Geoscience Reference
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A true fallout shelter with HEPA-type air filtration, a protected supply of water, an inde-
pendent power source, and a month's supply of food would be best, but if you already have all
of that put together, then you are way ahead of the game and don't need to be reading this sec-
tion of this topic. In general, the center of the bottom story in a large multistory building would
be a good location, unless the HVAC system is still active (unlikely) and circulating radioactive
contaminated air throughout the building. Avoid ground floors along outside walls, floors loc-
ated directly beneath roofs, and any other locations adjacent to where fallout may settle onto
flat or gently sloping surfaces. The farther you are away from a highly radioactive gamma-ray
source (such as freshly settled radioactive fallout), and the greater the thickness of dense
shielding materials that separate you from that source, the better. A cave would be an excellent
place in which to weather a nuclear storm. Simply stay as far away from the mouth of the cave
as possible. Subway stations, underground areas in airports, and underground parking garages
would also be good choices (steel and concrete in the walls and ceiling of a structure provide
excellent shielding).
The idea is to get as much mass as you can between you and any location where fallout
might settle. Remember, the distance through air does not matter. It is the distance that gamma
rays travel through dense items such as dirt, stacked topics, packed earth, water, steel, and con-
crete that matters most when it comes to blocking damaging radiation emanating from fallout
(see fig. 17-3 ) .
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