The Effect of Nuclear Explosions on Commercially Packaged Beverages

Book excerpt: The plans for Operation Teapot, at the Nevada Proving Grounds during 1955, included a series of Civil Effects Tests, one of which, covered the exposure of packaged food products. It was expanded to cover representative commercially packaged beverages, such as soft drinks and beer, in glass bottles and metal cans. Preliminary experimental results were obtained from test layouts exposed to a detonation of approximately nominal yield. Extensive test layouts were subsequently exposed during Operation Cue, of 50 per cent greater than nominal yield, at varying distances from Ground Zero. These commercially packaged soft drinks and beer in glass bottles or metal cans survived the blast overpressures even as close as 1270 ft from Ground Zero, and at more remote distances, with most failures being caused by flying missiles, crushing by surrounding structures, or dislodgment from shelves. Induced radioactivity, subsequently measured on representative samples, was not great in either soft drinks or beer, even at the forward positions, and these beverages could be used as potable water sources for immediate emergency purposes as soon as the storage area is safe to enter after a nuclear explosion. Although containers showed some induced radioactivity, none of this activity was transferred to the contents. (Author).