Category: NBC

Letter Re: TVP is a Poor Choice for Food Storage

Jim: Many commercially packaged storage food “package deals” load up on Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) for protein. I would eat TVP if I had to, but if you are considering buying food for storage, stick to eggs and meat. TVP comes from soybeans, and soybeans are not a good human food. To explain: Plants can be placed on a continuum from harmless fruits, vegetables and common grains, to poisonous plants like deathcap mushrooms. With the exception of fruits (seeds pass through our digestion and we ‘deposit’ them in remote locations thus propagating the plant species) , plants don’t want to …


Letter Re: Advice on Swedish Military Surplus Fallout Survey Meters

Hi Jim – You probably get an e-mail like this 10 times a day, but since reading that the Radetect and Nuk-Alert are worthless, I’m shopping for something to supplement the CD V-700 [Geiger counter] that I have. From what I’ve read the CD V-700 is good for checking if people or objects have become low-level contaminated, a different meter is needed for alerting and monitoring high-level exposure risks. Sportsman’s Guide currently lists three different meters, including a Swedish one that looks interesting. Do you have any intel on these? Thanks For Your Time – Steve M. JWR Replies: To …


Letter Re: Expedient Faraday Cage EMP Protection

Mr Rawles, First…this is an excellent site and, on equal footing, so is your book “Patriots”. In my opinion so much so that in the course of habitually re-reading it I am wearing the book out. In regards to EMP protection: an old refrigerator, chest freezer, unused oven, or for that matter, a metal utility cabinet etc. will work. These appliances will allow the storage of more than a few “delicate” and sensitive electronic devices. Having a redundant radio collection is advisable. These devices will function well as long as all six sides are metal, are electrically connected (a few …


Two Letters Re: Personal Hygiene in a Biowarfare World

James: Peter Hardt tis correct about hand sanitation. To which I would add that auto-inoculation (putting your fingers in your nose, eyes or ears) is now scientifically proven to be the #1 way you get a cold. See the work of Kenneth Seaton. It is basically impossible to clean the underside of our fingernails and this is the most infectious part of our body. Learn not to pick your nose or use your fingernails to rub out sleepyheads. Use a napkin or your shirt. If not, at least use your knuckles… When in public and concerned about infection, carry your …


Letter Re: Expedient Faraday Cage EMP Protection, and Satellite Radio in Emergency Alert Network?

Jim – I have a a few questions for your readers regarding satellite radio (subscription-based services such as Sirius) if you would be kind enough to consider a posting. But first, many thanks to E.H. and Sun Dog for their replies in regard to Faraday cages, their use, and construction. I think it particularly handy knowing that a microwave oven could make a pretty good Faraday cage, and now that I think about it, this makes perfect sense. For those of you that have built, or are in the process of building (or are considering building) hardened shelters, if you …


Two Letters Re: Prussian Blue for Radioactive Isotope Exposure by P.H.

Dear Jim, I have been reading your blog for a bit and I appreciate your flow of information. One thing I (finally) saw that should be added [to the commentary on Prussian Blue and Potassium Iodate] is the popular poison oak [and poison ivy and poison sumac] treatment called TECNU. It was originally created as a waterless decontamination for nuclear fallout. Just a minor but currently easy to obtain treatment. – Ferk   Dear Jim: What B.F. is looking for is US Pharmacopoeia (USP) listed Prussian Blue. It is sold by prescription. Get a friendly doc to write a script …


Re: Prussian Blue for Radioactive Isotope Exposure by P.H.

Mr. Rawles: I have always felt that Prussian Blue [as mentioned in SurvivalBlog on August 27th] should be part of one’s system of NBC protection but never had the info needed to make it happen until P.H. kindly provided important details. I checked the link that was provided to obtain the powdered Ferric Ferrocyanide and noted that their web site indicates it is “made from Ferric Ferrocyanide”. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is chemically pure. I inquired, and they indicated they cannot confirm the chemical analysis as the product was obtained over ten years ago and don’t even know the …


Two Letters Re: Questions on Faraday Cages and Radiological Survey Meter EMP Resistance

