Question

Between 1947 and 1962 the US conducted 105 tests of nuclear weapons in the "Pacific Proving Grounds". I'm wondering how much radiation exposure resulted on the west coast of the US. These were part of the 1056 nuclear bombs that the US has ignited over the years (most underground, but two notably in Japanese cities).

So how much radiation exposure in the US was caused by the 105 nuke tests in the Pacific? Should the inhabitants of the West coast have taken iodine pills?

I'd also like to know how much fallout these bombs produced, as compared to the reactor steam releases in Japan, 2011.

Answer 1

It's difficult to compare becuase of different distance and time scales. But Iodine 131 fallout from Nevada tests caused doses of 10mGray - 200mGray (1-20Rad) across the central and north eastern US, 10mGray is about 8 X-rays or 1 CT-scan.

Generally bomb fallout contains more of the short lived highly active isotopes which are distributed further by the effects of the bomb. Reactor fires generally disperse fallout more slowly and so many isotopes have decayed before they reach the environment