19 August 1973
18.7
CHAPTER 18
THERMAL AND NUCLEAR RADIATION EFFECTS ON SURFACE SHIP PERSONNEL
Section 18.7, Thermal and Nuclear Radiation Effects on Surface
Ship Personnel, is a brief addendum to Chapter 18, which presently contains
information only on effects of underwater shock.
This addition points out
possibilities of effects on those personnel exposed to thermal and nuclear
radiation from water bursts, and presents the new risk and casualty criteria for combat troops.
Differences are noted in environmental conditions
and tasks of surface ship personnel from those encountered by ground conbat troops.
In the following paragraphs, thermal and nuclear radiation risk
and casualty criteria are specified for combat troops exposed to air or
land-surface bursts.
Brief note is made of certain water-burst phenomena
producing thermal and nuclear radiation that may affect ship personnel in
an environment differing markedly from that of combat troops.
18.7.1
Casualty and Risk Criteria
Effects of thermal and nuclear radiation on personnel are presented
in a number of published documents and reports.
sent a summary of much of the information.
Two recent documents pre-
The first ts Personnel Risk
and Casualty Criteria for Nuclear Weapons Effects @ which specifies new
criteria for militarily significant effects on ground troops, and also contains an extensive list of references.
This reference defines
tt
personnel
risk criterion" as the level of exposure to a nuclear weapons effect such
that specified incidences of casualties will occur, but neutralization of
friendly troops will not occur.
A "casualty
criterion" is defined as the
level of a particular weapons effect parameter at which permanent combat
ineffectiveness (personnel unable to perform any task) will occur within
50% of the population exposed to that level.
The specified new criteria
for combat troops (termed CDC criteria in the remainder of this section)
are given in Table 18-2.
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18-25
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