EPA Report on Ecological Impact of Detonation

Nuclear fallout, or radioactive dust consisting of material either directly vaporized by a nuclear blast or charged by exposure, is a highly dangerous kind of radioactive contamination. It can lead to the contamination of aquifers or soil and devastate the affected ecosystems years after the initial exposure. Given that this is a low to medium yield surface detonation, the fallout contamination will probably not extend far beyond the blast. Pertaining to the inhabitability of the area, the area would have to be cleaned by a team of authorized and protected workers, as outlined in the U.S. Contingency Report, before any people attempted to rehabilitate the area. Second, as the environment would be completely barren, it could potentially take 2 to 5 years to produce a functioning environment with wildlife. This can be discerned from prior experiences with radioactive environments. Lastly, concerning building a lead wall around the perimeter of Chicago, the EPA deems this action as unfeasible and unproductive, as the fallout would spread over the wall from wind pressure among other factors. The only effective way of preventing the spread of radiation would be to build a large dome covering the entire surface area of the blast; however, this would be impossible due to radiation exposure of workers as well as economic and planning considerations. Lisa P. Jackson Administrator of EPA