submarj-ne bases rnight use air bursts, and, to the extent that these facilities I,Iere located close to popu-lation centres, blast and thexmal- effects wou].d cause considerable colfateral d.amaqe in such areas,A1351392 English Annex Fage 78 e ai g I.: o tIt l,Ato E 3!2 a B Ei> H'n AEEPl !av EI|l 819 "l'A/35 /392 rnq_L1sn Annex Paee 79 2l-8. The Office of Technology Assessment stutly published in 1979 (see Fara. 172above ) quotes united states Government stuaies indicating that between 2 nilr-ionand 20 rnillion Americans wou-ld- be kilr-ed within 30 days after a counter-siloattack on the United states rcBM sites. Another r""..rt utl,dy 20/ states that ina count'exfofce attack on the united states, B to 12 nir-r-ion r.tarities -woura resul-t if the attack occurred without ru."rrirrg and 5 to B million rataiities itthere was warning. The 0TA study conclud"" ih.t a comprehensive counterforceattack on the united. states wourd. p"oduce about 1)+ miriio; a""a-."."--ii "n"present fallout shelter capability r,rere utilized. According to the saue source,a united states co'nterforce strike against the ussR wo'1d result in soue{hatsirnil-ar n,mb ers of casualties, i.e., irom 2 nillion to fo milr-ion people killedin a counter-silo strike and 2 nilr-ion to t3 rair-r-ion in a furl counterforcestrik€. The naJolity of fatalities within 30 days in a counterforce attackwould be caused. by radiation due to early fal-lout fron surface bursts. 2r9 ' Tn the studies referre. to above, extensive she.lteri.ng of the civilianPopuLation is assurned- An uninte*upted. stay in shelter during several reekskrould be required to avoid. sti11 larger casualties. This roul-d_ cause seriousprobleros of sanitation, food. and water supply, air filtration, health,conmunieation to the outer wor]d, psychofogi"af tensi.ons " etc. Longer periodsof outdoor stay could be considered ttsafe under the circumstances,' after thesefirst weeks, but even after 2 to 3 months the radiation levels would stilf befar higher than t'saferf peacetine .1evel_s.
**Analysis**
The text discusses the potential consequences of a counterforce attack on the United States, including the number of casualties, radiation levels, and the impact on civilian populations. The focus is on the humanitarian and scientific aspects of such an attack, highlighting the need for shelter and the potential risks to public health. Given the context, it is likely that the text is related to a specific area of study or policy-making.

**Category**
Health, Science and technology