Dosimeters (accidently posted early, still editing)
I spent many, many hours looking at affordable Geiger counters / dosimeters and had difficulty finding a verifiably good one at a reasonable price.
The biggest problem was finding a meter that could get a reading above 99.99µSv/hr, (especially verifiably—someone showing it properly registers high-rad sources). If your city is nuked, it’s worthwhile to know if you’re getting 300µSv/hr, 3,000 µSv/hr or 30,000 µSv/hr (30 mSv/hr), but if your meter stops at 99 you’re out of luck—except that some meters limited to 99uSv/hr do understand doses above that, e.g. this meter registers 0.005 mSv in 59 seconds which is 305µSv/hr, and it can go higher. Here’s the thing: at 300µSv/hr, you are getting 7.2mSv/day—which is bad, but not your biggest problem if half of your city is on fire. But at 30 mSv/hr you’ll have radiation poisoning in a matter of hours, so leave right now.
Another major problem is battery life—good luck recharging without electricity.
Amazon has many false listings of “Geiger counters” or “dosimeters” that are actually EM meters. If it measures V/m or teslas, the listing is a lie. Lying is crazy popular on Amazon.
There are other features to look for such as data logging, but I had my hands full just looking for the essentials. See also: Geiger counters 101 video.
Many meters
can’t detect all types of radiation (look for gamma + beta detection at least), so your actual dose may be higher than the meter shows (radioactive fallout will have all kinds of radiation, except maybe muon; gammas are notable because they can pass through walls; alpha radiation is easy to block, and often, detectors are too shielded for alphas to reach it),
are not accurate because they are just “counters” that don’t measure the energy of each detected particle*. This video is notable because one Ecotest product shows 13 uSv/hr and another Ecotest product shows 61 uSv/hr for the same radioactive plate (Ecotest has a good reputation, and both products are expensive). Not sure why the readings are so different, but in general, Geiger counters are calibrated against a specific radiation source which will have a different average energy level per particle than radioactive fallout (whose composition varies over time, in fact).
I recently got a cardiac function test that gives 10-30mSv of radiation depending on equipment sensitivity (which determines the dose the doctor gives you)
Fukushima residents are not allowed to return home unless the dose is below 20 mSv/year
Natural background radiation is 1-2 mSv/year (0.11-0.23 µSv/hr)
Affordable recommendations:
Smartphone Geiger counters are the cheapest and smallest options. This video shows that the “FTLAB” meter ($45 CAD) can register at least 300µSv/hr, but if it overloads, the reading will be near zero. Don’t forget to download the app!
NR-750 is $79 CAD on Amazon. The Amazon listing for NR-750 seems to contradict itself, saying “Dose equivalent rate: 0.01~1000μSv/h (maximum 10mSv/h)” Make up your mind, is the maximum 1mSv/h or 10? Other listings say the same thing. But 1mSv/h should suffice. Only problem is, I’ve seen no one verify it can handle large radiation measurements.
Bosean FS-600: prices vary and I’ve found no comprehensive reviews. Some people like it, but it seemed not very sensitive in this review.
There are supposed to be various low-precision, low-cost geiger counters and passive dosimeters (such as cumulative exposure ‘credit cards’) for emergencies, but I just haven’t been able to find much information about them. For example, this page tells me that a “pocket ionization chamber” can operate without batteries, but another page tells me they are battery-operated, and neither page discusses actual models, prices, where to buy, or how hard it would be to read a no-battery device in the dark.
Their purpose is to load up your thyroid with iodine, so that it does not absorb radioactive iodine-131 during nuclear disaster. Note: iodine-131′s half-life is 8 days, so most of it is gone after a few weeks.
Adult dose: 130 mg, 1x per day when exposed. Whereas the FDA document says to soak the tablet and then crush it, this video says to swallow whole without chewing or breaking. I think I’ll just follow the directions on the bottle. Safe to eat with food. Pregnant/breastfeeding women are advised to avoid (but I’d say just use smaller doses).
Side effects: “allergic reactions including angioedema, hemorrhage, fever, rash and lymph node swelling”
Do not overuse. Prolonged use causes “iodism”,”characterized by a burning sensation in the mouth or throad, stomach irritation, colds, sneezing, metallic taste, evere headache, raw teeth and gums, decreased/increased thyroid function”, or “potassium toxicity, characterized by muscle weakness and irregular heartbeat”.
