Nuclear Weapons
Development of the nuclear weapon was a phenomenal step for science, but one of the worst inventions in human history. As a weapon that is so deadly it can wipe out entire large populated cities at once, the world lives in concern of all the nations of the world who have nuclear weapons in their possession. It was the United States that developed this bomb and first used them in World War II by dropping them on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. After the use of these weapons by the U.S. other nations began testing them as well, such as the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France, and China following suit (Arms Control Association, Federation of American Scientists, International Panel on Fissile Materials, U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Department of State 2014). What was learned from those events was the power and catastrophe that was unavoidable by the use of such deadly weapons capable of severe destruction.
Nuclear bombs have been used only twice during warfare in 1945 when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were attacked. There are still 22,000 in the world today and over 2,000 nuclear tests have been conducted thus far (UNODA n.d.). The most important thing to minimize the threat of what could happen if countries began to use the nuclear war during wartime would one of the worst things to happen to humanity and it is crucial that all of the weapons are disarmed for the sake of avoiding the horrors that could arise as a result. Currently there are still approximately 22,000 nuclear weapons in the world today with over 2000 nuclear tests conducted that is known of (UNODA n.d.).
As the nuclear weapons explodes, thermal and nuclear radiation are released and the fire ball that is produced begins to create the destruction intended, and even when it cools down there is the radiation that is left behind that can create a toxic environment for years to come (Glaser 2007). The effects that this can have on human being is another important discussion to have so that people can understand that these weapons must be removed entirely from the hands of all nations.
When radiation is emitted, “the amount of energy absorbed per gram of body tissue, is usually measured in units called rads” (National Science Foundation 2015). The amount of rads that one has absorbed or been exposed to will determine the types of affects that will be seen. Rads are then figured out into rems, and these rems are what is calculated to determine the amount of radiation exposure on the individual. The more exposure the more severe the symptoms and illness; for example, “losing of hair quickly and in clumps occurs with radiation exposure at 200 rems or higher” (National Science Foundation 2015). There are numerous other parts of the body that harmed by exposure including the major organs like the brain, the heart, and the respiratory system, to name a few. In conclusion, one would hope that these horrible weapons could become a thing of the past so that the citizens of the world can sleep a little better tonight.
Bibliography
Arms Control Association, Federation of American Scientists, International Panel on
Fissile Materials, U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Department of
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat [9
April 2016]
Glaser, A. 2007 Effects of Nuclear Weapons. Available from:
https://www.princeton.edu/~aglaser/lecture2007_weaponeffects.pdf
National Science Foundation 2015 Radiation Effects on Humans. Available from:
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects15.shtml
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) n.d. Nuclear Weapons.
Available from: http://www.un.org/disarmament/WMD/Nuclear/
