Fallout protection : what to know and do about nuclear attack

1 FALLOUTPROTECKNOWANDDO,-<?S0fc?^Fromthec ollectionoftheZ^^oPreTingerJjaVJJibraryp SanFrancisco,California2008H-6 DECEMBER1961 CONCERNINGTHISBOOKLETO neofthefirsttasksassignedtomebythePresid ent,afterIassumedresponsibilityfortheFed eralCivilDefenseProgramlastAugust, ^Thefactualinformationinthisbooklethasbe enverifiedbyindependentscientificauthori ty, andthatitisthebestprogramwecanhave, ^^^ ^^yi^.SecretaryofDefenseWHATYOUSHOULDKNO WANDWHATYOUSHOULDDOH owtosurviveattackandliveforyourcountry' , ,shouldanuclearattackeveroccur, forcivildefense islikelytobewithusforalongtime, , ,forexample, ,speakingonJuly25,1961,putitthisway:"Int heeventofattack, " ,heat, , , whattheFederalGovernmentin-tendstodo,and howStateandlocalgovernments, , ,devastation, ,itwouldbeatimeofextraordinaryhardship , ,andtheypresupposeacatastrophewhichcanbe madeveryunlikelybywiseandpositivepolicie s, ,realisticprepara-6tionforwhatmighthappe nisfarmoreusefulthanblindness, ,whatevercomestopass,hewoulddrawonhisre- serveofcourageandintelligence andtheunquenchablewilltolive ,noeasyanswers, (splitting)ofatomicnuclei.

2 , , , ,swiftlyexpandingsphereofhotgases,produc ingbrilliantlightandintenseheat, , (SHOCK) ,000milesperhour, (PROMPT) , ,radio-activeelementsareincorporatedinto theearthparticles, (dangerousonlyiffalloutparticlestouchthe skinorareswallowedorinhaled) ,likeX-rays,areverypenetrating,andcreate theneedforprotectiveshields(falloutshelt ers). , , , , , , , , , ,theycancreatea"firestorm";therisingcolu mnofhotgasesdrawsinsurroundingcoolair, , bybarrierssuchasopenspace,rivers,highway s,byrainfall, , , , ,' , , , ,brushing, , ,mostradioactiveelementsinfall-outwouldd ecayrapidly, , ,suchasstrontium90,cesium137,andcarbon14 ,arelong-livedandcouldharmhumansinsomewa ys, , earlyfall-out wouldreachtheearthinthefirstdayafterthed etonation, , earlyfallout wouldconsistofradioactiveparticlesthatar erelativelylargeandheavy ,suchasearthandconcrete, particularlyforemergencywork-ers inkeepingfalloutparticlesoffthebody, , ,thereislittlelikelihoodthatapilloranyot hertypeofmedicinewillbedevelopedthatcanp rotectpeoplefromtheeffectsoffalloutradia tion, :thedangerofradioactivefallouttoun-shelt eredevacuees, , , ,manyfeelhelpless, ,planning, :FIRST, , (wavylinesextendingfromthefireball) (straightlines) ,000milesanhour, ,theweaponhasburstatgroundlevel.

3 FALLOUTSTARTSDESCENDINGA sthebrilliantfireballrisesinthesky, ,condensinginthecoldupperairlikerainorsn ow,startsfallingbacktoearthbecause,likea shfromafire, , , ,meheavierpar-ticles earlyfallout , ,whichcarriesthebulkoftheradiationdanger , delayedfallout , , , involvingguidance,technicalassistance,an dmoney toencouragethedevelopmentofcommunityfall -outshelters.(See"OrganizingforCivilDefe nse.")Theover-allprogram,whichgotunderwa ywiththeNationalShelterSurvey,aimsatsecu ringgroupfalloutsheltersinexistingandnew structures,stockingthemwithessentialsupp lies,markingthem, ,liketheonebelow, ; , ,builtofcorrugatedmetalarchesburiedunder severalfeetofearth, 'swillhavethreearches,each10feethigh,20f eetwide, , "safetycore" , "activityrooms," , ,thepeopletakingshelterinthebuildingshow nontheoppositepagehaveputasmuchmassofmat erialaspossiblebetweenthemselvesandthepa rticleswhichhavesettledontheroof,ground, ,theyhavegonetothemiddleofthebuilding;be lowground, ,bypartitions, ,peoplehaveshieldedthemselvesinthe"core" (Forbetterprotectiononanyfloor,itisadvis -abletokeepbelowthewindow-silllevel.)

