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From: alton@wpi.wpi.edu (Alton J Reich)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Shielding on nukes
Message-ID: <8632@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 27 Jul 89 11:31:07 GMT
References: <8482@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Nuclear Reactor Facility
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From: alton@wpi.wpi.edu (Alton J Reich)


>From: nak@cbnews.ATT.COM (Neil A. Kirby)
>>ARF says: 
>> 
>>I often get burned when I confront experts but that is a  
>>rather outrageous statement if taken at face value. 
>> 
>>If a warhead is not shielded, wouldn't it represent a  
>>hazzard for personnel envolved in their handling, storage  
>>training etc? 


	Enriched Uranium such as in bombs and reactor fuel undergoes
radioactive decay just like other naturally occuring elements (the
same goes for plutonium, even though it isn't natural).  Once in a
while uranium undergoes spontaneous fission, this is rare.  Most of
the radiation emmited from uranium is in the form of alpha or betta
particles.  These particles have a short range, for example:
	Energetic alphas can be shielded with a piece of paper.
	Most bettas can be shielded with a piece of heavy duty
    aluminium foil.
 
	A thin sheet of lead will stop anything comming from that
warhead except for the occational neutron.

		Alton

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