INTRODUCED DANGERS
Accidents: anything occurring unexpectedly without known or assignable causes. The major problem is with industrial or transportation accidents that cause chemical or radiological spills, lires, explosions, or other results. The knowledge and resources needed to overcome any accident varies greatly among government agencies and private sector corporations having a direct or indirect responsibility. If you are exposed to any type of accident, educate yourself on the existing procedures and capabilities to respond. Know who and how to call for help. Otherwise, get yourself safely away from the accident, and help others to do the same. Clear the areas and stay far enough away that the results of the accident, fire, or whatever, will not reach your location. Let the professionals bring the situation under control.
Biological Materials: microorganisms and microbes that cause disease. These have historically caused various pestilences or pandemic plagues as in the case of a highly contagious bacillus. Man has learned to control these diseases through the use of vaccines. In recent times, military forces of the United States and USSR have experimented with germ warfare using germs for which there is no known vaccine. There is a remote possibility that this type of warfare could be conducted. New types of germs might therefore be unleased for which the body would have no natural or artifical resistance. The same thing could happen if a foreign germ were brought to earth by a returning spacecraft. The only immediate response would be to seek isolation from contaminated persons. Be extremely clean and avoid any known carriers of the germ. Vaccines and other control measures would take time to develop.
Blast: a very strong artifical current of air whose movement is created by an explosion. A major problem is the blast which follows the flash of an atomic explosion. It can flatten buildings and make flying missiles out of cars, trees, and people. The area of devastation is extensive. In an all-out nuclear attack, nearly 2 percent of the United States would be effected by blast. This and the resulting shock would account for about 50 percent of all damage. This could cause millions of casualties. The typical maximum radius depends on megaton size, altitude of detonation, and bomb type (fission or fusion). The radius of total devastation, from the point of explosion, can be as great as 5 miles depending on terrain. The solution is to take cover by getting below ground level in a ditch, basement, subway, cellar, or shelter. If possible, under a heavy wooden table or other objects providing overhead protection. Lie on your side in a ball covering your head with your arms. This must be accomolished on an immediate basis. You can look for a fallout shelter after the blast. Be alert when international tensions are high. Listen for the 3 to 5 minute wavering siren sounds to be used to warn of an impending enemy attack. Turn on a radio or TV set and listen for in structions. Consider early evacuation of probable target
areas; e.g. military and government installations, and large metropolitan centers.
Cannibalism: the act of eating the flesh of one’s own kind. This may be done as a matter of practice among primitive tribes. lt has been done by modern man faced with starvation. You should never be faced with this situation if you follow the recommendations of this handbook. If ever forced to consider cannibalism as a last resort, remember that it is a crime against man and God. The crime is compounded by the killing of your victim. This is a possible hazard among groups of starving people. Seek isolation as a solution.
Chemicals: a substance obtained from a chemical process made possible by the transformations of various elements. Man has made chemicals for good and evil purposes. Some chemicals once thought to be good, are sometimes discovered to be damaging to man and his environment. We have accomplished wonders with some chemicals, while others have killed animals, fish, rivers, and soil. Chemicals have also caused cancer and various disorders of man. Various chlorinated hydrocarbons, organic phosphates, and carbamates are examples of hazardous chemicals that are either highly toxic, indiscriminate, or so long-lived that they create imbalances in nature.
Chemistry has been used to create mind-altering drugs such as LSD. Other chemicals are also known to alter human genes. Great quantities of chemicals are used by industry and agriculture. In the latter case, chemicals are spread over the land to control insects, weeds, brush, and plant diseases. For purposes of warfare, chemicals are used to make poisonous gases and to accomplish radical alteration of the battlefield environment. Many of these latter chemicals are unknown to the oublic. because what they are and what they do remains top secret. Chemical dumps, consisting of chemical by-products and waste, have been growing in size and number for over 40 years. They pose a grave threat to health in many areas of the United States. The point is that chemicals present a major hazard, the extent of which is now unknown. Government has the responsibility to monitor the dangers and warn the public. But the task may be too great for local and state governments. There are federal laws for the control of hazardous chemicals, but they are not being effectively enforced. Some federal government agencies have been known to sponsor the development and use of chemicals that are harmful to man. Protection from chemicals can only be achieved by the public’s demand for strict controls. Better yet, avoid the use of all chemicals unless very certain of their safety. Then, properly dispose of them to protect our environment as well as future generation.