4 Becausethetallbuildingshieldslowerfloors fromsomeradiation, :FAMILYSHELTERS^ '> ,itmate-rials,suchasthelumberusedinabase mentlean-toshelter,areavailableatlittleo rnocost, , ,sandorearthcanbesubstitutedforconcreteo rbrick, , "'^Thisbackyardplywoodsheltercanbebuiltp artiallyabovegroundandmoundedoverwithear th, ; , ,yourlocalCivilDefensedirector, , ,bepreparedtoliveinashelteraslongastwowe eks, $ (4-footdiameter), , , $ ,nobodycanguaranteeyousomanymin-utes,hou rs, ;enemybomberscouldbetrackedwhilehoursawa y; ,eventhebriefestwarningyoumightgetbyradi oorsirenswouldgiveyoutheprecious, :A3-to5-minuteSTEADYTONE,meaning, , :Aplanofactionbutnotimetoputitintoeffect ,ortimetoactbutnoplanofaction noshelter, ' ,diveunderorbehindthenearestdesk,table, ;Ifyouhavenobasement,youcanimproviseashe lterbydiggingatrenchnexttothehouse, , ,orturnyourbacktothem , , ,seekthelowest,mostprotectedspot,suchasa ditch, nosheltertogoto,forexample ,curtains, , ,lowerandshutthemtobarflyingglassandscre enoutsomeoftheblast' ,sinks,abathtub, ,par-ticularlyinprivateresidences.

5 (Inlargecommercialorcivicbuildings,howev er,thecentralareasofmiddlefloorscouldoff ergoodprotection.) , , , ,trytogettosomesubstantialstruc-ture,suc hasalargecommercialorcivicbuilding,atun- nel, ,lookforaculvert,underpassorditch anythingthatwillgetyoubelowgroundlevel (Themostessen-tialonesareoutlinedincolor .)Buteventhoughyoumightbeabletoleaveyour shelterbrieflyafteradayortwo, ; ;ifspaceisavailableneartheshelter,agallo nofwateradayperpersonwouldprovideforyour com-fort, ,suchastools, @(( RADIATIONMETERS,radio! ^I^^BfCANDLES^^"FLASHLIGHTEXTRABATTERIES CALENDARCROWBAR28 EMERGENCYHOUSEKEEPINGF ollowingisachecklistofpreparationsfor,an dbestwaysof, ,butanallowanceofagallonisfarmorecomfort able, , , , , ,pipes,hotwatertanks, ,trytoavoidusingwaterfromoutsidethehouse oropensources(lakes,reservoirs) ,orboth, , ,itmaybefreedofgermswithwaterpurificatio ntablets,obtainableatdrugandsportinggood sstores,orbyboilingvigorouslyforafewmin- utes, (inten-sity) , ,likeX-rays,arenotdetectedbyanyofthefive senses, ,totaldose,time,radioactivedecay,etc.))

