How to survive an atomic bomb (and why it’s better not to run after the explosion)

Today there are ten countries that have tested nuclear weapons, and five of them are considered “nuclear-armed states.” The fear of a potential nuclear attack with an atomic bomb continues to exist, especially after the events of the Ukrainian War and the recent Russian decisions. The consequences that a new Hiroshima could have are certainly devastating.

Even with its enormous destructive potential, it is possible to be saved from the explosion of an atomic bomb. If we have not died after the initial explosion, what we do in the first few minutes and hours can determine our survival.

This is what, for example, explained Jason Lefkowitz years ago when making a study of that hypothetical situation. This developer and writer was referencing a 2011 study from the Department of Homeland Security warning of the effects of a singular nuclear incident: the detonation of a 10-kiloton bomb in downtown Washington DC

The effects would be devastating, of course, but maybe not as much as we might think. Randy Larsen, retired US Air Force colonel and founder of the Institute for Homeland Security, made it clear: “It’s not the end of the world, and it’s not a Cold War-type scenario.”

in that studio they predicted tragic figures of 45,000 dead and 323,000 injured, but also revealed that the most severe range would be taken by an area around the detonation with a radius of about 800 meters (half a mile). Although the personal and material damage would be enormous, only that central zone of the explosion would be really affected.

Obviously, this simulation would vary according to the power of the bomb, and for example the Hiroshima produced 16 kilotons (21 in the case of Nagasaki) while the largest atomic bomb ever tested, the “Tsar Bomb” developed by the Union Soviet and tested in 1961, it had a power of 50 megatons.

The flash caused by a 10 kiloton explosion like the one in the US report simulation would be seen for hundreds of kilometers, and would be so powerful that could blind people even from almost 20 km away. The problem would not only be the detonation, but everything that would come after. And if someone survives that original explosion, there are tips to keep doing it after the chaos.

radioactive fallout

After the detonation of an atomic bomb, the feared radioactive fallout would occur, which could expose the victims closest to the explosion to radiation of between 300 and 800 Roentgens in the first two hours, which would practically kill all exposed people.

The same 10 kiloton bomb detonated in the center of Madrid would also cause devastating effects in the center of the city according to this estimate, but its range would not be as enormous as one might think. Source: Nukemap

Precisely the explosion and that radioactive fallout would make our impulses betray us. If someone sees or hears the explosion the last thing they should do is go to a window for example and look directly. Doing so could end up pierced by thousands of small crystals that would propagate at high speed after the enormous shock wave generated by the explosion.

The other impulse that victims should overcome is to run away with the intention of escaping the explosion and its effects. That’s the last thing we should do, because the fallout is especially powerful in those first few minutes.

In short: better dig a hole.

In fact, what we should do is seek shelter to be as little exposed as possible to that radioactive fallout. No cars, no areas of a building or the street near windows or that allow radioactive ash to reach us: it is best to get into when we can. interior rooms to try to make the walls act as barriers against that radiation, and if we can, accessing underground areas where the earth also serves as a powerful insulator is an even greater guarantee of avoiding exposure.

How long do you have to be sheltered? The intensity of the radiation decreases rapidly with time. In 1987 a book by Cresson Kearny —freely available in PDF format— on how surviving a nuclear war allowed him to define what is known as his rule seven-ten showing how the intensity of radiation decreases as time passes. It does, yes, very slowly, as shown by those bombs that were dropped on Bikini Atoll.

as they explain on Stack Exchange“if the rate one hour after the explosion is 1000 Roentgens/hour it would take approximately 2 weeks for the rate to drop to 1 R/h as a result of radioactive decay. Weather effects could further reduce that rate “.

In an explosion like the one we mentioned, the radiation would be reduced by half in just one hour, in one day it would be 20% or less and after two weeks it would have been reduced to approximately 1% of the original radiation.

It is advisable to get rid of clothing (at least the most superficial) or objects that we had close to us during the explosion. If there is water, washing thoroughly with it and plenty of soap and shampoo (not conditioner, it binds radioactive particles to hair) is equally a good idea. And by the way: no scratching your skin, which could increase your risk of exposure.

Blowing your nose, cleaning your eyes, nose and facial hair (including eyelashes and eyebrows) is also important. Stock up on water (best bottledboiling it is useless) and food is also recommended for those first hours or days of confinement until the worst happens.

The best thing, of course, is that all this never becomes necessary, but if it is, these practical tips could be crucial to survival.

Image: CC