Evening star., 1962-05-09
Death for All in Atomic War
impossible U. S. Indicates


It would be virtually impos-
sfble to kill everybody IN the
world In q nuclear war-even
If the nuclear powers deliber-
ately tried to do it = a new
Government book on nuclear
weapons indicates
The Pentagon-Atomic Energy
Commission book, THE Effects
AZ Nuclear weapons" presents
new findings to disprove the
popular suppoSition that an
about nuclear war between the
United States and Russia with
s1me help perhaps, from the
Hritish and French arsenals)
e6uld threaten the very exist
ehce Of mankind.
Studies of nuclear explosions
show that it would take an inn
possibly large number Of atom
hbmbs to create anything Ike
universal death. SIS
THE book leaves conclusions
- to the readers, but here is
how expert readers conclude
mat doomsday is not now tech
Ideally attainable.
Cites Former View
"At one time" the book says,
ait was suggested that the ex-
rlosion Of a sufficiently large
number of nuclear weapons
night result in such an extern
slve distribution Of the pluto
mum Zone of the radioactive in
afedients of some nucIe ar
wmbs) as to represent a world
vide hazard"
This Is an allusion to past
calculations that about $1,000
megatons Of A-bombs could
pfoduce enough deadly plutoni-
nm fallout to kill up to SO per
cent Of the people on earth.
As the Unite States and Rus
"a are assumed to have enough
hpmbS to add up to $1,000 meg
tons Zone megaton equals the
explosive power Of ! million
tDns Of TNT1, it was widely be-
Heved that g. nuclear war could
III everyone.
This new edition Of the
Standard reference work on nu-
Gear weapons goes on to say,
however:
"It Is now realized that the
ussion products-the radioiso-
tope strontium-90 in particu-
hr-are a more serious haz-
afd than plutonium is likely
y be. Furthermore, any steps
taken to minimize the danger
rom fission products, which
nre much easier to detect, will
automatically take care Of the
mutonium."
StrOntium 80 Real Danger
What this means, according
70 the experts, is that pluto
nium is both used less than be-
lDre In weapons and can be
handled easier In the fallout
than had been thought. The
real danger Is strontium-90, the
sabstance which can create
ehncers II enough Of 1t enters
he body.
Given the new conclusion
nat strontium-90 Is the ''lim-
Ating factor" on the size Of nu-
lear warAthat Is, that Stron-
tum-9O faIlout will be the most
badly hy-product Of an explo-
mon-how many megatons Of
nhcIear bombs would be need
ID to induce near total death
fom strontium-SO?
The answer, according to
rhblished estimates, is any,
@heue from 10 million to 100
million rnegatons. This is far
more than the number needed
u blow up every possible tar
ct In the world and more by
many times than the United
States and Russia have ever
ebntemplated building. 60 b.
First Revision Since 81
The Defense Department
AEC publication is the first re-
Used edition Of the basic ref
kfence work since 1857.
If past performance Is any
cfiteria, the book viii be trans
Mted Immediately into many
3preign languages-and one Of
he first customers to pay So
d Government Printing Office
viii be q messenger from the
abviet embassy.
The 730-page book is written
fer technicians, but it, like It's
PREDECESSOR, will form the fac
ttlal basis for almost every
Newspaper story, magazine ar
tcle, book or speech on nu-
dear weapons that the public
Nill see until the next revised
edition.
The material is based on
Ineasurements Of the effects Of
EAst nuelear tests and calcu-
Ations Of the effects Of weap-
dns under war conditions.
Much New Data
Considerable new" informa-
Dn-in the sense that an au-
80