Flash-Heat: large fireball caused by nuclear explosion and hot gases resulting therefrom. Solutions are as indicated in the Blast and Fireball sections. If you are caught short, improvise. Dig a trench in your yard and cover it with doors from your house, shovel earth back over the doors except for a small entry opening that you can pull sandbags over after you are on the inside. Another alternative is to fabricate a shelter in an inner room or closet by building a protective barrier around you using furniture or whatever you can find. Remember the heat from the nuclear explosion, sometimes referred to as thermal radiation, is capable of starting fires and burning skin at considerable distance. This will cause about 35 percent of the damage from a nuclear attack.
Gas: a form of matter capable of diffusing and expanding rapidly in all directions. Gas comes in many varieties. Combustible methane gas is sometimes formed in coal mines. Other poison gases can stupefy, injure, and/or kill. Various chemicals produce toxic gases when mixed or exposed to the air. Transportation accidents with chemicals have produced gases which have injured and killed. Spills or leaks of rocket fuels have done the same. Military and police forces have used toxic and irritant gases as an anti- personnel weapon. In and around the home, natural gas can leak from a pipe or an appliance. Natural gas has an odor added so you can smell if there is a leak. A coal furnace or a running internal combustion engine also create gas hazards in the form of methane or carbon monoxide. There is no immediate counter-measure other than escaping the source of the gas. Be alert for the danger. If your eyes or nose burn, if you smell something unusual, or if the air is a funny color, get out of the area quickly. Do not search for a leak with a match; you could cause an explosion. Open the windows if at home, turn off the main gas valve, and call the gas company. Get any victim to fresh air and start mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Pollution: the process of making our environment dirty, impure, unpleasant, or worthless. It is usually caused by the introduction of impure foreign substances. Pollution is anything altering the environment and making it potentially harmful to fish, animals, plants, and man. Industrial and urban wastes have polluted our streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. The burning of fossil fuels increases the world’s already excessive supply of carbon dioxide which collects in the atmosphere and prevents heat from leaving the earth . . . a process with dangerous implications. Our air is constantly being polluted by carbon monoxide from our vehicles, sulfur dioxide and smoke from factories, and other causes. Smog hangs over many of our major cities when there is litlle or no wind. Cyanides, phenols, arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper, chromium, mercury, zinc, and various chemicals have been spread throughout the environment because of agricultural and industrial uses of chemicals. There is noise pollution caused by everything from lawnmowers, cars, planes, and machines. Bright lights and neon signs cause light pollution in many cities. Our foods have sometimes been polluted with harmful additives. Radiaton pollution is a problem due to greater use of nuclear power and an increasing number of various electronic devices. Our roadsides are polluted with trash and eyesores of various descriptions. We are all polluters because we use forms of transportation, buy throwaway products, and consume electricity and other items. We could even be confronted with pollution in various survival situations; e.g. spending two weeks in a radioactive shelter without a chemical toilet or other means to dispose of human waste. Environmental protection laws are just now being developed on an international basis. The war against pollution is just beginning. We can all help by: supporting pollution control, returning and recycling containers, conserving energy, using car pools, using sand not salt on icy streets, preventing litter, using organic farming methods, and so on. Take these actions when confronted with heavy air pollution: stay indoors and reduce physical activity. Do not light fires and do not smoke. Use public transportation if you must travel. Cut down on water and electricity use. Close windows. Hold your breath until you can get away from the clouds of lumes. Help save air, water, soil, energy and help save yourself.
Radiation: the emission and propagation of radiant energy, especially by radioactive substances capable of affecting living tissue. Nuclear explosions occurring at or near the ground level draw great quantities of earth and other materials upward to high altitudes. These are made radioactive by the nuclear explosion. All of these will fall back to earth over a period of hours or days. This is a phenomenon known as “fallout,” during which time particles emit residual nuclear radiation over a wide area. The explosion also releases penetrating and invisible rays called initial nuclear radiation. Do not confuse this with a radioflash which is an associated phenomenon damaging only to electronic equipment. Alpha, beta, and gamma radiation are emitted from the fallout particles. lt takes special instruments to detect and measure units of gamma radiation called Roentgens ®. A dose of more than 200 R over a short period of time can cause a disabling illness or death.
