No one wants to think about what would happen if there was a nuclear spill or blast nearby, but you need a hazmat suit for nuclear radiation in your emergency supplies anyhow. The bad news is that no suit can protect you from an initial blast. However, once you’ve made it past that point, a high-quality hazmat suit can help prevent you from getting the remaining particles on your skin, hair, and clothing.
You need a nonwoven fabric that cinches around the wrists, masks, and ankles. It’s essential to make sure you have gloves, boot covers, and a filtration mask as well, or the suit will do you no good. Fortunately, with the right gear and a little luck, you could walk out of a radioactive zone to safety. I’ll walk you through some of the best hazmat suits to add to your collection so you can survive the true worst-case scenario.
What Materials are Best for Nuclear Radiation Suits
Choosing the best hazmat suit for nuclear radiation needs to use the right materials. Otherwise, it will not prevent you from absorbing the damaging particles. Fortunately, several impermeable substances can reduce exposure or even temporarily block out nuclear fallout.
According to Occupational Health and Safety, the Department of Homeland Security defines a Hazmat suit as “an overall garment worn to protect people from hazardous materials or substances, including chemicals, biological agents, or radioactive materials.” For nuclear fallout, you need a self-contained suit that will lock out any particles. You need a full face respirator, preferably with an oxygen tank, plus hand and foot coverings if the suit doesn’t cover all of your body.
Materials that work include heavy PVC or rubber, Teflon, and Tyvek. For long term protection, a foot and a half of lead or six feet of concrete are recommended. However, you can’t expect to wear anything that heavy. Resultantly, you need to get out of the area as quickly as possible.
A suit will help, but it’s not perfect. You’ll need one to move safely from one location to another. Whether it’s from your home to a bunker or evacuating the region after a meltdown or blast, you can’t just wander around in jeans and a t-shirt. No matter how safe it seems, once the air has settled, it’s not.
Hazmat Protection Levels
There are four categories of hazmat protection designated by the first four letters of the alphabet. Each level has its benefits and weaknesses. For example, a D is what you might see at a construction site, while a B isn’t perfect for protection against gasses. Still, it’s better to have anything designed for chemical disasters rather than nothing.
- Level A- The first level is a fully encapsulated suit with inner and outer gloves and a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). Primarily this type is designed to shield against skin, respiratory and ocular dangers. Use this for solid, liquid, and gaseous problems.
- Level B- Similar to level A, the second level can be a single suit or multiple pieces. While it provides better respiratory protection, but less of a shield for the skin. A “B” suit isn’t as good for gaseous problems.
- Level C- The C Level suit provides adequate splash protection, but isn’t as suitable for vapors and gasses. You’ll most frequently see these suits where workers are cleaning a known contagion. Respiratory protection depends on your mask.
- Level D- If you need protection against paint, household or home building debris, or dust, then you’re looking for Level D protection. Anything below this rating doesn’t require any respiratory protection.
How do You Protect Against Radiation Poisoning
Your hazmat suit will help protect against nuclear radiation poisoning, but there’s more you can do to help keep yourself safe. There are four main parts to radiation protection; time, distance, shielding, and cleaning. Each one of these is equally important.
- Time- Time plays into nuclear incidents in two ways. Firstly, you need to limit your exposure to the smallest amount of time possible. Secondly, you need to wait before returning. The duration depends on the amount of damage.
- Distance- Getting away from a nuclear leak or explosion is critical. Once you survive long enough to know you can escape, get the heck out of there, and stay away.
- Shielding- There are three types of shielding. Your suit is one, but a thick wall, lead barrier, or even a few feet of earth will help more. Additionally, you can take potassium iodide internally to help shield your thyroid from absorbing radioiodine. That may help you avoid cancer, though it only shields one part of your body.
- Cleaning- Scrubbing your skin, disposing of clothing, and getting rid of any remaining mess is vital. You’ll likely need to dispose of your suit once you’ve used it. However, you also need to scrub your hair and body thoroughly. Cleaning the environment is more difficult, but there are ways to accomplish the feat. Sunflowers and many mussels help remove the waste from both the land and water.
Naturally, you need to get indoors or to shelter immediately following any nuclear event. Thus your suit will help you get there safely. However, staying out of the fallout is essential if you plan to continue surviving.
Top Five Best Hazmat Suits for Nuclear Radiation
When you’re looking at hazmat suits for nuclear radiation, it can get confusing. Especially right now, there are a whole lot of isolation suits on the market to help protect people from spreading the pandemic. Unfortunately, these are not the same as a radiation suit. Additionally, you’ll find plenty of coveralls for painters, hospital workers, and others that also won’t do the job.
