“Do you taste metal “ is probably the scariest line of this whole show

For anyone curious as to WHY there's a latency period: There's essentially two things going on in the cells with Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). As explained, the ionizing radiation tears cells apart at a molecular level. This process kills a portion of one's cells outright, causing immediate symptoms. The body's immune system notices that cells are dying all over the place, which is normally what might happen when poisoned by some toxic chemicals, so its first reaction is to try and expell whatever poisonous materials are in the body. This causes nausea, vomiting, dizziness, etc. Cells dying to the immediate radiation are also responsible for the skin "burning" and blistering: The skin is the first line of defense against radiation, and so is the most severely affected by it. The redness of the skin is caused by whatever cells are left in a healthy state trying their best to repair the damage, and the blackness afterwards is essentially parts of the skin dying completely. Once the victim is removed from the irradiated area, these immediate symptoms slowly cease as well, and the latency period begins. Most cells are still alive, but the DNA inside them has been damaged beyond repair. These cells continue to function well enough for the most part, and so for a while they seem fine. But the body requires cells to constantly divide and replace the old ones... When cells with such damaged DNA try to undergo mitosis (division) like this, the resulting cells are defect much more signficantly than the 'mother cell'. And so after the latency period, when most cells have undergone mitosis since the exposure, organs begin to fail as their constitute cells are no longer performing their functions. The body begins to decompose. And the worst part? The cells that are slowest to undergo mitosis - such as neurons and those in the heart, the ones most key to your body staying alive - are the last to perish... So you don't even get the courtesy of your nerves dying first. You are still alive, still feeling every nerve as your body develops cancer essentially everywhere at once and quickly dies.

I love how they explain everything to the viewers. Not only one of the best series ever,but also teaches you interesting things.

The way this was presented was masterful. First we see the firefighters coming down with the initial states of radiation sickness and hear a vague allusion to it's dangers. Then Vasily's wife goes to see him in Moscow and he and the other firefighters seem to be doing fine, laughing, playing cards. We're lulled into a false sense that they'll be OK. A few scenes later and we get this clinical, almost detached description of what is really going to happen, followed almost immediately by seeing it for ourselves. So the true horror, while expected, still hits with a full, even greater emotional shock. Amazing storytelling.

And what about us? Well, we've...We've gotten a steady dose, but not as much of it. Not strong enough to kill the cells, but consistent enough to damage our DNA. So, in time... cancer. Or aplastic anemia. Either way, fatal. Well... in a sense, it would seem we've gotten off easy then, Valery.

An invisible, odorless, tasteless, silent poison that penetrates through almost anything. Truly horrific. Pray the world never sees something like this again.

A friend of mine made a good observation that being dead in five years by cancer or plastic anemia..."wow, the new Soviet Five Year Plan Sucks."

Human Body: *gets small blockage in brain or heart “Hmm, guess I’ll immediately die” Also human body: *starts literally melting from radiation “Wait…let’s see how this plays out”.

This scene is the start of where we see Boris as a "good person" that cares. He's feeding the dogs, asking about what will happen to the victims etc. It's a small detail that goes a long way to his development.

thank you SO much for uploading this scene like you don’t understand mate

Nothing frightens me more than radiation.

Love how the lighting transitions through this scene, ending with his face in significant shadow as he speaks of the final horrific demise of such severe radiation poisoning.

I have nightmares about this show now. I keep dreaming about Plutonium

One of the only shows or movies I've ever seen with apparent yet subtle exposition. You catch on that they're explaining things through the script at times but it never feels that way, it's all so natural.

So in other words, you become a rotting corpse that is still alive and you feel everything. That's truly a horrifying way to die.

Showing this to my family, I glance at my parents to try to catch their reactions and my Dad had a look on his face that was a combination of a grimace and an "Oh my God!" type expression.

Scherbina hearing all the effects of ionizing radiation must be beyond all the fucked up shit he’s seen or heard in his lifetime

This right here, despite being a TV series is why if a nuclear explosion happened I would rather be incinerated by the explosion rather then in the outer area of the explosion. What radiation can do to the human body...and it doesn't go away either.

I’m watching this while the forests of Chernobyl are on fire.

If the hospital really wanted to be some bastards they would’ve sent everyone home during their latency period.

