Going Nuclear: radiation, exploration and protection
Handbook · Next: Uranium and enrichment
Radiation starts before the reactor does. Ores, uranium products, filled machines, waste and contaminated locations can expose you. Prepare protective equipment and measuring instruments before collecting large quantities.
Finding ores and hazardous places
Going Nuclear adds uranium and lead ores. Uranium ore and Raw Uranium go into Crushing Wheels. Smelt or blast Raw Lead and lead ores into shielding material. Matching names from other mods do not establish recipe compatibility: check the ingredient.
The checked uranium-generation configuration uses Y −64 to −40, a vein chance of 0.12 per chunk, and veins of 1–3 blocks. Radioactive caverns have a separate 0.03 chance per chunk. These are configurable placement parameters, not a promise that twelve percent of all visited chunks contain accessible ore. Biomes, placement conditions and existing terrain matter. World-generation changes do not retrofit ores into old chunks.
Abandoned nuclear plants are hazardous exploration sites. Measure exposure, bring protection and prepare a return route. A discovered plant is not automatically safe or ready for operation.
Three measuring instruments
| Instrument | Measures | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Geiger Counter | current dose rate at your location | Find sources and compare distance and shielding |
| Dosimeter | your accumulated dose | Decide when you need to leave |
| Radiation Scanner | fallout map, wind and local dose rate | Identify contaminated areas and drift direction |
A low current dose rate does not erase accumulated dose. A currently low total
dose does not make it safe to stay beside a source with a rapidly increasing rate.
The mod uses µSv/s for dose rate and mSv or Sv for dose; 1 Sv = 1,000 mSv.
doseTimeScale accelerates exposure in the game. These values are not instructions
for real radiation exposure.
Clothing and shielding
The Hazmat Suit mainly protects against alpha and beta exposure, including uranium dust; its hood matters when handling dust. Lead-lined Armor targets penetrating gamma radiation. Prepare a complete suit and verify its effect with your Geiger Counter rather than treating one armour piece as universal protection.
Distance reduces exposure. Material and block thickness influence shielding between you and the source. Lead is a dedicated shielding material. Separate processing and waste storage from busy paths; measure outside doors and at workstations. A decorated room with windows does not prove effective shielding.
Dose and radiation sickness
The bundled dosimeter text describes these stages:
| Accumulated dose | Described effects |
|---|---|
| Below 100 mSv | No symptoms |
| 100 mSv to 1 Sv | Weakness and nausea |
| 1–4 Sv | Vomiting, severe weakness, no regeneration |
| Above 4 Sv | Acute, potentially fatal radiation sickness |
Leave the source first. The checked configuration includes natural dose recovery and a 600-second dose half-life. Actual recovery depends on settings, and continued exposure can outweigh it.
Older project descriptions mention anti-radiation pills and an injector. These items are absent from the checked 0.512-5-1 item registry. Do not plan around medicine shown only in an older guide.
The Purification Core is a powerful aid: right-click to remove your dose and sickness and clear nearby contamination puddles and fallout. Its description specifies eight uses and a one-minute recharge. Its expensive crafting recipe is in the reference. It does not repair a reactor.
Spills and fallout
The Ponder instructions describe washing contamination puddles away with water. Cleaning a puddle does not restore reactor cooling or refill a spent-fuel pool.
Fallout spreads over a wider area and moves with the wind. Recheck the scanner map and keep clear of contaminated zones. Waste left lying on the ground can create new contamination. Address the source before cleanup. A clear-looking floor does not prove clean air or a healthy player.
Next: Fuel processing · Accident response: Emergency procedure.