Protection Afforded by Towns against Fallout from Tactical Nuclear Weapons. Methodology and Sample Results
Abstract
The fallout field produced by the employment of a tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) can vary significantly in activity over distances of the order of tens of meters. Since typical towns have diameters on the order of hundreds of meters, the effects of such fallout can also vary significantly over the area of the town. In this study a methodology was developed to investigate fallout effects upon a representative West German town. Basement, first and second story and outdoor detectors were considered. Included in the investigation are the effects of local decontamination procedures. It is demonstrated that assumptions of a uniform fallout field cannot, in general, be applied to the situation of tactical nuclear warfare. Not only are the 50-hour exposure doses a function of position in town, but the protection factors, for the four different detector locations in an around a home, also vary with position in town-particularly for towns on the fringes of the fallout pattern. Although the methodology developed is applicable to the general TNW fallout situation, the numerical results presented, herein, are for a single town model located in three positions in and around the fallout field from a single weapon-wind scenario. Hence, care should be exercised in drawing general conclusions about the magnitude of the exposure dose distributions and town protection factors. Such general conclusions, however, could be drawn if future sensitivity analyses are performed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA026701
Entities
People
- Martin O. Cohen
Organizations
- Mathematical Applications Group