The Atomic Bomb and Radiation

2396 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of the atomic bomb on the world

The Atomic Bomb and Radiation

Radiation as a carcinogen was first established in December 1895 after Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays. In 1902, the first radiation induced cancer was reported emerging from an ulcerated area of the skin. By 1911, a large number of these such skin cancers were reported as well as the first report of leukemia occurring in five radiation workers (Little 2000). Following these discoveries, large-scale tumor induction studies were carried out in animal models over the following 30 years. These studies elucidated many of the general characteristics of radiation carcinogenesis. With the explosion of the atom bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, scientists were given the opportunity to examine the effects of radiation in a natural experiment that effected a broad range of subjects. The population of atomic bomb survivors represents a wide range of ages as well as both sexes, a group comparable to that of the general population.

The Japanese atomic bomb survivor Life Span Study (LSS) cohort is the principal source of data used to estimate the risks of radiation-related cancer (Little et al 1999). In 1978, the original dose estimates were reassessed and now appear in a complete publication called the DS86-Dosimetry System 1986 ((Klaassen).

The four main types of radiation are alpha particles, beta particles and positrons, gamma rays and x-rays. These atoms can decay through the loss of a positively or negatively charged electron. The release of excess energy from the nucleus, usually after an alpha, beta or positron transition results in gamma radiation. X-ray radiation is released whenever an inner-shell orbital electron is removed and a rearrangement of the remaining atomic electrons takes plac...

... middle of paper ...

...of Radiation on Incidence of Primary Liver Cancer among Atomic Bomb Survivors Radiation Research 1999 152:364-373

Kai, m., Luebeck, E.G., Moolgavkar, S.H. Analysis of the Incidence of Solid Cancer among Atomic Bomb Survivors Using a Two-Stage Model of Carcinogenesis Radiation Research 1997 148:348-358

Klaassen, Cutris D. Casarett & Doull’s Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons Fifth Edition 1999

Little, J.B. Radiation carcinogenesis Carcinogenesis 21(3):397

Little, M.P., Muirhead, C.R., Haylock, R.G.E., Thomas, J.M. Relative Risks of radiation-associated cancer: comparison of second cancer in therapeutically irradiated populations with the Japanese atomic bomb survivors Radiat Environ Biophys 1999 38:267-283

Pierce, D.A., Mendelsohn, M.L. A Model for Radiation-Related Cancer Suggested by Atomic Bomb Survivor Data Radiation Research 1999 152:642-654

Show More
Related

  • Oprah's Full Body Scan

    428 Words  | 1 Pages

    the effective doses from diagnostic CT procedures are typically estimated to be in the range of 1 to 10 mSv. This range is not much less than the lowest doses of 5 to 20 mSv estimated to have been received by some of the Japanese survivors of the atomic bombs. These survivors, who are estimated to have experienced doses slightly larger than those encountered in CT, have demonstrated a small but increased radiation-related excess relative risk for

    Read More

  • Cancer and Terry Tempest Williams' Refuge

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    The risks that can develop cancer are complicated and complex. To indicate one single cause of cancer is hard. However, certain environmental causes are strongly interrelated with the cause of particular cancers, such as cigarette smoking and lung cancer and exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light and skin cancer (CancerSource). It is also known that, “Ionizing radiation consists of x-rays, UV light, and radioactivity whose energy can damage cells and chromosomes. Radioactivity increases the risk of cancer.” Source to indicate the effects of radioactivity is the U.S bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After all these years, the Japanese are still suffering from all kinds of cancer caused by many long lived chemicals such as Strontium-90 and Cesium-147 from the fallout. “High rate of leukemia” was found among the people who had survived Hiroshima and Nagasa...

    Read More

  • Atomic Bomb In World War 2

    385 Words  | 1 Pages

    Atomic Bomb in World War 2 During World War II the United States government launched a $2 billion project. This project, known as the Manhattan Project, was an effort to produce an atomic bomb. This project was taken on by a group atomic scientists from all over the world.

    Read More

  • Colony Collapse Disorder and Pesticides

    1578 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 'Secondary' of the 'Secon Introduction to toxicology (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

    Read More

  • Overview of Stereotactic Radiotherapy

    1469 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are essentially three main types of cancer treatments; surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Surgery allows doctors to effectively remove tumors from a clear plane. Chemotherapy uses drugs to treat the tumor; but often the drugs affect other healthy cells in the process. Using radiation as a treatment can be either precise or vague. Many health stigmas can come from the vague forms of radiation or conventional radiation therapy. Conventional radiation treats both the unhealthy and healthy cells, therefore exposing healthy cells to harmful radiation (Radiation Oncology, 2011, p.6). When healthy cells are exposed to gamma radiation they are also exposed to ionizing radiation. The ionization can cause “breakage of chemical bonds or oxidization (addition of oxygen atoms)” in a cell; the main impact of this is on a cell’s DNA, if two strands of DNA break it can result in “mutations, chromosome aberrations, ...

