11.4 Non-radiological Risks in the Vicinity of the Detonation
105
11.4.1 Burns
Among the most significant of non-radiological health effects will be burns caused
by the thermal pulse or by the fires it causes. Japanese records indicate that between
50 and 75% of deaths among those who survived more than one hour following the
blast were due to burns; it is likely that those who are severely burned will number
in the thousands, depending on the nature and location of the blast. In Hiroshima
the burn injuries included “mild erythema (reddening) to charring of the outermost
layers of the skin” with flash burns noted among those who were as much as about
3–4 km away [2]. In some cases, severe burns were associated with the formation
of keloids—thick scar tissue—that might have been caused by a combination of
infection, malnutrition, and other factors associated with conditions that existed in
Japan during and after the war.
Given the large amount of care required to treat patients with serious burns and
the relatively limited number (about 1800) of dedicated beds for burn patients in
the US [8] it may be difficult to provide adequate care for all burn patients. While
these resources can be expanded somewhat, burn patients require a great deal of
care, medication, pain relief, and specially trained staff to care for them properly;
there is a limit to how far both personnel and materiel resources can be stretched
and whether or not capabilities can be expanded sufficiently to accommodate all of
the burn victims. These problems are likely to be exacerbated by the fact that many
victims will not be able to survive transportation to hospitals with open burn beds
(Fig. 11.1).
11.4.2 Blast, Broken Glass, and Crush Injuries
As discussed in Chap. 6, the blast wave itself will cause injuries to those exposed to
it, in addition to those injured by broken and falling glass, falling objects knocked
loose by the shock and blast, and buildings damaged or destroyed by the blast.
These injuries might also include broken bones and amputations from people being
thrown by the blast wave as it passes (called “displacement injuries”). Thus, medical
centers and public health planners should anticipate the need to be able to treat
tens to hundreds of thousands of persons with injuries severe enough to require
medical attention, thousands of whom will be seriously injured and will require
prompt attention. Injuries from falling objects and damaged buildings should extend
to a radius of about 1–2 km and those from broken and falling glass can extend to a
radius of up to 4–5 km from a 10 kt nuclear weapon.
105
11.4.1 Burns
Among the most significant of non-radiological health effects will be burns caused
by the thermal pulse or by the fires it causes. Japanese records indicate that between
50 and 75% of deaths among those who survived more than one hour following the
blast were due to burns; it is likely that those who are severely burned will number
in the thousands, depending on the nature and location of the blast. In Hiroshima
the burn injuries included “mild erythema (reddening) to charring of the outermost
layers of the skin” with flash burns noted among those who were as much as about
3–4 km away [2]. In some cases, severe burns were associated with the formation
of keloids—thick scar tissue—that might have been caused by a combination of
infection, malnutrition, and other factors associated with conditions that existed in
Japan during and after the war.
Given the large amount of care required to treat patients with serious burns and
the relatively limited number (about 1800) of dedicated beds for burn patients in
the US [8] it may be difficult to provide adequate care for all burn patients. While
these resources can be expanded somewhat, burn patients require a great deal of
care, medication, pain relief, and specially trained staff to care for them properly;
there is a limit to how far both personnel and materiel resources can be stretched
and whether or not capabilities can be expanded sufficiently to accommodate all of
the burn victims. These problems are likely to be exacerbated by the fact that many
victims will not be able to survive transportation to hospitals with open burn beds
(Fig. 11.1).
11.4.2 Blast, Broken Glass, and Crush Injuries
As discussed in Chap. 6, the blast wave itself will cause injuries to those exposed to
it, in addition to those injured by broken and falling glass, falling objects knocked
loose by the shock and blast, and buildings damaged or destroyed by the blast.
These injuries might also include broken bones and amputations from people being
thrown by the blast wave as it passes (called “displacement injuries”). Thus, medical
centers and public health planners should anticipate the need to be able to treat
tens to hundreds of thousands of persons with injuries severe enough to require
medical attention, thousands of whom will be seriously injured and will require
prompt attention. Injuries from falling objects and damaged buildings should extend
to a radius of about 1–2 km and those from broken and falling glass can extend to a
radius of up to 4–5 km from a 10 kt nuclear weapon.