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ANTICIPATED BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF DETONATING A TWENTY‐MEGATON WEAPON ON COLUMBUS CIRCLE IN NEW YORK CITY
Author(s) -
Stonier Tom
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1963.tb42982.x
Subject(s) - annals , citation , library science , history , computer science , classics
The short-term effects that would result from the detonation of a single, relatively large, thermonuclear weapon on (or above) a single city are postulated. The potential economic, social, and biological disruption which are likely to constitute the sequelae to thermonuclear war are considered. However, the contention that nuclear weapons constitute the greatest threat to public health encountered in the recorded history of man becomes self-evident when one considers that the number of mortalities that would be caused by the Columbus Circle burst alone would be of the order of a magnitude greater than the combined battle deaths of all the wars ever fought by the United States. The problem of how best to meet this threat, and, specifically, the function of the scientific community as regards this problem, is considered briefly. (C.H.)