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Appendix G
External DoseEstimates fromGlobal Fallout
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External Radiation Exposure to the Population of theContinental U.S. from High Yield Weapons TestsConducted by the U.S., U.K. and U.S.S.R. between 1952and 1963
Harold L. Beck Report to the National Cancer Institute in fulfillment of P.O. #263-MQ-003539March 15, 2000
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Abstract
This report provides estimates of the external radiation exposure and whole bodyeffective dose received by residents of the continental U.S. during the period 1953-2000from nuclear weapons tests. Doses were calculated for tests carried out in the Pacific bythe U.S. and U.K. and by the U.S.S.R. at various sites in the former Soviet Union duringthe years 1952-62. Estimates are given on a county by county basis for each month from1953-1972.The average population dose from the fallout from all of these tests was about 0.7 mSv,about equivalent to 2-3 years of external radiation exposure from natural background. Incontrast to the fallout from tests at the Nevada Test site, the variation in exposure acrossthe country from “global” fallout was relatively small, reflecting primarily variations inannual rainfall. Precipitation was the main mechanism for the deposition of fallout fromthese mostly high-yield thermonuclear tests that injected most of their debris into thestratosphere. Thus residents of counties in the eastern and Midwestern U.S. that receivedabove average rainfall were impacted more than residents of the more arid Southwesternstates. Since the states downwind from the NTS that were impacted most by the NTSfallout are in general more arid than the eastern U.S., the areas most impacted by NTSfallout were in general least impacted by “global” fallout.In contrast to fallout from the NTS where most of the exposure was due to the short-livedradionuclides (primarily I-Te-132 and Ba-La-140), Zr-Nb-95 was the major contributor toexternal dose from “global” fallout during the years of testing. The total dose through2000 was dominated by the long-lived Cs-137. Cs-137 present in soil continues to resultin a small radiation exposure to the public even at the present time. As was the case for  NTS fallout, the most exposed individuals were outdoor workers, the least exposed, persons who spent most of their time indoors in heavily constructed buildings.The deposition of all radionuclides that contribute significantly to external exposure, aswell as a few that contributed significantly (Sr-89, Sr-90) to internal radiation exposurevia the ingestion pathway, were calculated on a county by county and test by test basis.The general pattern of deposition is discussed. In general the population-weighted totaldeposition of long-lived radionuclides such as Sr-90 and Cs-137 was about a factor of about 10-15 greater than that from NTS fallout. However, the population-weighteddeposition of short-lived isotopes such as I-131 was generally much less than from NTSfallout.3
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