About Hydrogen Bomb Damage

It is impossible to cover the potential effects of a hydrogen bomb in 500 words. So many variables come into play that it is extremely difficult to paint an accurate picture of what would follow.The size of the bomb, whether it was detonated in the upper atmosphere or at ground level, a person's distance from ground zero and other factors come into play. What follows is a thumbnail sketch.

Significance

After the break-up of the former Soviet Union, it seemed as though the long nightmare of the Cold War was over. The threat of global nuclear war was gone and a new age of peace seemed to be dawning. However, despite the public dismantling of missile sites (quite good for photo ops), hundreds of these hydrogen bombs remained intact, not only American and Russian, but also China, French and British. With the recent resurgence of Russia in geopolitics, the nuclear bogey man has been resurrected.

Types

EMP conceptualized

A high-altitude burst at around 100,000 feet would have little physical blast or radiation effect on the people beneath it. However, such a detonation would release a powerful electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) capable of frying most civilian electronics over a wide area. An air burst closer to the ground would result in heat and and radiation effects, especially on those directly under the detonation. A ground burst would create a 200-foot crater at the point of impact, kicking up huge amounts of dust and debris which would become radioactive.

Size

The effects of a hydrogen bomb also depend on how large a device is detonated. In terms of physical damage caused by a relatively small 10-kiloton device, if one were detonated over the geographic center of Washington DC, the immediate blast and fire ball would kill everyone within one-third of a mile and destroy most buildings. A five-megaton device would kill everyone within five miles of the fireball and almost certainly destroy most of the buildings.

Time Frame

The time frame of the effects of a hydrogen bomb begins at the nanosecond of detonation and extends many years into the future. As noted above, many thousands of people would die during the split second it takes for detonation. Thousands more would die within an hour due to acute radiation poisoning if they were caught in the open and could not find shelter. Those able to find shelter within a short amount of time would suffer some radiation effects but could recover if given prompt medical attention. The immediate effects of radiation poisoning would be unknown until symptoms began appearing--anywhere from a few minutes to two weeks after the bomb dropped.

Effects

The long-term effects of a hydrogen bomb are incalculable. The dead and injured from one five-megaton device would amount to several million people, the victims of blast, heat, and radiation, within the first few days. If there were a widespread attack, millions more would die of starvation and exposure over the course of time if relief efforts proved inadequate. Transportation and public utility infrastructure would be destroyed or severely damaged. Federal, state, and local governments, if they survived the initial attack, would be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problems they would face.

Resources

• Blast maps
• Blast effects calculator
• Fallout calculator