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Wr-401
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EVALUATION OF MILITARY INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE
PROTECTION DEVICES AND CLOTHING.
Operation BUSTER-JANGLE.
John R. Hendrickson, July 1952.
CONFIDENTIAL
.
Under conditions resulting from surface and underground
detonations of atomic bombs, evaluation and performance tests were conducted on Chemical Corps impregnated and unimpregnated protective clothing,
individual protective covers, the M9Al individual protective mask with ML
canister, E22 and E26 tank collective protector, and M5 protective ointment.
Both impregnated and unimpregnated clothing were found satisfactory in the
prevention of contact between radioactive dusts and the skin, and unimpregnated
clothing deronstrated better contamination-decontamination characteristics
than did impregnated clothing.
Secondary radiation from all clothing was
negligible.
The protective cover was very effective in preventing contamination of clothing.
The M9Al mask with the M11 canister furnished complete
protection against inhalation of radioactive dust.
The filtering efficiencies
of the E22 and the E26 tank collective protectors were very high, and no
deficiencies were found in the units.
Panels coated with MS ointment were
contaminated much more highly than were uncoated panels, leading to the
conclusion that the radiological contaminability of human skin would be increased by the use of this ointment.
wr-402
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EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL RESPIRATORY HAZARD TO TANK CREWS
REQUIRED TO OPERATE IN CONTAMINATED AREAS.
Operation BUSTER-JANGLE.
Eimer H. Engquist, July 1952.
SECRET-RESTRICTED DATA
Two medium tanks (M26) were exposed to a surface atomic blast
,V0O ft upwind from ground zero and, following the blast, were operated
to within 0.1 mi of ground zero.
No contaminated area was traversed during
this latter operation.
During the underground blast, the two tanks and a
personnel carrier (T18E1) were exposed 2,000 ft downwind from ground zero,
an area whick at H + 3 hr was contaminated to a level of 550 r/hr. At
H + 50 hr the vehicles were decontaminated and then driven to the crater
lip and back.
Immediately following the underground shot, and during
operation through the contaminated area, the airborne activity far
exceeded the =aximum allowable (in yuc/l) for lifetime exposure. Maximum
allowable corcentration for short time exposure (8 hr) was exceeded by
factors of 10 to 380.
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