Nuclear Radiation and Fallout Effects

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The Fallout If a nuclear fallout were to occur, the earth would turn into a radiated wasteland. The earth would be essentially non-liveable, but it could be possible to survive. People, with the help of fallout shelters and bunkers, would be able to survive the initial attack and quite possibly live in the shelters until the radiation has dropped to a level in which they can survive. Now, the difference between a nuclear explosion and a convention explosion is that a nuclear explosion can be thousands, or even millions of times more powerful than the largest conventional detonations. There are a few different places a nuclear weapon can erupt at. These explosions are called air, high-altitude, underwater, underground, and surface bursts. An explosion labeled as air takes place below 100,000 feet. When an explosion takes place above 100,000 feet, it is labeled as high-altitude. An underwater explosion occurs when a nuclear missile goes off below the water surface. Underground explosions are caused by missiles that are either designed to penetrate the ground or by explosives previously placed under the surface of the earth. Surface bursts hit the ground and go boom. According to atomicarchive.com (Rossenfeld), the nuclear strike will be fifty percent blast energy, thirty-five percent thermal energy, and fifteen percent nuclear radiation. When such a strike happens, the blast will take out everything within a 20.51 mile radius and a 47.88 mile thermal radiation radius, which would cause third-degree burns and firestorms. As the nuclear explosions hit ground zero, the overpressure will do little harm to the human body, but the thermal radiation, will cause deadly burns that can cause skin to tear away. A flash burn is a serious ... ... middle of paper ... ... unlikely, but possible. The effects of radiation from the nuclear attack, could destroy all human life. The world would be turned into a wasteland, making food, water, and shelter hard to come by. Survival would be difficult and, in order for there to be any hope of continuing the species, the human race has to be prepared beforehand. Works Cited "Nuclear Radiation and Fallout Effects." United States Action. N.p.. Web. 7 Apr 2014. . "Nuclear Testing." CTBTO. N.p.. Web. 7 Apr 2014. . Rossenfeld, Carrie . "Effects of Nuclear Weapons." Atomic Archive. N.p.. Web. 7 Apr 2014. .

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