It seems potassium iodate is cheaper than iodide, and iodate (dose: 170 mg) is more stable in hot/humid climates, but iodate is a “stronger intestinal irritant”.
I bought a couple of other products not on OP’s list:
Portable medkit
Multipurpose unit with hand crank, solar panel, USB output for phone charging, battery, flashlight and radio (here’s another and another and another.) Does this product category have a name? I bought two of them and a simple solarphonecharger, assuming that at least one of these cheap Chinese models will break right away, and if not, it’s still nice to have three things.
Portable butane stove and 12x227g fuel canisters (how long will that last 4 people? a month?). The propane equivalent cost a lot more; didn’t seem worth it.
Electric generator (hmm, where can I put this gasoline so the blast won’t ignite it? Storing it in my house doesn’t seem ideal in non-emergency scenarios… on second thought, maybe a solar array+battery+inverter setup would have been better… I wonder if a nuclear blast would fry an outdoor solar system, though, so that one would have to keep the system offline and wrapped in foil so that it would still be usable after a blast. Better yet, I have my eye on the EB3A power station, which provides enough power to be useful, is light enough to be hand-portable, and cheap enough that it’s no tragedy for it to gather dust in peacetime. The only problem is that I can’t find an electric stove or microwave that uses more than 200 and less than 600 watts. I realize it would take several hours of solar power to cook a small meal with this, but what if there’s no way to buy fuel?)
I’d also like to find a rainbarrel that isn’t too expensive, and an extra supply of convenience items, e.g. lip balm, toilet paper. You’re making a prepper out of me, Fin!
Buyer’s guide
Dosimeters (accidently posted early, still editing)
I spent many, many hours looking at affordable Geiger counters / dosimeters and had difficulty finding a verifiably good one at a reasonable price.
The biggest problem was finding a meter that could get a reading above 99.99µSv/hr, (especially verifiably—someone showing it properly registers high-rad sources). If your city is nuked, it’s worthwhile to know if you’re getting 300µSv/hr, 3,000 µSv/hr or 30,000 µSv/hr (30 mSv/hr), but if your meter stops at 99 you’re out of luck—except that some meters limited to 99uSv/hr do understand doses above that, e.g. this meter registers 0.005 mSv in 59 seconds which is 305µSv/hr, and it can go higher. Here’s the thing: at 300µSv/hr, you are getting 7.2mSv/day—which is bad, but not your biggest problem if half of your city is on fire. But at 30 mSv/hr you’ll have radiation poisoning in a matter of hours, so leave right now.
Another major problem is battery life—good luck recharging without electricity.
Amazon has many false listings of “Geiger counters” or “dosimeters” that are actually EM meters. If it measures V/m or teslas, the listing is a lie. Lying is crazy popular on Amazon.
There are other features to look for such as data logging, but I had my hands full just looking for the essentials. See also: Geiger counters 101 video.
Many meters
can’t detect all types of radiation (look for gamma + beta detection at least), so your actual dose may be higher than the meter shows (radioactive fallout will have all kinds of radiation, except maybe muon; gammas are notable because they can pass through walls; alpha radiation is easy to block, and often, detectors are too shielded for alphas to reach it),
are not accurate because they are just “counters” that don’t measure the energy of each detected particle*. This video is notable because one Ecotest product shows 13 uSv/hr and another Ecotest product shows 61 uSv/hr for the same radioactive plate (Ecotest has a good reputation, and both products are expensive). Not sure why the readings are so different, but in general, Geiger counters are calibrated against a specific radiation source which will have a different average energy level per particle than radioactive fallout (whose composition varies over time, in fact).
may underestimate at very large dose rates, and
even a perfect meter can underestimate, in case of particulates that stick to your lungs/skin/food/water more than to the Geiger counter.
Radiation doses to know about:
About 4000 mSv is lethal if untreated (and maybe even with treatment)
You start getting radiation sickness at about 400 mSv (if received in a matter of days)
100mSv gives you a roughly 0.4% absolute lifetime risk of getting cancer (higher risk for young women, less for old men)
I recently got a cardiac function test that gives 10-30mSv of radiation depending on equipment sensitivity (which determines the dose the doctor gives you)
Fukushima residents are not allowed to return home unless the dose is below 20 mSv/year
Natural background radiation is 1-2 mSv/year (0.11-0.23 µSv/hr)
Affordable recommendations:
Smartphone Geiger counters are the cheapest and smallest options. This video shows that the “FTLAB” meter ($45 CAD) can register at least 300µSv/hr, but if it overloads, the reading will be near zero. Don’t forget to download the app!
