Comparative nuclear effects of biomedical interest.

Abstract

Selected physical and biological data bearing upon the environmental variations created by nuclear explosions are presented. Emphasis is placed upon the early consequences of exposure to blast, thermal radiation, and ionizing radiation to elucidate the comparative ranges of the major effects as they vary with explosive yield and as they brief definitions of the terminology employed is followed by a section that utilizes text and tabular material to set forth events that follow nuclear explosions and the varied responses of exposed physical and biological materials. Finally, selected quantitative weapons-effects data in graphic and tabular form are presented over a wide range of explosive yields to show the relative distances from Ground Zero affected by significant levels of blast overpressures, thermal fluxes, and initial and residual penetrating ionizing radiations. However, only the early rather than the late effects of the latter are considered. 52 references. (auth)