Newsgroups: sci.military
From: John De Armond
Subject: Aftereffects at Hiroshima
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 16:16:13 GMT

Damian Murphy <murff@warlock.demon.co.uk> writes:

>Ref Hiroshima:

>2. There was a documentary on British TV several years ago suggesting that
>   the observed levels of long term biological effects of the bombs used on
>   Japan were due to considerably lower levels of radiation and contaminants
>   than the earlier estimates had suggested. 

There was a major effort about 10 years ago to re-evaluate the dose 
estimates at both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  High precision dose estimates
are very important because much of today's radiation safety standards
are based on the observed effects in these two cities.  The results of
this effort was published in the literature, among others, the Health-
Physics Journal.  Working from memory, the overall dose estimates didn't
change much. Some details did.  For example, a zone of relatively
low casualties and leukemia in Nagasaki was linked to the additional
shielding provided by the front lifting lug on the bomb casing.  It
cast a radiation shadow over some of the ground below.  Remember
that most of the prompt radiation is produced BEFORE the weapon
casing disassembles.  I'd not be surprised to head that BBC converted
these details into "considerably lower levels".  Typical media 
performance.

John