film badge:

Photographic film shielded from light and worn by a person or placed in a specific location to measure and record external exposure to ionizing radiation.

fireball:

The highly luminous cloud of vaporized fission and activation products, device constituents, and surrounding support material created by a nuclear detonation.

fissile:

Capable of undergoing fission by interaction with neutrons. Fissile isotopes used in nuclear weapons include uranium-235 and plutonium-239.

fission:

The splitting of an atomic nucleus into two or more atomic nuclei accompanied by release of neutrons, photons, and energy in the form of kinetic energy of the fission products. In nuclear weapons, fission occurs mainly as a result of capture of neutrons by nuclei of uranium-235 or plutonium-239.

fission product:

An atomic nucleus, either stable or radioactive, produced in fission or by decay of a radionuclide produced in fission.

fission yield:

See yield.

fluence:

The number of radiations incident on a sphere per unit cross-sectional area.

flux:

The volume of material crossing or impinging on a given cross-sectional area of a surface per unit time divided by the area of the cross section.

fractionation:

The chemical and physical separation of radionuclides produced in a nuclear detonation caused by differences in condensation rates as the fireball cools.

free-in-air exposure:

The amount of ionization in air produced by incident photons in the absence of any other medium, such as the human body or a structure that might result in attenuation of the radiation.

fusion:

The joining together of two atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei accompanied by release of energy caused by the smaller mass of the heavier nucleus compared with the combined masses of the original nuclei.

gamma radiation:

Electromagnetic radiation emitted in de-excitation of atomic nuclei, frequently occurring as a result of decay of radionuclides; also called gamma rays and sometimes shortened to gamma (for example, gamma-emitting radionuclide). High-energy gamma radiation is highly penetrating and requires thick shielding, such as up to 1 m of concrete or a few tens of centimeters of steel. See also photon and x radiation.

gastrointestinal tract:

Organs of the digestive system, including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and upper and lower large intestine (colon).

Geiger counter:

An instrument, consisting of a gas-filled tube containing electrodes between which an electric voltage is maintained, used to detect ionizing radiation. When radiation passes through the tube, short pulses of current are generated, which are measured and related to the intensity of the radiation.

generic:

Of, applied to, or referring to a whole kind, class, or group. In this report, the term refers to assumptions intended to be broadly applicable to

Front Matter (R1-R16)

Public Summary (1-4)

Executive Summary (5-14)

I. Introduction (15-43)

II. The Committee's Process (44-50)

III. The Process of Submitting and Deciding Claims (51-64)

IV. Process of Dose Reconstruction in NTPR Program (65-123)

V. Committee's Findings Related to NTPR Dose Reconstruction Program (124-230)

VI. Findings Related to Other Issues (231-256)

VII. Conclusions (257-264)

VIII. Recommendations (265-266)

References (267-278)

Appendix A: Examples of Dose Reconstruction Memoranda From Sample Cases Reviewed by Committee (279-290)

Appendix B: Sampled Case Files of Dose Reconstructions Reviewed by Committee (291-301)

Appendix C: Names of Invited Speakers and Interactions with Veterans (302-304)

Appendix D: Responses to Committee's Questions (305-334)

Appendix E: Analysis of Potential Inhalation Doses Due to Blast-Wave Effects at Operation PLUMBBOB, Shot HOOD, and Implications for Dose Reconstructions for Atomic Veterans (335-348)

Appendix F: Unit Dose Reconstruction for Task Force Warrior at Operation PLUMBBOB, Shot SMOKY (349-360)

Glossary (361-378)

List of Abbreviations (379-380)

Committee Biographies (381-384)

Index (385-399)