Peaceful uses of nuclear explosives, and accidents resulting therefrom, could also cause a radiation hazard. Excessive gamma radiation can result in cancer, destroyed bones or vital organs, mutated embryos, and damaged genes. To survive, you must create a barrier between yourself and the radioactivity until it decays. This means you should safely remain sheltered for at least 2 weeks or until you get the all-clear signal from civil defense officials. Remember that different materials need different thicknesses to offer the same shielding density; e.g. 4 in-ches of concrete is equal to 7 inches of earth, or 6 inches of sand, or 18 inches of wood, or 8 inches of hollow concrete blocks filled with sand, and so on. The idea is to reduce gamma radiation intensity to PF 40 or 1/40th of what it is outside. As a rule of thumb, the thicker the shielding, the better. To survive, you must also have enough water to last three weeks. Ideally, you will also have food, cooking stove and fuel, bedroll, clothes, toilet items, a chemical toilet, fire starter, lantern, writing materials, books, games, battery-powered radio, and batteries. Tightly sealed containers will protect food and water from radiation. The idea is to keep the radiation particles away.
There are other nuclear radiation hazards. Iodine 131, Cesium 137, and Strontium 90 are all produced in nuclear reactors. Should these get into the food chain, they would be especially dangerous to man. Plutonium dust is an emitter of alpha particles which, if inhaled, can cause damage on the lungs. Uranium tailings give off radon gas which can harm the entire respiratory system. Beta particles, if ingested, can cause harm to the bones and the thyroid.
Remember that each radioactive element has a different half-life. After one such period, half the original radioactivity remains. At the end of two half-lives, only a fourth remains and so on. Generally speaking, an individual should rely on the experts to tell him it is safe. Beware of confusing information. Not all the experts agree on the levels of radiation that the human body can undergo without damage. A rem is the amount of radiation required to have a biological effect. One millirem is one thousandth of that amount. It takes about 100,000 millirems to cause immediate radiation sickness. If expert advice is not available, or when in doubt, stay in your shelter at least 3 weeks. Shelter plans are available free by writing U.S. Army AG Publications Center, Civil Preparedness Section, 3800 Eastern Boulevard (Middle River), Baltimore, MD 21220. One popular fallout shelter is shown under the Shelter section of this handbook.
Sabatoge: an act causing intentional damage or destruction, as in the case of an enemy intending to impede production of war material. lt may also be an act of revolutionaries, disgruntled employees, persons who are mentally ill, or others. Most saboteurs will generally look for a target that is critical, vulnerable, accessible, and at least partially conducive to self-destruction. Methods include insertion of destructive chemicals, interfering with electrical or electronic processes, incendiary devices ignited by various means, detonation of explosive materials, mechanical means such as sand in gears, failure to lubricate, and so on. Last, but not least, are psychological approaches such as inciting strikes, personal animosities, work slow-downs, or inlerior work. Any or all of these actions could present a personal hazard to you. Be aware of the danger, Solutions can be accomplished by reducing the target accessibility and vulnerability. Screen and place
employees so as to upgrade security. Modify equipment to provide protection against sabotage. Establish specific procedures for handling potential or actual sabotage cases. Observe the national and international political climate for indications of the degree of threat.
Terrorism: the act of terrorizing or the state ol being ter- rorized. War itself is terrorism as is any violence commit- ted in an attempt to overthrow a government. And govern- ments themselves use terrorism when they attempl to rule by intimidation. Most terrorists convince themselves that they must resort to violence because there is no other means to redress grievances.
Violence begets more violence. As a population becomes accustomed to one level oI violence, they are not so easily intimidated. The terrorist must then devise more and more
spectacular means of violence. Assination, bombing, kidnapping, skyjacking, torture, massacre, and ambush have been the terrorists’ stock in trade. With governments and armies, it is more and bigger weapons, as well as new techniques for ruling through coercion. Those who oppose and deplore the terrorism, often resort to the use of force
themselves. If they win, they may become the new terrorists. The major concern is that terrorists could resort to the use of nuclear or biological blackmail. Much of the earth could be threatened if this happens. To counter the threat, every opportunity must be taken to prove that the objectives of any terrorists group can be better accomplished by political means. Then, these alternatives must be developed and demonstrated. Moreover, every effort should be made to prove that there is no profit or gain from terrorism. Punishment for crimes of violence must be sure and swift. Friendly intelligence organizations must make a greater effort to penetrale terrorist groups to learn in advance of their intentions. A warning can thus be provided. Until such time, be alert to the threat. Avoid being around or identified with typical terrorist targets, and do not make yourself a target.