The carefully curated list below has hazmat suits that are designed to protect you from particulate matter. You need that level of shielding to avoid fallout. However, even the best suit won’t last forever. Make sure you have somewhere to go that’s safe once you have your anti-nuclear fallout suit on, or it won’t matter.
1. Mira Safety Hazmat Suit
The Mira Safety Hazmat Suit from Amazon takes the top spot on our list handily. You’ve probably already seen them used for various demonstrations and examples, and there’s a good reason for that. For everyday use, insofar as emergencies count as ‘every day,’ this is the top tier option.
As a level C protector, you’ll need an outstanding mask to make this suit complete. Additionally, you want inner and outer gloves and boot protection. In the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear contamination, you can seal the elastic parts of this suit well with duct tape to prevent leaks. It will keep your skin from exposure to most fallout.
I recommend adding a self-contained breathing apparatus or an excellent filtration mask. Moreover, these suits are made in the USA, so the transit time and chances of shipping damage are lesser. Protect yourself with a Mira Hazmat Suit here.
2. DuPont Tyvek 400 TY122S Disposable Coverall
Made from HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene), the DuPont Tyvek 400 TY122S Disposable Coverall is a capable barrier for small particles. As one of the materials that can help protect you against fallout, this suit, like many from Dupont, will help you walk through a nuclear landscape.
Just like all the suits on this list, you will need gloves and a breathing apparatus. However, this model comes with attached boots. The hood has a cinched elastic opening to stretch over goggles or a mask.
A set sleeve pattern gives you a better range of motion. Furthermore, the comfort fit design offers an effective combination of durability, flexibility, and protection. Best of all, the Tyvek 400 is reinforced along seams and high-stress areas.
Wet or dry, this suit remains effective. With light splash protection, the spun-bonded olefin material can resist most hazardous dust particles. Learn more about Tyvek by clicking here.
3. Lakeland ChemMax 1 Hazmat Suit
The serged and bound seams in a Lakeland Chemmax Hazmat Suit from Amazon protects clothing from both acids and base chemicals. Additionally, it offers the protection of continuous filament polypropylene nonwoven fabric and a polyethylene barrier film. You’ll find these suits on sewer workers.
With chemical and organic protection, you’ll stand a chance after a blast or nuclear leak from a power plant. Reaching shelter or leaving the area is going to be challenging enough in an emergency. However, with a suit like this from Lakeland, you’ll have some protection against all the nastiness landing around you.
Size options from small to five-XL gives everyone a chance to find the right size protection. Moreover, the seams are scalable. Plus, you will appreciate the fast shipping times. Choose a Chemmax right here.
4. ABC Blue SMS Coverall
The polypropylene used to make ABC Blue SMS Coveralls is durable and abrasion-resistant. With double zippered front closures and elastic cuffs, you’ll have a good range of motion and some protection for your skin. Moreover, as a disposable and economical solution, you’ll appreciate the value.
The multilayered fabric is a brilliant blue, making it easy to find in an emergency. Once the initial danger is past, this suit will offer a barrier against light particulates and some splashing. Have Amazon deliver a great disposable coverall by clicking here.
5. Lakeland ChemMax 4 TES Level B
Although the Lakeland Chemax 4 TES Level B doesn’t offer the superb scalable protection of the ChemMax 1, it’s arguably a better suit for many uses. Why is this last on the list, you may ask? Well, ending on a high note is always a good plan, and this suit isn’t vapor tight.
Fortunately, both Lakeland suits will help in a disaster. Thus it is Lakeland, which made our list twice. Additionally, it’s more important to look at a given suit’s specifications than its designation.
The ChemMax 4 is useful against some biological agents, and it’s made from polypropylene nonwoven fabric with multilayered barrier film laminate with taped seams. Hence the ChemMax 4 cuts down significantly on water vapor and air penetration. Depending on the climate where you live, that is an important quality. Learn about Lakeland when you click here.
Final Thoughts
Nuclear radiation emergencies are among the worst possible survivable disasters you can live through, but without the best quality hazmat suit, you won’t make it far. Remember that you also need gloves, protection for your footwear, and a superb mask. Sadly, this is one scenario where you cannot improvise or use partial equipment.
In addition to your hazmat suit, it is vital to get your hands on some potassium iodide. Preventing nuclear particles from reaching your thyroid is essential, and by taking potassium iodide, you can help your body fight against that. Moreover, you’ll want to take baking soda filled baths for a while and eat foods that help absorb radiation if possible.
You cannot stop the worst-case scenario from happening, but you can prepare for it. Always keep a full set of hazmat gear in your survival supplies, and check it over regularly for any damage.
