Estimation of external exposure doses for the personnel involved in the Totsk military exercises on 14 September 1954

"Radiation and Risk", 1996, vol. 7, pp. 216-224

Authors

Barkovsky A.N., Baryshkov N.K., Golikov V.Yu.
Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene, St. Petersburg

Abstract

The paper considers the main radiation factors to which the participants of the Totsk exercise (14.09.54) were exposed after the air nuclear explosion of 40 kt power. It has been shown that the radiation loads from instantaneous neutrons and gamma-irradiation were negligible. The primary role in the exposure of the military staff during the exercise was played by the ground activation, mostly, with thermal neutrons. The paper presents a methodology for assessing absorbed doses of external exposure for the staff involved in the Totsk exercise using gamma-irradiation of products of ground activation with thermal neutrons. Based on the reconstructed routes of different groups of the involved staff, effective equivalent doses from external exposure were estimated. For example, the external dose for the staff of infantry battalions was estimated at about 2 rem and for those of “neutral radiation reconnaissance” 25-110 rem. The work has shown that the elemental composition of the ground in the area of the exercise has a considerable effect on the estimated external doses. It has been concluded that in assessment of exposure dose account should be taken of the activation of the used materiel and behaviour of those involved in the exercise including the pilots who crossed the stem of the “atomic mushroom”.

Key words
Radiation factors, Totsky doctrine, radiation loads, radiation exposure, assessment method, absorbed doses, external radiation doses, γ-radiation, elemental composition of soil.

Список цитируемой литературы

1. Totsky military exercises with the use of atomic weapons // Bulletin of the Center for Public Information on Atomic Energy. Special issue. 1993. № 9.

2. Goryachev I.V., Kukhtevich V.I., Trykov L.A. Calculation and testing of radiation protection of a nuclear explosion. M.: Atomizdat, 1979. 152 p.

3. Klimanov V.A., Konovalov S.A., Kochanov V.A. and others. The spread of ionizing radiation in the air. M.: Atomizdat, 1979. 216 p.

4. Lavrenchik V.I. Global fallout products of nuclear explosions. M.: Atomizdat, 1965. 170 p.

Full text article (in Russian)