep cuts and scrapes - both
yours and those you are helping
- covered when washing to keep
radioactive material out of the
wound.
Wash your hands and face after
providing help.
If your pet was outside,
you may need to wash them off as
well.
Wash your pet carefully with
shampoo or soap and water and
rinse completely.
Wear waterproof gloves and a
dust mask - or other material to
cover your mouth - if you can.
Keep cuts and scrapes - both
yours and your pet's - covered
when washing your pet to keep
radioactive material out of the
wound.
Wash your hands and face after
washing your pet.
If you think you may be
contaminated with radioactive
material,
it's important to remove
contamination from your clothes
and body as soon as possible.
Regardless of where you are,
you can decontaminate yourself
using any of the techniques we
just described.