Gertrude writes a short story in which the main character must enter a nuclear-powered spaceship’s engine room that has lost its shielding in order to prevent the engine from flooding the rest of the ship with radiation. The main character is not wearing protective gear.What effects are best for Gertrude to consider when planning what may happen to the character?

An unshielded nuclear engine room could expose the character to a very high dose of radiation in a short time. Severe burns and radiation sickness are non-stochastic effects: their severity increases with dose, and they can occur after intense exposure. DNA mutations are stochastic effects, associated with the chance of harm rather than its severity, so choice A uses the wrong category for mutations.

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