# Hazards

> Canonical source: [Hazards](https://satisfactorybase.com/wiki/world/hazards)
> Language: en

Radiation (formula and source table), poison gas, caves, Cracked Boulders, the map edge and fall damage – and what protects you from each.


## Radiation

Radiation only affects pioneers (not creatures or Lizard Doggos), only through proximity to a source and without after-effects (except a bug: deposit radiation persists until the save is reloaded). You notice it by screen distortion, the Geiger counter and an intensity bar (the bar ends at 26.7 % damage).

- **Protection:** the :icon[BP_EquipmentDescriptorHazmatSuit_C] [Hazmat Suit](/wiki/items/hazmat-suit) (Tier 7) with :icon[Desc_HazmatFilter_C] [Iodine-Infused Filters](/wiki/items/iodine-infused-filter) – 1 filter per 12 s at maximum intensity, proportionally longer below that. **All vehicles** make you immune. The Dimensional Depot takes radioactive items out of your inventory. Foundations, walls, terrain, water and Hypertubes do **not** shield radiation.
- **Damage:** 1 HP/s at intensity 0.2 (0.44 %) up to 20 HP/s from intensity 45 (100 %, death in 5 s).

### Formula

`Intensity = Σ ( ItemCount × ItemDecay × e^(−x/80) / (4·π·x²) )`

x = distance in metres (inventory / closer than 0.5 m counts as 0.5 m), summed over all sources: nodes, deposits, items on belts or on the ground, in building inventories, crates and the player's inventory. The result is clamped to 0.2–45.

Example: a full stack of Uranium (1 500) at 5 m → 1 500 × e^(−5/80) / (4π·25) ≈ 4.5 → about 10 % damage per second.

| Source | ItemDecay per piece | per stack | Disposable in the inventory trash slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uranium resource node | 10 000 | – | – |
| Uranium deposit | 15 × contained Uranium (≈ 54–66) ≈ 900 | – | (mine it) |
| :icon[Desc_OreUranium_C] [Uranium](/wiki/items/uranium) | 15 | 1 500 | yes |
| :icon[Desc_UraniumCell_C] [Encased Uranium Cell](/wiki/items/encased-uranium-cell) | 0.5 | 100 | yes |
| :icon[Desc_NuclearFuelRod_C] [Uranium Fuel Rod](/wiki/items/uranium-fuel-rod) | 50 | 2 500 | yes |
| :icon[Desc_NuclearWaste_C] [Uranium Waste](/wiki/items/uranium-waste) | 10 | 5 000 | **no** |
| :icon[Desc_NonFissibleUranium_C] [Non-Fissile Uranium](/wiki/items/non-fissile-uranium) | 0.75 | 375 | no |
| :icon[Desc_PlutoniumPellet_C] [Plutonium Pellet](/wiki/items/plutonium-pellet) | 20 | 2 000 | no |
| :icon[Desc_PlutoniumCell_C] [Encased Plutonium Cell](/wiki/items/encased-plutonium-cell) | 120 | 24 000 | no |
| :icon[Desc_PlutoniumFuelRod_C] [Plutonium Fuel Rod](/wiki/items/plutonium-fuel-rod) | 250 | 12 500 | yes |
| :icon[Desc_PlutoniumWaste_C] [Plutonium Waste](/wiki/items/plutonium-waste) | 200 | 100 000 | no |
| :icon[Desc_Ficsonium_C] [Ficsonium](/wiki/items/ficsonium) | 250 | 25 000 | no |
| :icon[Desc_FicsoniumFuelRod_C] [Ficsonium Fuel Rod](/wiki/items/ficsonium-fuel-rod) | 1 000 | 50 000 | no |
| Nuke Nobelisk (explosion, 30 s) | 10 000 | – | – |
| [Nuclear Hog](/wiki/creatures/nuclear-hog) | passive (bar fills at close contact) | – | – |

Plutonium Waste has the highest radiation density per slot (100 000). All sources glow in the dark.

**Planning advice:** keep uranium chains (belts, containers) away from walkways; plan Hazmat Suit and filter production (Manufacturer); never let Uranium Waste pile up in crates – it can neither be sunk nor deleted.

