~
Fw
in spite of the fact that many of them would have preferred other out~
lete for thetr scientific talents more basie and perhaps more glamorous,
They recognised the importanse of the probles and have pitched in when
aad wherever they could sake a contribution to cur knowledge of the
subject, regardless of where their research support came frous and regardiess of the implications of their observations insofar aa tending
to inexpase or decreaze current estimates of the hasards of fallout.
Tne detomtion of molear devices preduess fission predacte in
greater or leaser amounts depending on the characteristics af the par
tieuiar devices used.
The malier devices, those in the thousands to
several hundred thousand tons TH? equivalent range, produce their axPloaive force by nuclear fission giving rise to proportionate amounts
ef fLasion producta while so-called H-boxbs, bombs in the million-ton
range, may derive less than 10% of their explanive force froa fission.
Thermonuclear reactions per se may give rise to tritium (radioactive
hydrogen) while the neutrons produced in the reacticna produce radioastive carbon from the nitrogen in the atmosphere.
The amount of
carbon-1l); produced is swall relative to that normally present in the
atmosphere, so that with a half-life of the order of 5000 years its
aotivity ie not significant when compared with the amount of fission
preduct activity resulting from the fission reactions.
iIn addition,
the neutrons produced by nuclear devices detonated on the surface of