The Atomic Energy Commission claimed that the nuclear waste from the detonations would be contained for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The Department of Energy is withheld information about leakage from the Cannikin nuclear test site. Sampling reports from the Department of Energy made public over the past 25 years revealed no release of radioactivity into the environment from the Cannikin nuclear test. Please see the 1997 Expedition Update for the latest information. Because they travel only short distances, alpha particles can do great damage if inhaled or ingested, but cannot penetrate human skin or a piece of paper.
Beta particles have relatively small mass and are thus relatively fast.
They can penetrate skin, but deposit their energy in a larger volume of tissue and therefore cause less concentrated damage than alpha particles. It is the most penetrating form of radiation, similar to x-rays of high frequency. A Report of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War International Commission to Investigate the Health and Environmental Effects of Nuclear Weapons Production, Apex Press, 1991. Please see our Public Information page for other Greenpeace Reports.