Operation Dew refers to two separate field trials conducted by the United States in the 1950s. The tests were designed to study the behavior of

aerosol An aerosol is a suspension (chemistry), suspension of fine solid particles or liquid Drop (liquid), droplets in air or another gas. Aerosols can be generated from natural or Human impact on the environment, human causes. The term ''aerosol'' co ...

-released

biological agent Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and Toxin#Biotoxins, biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,2 ...

General description

Operation Dew took place from 1951 to 1952 off the southeast coast of the United States, including near

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. Operation Dew consisted of two sets of trials, Dew I and Dew II. The tests involved the release of 250 pounds (110 kg) of

fluorescent Fluorescence is one of two kinds of photoluminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, many substances will glow (fluoresce) with color ...

particles from a

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

off the coast. Operation Dew I was described in a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

report known as "Dugway Special Report 162", dated August 1, 1952. The purpose of Operation Dew was to study the behavior of aerosol-released

s.Croddy, Eric, et al. ''Chemical and Biological Warfare: A Comprehensive Survey for the Concerned Citizen'',
Google Books
, Springer, 2002, p. 231, ().

Dew I

Operation Dew I consisted of five separate trials from March 26, 1952, until April 21, 1952, that were designed to test the feasibility of maintaining a large aerosol cloud released offshore until it drifted over land, achieving a large area coverage. The tests released zinc cadmium sulfide along a line approximately off the coast of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Two of the trials dispersed clouds of zinc cadmium sulfide over large areas of all three U.S. states. The tests affected over 60,000 square miles (150,000 km²) of populated coastal region in the U.S. southeast.''Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion'', p. 74. The Dew I releases were from a Navy minesweeper, the .

Dew II

Dew II involved the release of fluorescent particles (zinc cadmium sulfide) and plant spores (''

Lycopodium ''Lycopodium'' (from Ancient Greek ''lykos'', wolf and ''podion'', diminutive of ''pous'', foot) is a genus of clubmosses, also known as ground pines or creeping cedars, in the family Lycopodiaceae. Two very different circumscriptions of the gen ...

'') from an aircraft. Dew II was described in a 1953 Army report which remained classified at the time of a 1997 report by the

U.S. National Research Council The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), also known as the National Academies, is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization that serves as the collective scientific national academy of the Uni ...

concerning the U.S. Army's zinc cadmium sulfide dispersion program of the 1950s.

, Subcommittee on Zinc Cadmium Sulfide. ''Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion'',
Google Books
, National Academies Press, 1997, pp. 44-77, ().

Notes

References

, Subcommittee on Zinc Cadmium Sulfide. ''Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion'',
Google Books
, National Academies Press, 1997,(). {{U.S. biological weapons

Dew Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation. As the exposed surface cools by thermal radiation, radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate grea ...

1950s in the United States

General description

Dew I

Dew II

See also

Notes

References