[ RadSafe ] "Countdown to Zero" disarmament movie

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

Hi, Franz.  

I am afraid I have to disagree with you about, "How many lives would have been saved in Hiroshima or Nagasaki by this strategy? - not a single one."

In any event such as an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, or nuclear detonation, there is a core area with great energy and tremendous destruction, and a wider band around it with progressively less energy and progressively less destruction.  Precautions that will not help you at ground zero may well save your life only a little ways away.  In point of fact, at Nagasaki there were a number of American POWs being used as slave labor in a facility (I think a shipyard, but I don't have the reference handy).  When the air raid alarm sounded they all went off to the slit trenches dug as shelters.  Many of the Japanese workers didn't bother.  Most of the Japanese workers were killed, few of the POWs were injured (and most of those that were had their heads out of the trench, looking around.)

Actions appropriate for sheltering from nuclear attack can be generalized for use in a variety of situations, such as earthquake, massive chemical leaks, big explosions, and others.  

The political agendas behind supporting or suppressing civil defense and emergency preparedness are more complex than I care to get into, unless there is an evening to deal with it and beer involved.  

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Franz Schönhofer
Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2010 2:12 PM
To: 'Shane Connor'; radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] "Countdown to Zero" disarmament movie

Dear Shane,

Thank you for your reply - it indicates that you are seriously considering
the topic and it is worth to discuss it with you. 

I think I introduced myself as somebody who has been involved heavily in
emergency planning in Austria, who has been actually more than heavily been
involved in the aftermath of the Cherenobyl accident in Austria and written
the official report. Of course I had contact to all European and partially
non-European authorities. 

I have been the head of the terrestrial working group on the French Mururoa
Test Site.