So samples were regularly collected around the world for testing. The thyroid glands of grazing animals concentrate radioactive iodine 131 found in the fallout of nuclear tests. Downwinders refers to the individuals and communities in the intermountain area between the cascade and rocky mountain ranges primarily in arizona nevada new mexico and utah but also in oregon washington and idaho who were exposed to radioactive contamination or nuclear fallout from atmospheric or underground nuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents.
Subsequent to the explosion of bravo at the bikini test site teams of medical doctors and health physicists made annual trips to the marshall islands to check on the health of islanders. The fallout related doses received as a result of that one test at bikini atoll are the highest in the history of worldwide nuclear testing. Scientists estimate that the larger amounts of i 131 from the nevada test site fell over some parts of utah colorado idaho nevada and montana.
Therefore although all areas of the united states received fallout from at least one nuclear weapons test certain areas of north america received more fallout than others. Weapon design explosive force altitude and latitude of detonation time of year and local weather conditions. Both the local and worldwide fallout hazards of nuclear explosions depend on a variety of interacting factors.
Arms control and disarmament agency. Worldwide effects of nuclear war by u s. Cancer deaths spiked in some areas resulting.
The unforeseen problem with the testing was nuclear fallout radiation from the blasts which would be carried through the air to other parts of the country as well as the radioactive contamination of the testing site s ground. Underground explosion testing would continue until september 23 1992. Global fallout is thus fallout from nuclear tests conducted by britain at christmas island the soviet union at semipalatinsk and novaya zemlya and the united states at marshall islands and johnston atoll.
The report defined the term global fallout as all fallout except that of tests conducted at the nevada test site nts. Some stay in the environment for a long time because they have long half lives like cesium 137 which has a half life of 30 17 years. Fallout typically contains hundreds of different radionuclides.
About radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing.
Radioactive fallout nuclear testing fallout map. Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast so called because it falls out of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes. The amount and spread of fallout is a product of the size of the weapon and the altitude at. Iodine 131 called i 131 which exposes the thyroid gland for about 2 months after each nuclear test was the most important harmful radioactive material isotope in global fallout.
People exposed to i 131 especially during childhood may have an increased risk of thyroid disease including thyroid cancer many years later.
People exposed to i 131 especially during childhood may have an increased risk of thyroid disease including thyroid cancer many years later. Iodine 131 called i 131 which exposes the thyroid gland for about 2 months after each nuclear test was the most important harmful radioactive material isotope in global fallout. The amount and spread of fallout is a product of the size of the weapon and the altitude at.
It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes. Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast so called because it falls out of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed.