I like how he so casually describes the process and it still comes off as horrifying.

Damn i need to rewatch this masterpiece. That atmosphere comes to the same level as LotR, maybe even beyond. Just epic short series

I’m not surprised that they didn’t kill those effected radiation sickness bc going through that is hell.

There's a horrifying explanation for that latency period. ARS starts with nausea and vomiting because your body is trying to expel the poisonous elements you were exposed to. However, those metals emit radioactive microscopic high speed bullets which usually destroy your cell structure which in simple terms prevents healing and regrowth. So, what happens is, your body will recover from the temporary burns and nausea as normal but the regrowth process can't start because your body lost that ability to, and with a metabolic process that works extremely fast, it doesn't take long for the human body to break down. What's worse is if by some miracle you survive, you're prone to cancer because your body can no longer fight foreign or abnormal invaders as good as it used it to. Radiation is a scary thing

Im sorry but i dont wish that on my worst enemy. Unimaginable is right.

Fun fact: Is not that radiation tastes like ''metal'', it's the fact that the radioactive particles getting inside your tongue are breaking apart the nerve endings and generating a small amount of electricity that feels like tasting ''metal''.

Perfectly describes the cycle of sadness

Imagine falling apart on the inside... while you're still alive!

This series is one of the best things ever put on TV.

Yeah, I’d say that’s faaaar worse then burning to death

This scene is scarier than anything you’ll find in most horror movies.

With great power comes great responsibility

What's worse is the case of Hisashi Ouchi. Look it up.

The 3 divers miraculously made a full recovery. 1 died of natural causes in 2003 and the others are reportedly still alive to this day.

Uranium fever has done and got me down Uranium fever, it's spreading all around...

High school students need to be shown this series AND be shown the Day After. To show them the dangers of radiation.

Animal control guy is right, “Don’t make them suffer!” 😢

He seems to be hyperbolic about everything but then again maybe not..

Ask several hundred thousand Japanese people from Hiroshima and Nagasaki if they thought the effects were only the equivalent of a chest X-ray...

He's in a truly terrible situation. He knows he has to tow the party line, but at the same time his own denial of the situation will not save him from what is true. You can see the look of horror on his face. Not sure if it was here or in another scene where he asks specifically about what will happen to them personally given their level of exposure.

The BEST part of this show 😜 was when they announced that all Reactors build in the USSR had the same flaw and could explode like Chernobyl!!!

last days of humanity brought me here

hematopoietic system tissue and lymphoid fail \m/

So in other words, if you taste metal you better be prepared to do it again... I would rather be burned alive than die of radiation.

-When the idea of melting during days+nerves still actives+painkiller useless hits hard...Finally, getting hit by the shockwave, the détonation or the heat is the "mercifull death" part... Still, remembers that a few months ago, officers make soldier entrench in this soil without testing the radioactivity nor adequate equipment ^^ Human has a creature is so good at creating potentially horrific things, but remains fundamentally a dumbass (cf the "it's cheaper" explanation scene)

This is the most deadly thing there is in the universe!

This show is about to get an extension, as Russian soldiers 40 years later are being hospitalized for acute radiation poisoning.

i only know about this clip from last days of humanity lol

Has it ever been explained WHY there's that "latency period" where people with radiation poisoning seem to recover then suddenly their body nosedives into the worst/dying stages?

It makes you think, with enough pure radiation, could you essentially melt a person?

LAST DAYS OF HUMANITY

0:43 what I think will happen when I feel a little ache when sick

What a fucked way to go, OMG!

Dont sugarcoat it give it to me straight.

LAST DAYS OF HUMANITY!!!

Radiation is a MF.

They already knew what would happen after awhile. T_T Why did they let so many die in agony like this?

And where does the pain come from, aren’t your tissues dying?

Is that before or after your face melts off.

Who Is here for the last days of humanity?

...oh

Thats how i want to go

its kind of insane that in ancient times people beleved hell was "merely" a fiery inferno and 2000 years later we as a species created something more evil and terrible than any prophet of the ancient world could wven begin to comprehend

But remember nuclear power is totally safe......

Pray for the people of Ukraine 🇺🇦

Even though I'm quoting a very popular character from a very popular movie I will say that "Scientists were so caught up in the idea that they could they never once stopped to think whether or not they should."