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U.S. Department of Energy
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Scientific director`s report of atomic weapon tests at Eniwetok, 1951. Annex 2.7. Thermal-radiation injury. Operation Greenhouse

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:149791
Information concerning the flash burn resulting from an atomic bomb explosion was necessary to understand the lesion, its systemic effects, and prevention and treatment of these effects. In order to reproduce similar sources in the laboratory it was essential to know the characteristics of the energy producing the biological effect. In order to obtain this information, anesthetized experimental animals were placed in shielded positions at varying distances from bomb zero to cover a wide range of thermal-radiation intensities. Small areas of each animal`s skin were exposed through aperture plates which were designed to analyze burn production as a function of time, intensity, and spectrum. Protection of the animal by fabrics covering the skin was also evaluated. In each station, calorimetric instruments measured the thermal energy to which the animals were exposed. These measurements were of total integrated energy and that in the spectral ranges of 2,500 to 4,000 A, 4,000 to 8,000 A, and 6,000 to 27,000 A. Following exposure, animals were retrieved from the exposure stations and transported to a laboratory for analysis of the burn lesions by description, color photography, and microscopic study of biopsy material.
Research Organization:
Naval Medical Research Inst., Bethesda, MD (United States)
OSTI ID:
149791
Report Number(s):
AD-A--296858/4/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English