Allow me to indulge a pet-peeve. If, as you write, the “area would be radiated,” that means that the land would be emitting some sort of radiation whereas, more properly, a target is irradiated. Look at it this way, the Sun radiates light and the Earth is irradiated by the light.
I thoroughly enjoyed a reporter commenting that the Fukushima accident radiated people. This statement means that people were flying through air with the Fukushima plant as the point of origin. The reporter meant to say that the Fukushima plant “irradiated” people.
Similarly, you meant to write “the area would be irradiated.”
Sorry for being the pedant.
If you say so.....since I barely made it thru high school I'll have to take your word for it.