## Poison gas

- **Sources:** **Gas Pillars** (rock pillars in groups; permanently destroyable since Update 8 with Nobelisk, Cluster/Nuke Nobelisk or Explosive Rebar), **[Spore Flowers](/wiki/creatures/spore-flower)** (736 plant creatures), the **[Elite Gas Stinger](/wiki/creatures/elite-gas-stinger)** (cloud 15 m, 25 s), the Gas Nobelisk (30 s), and some areas without a visible source (e.g. the Swamp).
- **Damage:** **10 HP/s per source** (since 1.0; 5 before), sources add up; staying less than 1 s is harmless; the screen is tinted red even with a mask on.
- **Protection:** :icon[BP_EquipmentDescriptorGasmask_C] [Gas Mask](/wiki/items/gas-mask) (MAM Mycelia) with :icon[Desc_Filter_C] [Gas Filters](/wiki/items/gas-filter) (45 s per filter), **vehicles** (since 1.0) and Hypertubes. The Hazmat Suit does **not** protect against gas. Hogs, Spitters and Beans die in gas; Stingers are immune.
- A destroyed source removes its gas immediately; Pillars and Flowers never respawn. Collectibles (crash sites, slugs, spheres, sloops) often lie in gas – a single slug can be grabbed without a mask before your 100 HP run out.

## Caves

- 52 caves are mapped on the community map (more exist in the game). Entrances are often hidden behind waterfalls, vines (Chainsaw) or Cracked Boulders. Inside: Mycelia, Bacon Agaric, Power Slugs, Somersloops and Mercer Spheres, resource nodes (Uranium, Raw Quartz, SAM), Stingers and poison gas. Bioluminescent Round Blue Cap Mushrooms light the way; Cave Bats appear at night.
- Named caves: Stone Arch Ravine (Grass Fields, SAM node), Blue Slug Cave, Somersloop Tunnel, Mercer Sphere Cave, Fungus Under-cliff (2 Crude Oil nodes), Waterfall Cave (Yellow Slug), Uranium Cave (one of the Uranium nodes), Desert Cave (Rocky Desert: 3 Raw Quartz + 1 SAM), the Tunnel (Dangle Spires ↔ Rocky Desert), Doggo Cave (Jungle Spires: Blade Runners, Xeno-Basher and a Boom Box tape). Stacked caves at different heights exist in the Grass Fields, Blue Crater and Spire Coast.

## Cracked Boulders

**689** destructible rocks sit on resource nodes (blocking miners), above Power Slugs, at biome borders and paths, and in front of caves. Only a :icon[Desc_NobeliskExplosive_C] [Nobelisk](/wiki/items/nobelisk) or :icon[Desc_Rebar_Explosive_C] [Explosive Rebar](/wiki/items/explosive-rebar) removes them; they never respawn.

## Map edge, height limit, falling

| Hazard | Effect |
|---|---|
| Map edge | Inner border 5 HP/s, outer border instantly lethal; Hypertubes protect, vehicles do not |
| Height limit | Safe between Z −244 m and +1 997 m; damage outside, death beyond |
| Fall damage | From 13.5 m of fall height (20.5 m with Blade Runners); capped at 97 (Blade Runners 96) – with ≥ 98 HP no fall is lethal. Based on impact speed and angle; a Hypertube exit never points at the ground. U-Jelly Landing Pad, Parachute and Jetpack prevent it |
| Void | 5 HP/s at the bottom, instantly lethal below a certain depth; vehicles protect |
| Freight Car | 100 damage (lethal) if a container lands on you |

## Weather

Rain was removed with Update 8 (UE5) and only returned in 1.2 as a purely visual effect – see [Biomes](/wiki/world/biomes#world-mechanics). Only the day/night cycle matters for gameplay: night spawners release Stingers. Caves show “rain” from stalactites without any effect.


- [Biomes](/wiki/world/biomes)

- [Creatures](/wiki/creatures)

- [Combat & respawn](/wiki/creatures/combat)

- [Hazmat Suit](/wiki/items/hazmat-suit)

- [Gas Mask](/wiki/items/gas-mask)