Uranium-235 Research Paper

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Recommended: Effects of the atomic bomb on the world

It is not uncommon to find a group of school aged children playing at a playground or neighborhood park. Now imagine that you are playing a friendly game of four-square with your classmates one minute and the next minute, everyone is gone. A massive explosion caused by a strange object falling from the sky. What could possible cause such an extreme disaster? A chemical reaction caused by the isotope of the element Uranium known as Uranium-235. The isotope Uranium-235, which only makes up a small fraction of natural uranium, changed the scope of nuclear disasters from a small scale to a global disaster (Uranium-235). Unfortunately, the example used above is not a fictional story. It actually happened. Not once but twice on the nuclear …show more content…

One fact that cannot be disputed is that the Uranium-235 filled atomic bombs dropped on both Japanese cities instantly killed approximately 120,000 people and thousands and thousands more as a result of exposure to radiation (Effects on Children Exposed to Atomic Bomb Radiation Through Their Parents). It is believed that the persistence of the radiation that remained in the area was among the worst in history. The fallout from the Uranium-235 left lasting health effects for the two cities as well as the surrounding areas. Though exposure to radiation can cause acute, near-immediate effect by killing cells and directly damaging tissue, radiation can also have effects that happen on longer scale, such as cancer, by causing mutations in the DNA of living cells (Birth defects among the children of atomic-bomb survivors). Also, children are born with health defects, such as anencephaly, cleft palate, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, club foot, polydactyly (additional finger or toe), and syndactyly (fusion of two or more fingers or toes) (The Long Term Health Effects). The devastation was too much for the country of Japan to overcome. The two bombings led to the immediate surrender of the Japanese Empire and the eventual end of World War …show more content…

The bombings prevented the eventual invasion of Japan that would have surely led to the loss of millions and millions of American and Japanese lives (Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). It also lessened the resources that would have been required to continue the war. The use of Uranium-235 gave the world an example of the Unites States’ capabilities and served as a warning to other countries. Another result was the dissolving of the Japanese armed forces and the formation of an alliance partnership between the United States and Japan (Bombing of Hiroshima and

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