Even though there is very little fallout that still exists in the environment, it is important to remember that recent fallout, within about 10 to 20 miles downwind of the detonation, can be very dangerous. This section talks about the different ways we can be exposed to radiation if a
But a new study finds that some people two to seven miles away could survive—if they're lucky enough to find just the right kind of shelter.
First responders must exercise special precautions as they approach the fallout zone in order to limit their own radiation exposure. The dangerous fallout zone can easily stretch 10 to 20 miles (15 to 30 kilometers) from the detonation depending on explosive yield and weather conditions.
For a 1 KT device, radiation exposure from fallout within the first hour after the blast could cause 50% mortality from radiation exposure, to individuals without medical intervention, for approximately 3.5 miles (5500 m) downwind of the event.
THE NEXT 48 HOURS
You have been sheltered because of the potential for dangerous levels of radiation in the first 24 hours following a nuclear detonation. After 24 hours, outdoor radiation levels will have fallen significantly but may still warrant protective measures in your area.
Scientists have recently revealed that Australia and New Zealand are best placed to survive a nuclear apocalypse and help reboot collapsed human civilisation. The study, published in the journal Risk Analysis. These countries include not just Australia and New Zealand, but also Iceland, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
The walls of your home can block much of the harmful radiation. Because radioactive materials become weaker over time, staying inside for at least 24 hours can protect you and your family until it is safe to leave the area. Getting inside of a building and staying there is called “sheltering in place.”
From the exposure rate determined by a survey instrument, future exposure rates may be predicted from a basic rule known as the "7:10 Rule of Thumb." The 7:10 Rule of Thumb states that for every 7-fold increase in time after detonation, there is a 10-fold decrease in the exposure rate.
Based on the observed residual radioactivity at intervals following the bombing, Warren (1945) has estimated that the maximum irradiation due to residual radioactivity was in Hiroshima during the first 60 days following the bombing the equivalent of 4.2r, and in Nagasaki during the first 47 days, the equivalent of 14.2 ...
Exposure to very large doses of external radiation may cause death within a few days or months. External exposure to lower doses of radiation and internal exposure from breathing or eating food contaminated with radioactive fallout may lead to an increased risk of developing cancer and other health effects.
Stay inside. Stay tuned. GET INSIDE: If warned of the possibility of a radiation hazard, immediately get inside the nearest building and move away from windows. Put as many walls between you and the outside to protect you from the radiation outside.
But the vast majority of the human population would suffer extremely unpleasant deaths from burns, radiation and starvation, and human civilization would likely collapse entirely.
A declassified document shared by nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein gives the verdict that scientists at the Los Alamos laboratory and test site reached in 1945. They found that "it would require only in the neighborhood of 10 to 100 Supers of this type" to put the human race in peril.
Beta particles travel appreciable distances in air, but can be reduced or stopped by a layer of clothing, thin sheet of plastic or a thin sheet of aluminum foil. Several feet of concrete or a thin sheet of a few inches of lead may be required to stop the more energetic gamma rays.
This action is called “sheltering in place.” Because many radioactive materials rapidly decay and dissipate, staying in your home for a short time may protect you from exposure to radiation. The walls of your home may block much of the harmful radiation.
At a distance of 20-25 miles downwind, a lethal radiation dose (600 rads) would be accumulated by a person who did not find shelter within 25 minutes after the time the fallout began. At a distance of 40-45 miles, a person would have at most 3 hours after the fallout began to find shelter.
Answer and Explanation: There are two reasons that truly differentiate between Chernobyl and Hiroshima. The first was that the explosion at Chernobyl happened on the ground, whereas the explosion at Hiroshima happened high in the air above the city, which greatly reduced the radioactive levels.
Fukushima is the most radioactive place on Earth. A tsunami led to reactors melting at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Even though it's been nine years, it doesn't mean the disaster is behind us.
How Long Will It Take For Ground Radiation To Break Down? On average, the response to when Chernobyl and, by extension, Pripyat, will be habitable again is about 20,000 years.
A basic rule for easily predicting approximate future exposure rates is called the "7-10 Rule of Thumb." This rule, based on exposure rates determined by survey instruments, states that for every seven-fold increase in time after detonation of a nuclear device, there is a 10-fold decrease in the radiation exposure rate ...
The study published in the journal Risk Analysis describes Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as the island countries most capable of producing enough food for their populations after an “abrupt sunlight‐reducing catastrophe” such as a nuclear war, super volcano or asteroid strike.
Immediately after you are inside shelter, if you may have been outside after the fallout arrived: Remove your outer layer of contaminated clothing to remove fallout and radiation from your body. Take a shower or wash with soap and water to remove fallout from any skin or hair that was not covered.
If a nuclear bomb explodes, throwing clouds of radioactive dust into the air, make sure you hop into a shower as soon as possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has instructed people to seal off contaminated clothes and take a shower.
I would feel safer in places like SE Asia, the Philippines, South and Central America, New Zealand, along with southern regions of Africa and India. Those areas are generally not places where intercontinental nuclear missiles would be headed if World War 3 breaks out.
Iceland: the safest country
It belongs to NATO but does not have its own army (coast guard and police are enough).