THE ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICAL ASPECTS OF NUCLEAR BLAST
Abstract
The nature of certain critical lesions seen after exposure to air blast was described and the early lethality characterizing primary and tertiary blast damage was emphasized along with the seriousness of injuries caused by blast-energized debris. Tentative criteria were developed to the end that different levels of environmental variations caused by blast phenomena could be quantitatively related to various levels of biological response. Using the ''free-field'' scaling laws and a mathematical model whereby translational velocities could be computed for animate and inanimate objects, the criteria were applied to nuclear explosions ranging in yield from 1 kt to 100 Mt. Thus, it was possible to specify, as a function of yield, the hazard ranges inside which various blast injuries might occur. At these ranges the associated levels of initial nuclear and thermal radiation were computed to allow at least some assessment of the relative importance of all the major hazards from nuclear detonations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0296340
Entities
People
- Clayton S. White
- Donald R. Richmond
- I. Gerald Bowen
Organizations
- Lovelace Foundation