(2) The drag forces of the blast winds produced by a nuclear detonation are so great that almost any form of vegetation or structure will be broken up or fragmented into missiles. Thus, multiple, varied missile injuries will be common, increasing their overall severity and significance. Table A-3 lists ranges at which significant missile injuries can be expected.
_Table A-3. Ranges for Probabilities of Serious Injury from Small Missiles_
================================================================= RANGES (km) ----------------------------------------------------------------- YIELD 1% PROBABILITY OF 50% PROBABILITY OF 99% PROBABILITY OF (KT) SERIOUS INJURY SERIOUS INJURY SERIOUS INJURY ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1 0.28 0.22 0.17 10 0.73 0.57 0.44 20 0.98 0.76 0.58 50 1.4 1.1 0.84 100 1.9 1.5 1.1 200 2.5 1.9 1.5 500 3.6 2.7 2.1 1,000 4.8 3.6 2.7 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1 INCIDENCE OF INJURY BASED ON SKIN AND TISSUE PERFORATION. 2 MISSILES USED WERE 10 GRAM (gm) IN WEIGHT. =================================================================
(3) The velocity to which missiles are accelerated is the major factor in causing injury. The probability of a penetration injury increases with increasing velocity, particularly for small, sharp missiles such as glass fragments. Small, light objects are accelerated to speeds approaching the maximum (wind) velocity. Table A-4 shows data for probability of penetration related to size and velocity of glass fragments.
_Table A-4. Probability of Glass Fragments Penetrating the Abdominal Cavity_
======================================================= MASS OF GLASS 1% 50% 99% FRAGMENTS (gm) IMPACT VELOCITY (METERS PER SECOND) ------------------------------------------------------- 0.1 78 136 243 0.6 53 91 161 1.0 46 82 143 10.0 38 60 118 =======================================================
(4) Heavy, blunt missiles may not penetrate, but can result in significant injury, particularly fractures. The threshold velocity for skull fractures from a 4.5 milligram (mg) missile is about 4.6 meters per second (m/sec).
(5) The drag forces of the blast winds are strong enough to displace large objects (such as vehicles), or cause large structures to collapse (such as buildings) resulting in serious crushing injuries. Man himself can become a missile resulting in injuries (called translational injuries). The velocity at which the body is displaced will determine the probability and the severity of injury. Assuming a displacement of 3.0 meters, the impact velocity associated with various degrees of injury is shown in Table A-5. The velocities in Table A-5 can be correlated against yield. The ranges at which such velocities can occur and the probability of injury are given in Table A-6.