102
11 Health Effects of Nuclear Weapons
• Within about 12 km the flash can cause temporary or permanent blindness; this
can also lead to automobile accidents and injuries due to being suddenly unable
to see
• Within a distance of about 20 km downwind of the detonation (depending on wind
speed and direction) radiation dose to those in the fallout plume will sufficient to
cause radiation sickness or death, depending on the protective actions taken by
those in this area.
11.1 Prompt Fatalities
There are many who will be killed almost immediately by the blast, the temperatures,
the radiation, by collapsing buildings and basements, in the mass fires ignited by the
thermal pulse, and more. For a nominal 10 kt explosion this will likely include every
person within a distance of 300 m and the majority of those within 1 km of the site of
the detonation.
In addition to those killed in these zones, an unknown number might die in the
seconds or minutes after a detonation when basements, subway tunnels, and other
subterranean structures collapse from the shock transmitted through the soil and rock;
others might die if they seek shelter in a location below the water table (or below sea
level) that floods due to structural damage or the loss of dewatering pumps.
In a densely populated city such as New York City as many as 200,000 people
might die in the first moments after an attack from the blast, heat, collapsing buildings,
and falling glass and rubble.
11.2 Effects of Radiation Exposure in the Vicinity
of the Detonation
As we saw in the previous chapter the gamma radiation dose from a 10 kt nuclear
device will be approximately 9 Gy at a distance of 1 km from the detonation. Neutrons
are emitted from fission as well, but calculating neutron exposure is more difficult
because some neutrons are absorbed to cause fission, some are absorbed to cause
radiation exposure, and all neutrons lose energy (and, hence, biological effectiveness)
as they travel outward from the explosion. In fact, the matter of neutron dosimetry
is sufficiently complex that it was not until 2003 that the matter was considered to
have been resolved satisfactorily for the 1945 attack against Hiroshima [3]. Neutrons
are thought to have accounted for only about 1–2% of the total absorbed dose for
those within a distance of about 1 km, when we account for the higher relative
biological effectiveness of fission-spectrum neutrons [4] their contribution rises to
about 10–20% of the total biological dose [5].
For those who are directly exposed to the detonation with no buildings or terrain
to shield them, the nearest distance at which they are likely to survive the radiation
11 Health Effects of Nuclear Weapons
• Within about 12 km the flash can cause temporary or permanent blindness; this
can also lead to automobile accidents and injuries due to being suddenly unable
to see
• Within a distance of about 20 km downwind of the detonation (depending on wind
speed and direction) radiation dose to those in the fallout plume will sufficient to
cause radiation sickness or death, depending on the protective actions taken by
those in this area.
11.1 Prompt Fatalities
There are many who will be killed almost immediately by the blast, the temperatures,
the radiation, by collapsing buildings and basements, in the mass fires ignited by the
thermal pulse, and more. For a nominal 10 kt explosion this will likely include every
person within a distance of 300 m and the majority of those within 1 km of the site of
the detonation.
In addition to those killed in these zones, an unknown number might die in the
seconds or minutes after a detonation when basements, subway tunnels, and other
subterranean structures collapse from the shock transmitted through the soil and rock;
others might die if they seek shelter in a location below the water table (or below sea
level) that floods due to structural damage or the loss of dewatering pumps.
In a densely populated city such as New York City as many as 200,000 people
might die in the first moments after an attack from the blast, heat, collapsing buildings,
and falling glass and rubble.
11.2 Effects of Radiation Exposure in the Vicinity
of the Detonation
As we saw in the previous chapter the gamma radiation dose from a 10 kt nuclear
device will be approximately 9 Gy at a distance of 1 km from the detonation. Neutrons
are emitted from fission as well, but calculating neutron exposure is more difficult
because some neutrons are absorbed to cause fission, some are absorbed to cause
radiation exposure, and all neutrons lose energy (and, hence, biological effectiveness)
as they travel outward from the explosion. In fact, the matter of neutron dosimetry
is sufficiently complex that it was not until 2003 that the matter was considered to
have been resolved satisfactorily for the 1945 attack against Hiroshima [3]. Neutrons
are thought to have accounted for only about 1–2% of the total absorbed dose for
those within a distance of about 1 km, when we account for the higher relative
biological effectiveness of fission-spectrum neutrons [4] their contribution rises to
about 10–20% of the total biological dose [5].
For those who are directly exposed to the detonation with no buildings or terrain
to shield them, the nearest distance at which they are likely to survive the radiation