Lesson 1/Learning Event 2
LEARNING EVENT 2:
DISCUSS CONCEPTS OF
RADIOLOGICAL OPERATIONS
Under conditions of nuclear warfare, units in the field must continuously evaluate the impact that enemy
use of nuclear weapons has on the conduct of operations and be prepared for contingency action to
reduce the disruption caused by a nuclear attack. Fallout may be employed to blanket areas of poorly
defined targets, create obstacles, canalize movement, disrupt conduct of operations, and force relocation
of support installations. Casualty-producing levels of fallout can extend to greater distances and cover
greater areas than most other nuclear weapon effects and can, therefore, influence actions on the
battlefield for a considerable period of time. An understanding of the measures for obtaining and
evaluating contamination information will permit the commander to determine more accurately the
advantages and disadvantages of each course of action available in the execution of assigned missions.
Types of Radiation
Radiation which is released as a result of a nuclear detonation is divided into types with regard to the
time after the detonation at which radiation is released. These types are initial and residual. Initial
radiation is all radiation which is released during the first minute after the detonation. Residual radiation
is radiation which is released following the first minute after detonation and consists primarily of fallout
and neutron-induced radiation. The primary hazard of residual radiation results from the creation of
fallout. The amount and type of radiation produced by a nuclear burst is determined by the type of
burst. There are three types of nuclear bursts: air, surface, and subsurface.
An airburst occurs when a nuclear weapon is detonated at such a height that the fireball does not touch
the surface of the earth. In an airburst, there is no militarily significant fallout. Airbursts will produce
induced radiation.
A surface burst occurs when a nuclear weapon is detonated at such a height that the fireball touches the
surface of the earth. Militarily significant amounts of fallout can be expected from a surface burst.
Fallout is produced when material from the earth is drawn into the fireball, vaporized, combined with
radioactive material, and condensed into particles which then fall back to earth. The larger particles fall
back immediately in the vicinity of ground zero. The smaller particles are carried by the winds until
they gradually settle to the surface of the earth. The contaminated area created by fallout may be very
small or may extend over many thousands of square miles. The dose rate from this fallout may vary
from a militarily insignificant level to a casualty-producing level for all personnel not taking necessary
defensive measures.
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