Radiation nuclear weapons

Radiating (nuclear) weapons produce energy in the form of an explosive blast, in addition to gamma rays and neutrons that destroy unprotected tissue, particularly DNA. (Thus, mustard agents and T2 mycotoxin, because of their similar effects, are sometimes referred to as radiomimetic. ) Enhanced radiation warheads, or neutron bombs, minimize the destruction of materials while maximizing lethalities among enemy personnel. 

Pu (86 years) is formed from Np. Pu is separated by selective oxidation and solvent extraction. The metal is formed by reduction of PuF with calcium there are six crystal forms. Pu is used in nuclear weapons and reactors Pu is used as a nuclear power source (e.g. in space exploration). The ionizing radiation of plutonium can be a health hazard if the material is inhaled. 

Eisenberg et al. (1975) developed estimates of fatalities due to thermal radiation damage using data and correlations from nuclear weapons testing. The probability of fatality was found to be generally proportional to the product where t is the radiation duration and 7 is the radiation intensity. Table 6.7 shows the data used to develop estimates of fatalities from thermal radiation data. 

The radiation hazard associated with fallout from nuclear weapons testing arises from radioactive isotopes such as these. One of the most dangerous is strontium-90. In the form of strontium carbonate, SrC03, it is incorporated into the bones of animals and human beings, where it remains far a lifetime. 

Expts have shown that if TEA is thickened with only 1% polyisobutylene (instead of the usual 6%) it is possible to produce a chemical fireball which radiates sufficient thermal energy to destroy or damage military targets. It is reported that such a weapon could cause third degree burns on occupants of bunkers within a few seconds, whether or not the agent hit individuals. Previously only nuclear weapons were able to produce damaging levels of thermal radiation (Ref 5)... 

Concentratons of Sr in people living in New York City between 1953 and 1959 who were exposed to nuclear weapons fallout were reported by Kulp and Schulert (1962). They suggested that the distribution of observed values was well fit by a log-normal distribution that had a geometric standard deviation of about 1.7. The Federal Radiation Council (FRC, 1961), after review of the accumulated data on Sr in human bone, concluded that a log-normal distribution was the appropriate description of the distribution of this age-controlled, exposuretime controlled population. The main exposure to Sr from fallout was by way of ingestion. 

Today, the most important environmentally damaging anthropogenic radiation comes from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons conducted 20 to 30 years ago, authorized discharges to the sea from nuclear reprocessing plants, and from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 (Aarkrog 1990). 

The most extreme case of gamma radiation dose would arise from explosion of a nuclear weapon. Nuclear weapons release intense gamma radiation that can produce fatal doses miles from an explosion (see Chapter 5). A less extreme but more likely scenario involves radioactive materials dispersed via conventional explosives (dirty bombs), where only the immediate area is contaminated with gamma-emitting radionuclides. 

It is also unlikely that the doses associated with a dirty bomb will produce even the milder acute effects. Although the observation of acute radiation syndrome may be unlikely after a dirty bomb explosion, doses should be kept ALARA to limit the potential for acute and stochastic effects. The entire range of acute radiation syndrome effects will be observed after an attack with a nuclear weapon, as described in Chapter 5. 

This section describes what happens to the local environment after the detonation of a nuclear weapon. Because it is only a summary, readers are encouraged to seek detailed information from libraries and the Internet on issues such as the workings of nuclear weapons and the technical aspects of radiation exposure. The following discussion is based on Management of Terrorist Events Involving Radioactive Materials, NRCP Report 1381 and Radioactive Hazards in Survival Planning.2... 

Time and shielding can be merged into a single factor. The shelters described in Section 5.2.1 (walls, basements, etc.) really serve as shields from radiation, heat, fallout, and even from the air blast and flying debris. At the moment of explosion, radiation and heat travel at the speed of light and expose unshielded victims. At the instant of realization that a nuclear weapon has exploded, an individual should move as quickly as possible to a location behind a rugged shielding material. 

Humans are exposed to radiation from the testing and explosion of nuclear weapons and the wastes of nuclear reactors and power plants. Strontium-90 is a fission product from nuclear reactors. It is of particular concern because it has a long half-life of 38 years and becomes concentrated in the food chain, particularly plants-to-milk. The ban on atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons has reduced this hazard. Strontium-90 does have some industrial uses. Most people in developed countries receive minor exposure to radiation through medical procedures such as X-ray and various treatments for some diseases. 

Some compounds, such as strontium chromate and strontium fluoride, are carcinogens and toxic if ingested. Strontium-90 is particularly dangerous because it is a radioactive bone-seeker that replaces the calcium in bone tissue. Radiation poisoning and death may occur in people exposed to excessive doses of Sr-90. Strontium-90, as well as some other radioisotopes that are produced by explosions of nuclear weapons and then transported atmospherically, may be inhaled by plants and animals many miles from the source of the detonation. This and other factors led to the ban on atmospheric testing of nuclear and thermonuclear weapons. 

X-rays, or gamma rays generated by nuclear decay. Ionizing radiation also includes several types of subatomic particles, such as beta radiation (high-energy electrons) and alpha radiation (helium ions) and others. Medical X-rays are an example of a common beneficial exposure to ionizing radiation. Nuclear radiation is used to generate electricity and cure disease, but is also an important element in military weapons. Uses of nuclear radiation pose serious issues of human exposure and environmental contamination. 

Alkali metals (K, Rb, Cs) behave similarly and sometimes one is accumulated preferentially when another is deficient. A similar case is made for Sr and Ca (Whicker and Schultz 1982a). The most important alkali metal isotope is Cs because of its long physical half-life (30 years) and its abnndance as a fission prodnct in fallout from nuclear weapons and in the inventory of a nuclear reactor or a fuel-reprocessing plant. Cesium behaves much like potassium. It is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and distribnted throughout the active tissues of the body, especially muscle. The P and y radiation from the decay of Cs and its daughter, Ba, result in essentially whole-body irradiation that harms bone marrow (Hobbs and McClellan 1986). 

Other specific types of nuclear weapons are commonly referred to by their names such as neutron bombs (enhanced radiation weapons), cobalt bombs and salted bombs. The atomic bomb was the first nuclear weapon to be developed, tested and used. It was developed under the direction of American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904—1967) and implemented toward the end of World War... 

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