IEER SDA Volume 4, Number 3
SDA Vol. 4 No. 2 Centerfold:

Estimated Doses and Fatal Cancers from Nuclear Testing

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Estimated Global Collective Dose Equivalent Commitment and Associated Cancer Deaths Due to Fallout from Atmospheric Nuclear Tests, by Radionuclide.
Dose integration time until infinity.
(All doses in million person-rems = 104 person-seiverts).

RadionuclideExternal
dose		Inhalation
dose		Ingestion
dose		Total
dose		Dose
in %		Number of fatal cancers.
Unadjusted Estimate*
Carbon-14 - 0.3 2600260085.43% 2.1x10(6)
Cesium-137 150 0.1 69 219 7.20%1.7x10(5)
Zirconium-95 64 - - 64 2.10%5.1x10(4)
Strontium-90 - 3 44 47 1.54%3.7x10(4)
Ruthenium-10617 10- 27 0.89%2.1x10(4)
Hydrogen-3 - 1 18 19 0.62%1.5x10(4)
Cerium-144 5 12 - 17 0.56%1.3x10(4)
Iodine-131 - - 11 11 0.36%8.7x10(3)
Plutonium-239 - 8 2 10 0.33%7.9x10(3)
Barium-140 8 0.070.058 0.27%6.4x10(3)
Other--- 22 0.69%1.7x10(4)
Total---3044- 2.4x10(6)

Estimated Global Collective Dose Equivalent Commitment and Associated Cancer Deaths Due to Fallout from Atmospheric Nuclear Tests, by Radionuclide.
Dose integration time until year 2000.
(All doses in million person-rems = 104 person-seiverts).
RadionuclideExternal
dose		Inhalation
dose		Ingestion
dose		Total doseDose
in %		Number of fatal cancers.
Unadjusted Estimate*
Carbon-14- 0.3 100 10018.45% 7.9x10(4)
Cesium-1371500.169 21940.30% 1.7x10(5)
Zirconium-9564- - 6411.77% 5.1x10(4)
Strontium-90-3 44 478.64% 3.7x10(4)
Ruthenium-1061710- 274.97% 2.1x10(4)
Hydrogen-3 -118 193.49% 1.5x10(4)
Cerium-144 512- 173.13% 1.3x10(4)
Iodine-131 -- 11 112.02% 8.7x10(3)
Plutonium-239 -82 101.84% 7.9x10(3)
Barium-140 80.070.0581.49% 6.4x10(3)
Other---223.90% 1.7x10(4)
Total---544- 4.3x10(5)

* Based on BEIR V coefficients unadjusted for dose rate effectiveness factor (DREF). Fatal cancer estimates would be reduced by a factor of about 2, if a DREF of 2 is used, as is common regulatory practice.

Underground Radioactivity due to the Testing Activity of Each Nuclear Weapons State (in Curies)
Decay-corrected and Rounded to Two Significant Figures
CountryStrontium-90Cesium-137Plutonium-239Principal Locations
U.S.A. 3,200,000 5,000,000 140,000 Nevada Test Site
U.S.S.R.2,100,000 3,300,000 75,000 Kazakh Test Site
----Novaya Zemlya
Britain--- Nevada, see U.S. total
France 170,000 270,000 18,000 Moruroa, Fangataufa
China ? ? 1,800 Lop Nor
Total 5,500,000 8,600,000 230,000 Totals are Rounded,
cesium and strontium
totals exclude China.

Notes:

1. The un-decay-corrected figures assume 0.1 megacuries per megaton for strontium-90, 0.16 megacuries per megaton for cesium-137, and 150 curies of unfissioned plutonium per nuclear test.

2. We assume that one-third of the strontium-90 and cesium-137 have decayed away since the tests. No decay correction has been made for plutonium due to the very long half-life of the principal isotopes plutonium-239 and plutonium-240.

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Last updated: August, 1996