If a nuclear weapon is about to explode, here are 17 things you can do

With about 12,700 nuclear warheads spread across nine countries, the risk of nuclear war is always present.

Though the risk remains low, tensions are running high around the Ukraine war. As Russia has struggled to make progress invading Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has hinted that he could deploy nuclear weapons in dire circumstances.

Experts have previously told Insider that it is unlikely Putin would take that step. By doing so, Russia would risk alienating its allies and its own people.

Still, world leaders are taking the threat seriously. In case the worst happens, there are easy tips to remember to minimise the risk.

“Fallout casualties are entirely preventable,” Brooke Buddemeier, a health physicist and expert on radiation and emergency preparedness at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, told Insider in 2018.

“Knowing what to do after an event like this can literally save hundreds of thousands of people from radiation illness or fatalities.”

Here are 17 tips to best protect yourself in case of an impact.

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