The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-01-15
sed Upon The Facts From The Congressional Hearing

elongated area about 80 miles wide
at the widest point, and about 200
miles long - approximately 5000
square miles altogether, stretching
across southern Illinois towards
Evansville, Indiana.
FALLOUT CASUALTIES
Casualties from local fallout were
heaviest around East ST. Louis. In
Bellevue, persons in the open or in
inadequate shelters received radiation
doses of over 1000 RAIDS during the
second hour after the attack. During
the first "a hours after the attack the
total radiation to such persons was
about 5000 RAIDS. Since only 1000
RAIDS of radiation, received in one
dose will kill all the people exposed
to it, those who received 5000 RAIDS
didn't live through the second day.
Although many people stayed indoors
in an attempt to avoid the fallout
hazard, some were in buildings that
reduced the radiation to one-tenth,
SO that 500 RAIDS were absorbed within
a day. All who received as much as
1000 RAIDS within a few hours were
dead by the end of the week. For
those who received 500 RAIDS in short
interval, mortality was about 80 per
cent; mostly they were dead by the
middle of November.
In the whole 5000 square mile
area of appreciate local fallout peo-
pie who couldn't or didn't find shelter
received doses up to 500 RAIDS the
second day after the attack, $50 the
third day, $50 the fourth, and 100
ON the fifth day. They didn't live
much longer than that.
The region of local fallout is still
radioactive. The persistence of high
was one of the factors
that led to the decision, later in De- |
cember, to evacuate most of the area. |
Another factor was the probability |
hat no crops could be raised on the
heavily contaminated soil for long
lime, and then there was also the fear
hat the denuded land, with it's water
holding cover gone, would be subject
% severe flooding in the spring.
1t turns out that the decision was
veil taken. We hear that over hun
lreds of square miles of southern
illinois there is still nothing to be
cen but the SCARED, eroded earth
lothing was planted, and nothing has
prouted. West of st. Louis conditions
re said to be somewhat better, but
he ground is so badly contaminated
hat there is no possibility of using
God grown on it. The worst of it
5 that the peak of accumulation of
he long-lived isotopes is still in the
uture. In about two years we expect
hat the strontium 80 concentration
n the local fallout region will range
rom 10000 to 100000 millicuries
er square mile, and cesium 1877 from
$1,000 to 100000.
On worldwide scale, the explosion
f 1000 megatons of weapons re-
sased 1000 megatons of energy
quivalent of fission products. This
leans that total of 200 million
uries of strontium 80 was produced.
Remember that 'curie" is a thou
md millicuries.) Four-fifths of this :
anne down as local fallout, but the !
40 million curies will come :
own gradually from the shakespeare. :
| two to five years, when the stron- !
UNI 80 concentration will be great :
1T, the average strontium 80 concen- :
alton in the north temperate zone ),
i'll be about 1,40O millicuries per, :
Iuare mile. Back in the late fifties
9 were concerned because the soil /
'ound ST. Louis had 46 millicuries
n square mile because of fallout :
om testing! And yet it is expected :
at 10 to 20 per cent of the area of :,
e United States will have concen- ;,
ations up to 500 times greater than :
q north temperate zone average of 4
400 millicuries per square mile. y
ght now it doesn't seem possible |,
at food crops could be grown in
oh areas for century at least.
A Doctors Report ,
rs D.1J II mr. n | -.