3 ms·

parent was concerned about > risking nuclear contamination. not a nuclear explosion. A conventional boom could spread radioactive materials all over.

• robryk 9y ago
  EDIT: I was wrong. See the child for correction. There are no radioactive materials in the warhead. In other words: there are no materials that undergo radioactive decay. What is in there are fissile materials: ie. materials that emit neutrons upon being irradiated with neutrons. The only way the warhead might become radioactive is if it partially detonated.
  • rrmm 9y ago
    Pu-239 is radioactive no? Along with impurities like Pu-240 which are slightly more radioactive.
    • robryk 9y ago
      Thanks, I stand corrected. For some reason I was considering Uranium only (which also decays, but with such a long half-life).
    • deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]