Harmful effects of the radioactivity from explosion of pure hydrogen bomps and ordinary atomic bombs

Abstract

An evaluation is made of the dangers to the population from long-lived radioactive products distributed over the whole globe after the explosion of an ordinary (fission) bomb and a pure hydrogen (fusion) bomb. The pure hydrogen bomb considered is a deuterium-tritium bomb.

Gonad and bone doses are calculated, with the resulting numbers of births with hereditary diseases and cases of leukemia (blood cancer). In the case of a hydrogen bomb the active elements are C¹⁴ and H³, and for an ordinary bomb they are Sr⁹⁰, Cs¹³⁷ and C³⁴. The distribution of the radioisotopes in nature and in the organism is evaluated. The case of s ground burst of a hydrogen bomb is also considered. The total amount of energy from the radioactive decay of the explosion products of a deuterium-tritium bomb is greater by s factor of three than that for an ordinary bomb. The radiation dose to the tissues and the number of victims to radioactive fallout over all time are about the same for 10 megatons TNT equivalent of both types of bombs, These doses are (rounded off):

Thus in terms of the radiation damage caused to the world population, a pure hydrogen (deuterium-tritium) bomb cannot be considered less dangerous than an ordinary bomb.