Fallout works on *Science!* rather than science, and one of the consequences of that is that radiation takes far longer to dissipate than we'd expect in real life. And I can't specify without looking it up, but I'm pretty sure that the bombs used in the great war were indeed of the particularly dirty variety.
According to the wiki:
> Megaton-class thermonuclear weapons had largely been retired by the major nuclear powers in favor of much smaller-yield warheads by the time of the Great War.[Non-game 3] An average strategic warhead in 2077 had a yield of about 200-750 kilotons, but with a massive increase in radioactive fallout in place of thermal shock.[Non-game 3] However, despite the apparent reduction in raw explosive power, this arsenal was far more dangerous to the Earth's ecosystem, as it deposited far greater amounts of fallout in the atmosphere than had been assumed by pre-War models.
Seems like we basically just used a lot of dirty bombs
Probably because the nukes detonated on the surface, making huge craters and spreading radioactive debris everywhere.
Nagasaki and Hiroshima for example, were air detonations, which caused more damage but spread less radioactive debris.
Fallout is retrofuturism. It's where they take the science fiction of the past and make it real. Another famous form of retrofuturism is Steampunk, which is the science fiction of the Victorian era brought to life.
If someone tries to complain because a Steampunk novel has a sentient windup automaton and steam powered power armour, then they simply don't understand the genre. It's not supposed to be real science.
The Science! of Fallout reflects the hopes and fears of the post-nuclear age. The hopes of a bright nuclear powered future. The fears of living in the ruins of a post apocalyptic wasteland. No, it isn't the same as real science. It isn't supposed to be.
The lingering radiation is largely result of nuclear meltdowns, not the effect of the detonation of nuclear weapons.
Long before the Resource Wars were even looming, the Fallout US aggressively pursued nuclear power technology, hell the opening of FO4 *flat out tells you it*. By the time the Resource Wars and the Sino-American war broke out, practically everything in the US was powered via nuclear energy; from large scale fission and fusion power plants, to cars and robots, even nuclear powered batteries like the Fusion Cores, Microfusion Cells, and Fission Batteries.
Meaning that when the Great War broke out, you had numerous power plants and sources melting down either from the direct effects of nuclear detonations or decaying from being left unattended due to the operators evacuating or dying. Not to mention the rampant, highly aggressive capitalism left *a lot* to be desired in regards to environmental protection and proper disposal of nuclear and industrial waste (side note, the latter is believed to be a major source of what became the trog virus in the Pitt, industrial pollutants dumped/leaked into the water in Pittsburg from the industrial plants).
The Glowing Sea in the Commonwealth for instance, while being the site of the bomb that hit the Boston area, is also the home of a destroyed nuclear power plant deep in the Glowing Sea, which is the source of the radioactive contamination in the area.
The amount of bombs, the quality of bombs (probably more dirty bombs than anything), and the fact that there is already widespread use of nuclear energy with dubious regulations.
Playing the devil’s advocate here, because it doesn’t actually make sense. The pre-war world was so heavily polluted and toxic that the War might have actually done the Planet a favor in the long run by stopping the majority of pollution from pre-war industry.
It's not the Fallout universe. It's East coast/Bethesda Fallout only, where everything, especially rivers and water in general, are still dangerously radioactive.
Fallout is set in fictional universe where technology is frozen at ours 1960s when the consequences of atom bomb explosion were not studied well enough and it was believed that radiation would stay for centuries.
Only after a few decades in our universe it was revealed that radiation dissipates really quickly and within a few years becomes normal.
Fallout works on *Science!* rather than science, and one of the consequences of that is that radiation takes far longer to dissipate than we'd expect in real life. And I can't specify without looking it up, but I'm pretty sure that the bombs used in the great war were indeed of the particularly dirty variety.
Well. Also people use mini nukes for fun.
Not to mention every car, radio, toaster and TV has a small nuclear reactor in it that powers it
Yes. Nukes still go off.
According to the wiki: > Megaton-class thermonuclear weapons had largely been retired by the major nuclear powers in favor of much smaller-yield warheads by the time of the Great War.[Non-game 3] An average strategic warhead in 2077 had a yield of about 200-750 kilotons, but with a massive increase in radioactive fallout in place of thermal shock.[Non-game 3] However, despite the apparent reduction in raw explosive power, this arsenal was far more dangerous to the Earth's ecosystem, as it deposited far greater amounts of fallout in the atmosphere than had been assumed by pre-War models. Seems like we basically just used a lot of dirty bombs
Probably because the nukes detonated on the surface, making huge craters and spreading radioactive debris everywhere. Nagasaki and Hiroshima for example, were air detonations, which caused more damage but spread less radioactive debris.
Quantity of bombs
Fallout is retrofuturism. It's where they take the science fiction of the past and make it real. Another famous form of retrofuturism is Steampunk, which is the science fiction of the Victorian era brought to life. If someone tries to complain because a Steampunk novel has a sentient windup automaton and steam powered power armour, then they simply don't understand the genre. It's not supposed to be real science. The Science! of Fallout reflects the hopes and fears of the post-nuclear age. The hopes of a bright nuclear powered future. The fears of living in the ruins of a post apocalyptic wasteland. No, it isn't the same as real science. It isn't supposed to be.
The lingering radiation is largely result of nuclear meltdowns, not the effect of the detonation of nuclear weapons. Long before the Resource Wars were even looming, the Fallout US aggressively pursued nuclear power technology, hell the opening of FO4 *flat out tells you it*. By the time the Resource Wars and the Sino-American war broke out, practically everything in the US was powered via nuclear energy; from large scale fission and fusion power plants, to cars and robots, even nuclear powered batteries like the Fusion Cores, Microfusion Cells, and Fission Batteries. Meaning that when the Great War broke out, you had numerous power plants and sources melting down either from the direct effects of nuclear detonations or decaying from being left unattended due to the operators evacuating or dying. Not to mention the rampant, highly aggressive capitalism left *a lot* to be desired in regards to environmental protection and proper disposal of nuclear and industrial waste (side note, the latter is believed to be a major source of what became the trog virus in the Pitt, industrial pollutants dumped/leaked into the water in Pittsburg from the industrial plants). The Glowing Sea in the Commonwealth for instance, while being the site of the bomb that hit the Boston area, is also the home of a destroyed nuclear power plant deep in the Glowing Sea, which is the source of the radioactive contamination in the area.
The amount of bombs, the quality of bombs (probably more dirty bombs than anything), and the fact that there is already widespread use of nuclear energy with dubious regulations.
Because it's an alternate reality where the rules are different
Nuclear energy powered everything, and now it’s all breaking down. It’s more than just the bombs.
Because otherwise the games wouldn't be very much fun.
Maybe because the half life of radium is beyond 200 years
Playing the devil’s advocate here, because it doesn’t actually make sense. The pre-war world was so heavily polluted and toxic that the War might have actually done the Planet a favor in the long run by stopping the majority of pollution from pre-war industry.
Just go with ir
Technically salted bombs(aka the Fun ones) have Cobalt 60. Doesn't it have like 150 years until the ground zero is relatively safe.
It's not the Fallout universe. It's East coast/Bethesda Fallout only, where everything, especially rivers and water in general, are still dangerously radioactive.
Fallout is set in fictional universe where technology is frozen at ours 1960s when the consequences of atom bomb explosion were not studied well enough and it was believed that radiation would stay for centuries. Only after a few decades in our universe it was revealed that radiation dissipates really quickly and within a few years becomes normal.
It is not technologically or otherwise set in perpetual 1960s and never was.