DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FALLOUT AND AIRBORNE ACTIVITY FROM 10 TO 160 MILES FROM GROUND ZERO, SPRING 1955

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1958

OSTI ID:4264172

Baurmash, L; Neel, J W; Vance, III, W K; Mork, H M; Larson, K H

Fall-out patterns of four tower shots were delineated by survey- instrument methods to distances of approximately 160 miles from Ground Zero. Surfacecontamination levels in terms of mu c/ft/sup 2/ and fall-out particle- size distributions were determined by soilsample analyses. Airborne radioactivity concentrations determined by air samplers of different types and supports agreed within a factor of 4; aerosol radioactivity median diameters of < 5 mu were determined by cascade impactors. The solubilities of fall-out and airborne radioactivity in 0.1N HCl ranged from 20 to 30 and 65 to 85 per cent, respectively. More than 90 per cent of the fall-out from two shots was magnetic. Beta-decay slopes ranged from T/sup -.8-/ to T/sup -1.59/, and field gamma-decay slopes ranged from T/sup -1/07/ to T/sup -2.10/. Principal betaenergy peaks of 0.6 and 2.0 Mev were observed. (auth)

• Research Organization: California. Univ., Los Angeles. Atomic Energy Project
• NSA Number: NSA-13-011760
• OSTI ID: 4264172
• Report Number(s): WT-1178
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AEROSOLS
AIR
BETA PARTICLES
CONTAMINATION
DECAY
DISTRIBUTION
ENERGY
ENERGY RANGE
EQUATIONS
FALLOUT
GRAIN SIZE
HEALTH AND SAFETY
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
MAGNETIC MATERIALS
MONITORING
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PARTICLES
RADIOACTIVITY
SOILS
SOLUBILITY
SURFACES