Fallout Protection For Homes With Basements

Fallout Protection For Homes With Basements is a 28-page pamphlet produced by the U.S Government during the Cold War, providing tips and instructions on how to harden an existing basement against radiation and fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion.

Book Contents

THE FALLOUT PROTECTION IN YOUR HOME

This booklet is about fallout protection. It will tell you what radioactive fallout is and how you can improve your protection against it if this country were ever attacked with nuclear weapons. But first of all, because your home has a basement you already have some fallout protection. Let's see what that protection is:

On the back cover of this booklet a box like this appears:

Entered in the space labeled Basement "PF" are two numbers which tell you the fallout protection that was calculated for the "center" of your basement and the "best corner" of your basement. Information on the box labeled "Added Weight", is on page 20 of this booklet.

The "PF" above the box stands for "Protection Factor." Before going into the details of what your "Protection Factor" numbers mean, let's talk for a moment about what fallout is.

WHAT IS RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT?

When a nuclear weapon is exploded close to the ground, dirt and other debris are drawn up into the mushroom cloud and pick up the radioactivity created by the explosion. The heaviest pieces of dirt and debris drop back to earth within a few miles of the explosion. But the lighter pieces are carried by the winds for many miles before drifting back to earth.

These radioactive particles are called "fallout." Any part of the United States might be covered with deadly or dangerous amounts of radioactive fallout, depending on which way the winds were blowing and the size and number of nuclear weapons exploded. The radioactivity could cause serious health damage or fatal injury to unprotected persons. In a nuclear attack, the blast, heat, and fire from the explosions would be very destructive, but the destruction would be in areas near the explosions. Radioactive fallout, though, could spread a thin layer over millions of square miles.

Radiation would come from the fallout wherever it settled -- the ground, trees and bushes, or the roof of your home. Fallout does not behave like a gas. In areas that would be affected by dangerous amounts of fallout, the fallout particles would look like dirt or hand and you may see them after they have settled on the ground or other places. The exact amount of radiation given off by the particles can be measured only by special instruments.