    Read More

  • The Manhattan Project: The Brain Child Of The Manhattan Project

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, all the impacts that the nuclear bomb left to this day are but a shadow of the health effects that were observed during the 1960-1990. The way researchers have quantified the long term health effects from the nuclear bomb, specifically for the significant increase in malignant tumors, is by using a absolute risk function. This function takes the total excess deaths from cancer over 1 million year per rad. The higher the number the greater deaths observed from cancer. Between 1950 – 1954 the absolute deaths from leukemia among nuclear blast survivors was 4.13. The amount of leukemia deaths decreases with the years so that during 1971 – 1974 the absolute death quotient was 0.42. For other cancers there is a different story. For all cancers excluding leukemia there was a disturbing upwards trend during the years following the use of the nuclear bomb. During 1950 – 1954 the absolute death quotient was 1.58 and during the 1971 - 1974 period the quotient was 9.17. These increases in the deaths from cancer during this 25 year period is frightening. The Americans by using this bomb killed thousands of people 10, 20, 30 years down the road from the war. Eliminating chunks of the Japanese work force even decades after the fact. This however, is not the end of the story, children were also victims of this atrocious weapon. As made clear in a study by the Radiation Research Society, the dose specific risk from radiation for breast cancer was greatest in females under the age of 20. This means that not only did America take out a large chunk of adult Japanese, they also afflicted innocent children post war with a terrible

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bomb

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    When looking at the aftermath of the atomic bomb in both Nagasaki and Hiroshima the devastation it caused is evident. The majority of the population in Japan could have never imagined such a catastrophic event. On August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945 massive amounts of lives were changed forever when an atomic bomb fell from the sky and created an explosion as bright as the sun. These two bombs were the first and only accounts of nuclear warfare. (“Atomic Bomb is…”) The impact that the two bombs left on the cities of Japan was tremendous. The bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima devastated the country through structural damage, long term medical effects, expenses, and the massive loss of life.

    Read More

  • Mandating the HPV Vaccine for Sixth Grade Girls

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States (Cook 210). There are over 100 types of HPV viruses and 30 or more of these viruses that can be sexually transmitted. (Vamos, McDermott, Daley 303). There are approximately 20 million people in the United States that are infected with HPV, and there are about 6.2 million new HPV cases each year (Vamos, McDermott, and Daley 303). Even though most HPV cases are non-cancerous, two of the HPV strains are known to cause 70 percent of cervical cancer, and the other two strains cause 90 percent of genital warts cases (Javitt, Berkowitz, and Gostin 384). Mendenhall, Elisa, and O'Mara stated, "Because of the cancer link, the strains that are the greatest medical concerns are those that are sexually transmitted"(49). It is estimated that it costs the United States about five billion dollars each year to diagnose and treat HPV related diseases (Cook 211).

    Read More

  • Cervical Cancer And HPV Vaccine

    2842 Words  | 6 Pages

    Cervical cancer is formed in the tissues of the cervix, an organ that connects the uterus and the vagina. Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections (Schiffman et. al., 2007). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. According to the CDC, 75% of sexually active people aged 15-49 have the infection at some point in their lives. (CDC). Because HPV infection is usually asymptomatic, infected people do not know exactly when they get the infection. In most cases, the body is able to fight off the virus before any symptom. However, health problems such as genital warts and cancer may result with persistent exposure to HPV.

    Read More

  • Stolen Dreams

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    Like most typical families, the Maxson’s consists of a group of people who are dealing with their own aspirations for what they want their life to become. Continually, the conflicts that each member brings to the table either hinder or progresses the dreams that they have. Therefore, each family member plays a key role in how that character’s life will unfold. When a reader is analyzing the actions that characters make, they place them into categories based on a preset list of ideals that can be characterized as archetypal plots. According to Swiss psychologist Carl Jung:

    Read More

  • Harry Truman's Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    The atomic bombs “Little Boy” and “Fat man” killed 150,0000 people and furthermore left 125,000 impaired. 60,000 more people had died from sustained injuries as well as radiation illness. (Sullivan)

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bomb

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Atomic Bomb It is agreed by many parts of our society that one of the main atrocities committed by the human being took place on August 6th and 9th, 1945 in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Over 170,000 innocent Japanese individuals died due to the dropping of two atomic bombs created in the United States. This transcendent historical event suddenly ended the bloody Second World War and gave the start to a new one, the Cold War, which in fact led to an atomic weapons race between the Soviet Union and the United States of North America. It is constantly argued if the effect that the mentioned ending of the war had was positive or not to its resolution, and if the entire world got any benefits from it, but the action of dropping the nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities by the American government was completely unjustified, unnecessary, and unfair. Japan was the only nation that was still fighting against the allied countries when Germany surrendered, and its army was in very poor conditions: its troops were considerably weak, its amount of armament was running out, and the government was about to surrender in a matter of months.

    Read More

  • The Effects of the Atomic Bomb

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    The nuclear bomb was the most devastating weapon ever created by man. It was developed between 1942 and 1945 during the second World War. The project to build the worlds first atomic weapon was called The Manhattan Project. The nuclear bomb was based on the idea of splitting an atom to create energy, this is called fission. Three bombs were created, “Trinity”, “Little Boy”, and “Fat Man”. “Trinity” was dropped on a test site in New Mexico on July 16, 1945, proving the theories, engineering and mathematics of the bomb to be correct. Shortly after that, not more than 2 months, the U.S. performed the first actual nuclear attack in the history of war. The bomb “Little Boy” was dropped on the town of Hiroshima, instantly killing thousands. “Fat Man” was dropped shortly after on the town of Nagasaki. After the bombing almost all scientist involved with the creation of the bomb regretted its construction and spoke out against the abolishment of nuclear weapons.

    Read More

  • Nuclear Chemistry

    1999 Words  | 4 Pages

    Beta radiation/emission – Beta particles are electrons (0-1e) that have been released from the nucleus of a radioactive atom when a neutron decays into a proton and electron. Beta decay/emission happens when the neutron to proton ratio is too high due to excess neutrons. 10n  11p + 0-1e (mass is still conserved as well as number of protons.)

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of War Essay

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the First World War, America dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, which killed around 90,000 to 166,000 in Hiroshima and another 60,000 to 80,000 in Nagasaki. These include who died as a result of the force and excruciating heat from the blast and also death cause by acute radiation poisoning. This exposure to radiation also caused cancer and other radiation related diseases such as leukemia. Children born to the survivors are often reported to have small head size and mental disability, as well as their physical growth is

    Read More

More about The Atomic Bomb and Radiation

Open Document