The Iranian threat is becoming a reality: Tehran has announced that it will strike Israel within the next 48 hours. Israeli hackers have already threatened to breach Iran’s cyber infrastructure tonight. Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for all possible war scenarios, whether north or south. According to The Wall Street JournalAli Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has been presented with several plans to strike Israel, including a missile attack on Haifa, targeting the Dimona missile facility or deploying medium-range cruise missiles.
The main threat from Iran, however, stems from its expected nuclear capability. According to reports, this opportunity could be finalized within months. Israel’s allies have pledged protection and Israel’s Home Front Command has not changed its direction. Still, the nuclear threat remains a major concern for Iran.
An IDF spokesman noted on Thursday that Israel is equipped with multiple layers of defense against the Iranian threat, and while Iran is not expected to target civilian targets, the possibility of a nuclear attack is not far off.
What happens to the body after a nuclear attack?
When exposed to nuclear radiation, the cells of the human body suffer damage to their genetic material, DNA. This damage can occur either directly, through DNA damage, or indirectly, through the creation of toxic free radicals that cause oxidative DNA damage. If the damage is limited to one of the two DNA strands, the cell can potentially repair itself. However, if both strands are damaged, the injury is severe, interrupting cell division, leading to the creation of defective cells, or causing the cell to self-destruct.
Exposure to radiation can also trigger another process known as apoptosis, or programmed cell death. In this process, the cell “kills itself” because the radiation triggers signals that accelerate the destruction of DNA, leading to the rapid death of the cell.
The harmful effects of radiation exposure become apparent when the level exceeds 1 Gray unit (GY). Lethal radiation occurs at levels above 10 Gy. Radiation exposure causes general bodily damage and specific damage to exposed skin, manifested as blisters, redness, and skin ulcers. At lower levels of radiation, these skin problems can appear within 12 to 20 days of exposure, while at higher levels, skin damage and burns can occur within a few days. For months to years after exposure, complications may occur in the small blood vessels due to damage to the vascular cells.
Initial symptoms include fatigue, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Radioactive radiation causes a number of common symptoms. Initially, the affected person may experience nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and dehydration. At radiation levels above 10 Gy, symptoms can appear within five to fifteen minutes. At lower levels of 2 to 3 Gy, symptoms may not appear until 12 hours after exposure. The severity of symptoms is indicative of the victim’s recovery prospects. Multiple and severe symptoms suggest exposure to a high and potentially lethal level of radiation.
Radiation also affects the circulatory system. White blood cells undergo apoptosis and bone marrow cells are destroyed, stopping the production of new blood cells. Over the following weeks, continued cell death leads to life-threatening internal bleeding and severe infections, potentially leading to systemic failure and death.
The digestive system is also affected by radiation. The cells lining the digestive tract are destroyed, and without new bone marrow cells, ulcers can develop in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. This leads to bacterial overgrowth, deadly infections, along with loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dehydration, weight loss, and bloody diarrhea.
In addition to these effects, radiation damages the brain and peripheral nervous system. Radiation levels above 30 Gy can cause death within days, and levels above 100 Gy can cause death within hours. The exact mechanism of death is not fully understood, but it involves significant general cellular damage and severe brain damage, leading to bleeding, brain edema, and brain destruction.
A few years ago, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a radiation therapy developed in Israel obtained from the placentas of women in labor. This treatment allows the body to produce new, healthy blood cells to replace those damaged by nuclear radiation.
The innovative treatment developed by Pluristem, a Haifa-based company, is known as PLX-R18. It is intended for the treatment of severe radiation damage in the event of a nuclear attack. The research and development was conducted on animals, as clinical trials involving nuclear radiation on humans are prohibited. The experimental results showed a significant improvement in the survival rate of animals treated with PLX-R18.
The treatment is made from the placentas of women giving birth, which undergo a special process, resulting in an injectable solution. This injection is given into a muscle and must be given within 96 hours of exposure to nuclear radiation. Facilitates the production of new types of blood cells: leukocytes (white blood cells), erythrocytes (red blood cells that carry oxygen) and platelets (platelets responsible for blood clotting).
