5 ms·
Water can and does become radioactive through neutron capture breeding tritium. However, neutron flux falls off quickly with range, and for an airburst explosi
by InclinedPlane 11y ago
Water can and does become radioactive through neutron capture breeding tritium.
However, neutron flux falls off quickly with range, and for an airburst explosion it would not have been high enough at the surface to cause significant neutron "activation" of local materials. Almost all of the fallout from the blast came from the material in the bomb itself.
- ars 11y agoThat's true, but atom bombs make very very little tritium. To make tritium you need to start with deuterium, which is already rarely made by atom bombs. So you have two rare events that have to happen in sequence. So that means that atom bombs pretty much don't make any.
- InclinedPlane 11y agoRight, quite true.