> Is that incorrect? Yes. The Sr-90 from a nuclear explosion will immediately oxidize in the atmosphere, so it is not a soft metal much like lead, but a britt

> Is that incorrect? Yes. The Sr-90 from a nuclear explosion will immediately oxidize in the atmosphere, so it is not a soft metal much like lead, but a brittle ceramic much like lime. It also has a half life of 28.8 years, not 29.1. Not that these details matter, but I'd still like to draw attention to Schlosser's tactics: By dumping these irrelevant facts that are only approximately right on you he seems a lot more knowledgeable than he really is. Back to the matter at hand... > Is that incorrect? Maybe, maybe not, but it surely is irrelevant. The radioactivity of fallout is dominated by very short lived fission products and by activation products that form when neutrons interact with vaporized soil. Most of these have half lives of hours to days. The radiation from something that short lived is intense and will kill humans quickly. A fallout shelter is intended to prevent exposure to that kind of radiation. By comparison, long lived fission products like Sr-90 don't matter. In a nuclear war, you worry about surviving the next few weeks. You don't worry about dying from leukemia 30 years later. (It also appears the link between Sr-90 and bone cancer or leukemia is merely a plausible assumption, not an actual observation.)