falling later would have lost much of
their radiation high in the atmosphere.

FALLOUT CAUSES RADIATION SICKNESS

The invisible gamma rays given off by fallout particles can cause
radiation sickness--that is, illness caused by physical and chemical
changes in the cells of the body. If a person receives a large dose of
radiation, he will die. But if he receives only a small or medium dose,
his body will repair itself and he will get well. The same dose received
over a short period of time is more damaging than if it is received over
a longer period. Usually, the effects of a given dose of radiation are
more severe in very young and very old persons, and those not in good
health.

No special clothing can protect people against gamma radiation, and no
special drugs or chemicals can prevent large doses of radiation from
causing damage to the cells of the body. However, antibiotics and other
medicines are helpful in treating infections that sometimes follow
excessive exposure to radiation (which weakens the body's ability to
fight infections).

Almost all of the radiation that people would absorb from fallout
particles would come from particles _outside_ their own bodies. Only
simple precautions would be necessary to avoid swallowing the particles,
and because of their size (like grains of sand) it would be practically
impossible to inhale them.

People exposed to fallout radiation do _not_ become radioactive and
thereby dangerous to other people. Radiation sickness is not contagious
or infectious, and one person cannot "catch it" from another person.

PROTECTION IS POSSIBLE

People can protect themselves against fallout radiation, and have a good
chance of surviving it, by staying inside a fallout shelter. In most
cases, the fallout radiation level outside the shelter would decrease
rapidly enough to permit people to leave the shelter within a few days.

Even in communities that received heavy accumulations of fallout
particles, people soon might be able to leave shelter for a few minutes
or a few hours at a time in order to perform emergency tasks. In most
places, it is unlikely that full-time shelter occupancy would be
required for more than a week or two.

MANY KINDS OF FALLOUT SHELTERS

The farther away you are from the fallout particles outside, the less
radiation you will receive. Also, the building materials (concrete,
brick, lumber, etc.) that are between you and the fallout particles
serve to abs