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either ionizing or non ionizing based upon its effect on atomic matter. When you
hear the word radiation, it is most likely being referred to as ionizing radiation,
which has enough energy to ionize atoms or molecules. There are a few types of
radiation out there, but what were going to focus on are gamma rays, also known
as nuclear radiation.
highest frequency and energy of all forms of radiation, and also the shortest
wavelengths. Due to their high energy content they can cause extreme damage
Gamma rays are the most dangerous form of radiation that occurs during
a nuclear explosion. Gamma rays are very difficult to block, and our human
bodies have virtually no natural defense against them. Perhaps the largest
danger when being exposed to gamma rays, is their ability to alter the genetic
code of the exposed victim, and actually change a persons genetic material cell
by cell. Exposure to high amounts of gamma rays has been shown to cause
leukemia, and almost every form of solid state cancer that a person can have.
Along with cancer, the gamma rays also produce thermal burns on the skin, and
In the last century mankind has discovered the high power output of
nuclear technology, and tried to find ways to harness its power in the forms of
power plants, and weapons of mass destruction. The first known nuclear project
in the world was the Manhattan project. In the early 1940's, the whole world was
at war, and the Unites States government decided that nuclear weapons were
the best way to end the war. On August 6th, 1945, the nuclear weapon "little
boy", was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Just three days later, on
August 9th, the larger bomb, known as "fat man", was detonated over the
Japanese city of Nagasaki. Fat man had the equivalent effect of 21 kilotons of
TNT and burned at nearly 7000 degrees. The initial death toll from both
radiation. Some estimates state that nearly 200,000 more people has died by
1950, as a result of gamma ray caused cancers and other long term over
exposure effects.
World War 2. But as time progressed, and more countries developed nuclear
programs, the fear of suffering the same fate as Japan, was felt by the entire
world. After world war 2, America and the U.S.S.R. , emerged as the two
remaining superpowers, and as the only countries at the time, that had a nuclear
arsenal. During the war the Russians felt that they were allowed to bear the
burnt of Nazi Germany's attacks, by there western allies. This feeling coupled
with political descent, and the power vacuum created by the loss of Japan and
Germany, as major world players, led to perhaps the biggest arms race the world
has ever seen. It was a case of keep up with your neighbor on a grand, nuclear
scale. Through the majority of the 20th century America and Russia saw
influence the rest of the world into adopting there philosophies on how things
should be done. These often led to open disputes in many countries teetering
between democracy and communism. Wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Iran have
the world held its breath, and was glad to live another day. If America and the
Soviet Union had actually gone to war, most experts believe that nuclear
weapons would have been used, and both countries had enough fire power to
plunge us into an eternal nuclear winter and wipe out almost all life from this
Not all the applications of nuclear technology are used for warfare. In
1934 nuclear fission was first achieved when scientist Enrico Fermi bombarded
uranium with neutrons. He later determined that the relatively tiny neutron split
the nucleus of the massive uranium atoms into two roughly equal pieces, yielded
of heat. That heat can then be used to heat water and create steam. The
pressurized steam is then used to spin turbines which are used to generate
electricity, hence the invention of the nuclear power plant. But the misuse of
On April 26th, 1986, at 1:23 am, reactor number four of the Chernobyl
the surrounding areas. This was the worst nuclear power plant accident in
history. To this day there are certain areas that are unable to support life due to
the extremely high levels of gamma rays that manifest in the area. A report in
2005 done by the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that there were
approximately 6.6 million people that had been highly exposed to gamma rays.
Recently a new condition known as Chernobyl Heart has been discovered, the
radiation.
many helpful technologies. If not used properly we can destroy the world in