A Methodology for Estimating External Doses to Individuals and Populations Exposed to Radioactive Fallout from Nuclear Detonations

A methodology of assessment of the doses from external irradiation resulting from the ground deposition of radioactive debris (fallout) from a nuclear detonation is proposed in this paper. The input data used to apply thismethodology for a particular location are the outdoor exposure rate at any time after deposition of fallout and the time-of-arrival of fallout, as indicated and discussed in a companion paper titled "A Method for Estimating the Deposition Density of Fallout on the Ground and on Vegetation from a Low-yield Low-altitude Nuclear Detonation." Example doses are estimated for several age categories and for all radiosensitive organs and tissues identified in the most recent ICRP publications. Doses are calculated for the first year after the detonation, when more than 90% of the external dose is delivered for populations close to the detonation site over a time period of 70 y, which is intended to represent the lifetime dose. Modeled doses in their simplest formassume no environmental remediation, though modifications can be introduced. Two types of dose assessment are considered: (1) initial, for a rapid but only approximate dose estimation soon after the nuclear detonation; and (2) improved, for a later, more accurate, dose assessment following the analysis of post-detonation measurements of radiation exposure and fallout deposition and the access of information on the lifestyle of the exposed population.