What can happen to you when you smell nuclear radiation?

Answer 1

You cannot smell nuclear radiation, nor detect it with any of your senses directly.

However if the nuclear radiation was intense enough (several thousand REM/hour) it is possible that it might ionize the air enough to produce enough ozone that you could smell the ozone (which has a very acrid sour smell). But if it is this intense, not long after you first smelled the ozone you would have already accumulated a dose high enough to have severe radiation poisoning and you could be so sick that you could no longer stand and try to leave the irradiated area. If you did get out you would need intensive care in a well equipped modern hospital to have even a 30% chance of surviving, without hospitalization you would die in no more than a month in indescribable agony.

Answer 2

Smelling nuclear radiation is not possible, as radiation itself is odorless. However, exposure to high levels of nuclear radiation can cause a range of health effects, including nausea, skin burns, radiation sickness, and even long-term effects such as cancer. It is important to follow safety protocols and evacuate the area if there is a risk of nuclear radiation exposure.