Radiation
This page refers to radiation as a whole, for block-based/environmental radiation, see Environmental Radiation, for item based radiation, see Item Mechanics.
Radiation is an environmental, item-based, and block-based effect caused by radioactive materials, waste, and nuclear reactions (see Exposure for more information). In the mod, it refers to ionizing radiation, and is measured using a 
geiger counter in RADs per second (RAD/s). Continuous and unshielded exposure to radiation typically results in death, and can this can be prevented using various methods such as wearing the hazmat suit and its variants.
Exposure
Looking for details on how to protect from hazardous radiation? See: Guide: Material Safety.
Radiation intake usually comes from radioactive materials and items. Below are tables for materials, blocks and items that can be sorted by the amount of radiation they emit.
| Material | RADs |
|---|---|
 Actinium-227 |
Emits: 30.0RAD/s |
 Americium-241 |
Emits: 8.5RAD/s |
 Americium-242 |
Emits: 9.5RAD/s |
 Americium Fuel |
Emits: 4.75RAD/s |
 Ancient Scrap Metal |
Emits: 150.0RAD/s |
 Balefire Egg |
Emits: 300000.0RAD/s |
 Balefire Shard |
Emits: 30000.0RAD/s |
 Presto Log (Balefire) |
Emits: 2000.0RAD/s |
 Solid Fuel (Balefire) |
Emits: 1000.0RAD/s |
 Caesium-137 |
Emits: 60.0RAD/s |
 Cobalt-60 |
Emits: 30.0RAD/s |
 Crystals
|
Emits: Depends |
 Suspended Demon Core |
Emits: 5.0RAD/s |
 Closed Demon Core |
Emits: 100000.0RAD/s |
 Digamma Fuel Pellet (Fully Depleted)
|
Emits: 1.500012E7RAD/s |
 Ferric Schrabidate |
Emits: 1.5RAD/s |
 Flashgold |
Emits: 250.0RAD/s |
 Flashlead |
Emits: 6250.0RAD/s |
 Pile of Fallout |
Emits: 30.0RAD/s |
 Ghiorsium-336 |
Emits: 5.0RAD/s |
 Gold-198 |
Emits: 500.0RAD/s |
 Iodine-131 |
Emits: 450.0RAD/s |
 Lead-209 |
Emits: 10000.0RAD/s |
 Long-Lived Nuclear Waste
|
Emits: Depends |
 Neptunium-237 |
Emits: 2.5RAD/s |
 Neptunium Fuel |
Emits: 1.5RAD/s |
 Nuclear Waste |
Emits: 15.0RAD/s |
 Plutonium |
Emits: 7.5RAD/s |
 Plutonium-238 |
Emits: 10.0RAD/s |
 Plutonium-239 |
Emits: 5.0RAD/s |
 Plutonium-240 |
Emits: 7.5RAD/s |
 Plutonium-241 |
Emits: 25.0RAD/s |
 Plutonium Fuel |
Emits: 4.25RAD/s |
 Polonium-210 |
Emits: 75.0RAD/s |
 Radium-226 |
Emits: 7.5RAD/s |
 Reactor Grade Americium |
Emits: 9.0RAD/s |
 Reactor Grade Plutonium |
Emits: 6.25RAD/s |
 LES Fuel |
Emits: 5.85RAD/s |
 HES Fuel |
Emits: 5.85RAD/s |
 Schrabidium Fuel |
Emits: 5.85RAD/s |
 Schrabidium-326 |
Emits: 15.0RAD/s |
 Schrabidium Trisulfide Cell |
Emits: 5.0RAD/s |
 Schraranium |
Emits: 1.5RAD/s |
 Solinium |
Emits: 17.5RAD/s |
 Short-Lived Nuclear Waste
|
Emits: Depends |
 Strontium-90 |
Emits: 15.0RAD/s |
 Solid Mud Brick |
Emits: 1.0RAD/s |
 Technetium-99 |
Emits: 2.75RAD/s |
 Thorium-232
|
Emits: 0.1RAD/s |
 Thorium Fuel |
Emits: 1.75RAD/s |
 Thermonuclear Ashes |
Emits: 500.0RAD/s |
 Trinitite
|
Emits: 0.1RAD/s |
 Tritium Cell
|
Emits: 0.001RAD/s |
 Trixite |
Emits: 250.0RAD/s |
 Uranium
|
Emits: 0.35RAD/s |
 UZH Billet
|
Emits: 0.062RAD/s |
 Uranium-233
|
Emits: 5.0RAD/s |
 Uranium-235
|
Emits: 1.0RAD/s |
 Uranium-238
|
Emits: 0.25RAD/s |
 Uranium Fuel
|
Emits: 0.5RAD/s |