NR-750 is $79 CAD on Amazon. The Amazon listing for NR-750 seems to contradict itself, saying “Dose equivalent rate: 0.01~1000μSv/h (maximum 10mSv/h)” Make up your mind, is the maximum 1mSv/h or 10? Other listings say the same thing. But 1mSv/h should suffice. Only problem is, I’ve seen no one verify it can handle large radiation measurements.
The Chinese “MUFASHA” (or “CHNADKS”?) HFS-P3 ($90 on Amazon, $42 CAD on AliExpress) can be seen here registering over 400µSv/hr.
GQ GMC-300E ($178 CAD) or GMC-500 ($220 CAD) are popular; I’ve seen both reading over 100uSv/hr, and the 500 can read over 1mSv/hr if it’s not faulty, though it seems to undermeasure when radiation is high.
Bosean FS-600: prices vary and I’ve found no comprehensive reviews. Some people like it, but it seemed not very sensitive in this review.
There are supposed to be various low-precision, low-cost geiger counters and passive dosimeters (such as cumulative exposure ‘credit cards’) for emergencies, but I just haven’t been able to find much information about them. For example, this page tells me that a “pocket ionization chamber” can operate without batteries, but another page tells me they are battery-operated, and neither page discusses actual models, prices, where to buy, or how hard it would be to read a no-battery device in the dark.
* The coolest product I saw: the RadiaCode-101 gamma radiation spectrometer (355€)
Potassium Iodide (KI) pills
According to this video:
Their purpose is to load up your thyroid with iodine, so that it does not absorb radioactive iodine-131 during nuclear disaster. Note: iodine-131′s half-life is 8 days, so most of it is gone after a few weeks.
Adult dose: 130 mg, 1x per day when exposed. Whereas the FDA document says to soak the tablet and then crush it, this video says to swallow whole without chewing or breaking. I think I’ll just follow the directions on the bottle. Safe to eat with food. Pregnant/breastfeeding women are advised to avoid (but I’d say just use smaller doses).
Side effects: “allergic reactions including angioedema, hemorrhage, fever, rash and lymph node swelling”
Do not overuse. Prolonged use causes “iodism”,”characterized by a burning sensation in the mouth or throad, stomach irritation, colds, sneezing, metallic taste, evere headache, raw teeth and gums, decreased/increased thyroid function”, or “potassium toxicity, characterized by muscle weakness and irregular heartbeat”.
It seems potassium iodate is cheaper than iodide, and iodate (dose: 170 mg) is more stable in hot/humid climates, but iodate is a “stronger intestinal irritant”.
I also picked
N95 masks with outflow valve
Other products:
I bought a couple of other products not on OP’s list:
Portable medkit
Multipurpose unit with hand crank, solar panel, USB output for phone charging, battery, flashlight and radio (here’s another and another and another.) Does this product category have a name? I bought two of them and a simple solar phone charger, assuming that at least one of these cheap Chinese models will break right away, and if not, it’s still nice to have three things.
Portable butane stove and 12x227g fuel canisters (how long will that last 4 people? a month?). The propane equivalent cost a lot more; didn’t seem worth it.
Electric generator (hmm, where can I put this gasoline so the blast won’t ignite it? Storing it in my house doesn’t seem ideal in non-emergency scenarios… on second thought, maybe a solar array+battery+inverter setup would have been better… I wonder if a nuclear blast would fry an outdoor solar system, though, so that one would have to keep the system offline and wrapped in foil so that it would still be usable after a blast. Better yet, I have my eye on the EB3A power station, which provides enough power to be useful, is light enough to be hand-portable, and cheap enough that it’s no tragedy for it to gather dust in peacetime. The only problem is that I can’t find an electric stove or microwave that uses more than 200 and less than 600 watts. I realize it would take several hours of solar power to cook a small meal with this, but what if there’s no way to buy fuel?)
I’d also like to find a rainbarrel that isn’t too expensive, and an extra supply of convenience items, e.g. lip balm, toilet paper. You’re making a prepper out of me, Fin!