Some plutonium can be deposited close to the point of detonation . The glassy trinitite formed by the Trinity bomb has been examined to determine what actinides and other radioisotopes it contained . A 2006 paper reports the levels of long lived radioisotopes in the trinitite . 152Eu and 154Eu was mainly formed by the neutron activation of the europium in the soil , and the level of radioactivity for these isotopes is highest where the neutron dose to the soil was larger . Some of the 60Co was generated by activation of the cobalt in the soil , but some was also generated by the activation of the cobalt in the steel ( 100 foot ) tower on which the bomb stood . This 60Co from the tower would have been scattered over the site reducing the difference in the soil levels . 133Ba and 241Am were created by the neutron activation of barium and plutonium inside the bomb . The barium was present in the form of the nitrate in the chemical explosives used while the plutonium was the fissile fuel used
Trinity bomb
Trinity (nuclear test)
Plutonium in the environment