BIOASSAY
The determination of the concentration of materials,
including radioactive materials, within the body by
sampling and analyzing tissue or body fluids.
BURST
An explosion or detonation.
CHAIN REACTION
A reaction that stimulates its own repetition, usually
referring to fission or fusion reactions.
CLOUD SAMPLING
The process of collecting samples of the cloud
resulting from a nuclear detonation to determine the
amount of airborne radioactivity, both particulate and
gaseous, contained in the cloud.
This was usually
conducted by specially equipped aircraft.
CLOUD STEM
The visible column of debris (and possibly dust and
water droplets) extending upward from the point of
burst of a nuclear device.
CLOUD TRACKING
The process of using either radar or aircraft to
monitor the drift of a cloud resulting from a nuclear
detonation.
CONTAMINATION,
RADIOACTIVE
The presence of unwanted radioactive material on or
within areas, objects, or persons.
CUMULATIVE DOSE
The total dose resulting from repeated exposure to
radiation.
DECAY, RADIOACTIVE
The spontaneous emission of radiation, generally alpha
or beta particles, often accompanied by gamma rays.
The radiation is emitted by an unstable isotope.
Asa
result of the emission, the radioactive isotope is
converted into a different element that may or may not
be radioactive.
DECONTAMINATION
The reduction in the effect of contaminating radioactive material or the removal of contaminating radioactive material from a structure, area, object, or
person.
DEVICE, NUCLEAR
A nuclear explosive device, commonly referred to as an
atomic or nuclear weapon, engineered to produce a
detonation with some predetermined characteristics.
DOSE
See ABSORBED DOSE or DOSE EQUIVALENT.
DOSE EQUIVALENT
The absorbed dose expressed in terms of its biological
effect. It is the product of the absorbed dose in rads
multiplied by a quality factor and any modifying
factors. The dose equivalent is expressed in rem.
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