Are there realistic or even useful options for detecting or monitoring things like radiation levels or even 'common' biological contaminants?

I am wondering if it might be useful to know if despite your other preps you might need to leave an area if simply being there could kill you.

I just saw the movie 'Testament' (1983) and holy fuck. I know I'm gonna be dwelling on it for a bit It has me thinking what could you even try to do in a post-nuke radiation filled landscape.


Spoiler TLDR of that movie: nukes go off and everyone in this town actually seems to have supplies and a semblance of civil society but everyone just slowly dies of radiation poisoning, bleak as fuck.

I have one of these NukAlert devices.

Can't speak to the bio contaminants - but there are a bazillion devices capable of monitoring radiation levels.

My personal favorite is the Ludlum 25 - Has a tremendously wide measurement range (0.01 mR/hr to 999 R/hr), impressive battery life (6000 hours) - in a package smaller than a deck of cards.



Professional-grade - with a price to match.

I've been tempted to get this meter. Its simple and reliable. No microprocessors or fancy electronics inside. It covers a wide range, including very high levels of radiation.
It comes with a small pellet (source) to check the tube function.

The problem with analog survey meters is that they're prone to drifting out of calibration.

Typically, in an analog meter, converting particle "hits" in a GM tube to mechanical movement of a meter dial involves RC time constants - and the values of both the "R" and "C" like to wander around over time, temperature, humidity, phase of the moon, etc...

In a digital survey meter, the microprocessor directly counts the GM tube "hits" - no need for analog integration. So, you've completely eliminated the most drift-prone element.

And, if there are any other well-understood causes of drift, they can usually be compensated for in the software.

The "leave or die" radiation meter is called a "survey meter". Those kinds of survey meters are not common off the shelf consumer items these days. Cold War surplus stuff can be had relatively cheap but who knows if it will work.
The down side of even a working survey meter is while they can tell you to "leave or die", they are worthless at telling you if the food you are eating is going to kill you in the next 6 months.

If you want to check if your food stuffs will kill you within 6 months you'll need a scintillator and they are not cheap.

If you want to know if you food stuffs are going to make your grand kids have 3 eyes, you'll need a Lab grade scintillator and a couple of weeks test time on any food you're planning to eat.

If you want to just make do with something is better than nothing, you can get a digital "pancake" Geiger counter for food stuffs, and some lead shielding to improvise it into a survey meter.

I understand how they work. Honestly, calibration is irrelevant for me as long as the device works. They come with a source to check the tube functionality. The same meters were used after the Chernobyl disaster and they provided sufficient information on radiation levels and exposure danger.
I'd be happy to have 3 dots in the meter: WTF, O-Sh*t and Run Forrest, Run!

I have several low level, digital meters. One can also do Beta and some Alpha. I have nothing that will measure mid to high levels of Gamma. Any suggestions?

Were those particular meters purchased from ebay, with no calibration performed before use?



Suggestion has already been made:



How much higher than that do you want to go?

My RADEX meter 2 hours after being injected with Technetium-99m (half-life 6 hours) last Thursday for a cardiac MPI test.  The display is a little confusing.  It actually reads .796 mSv/hr.
That number represents about 1000 chest X-rays.

Sounds likes Soviet Poland made the RS-70 radiation alerter with you in mind.





Here is the original Polish Civil Defense film that shows the proper way to use it.

Someone in the past linked this one off evil bay. I don’t really know if it’s a good one or not.

GQ GMC-500 Geiger Counter Radiation Detector Monitor Dosimeter Beta Gamma X-Ray

Useful link https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/__Useful___Radiation_Detectors_for_the_Radiation_Naive/18-668056/?page=1
Useful site for older civil defense meters
http://www.radmeters4u.com/calibrate.htm
The hard part about radiation detection is finding a detector that's not to sensitive.

Biological detection? You're surrender by biological contamination. There is easy way to detect a biological attack with out a full blown lab.

Book a civil defense meters on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Choose-Civil-Defense-Radiological-Instrument/dp/1543093108

I wouldn't pay the print price but the Kindle price at $3.99 is worth it.

I don't know much but I have had a Terra-P on my desk since Fukishima.