6 , ,however, , ,fromaratemeterreadingmadejustoutsidethe shelter, aratemeter,dosimeter, inthecountry,cityapartment,orsubur-banho use ,andespeciallyforapartmentresidentswhoma yhavetotakequickrefugeinthecentralcoreor basementoftheirbuilding, , (theyaremorehearteningandacceptabledurin gtimesofstress) :cannedmeat,fish,poultry,beans,peasandfr uits;cerealsandtinnedbakedgoods;cheesesp reads,peanutbutterandjellieswithcrackers ; 'sneedsforonemeal; , , ,whichshould,ofcourse, , ; "rotten"spotscutoutaresafetoeat;iftheyha vebeenexposedtofallout,wipe,washandpeelt hem, , , ,likethisoneattheleft, , , , , :Mild theespeciallysensitivepersonwillshowsome nausea, thesamesymptomsappear,butwellwithintwoho ursofexposure, ,recoverymayseemcomplete, again, ,fever,mouthsorenessanddiarrheamayappear ;gumsandmouthmayulcerateandbleed;and,ina boutthethirdweek,thepatient' , ,butnotuntilvomitinghasstopped(ideally,o neteaspoonoftablesalttoonequartofcoolwat er,tobesippedslowly).Forsoremouth, ,medicalsupplies,andotheraidsmaynotbeava ilabletoeveryonefordaysorevenweeksinsome areas, ,incooperationwithRedCrossChapters, ,anewtrainingcourseinMedicalSelfHelp,wit hareferencehand-book, ;thelossofonequartisserious, withyourhandifnothingelseisavailable,alt houghabandage,cleancloth, ' ' , ' ,debris, ,placehimonhisstomach, , 'sheadbackto"sword-swal-lower"position(a blanketorpillowundershoulderswillhelp),p inchhisnoseshut(seedrawing),sealyouropen mouthoverhis,inhaledeeplythroughyournose andexhaledeeplyintohismouth12to16timesam inuteforanadult, ,eveniflifeseemsextinct, , , ,orbytheunnaturalshapeoftheaffectedpart, , , (reddeningoftheskin)neednotbecovered, ,whereblistersandespeciallydestructionof tis-sueundertheskinoccur, 'tpunctureblistersunlesstheyarelikelytob reak; ,getthevictimtodrinkasaltsolutionifpossi ble(onelevelteaspoonsalttoonequartofwate r) ,goodsanitationisnotmerelyamatterofcomfo rt.

7 ,old-fashioneddiseasescanstillkillassure lyasblastorradiation, ,whichcanspreadsuchdiseasesastyphoid,dys entery, ,especiallywhereelderlypersonsareinvolve d, ,obtainableatdepartmentstores,isneeded, (creosolorhouseholdbleach) ,suchasagarbagecan, , , , , ,dieldrin,Diazinon,orronnel ,aflyswatter, ; ;essentialskillscouldbeinshortsupply; ,butiftherehadbeenpreviousplanning, , ,suchasthepoliceandfiredepartments,theco untyroadcommissionandthehealthdepartment , ,militaryunits,andotherorganizations,suc hasconstructioncompaniesandtherepairmeno fthepublicutilities,wouldhelptorepairdam ageandrestoreserviceassoonaspossible ,inacommunityorfamilyshelter, , fromthebasementofthecityhall,fromashelte rataschool ,theywouldhavemoreofthemanpower,equipmen t, ,usinghigh-pressurenozzles, suchasmotorizedscrapersandmotorgraders onlargeopenareas,andwithbulldozers,tract orscrapers, ,crewscouldflushthepar-ticlesintostormdr ainsorintoditches, , ,refusearea, ,thebestplacestostartthedecontaminationa relikelytobeatschools,shoppingcentersand downtownareas, , , ,stayinshelteruntilyouareassured,byradio ,bycontactfromlocalauthor-ities,orbyothe rmeans, ,ifwellorganized,withinthesecondweekafte rattack,thereisrelativelylittledangerfro mfalloutpar-ticlesgettingonpeopledoingcl eanupwork , , ,troughs,wells, , , , ,however,suchastheliverandspleen.

