Plutonium dispersal and health hazards from nuclear weapon accidents

We analyse the dispersal of plutonium into the atmosphere and consequent biological hazards from nuclear weapon accidents. Such accidents involving nuclear weapons could be caused, for example, by missile and jet fuel fires and explosions. We use the wedge model of aerosol dispersal to estimate the amount of plutonium that would be inhaled by a surrounding population and the resulting radiological damage in the form of increased cancer fatalities in the event of such an accident. These considerations are then applied to possible accidents in South Asia and inferences drawn.