Editing Neutron bomb (section)

===Effects===
[[File:House 1953 Nevada Nuclear Test 5 psi.jpg|thumb|A wooden framed house photographed during a 1953 nuclear test, {{convert|5|psi|kPa}} overpressure, full collapse.]]

Upon detonation, a near-ground [[air burst|airburst]] of a 1-kiloton neutron bomb would produce a large blast wave and a powerful pulse of both thermal radiation and [[ionizing radiation]] in the form of fast (14.1{{spaces}}[[Electronvolt|MeV]]) neutrons. The thermal pulse would cause [[third degree burn]]s to unprotected skin out to approximately 500 meters. The blast would create pressures of at least 4.6{{spaces}}psi (32 kPa) out to a radius of 600 meters, which would severely damage all non-reinforced concrete structures. At the conventional effective combat range against modern [[main battle tank]]s and [[armored personnel carrier]]s (<{{spaces}}690–900{{spaces}}m), the blast from a 1{{spaces}}kt neutron bomb would destroy or damage to the point of nonusability almost all un-reinforced civilian buildings.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021|reason=A blast wave of 4.6psi is 0.3 atmospheres, significantly less than ambient atmospheric pressure; this would not cause damage to buildings. Perhaps an increase of 4.6 psi was intended, but still unsubstantiated.}}

Using neutron bombs to stop an enemy armored attack by rapidly incapacitating crews with a dose of 80+ [[Gray (unit)|Gy]] of radiation<ref name="Fact-index, neutron bomb">{{cite web |url=http://www.fact-index.com/n/ne/neutron_bomb_1.html |title=Fact-index, neutron bomb |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630093824/http://www.fact-index.com/n/ne/neutron_bomb_1.html |archive-date=2013-06-30 |access-date=2014-08-09 }}</ref> would require exploding large numbers of them to blanket the enemy forces, destroying all normal civilian buildings within c.{{spaces}}600 meters of the immediate area.<ref name="Fact-index, neutron bomb" /><ref>Calculated from {{cite web |url=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq5.html |title=Effects of Nuclear Explosions |access-date=2014-04-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428174041/http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq5.html |archive-date=2014-04-28 }} assuming 0.5{{spaces}}kt combined blast and thermal</ref> [[Neutron activation]] from the explosions could make many building materials in the city radioactive, such as [[galvanized steel]] (see [[#Use as an area denial weapon|area denial use]] below).

Because liquid-filled objects like the human body are resistant to gross overpressure, the 4–5{{spaces}}psi (28-34 kPa) blast [[overpressure]] would cause very few direct casualties at a range of c.{{spaces}}600{{spaces}}m. The powerful winds produced by this overpressure, however, could throw bodies into objects or throw debris at high velocity, including window glass, both with potentially lethal results. Casualties would be highly variable depending on surroundings, including potential building collapses.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/archive/pdfs/NIOSH-125/125-ExplosionsandRefugeChambers.pdf |title=1) Effects of blast pressure on the human body |access-date=2012-10-12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127040629/http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/archive/pdfs/NIOSH-125/125-ExplosionsandRefugeChambers.pdf |archive-date=2013-01-27 }}</ref>

The pulse of neutron radiation would cause immediate and permanent incapacitation to unprotected outdoor humans in the open out to 900 meters,<ref name="Kistiakovsky" /> with death occurring in one or two days. The [[median lethal dose]] (LD<sub>50</sub>) of 6 Gray would extend to between 1350 and 1400 meters for those unprotected and outdoors,<ref name="Fact-index, neutron bomb" /> where approximately half of those exposed would die of radiation sickness after several weeks.

A human residing within, or simply shielded by, at least one concrete building with walls and ceilings {{convert|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} thick, or alternatively of damp [[soil]] 24 inches (60&nbsp;cm) thick, would receive a neutron radiation exposure reduced by a factor of 10.<ref name="web.mit.edu">{{cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/ans/www/documents/seminar/F07/rydin.ppt |title=Applications of the Monte Carlo Adjoint Shielding Methodology - MIT |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717132012/http://web.mit.edu/ans/www/documents/seminar/F07/rydin.ppt |archive-date=2015-07-17 }}</ref> Even near ground zero, basement sheltering or buildings with similar radiation shielding characteristics would drastically reduce the radiation dose.<ref name="waynebiddle.com"/>

Furthermore, the [[neutron absorption]] spectrum of air is disputed by some authorities, and depends in part on absorption by [[hydrogen]] from [[water vapor]]. Thus, absorption might vary exponentially with humidity, making neutron bombs far more deadly in [[desert climate]]s than in humid ones.<ref name="Fact-index, neutron bomb" />