8 Likehumans, , , ,butintheabsenceofotherfoodinanemergency , ,corn, ,asinelevators, ,theycanhelpyoudecidewhatcrops,pasturage , ;asystemofsheltersequippedandpro-visione dtofurnishprotectionagainstthoseeffectso fanat-tackforwhichprotectionisfeasible ,radioactivefall-out;andasystemtoprovide trainingandequipment,sothatthesurvivorsc anmonitortheeffectsoftheattackandcarryou tthetasksofdecontamination,firefighting, rescue,andrecon-struction, local,State, ^conditionsfromranchhouses,toapartmentbu ildings, ,therehasbeenlittleinterest,andlessmoney availableforcivildefense, ,theFederalGovernmenthasassumedfourrespo nsibilities:First,tokeeptrackofthena-tur eofthethreatwhichtheCivilDefenseProgramm ustbede-signedtomeet;second,toprepareinf ormationaboutthethreatandhowitcanbemet;t hird,tobearamajorpartofthecostsof42certa inkindsofcivildefenseactivities,wheresuc hsharingwillstimulateStateandlocalandpri vateactivities;and,fourth, ,ontheotherhand, , ,theresponsibilityfororganizingcommunity civildefenseprotectionfallsontheStatesan d,throughthem.

9 Butwerecognizethatmanyfamilies,becauseof theirlocationorindividualpreferences, ,inavarietyofways, ,tunnels,subways, , ,thisspaceisimmediatelyavailable,andthec ostofidentification,marking,andstockingi slessthan$ ,accommodating50ormorepeople,andwhichwou ldbeopentothepublicinanemergency,willbem arkedandstockedwithessentialfood,water,f irst-aidkits, ,hospitals, , ,andcreatedinpublic,orprivatenon-profiti nstitutions,en-gagedinhealth,education, ,servingause-fulpeacetimecommunitypurpos e, ,eachshelterwouldhavetoaccommodateaminim umof50people, ,eachshelterwouldbeidentifiedbythecontin uingoperationsoftheNationalShelterSurvey ,andwouldbemarkedandstockedwithfood,wate r,first-aidkits, ,colleges,hospitals,clinics,andwelfarein stitutionswouldbeeligibleforshelterincen tivepayments,providedtheywereoperatedbya Stateorlocalgovernmentunit, ,togetherwiththeFederalShelterSurvey, , ,butanadequatesystemofwarning,ofradiolog icalmonitoring, ,wherehewilltakeshelter,howheshouldbehav eintheshelter, ,asmanycitizensaspossibleshouldbetrained inthetechniquesofsheltermanagement,radio logicalmonitor-ing,decontamination,rescu e,firefighting, , ,theNEARS ystem, ,andinturn, ,000radiologicalmonitoringstations, , ,andwhathecandoaboutit, ,rescuework,firefighting,firstaid, ,includingcoursematerial,technicalmanual s, ,radiologicalofl&certraining,radiologica ldetection,civildefensedirector-training , , ' ,throughtheDepartmentofHealth,Education, andWelfare,alsoprovidesinstructortrainin gandinstructionalmaterialforanadulteduca tioncourseintheele-mentsofcivildefense,w hichiscurrentlybeingconductedin15 States, ,warning,radiologicalmonitoring, |>onsibilityforintegratingtheseparts,and relatingthewholetotheneedsandcapabilitie softhecommunity,neces-sarilyfallsontheSt ateandloca| ,ithasalreadybegun,throughtheNationalShe lterSurvey, , ,FamilyShelterDesigns,publishedbytheDepa rtmentofDefense,OfficeofCivilDefense.

10 Containingcon-structiondrawingsandstep-b y-stepconstructionproceduresforbuildinge ighttypesoffamilyfalloutshelters, , :AmericanConcretePipeAssociation228 NorthLaSalleStreet,Chicago1, ,NewYork17, ,NewYork22, ,Tacoma2, , ,Washington7, ,Washington6, ,Chicago10, , ,Washington6, :1961O 621904 EPARTM!137