Answer to Question #1141 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Q

How would you protect yourself in a nuclear war (clothing, etc.)?

A

I performed a Web search on "nuclear war" and found many interesting articles and Web links to various sites on how to survive a nuclear war. Many of these were survivalist group or antinuclear Web sites.

I did find one site for a group called the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (OISM), which published a book titled Nuclear War Survival Skills. This book was originally published in 1979 by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and was last printed by OISM in 1990. In cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this book was adopted for FEMA training courses and was distributed to emergency planners throughout the United States.

Government agencies have plans for survival of the United States that basically account for the survival of the government and communities. However, as in all types of disasters, the individual is ultimately responsible for his or her own emergency preparations. There are many references that discuss family disaster plans and family disaster kits such as those supplied by FEMA or the American Red Cross. It is recommended that families have these types of plans and kits available in the event of any type of emergency.  The plans and kits can be modified then to deal with different types of emergencies.  Therefore, in addition to the plans and kits hyperlinked above, for nuclear war you should consider the following additions to the basic disaster plan and kit:

1. You should know the effects of nuclear explosions and the facts about nuclear fallout. Depending upon the size and design of the weapon, the amount of energy released from the blast can completely destroy buildings near the epicenter and damage other buildings beyond repair out to five miles from the epicenter. During an actual attack, you would want to increase your distance from the area being attacked; increasing the distance decreases the intensity of the immediate effects of the weapon such as the blast, heat, and emitted radiations. Your next concern should be to shield yourself from the blast and heat of the weapon and from the emitted radiations by seeking shelter. Such places could be in the basement of a home, in a car, or under a desk, or you can use natural terrain such as a ditch or behind a hill. The more shielding you have from the direct line-of-sight of the blast, the less the radiation intensity. You will also want to minimize the time you are exposed to the emitted radiations from the blast. Therefore, the protection factors are as follows: Time - Reduce the amount of time spent near a source of radiation. Distance - Stay as far away from the radiation source as possible. Shielding - Place some type of shielding between you and the source. After the initial blast, nuclear fallout will be a major concern. Depending upon the wind and the design of the weapon (air or ground blast), the fallout could seriously affect a huge area far away from the blast and would pose the most danger to the survivors. The radioactive material released into the air by the blast would be carried by the wind to many areas and would eventually "fall out" of the sky onto the ground, buildings, and your house. Again consider the protection factors of time, distance, and shielding. You should seek shelter that is far away and upwind from the blast, that would protect you from the residual contamination from the fallout, and you should stay there as long as necessary to reduce the time of exposure to the fallout material.

2. Shelter. The reasons behind having a fallout shelter were that it provided distance from the radiation source (fallout on the roof and ground) and shielded you from radiation (walls of concrete and earth for attenuation), and you would spend time in the shelter while the radiation intensity was at its highest. The fallout shelter would also contain your basic necessities of life such as your food and water supplies that would have been shielded from the radioactive fallout. Since most of us do not have fallout shelters, we should seek out shelters that are sturdy, preferably are underground (that is, basement), are a good distance away from the blast area, and will protect you from the radioactive fallout. Therefore, if you have a basement, you should go there; if you do not have a basement, then choose a location in the center of the house, such as a utility or clothes closet. If you have time before the fallout arrives, seal windows and other openings to keep out radioactive dusts and turn off air conditioners or vent systems that may force contaminated outside air into the house/shelter until after the fallout has settled onto the ground (see item 7). For other ideas on makeshift fallout shelters, refer to the appendices in Nuclear War Survival Skills book.

3. Supplies. After the fallout reaches you, you should have enough emergency supplies to stay within your shelter for about two weeks (see family disaster kits). This time will allow for the radiation intensity of the fallout to decrease and for major government and/or local areas to assess damages and risks associated with other food and water supplies. The water supplies need to be pure, as fallout will contaminate unprotected water sources (boiling the water will not rid it of radiological contamination). Water supplies can come from water already stored, such as in your water heater, bottled water, water tanks, deep well water, and covered reservoirs. You should also have an ample supply of batteries for a battery-operated radio so that you can keep up with important news information.

4. First Aid. In the event of any type of disaster, it would be prudent to be knowledgeable in the art of basic first aid techniques. There are many courses where you could receive this training such as your local American Red Cross Chapter.

5. Removing radioactive fallout. Radioactive fallout is like dust or sand. If the material falls on your skin, it may cause burns; if it falls in the food or water supplies or becomes resuspended into the air you breathe, it might be harmful if ingested or inhaled. Therefore, if you were outside in the fallout, before you enter a building you should remove your outer clothing and leave it outside. You should not take the time to shake it off inside the house or shelter or you may contaminate those areas as well. You should wash all areas of your skin and hair that was exposed to the fallout. Food and water supplies should be protected by some covering, such as in a shelter or stored in plastic containers or bags. If these outer containers become contaminated, the outer container should first be washed and the items inside then carefully removed taking great care not to transfer contamination from the outer container to the items inside. Use gloves or other hand coverings when handling potentially contaminated items.

6. Protective clothing. Should you need to venture outside of the shelter for a short period of time, you can cover your feet or shoes with plastic bags or newspapers and you should wear disposable gloves or plastic bags on your hands. These items can be removed prior to reentering the shelter, thereby keeping the radioactive contamination outside the shelter. For more heavily contaminated areas, you may also want to cover other portions of your body; disposable trash bags would make great emergency protective clothing for the upper and lower parts of the body. For more ideas on protective clothing, refer to Chapter 15 of the Nuclear War Survival Skills book.

7. Adequate ventilation. After being occupied by a group of people for several days, without proper ventilation, a shelter may absorb the body heat and moisture of the occupants, causing temperature and humidity conditions to become intolerable. Therefore, it may become necessary to circulate air within the shelter to exchange the warm, humid air with cooler, less humid air. Makeshift ventilation systems are described in Chapter 6 of the Nuclear War Survival Skills book. However, if a makeshift ventilation system cannot be made, it is important to realize that the most dangerous fallout particles would be those that deposit on the ground within a few hours after the nuclear blast. Therefore, inhalation of fallout particles a few days after the nuclear blast may be a minor concern compared to the threat of inadequate ventilation.

Wade C. Adams
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education