 MOX Fuel |
Emits: 2.5RAD/s |
 Xenon-135 |
Emits: 3750.0RAD/s |
 Yellowcake |
Emits: 1.05RAD/s |
| Item | RADs |
|---|---|
 Polonium Insert |
Emits: 100.0RAD/s |
 Radioactive Gem |
Emits: 25.0RAD/s |
 Radioactive Scraps
|
Emits: 1.0RAD/s |
Other Sources
- Chunks containing radioactive blocks, like Radioactive barrels or nuclear waste blocks, which emit environmental radiation.
- Consumption of radioactive items like Nuka cola or radium coffee.
- Spilling/dispensing of radioactive gases or liquids, like Green ooze.
- Forgetting to cover your RBMK columns with cover lids.
- Radon gas, usually produced by mining uranium ore.
Radiation Sickness
Effects On The Player
If the player absorbs radiation, they will suffer the effects of radiation sicknes, which gets more severe the higher their absorbed dose is.
| Dose | Effects |
|---|---|
| <200.0RADs |
No effects will occur below this level. |
| 200.0RADs |
 Nausea and  weakness are applied at random intervals for five seconds, vomiting (hunger level 20 for 3 seconds) occurs every 60 seconds.
|
| 400.0RADs |
The weakness effect becomes stronger and  slowness is added.
|
| 600.0RADs |
Slowness and weakness reach level 3, and  poison 2 may rarely occur. The player now vomits blood every 30 seconds instead of 60.
|
| 800.0RADs |
Poison reaches level 3, and  wither 2 may apply, which may be deadly even on lower difficulties.
|
| 1000.0RADs |
Instant death. An achievement is acquired mentioning the player's passing by radiation poisoning and Marie Curie's similar fate. |
Effects On Mobs
Some mobs may be affected differently by radiation:
- At 50 RADs, cows will mutate into mooshrooms.
- At 200 RADs, creepers have a 1:3 chance of turning into nuclear creepers, otherwise they die instantly. Ducks will evolve into Quackos The Elder One.
- At 500 RADs, villagers will turn into regular zombies, which prevents them from being healed back into villagers.
Protection and Treatment
Some of the items and blocks that provide protection or treatment against radiation include:
Geiger counter.
Dosimeter.
Radaways.
Rad-X.
Radiation absorbers.
Protective armor (basic or vanilla armor pieces do have radiation resistance, albeit a small amount).
Armor claddings, and some other armor modifications.
Player decontaminator.
Notes
- Exposure from chunk radiation will only decrease as the entity moves away to other chunks, moving above or below a source in the same chunk as the entity doesn't affect radiation exposure
- There is a more accurate radiation system called PRISM, in which some blocks, like concrete, can actually shield from some radiation when covering the source. It can be enabled in the mod's configuration file (hbm.cfg)
- Radiation clouds, dead grass particles, and glowing mushrooms do not emit radiation
- Radiation clouds start to appear if there are over 100 chunk RADs present, and get denser and denser the more irradiated the chunk is
- NTM radiation is measured in RAD or "Radiation Absorbed Dose."
- When in the inventory, the
tungsten reacher will reduce the player's exposure from radioactive items down to the square root of their original radiation value.