Mr. Rawles, I am an RF and EMC engineer. I’ve worked nuclear EMP issues for a couple of decades. You were fairly right on – a Faraday cage (or “shield room”) is hard to build. It can be done with fine mesh – similar to window screen but made from copper wire – but the penetrations and doors are always the problem. Mesh will not protect you from large magnetic fields, but for much of the affected area, they are not the problem. Your plan to use a steel ammo can has merit – as long as you close the …


Letter Re: Questions on Faraday Cages and Radiological Survey Meter EMP Resistance

Hello Jim – Fantastic Blog – I am a little late to the party and just discovered SurvivalBlog last week working some survival related searches on Google. I read your novel [“Patriots”] too, years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. My questions: I have searched around and can not find much practical information on Faraday Cages, especially directions for constructing them at home. What design is effective? What is not? Should they be grounded? etc. I know this information is out there, and I’ll bet that more than one reader of the Blog can help – and I’ll also bet that …


Prussian Blue for Radioactive Isotope Exposure by P.H.

Prussian Blue (“PB”) is a safe treatment for ingested radioactive isotopes that a person may have been exposed to from a dirty bomb or nuclear explosion. It does not protect against radiation, nor treat radiation sickness (there are supplement and drugs that help, see below.) It does not protect against all known radioactive substances (i.e., you would want to take Potassium Iodide (KI) as well to protect against radioactive iodine from a nuclear explosion.) It isn’t a substitute for evacuating out of the path of fallout, or for taking shelter from fallout in a protected place. It’s just one useful …


From David In Israel: On Sheltering from Katyusha Rocket Attacks

James Our friends who live in Tzfat (also spelled Safed, Sfat, Sfas, etc.) recently came to stay with us to get away from the rockets which lit Mount Meron on fire and landed all around them shaking their house and breaking the window over my friend as he shopped. They are returning home still a bit shaken but feeling better after a two day break. They have been under 122mm Katyusha rocket fire. They have some Russian, Iranian, and Chinese stuff in Lebanon like the Fajjar-5 which has a range of 45 kilometers. The Israeli Saar-5 corvette Ahi-Hanita was struck …


Letter Re: Updated Nuclear Weapon Targeting Data?

Hi Jim, A couple of things for you. First, nuclear target data, from www.armscontrolwonk.com Though it’s not nearly as cool as the real thing (much less with the effects computer), a scanned version of the 1977 edition is available online either as a single PDF or broken up by chapters. The 1957 edition is also available. 1977 as a single PDF 1977 divided by chapter 1957 as a single PDF Second… I’ve just received thousands and thousands of pages of new nuke, civil defense, sheltering, Soviet military history, very interesting field manuals and more. The stack is over four feet …


Two Letters Re: Updated Nuclear Weapon Targeting Data?

Dear Jim, I love your site. This is just a quick note while you are on the subject of the nuclear threat. I have been following Joel Skousen’s World Affairs Brief web site for the past few years and he seems to be of the opinion that this is a threat we should take very seriously. I encourage your readers to check out his article on analysis of strategic threats. I also HIGHLY recommend his books “The Secure Home” and “Strategic Relocation.” I know you’ve mentioned his books before in past articles but it is worth repeating. No preparedness library …


Letter Re: Updated Nuclear Weapon Targeting Data?

Sir: 1) To reiterate the basics, the primary concern with a nuclear attack on the USA is fallout — since the other major effects of nuclear bombs (blast, thermal radiation,etc) are relatively limited in extent. You are probably safe if you are 8+ miles upwind from a nuclear detonation of 1 MT or less, provided you don’t blind yourself by looking directly at the nuclear detonation. Fallout, moreover, is generated by nuclear strikes at ground level. But many nuclear detonations would be made 4000 feet above a target [“air bursts”]– in order to maximize the blast effect — and such …


Letter Re: Updated Nuclear Weapon Targeting Data?

Dear Jim: I would like to ask if anyone has done a serious re-calculation of the old 1980s FEMA data, taking into account decommissioned nukes on both sides (US and the former USSR). I’m talking in particular about the Bruce Beach maps that we all know and love. (Hats off to Bruce). The point is many of these targets no longer exist, and many of the missiles that targeted these targets no longer exist. I also worry about a shift from military and industrial targets to civilian population centers, as we essentially saw with the 9/11 attack – directed at …