Nuclear fallout

Fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a nuclear explosion and is named from the fact that it "falls out" of the atmosphere in to which it is spread during the explosion. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust created when a nuclear weapon explodes. This radio-active dust, consisting of hot particles, is a kind of radioactive contamination.

References

• Glasstone, Samuel and Dolan, Philip J., The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (third edition), U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977. (Available Online)
• NATO Handbook on the Medical Aspects of NBC Defensive Operations (Part I - Nuclear), Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, Washington, D.C., 1996. (Available Online)
• Smyth, H. DeW., Atomic Energy for Military Purposes, Princeton University Press, 1945. (Smyth Report)
• The Effects of Nuclear War in America, Office of Technology Assessment (May 1979)