|
Analysis of the Atomic Bomb |
|
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
Analysis of the Atomic Bomb
Ever since the dawn of time man has found new ways of killing each other. The
most destructive way of killing people known to man would have to be the atomic
bomb. The reason why the atomic bomb is so destructive is that when it is
detonated, it has more than one effect. The effects of the atomic bomb are so
great that Nikita Khrushchev said that the survivors would envy the dead (International
Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1982). These devastating physical
effects come from the atomic bomb’s blast, the atomic bomb’s thermal radiation,
and the atomic bomb’s nuclear radiation. An atomic bomb is any weapon that gets
its destructive power from an atom. This power comes when the matter inside of
the atoms is transformed into energy. The process by which this is done is
known as fission. The only two atoms suitable for fissioning are the uranium
isotope U-235 and the plutonium isotope Pu-239 (OutlawLabs). Fission occurs
when a neutron, a subatomic particle with no electrical charge, strikes the
nucleus of one of these isotopes and causes it to split apart. When the nucleus
is split, a large amount of energy is produced, and more free neutrons are also
released. These neutrons then in turn strike other atoms, which causes more
energy to be released. If this process is repeated, a self-sustaining chain
reaction will occur, and it is this chain reaction that causes the atomic bomb
to have its destructive power (World Book, 1990). This chain reaction can be
attained in two different ways. The first type of atomic bomb ever used was a
gun-type. In this type two subcritical pieces of U-235 are placed in a device
similar to the barrel of an artillery shell. One piece is placed at one end of
the barrel and will remain there at rest. The other subcritical mass is placed
at the other end of the barrel. A conventional explosive is packed behind the
second subcritical mass. When the fuse is triggered, a conventional explosion
causes the second subcritical mass to be propelled at a high velocity into the
first subcritical mass. The resulting combination causes the two subcritical
masses to become a supercritical mass. When this supercritical mass is
obtained, a rapid self-sustained chain reaction is caused (World Book, 1990).
This type of atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima, and given the nickname “Little
Boy” after Franklin D. Roosevelt (Outlaw Labs). The second type of atomic bomb
is an implosion bomb. In this type a subcritical mass, which is in the shape of
a ball, is placed in the center of the weapon. This subcritical mass is
surrounded in a spherical arrangement of conventional explosives. When the fuse
is triggered all of the conventional explosives explode at the same time. This
causes the subcritical mass to be compressed into a smaller volume, thus
creating a supercritical mass to be formed. After this supercritical mass is
obtained, a self-sustained chain reaction takes place and causes the atomic
explosion (World Book, 1990). Thistype of stomic bomb was used on Nagasaki, and
given the nickname “Fat Man” after Winston Churchill (Outlaw Labs). The blast
from an atomic bomb’s explosion will last for only one-half to one second, but
in this amount of time a great deal of damage is done (Physicians and
Scientists on Nuclear War, 1981). A fireball is created by the blast, which
consists mainly of dust and gasses. The dust produced in this fireball has no
substantial effect on humans or their environment. However, as the gasses
expand a blast wave is produced. As this blast wave moves, it creates static
overpressure. This static overpressure then in turn creates dynamic pressure.
The static overpressure has the power to crush buildings. The dynamic pressure
creates winds, which have the power to blow down trees (International
Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1982). The blast pressure and
fireball together only last for approximately eleven seconds, but because it
contaitns fifty percent of the atomic bomb’s latent energy a great deal of
destruction occures (The Committee for the Compilation of Materials on Damage
Caused by the Atomic Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1981). In Hiroshima the
blast from the atomic bomb was measured to be about four and a half to six and
seven tenths tons of pressure per square mere, while in Nagasaki the blast was
measured to be about six to eight tons of pressure per square meter
(International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1982). Because of
thsidramatic change in the pressure most of the cities were destroyed. The
static overpressure in Hiroshima caused ninety-one and nine tenths percent of
all the buildings to be destroyed, while in Nagasaki it casued thirty-six and
one tenth of all of the buildings to be destroyed. The static overpressure
created a dynamic pressure that had winds up to four hundred miles per hour
(The Committee for the Compilation of Materials on Damage Caused by the Atomic
Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1981). These winds caused minor scrathces,
lacerations, or compound fractures, which came about when people and glass
fragments were projected through the air. By combining theresults of the static
overpressure and the dynamic pressure on can begin to see what damage was
caused by the atomic bomb’s blast. The total number affected in Hiroshima was
approximately seventy-eight thousand people, while in Nagasaki the total number
affected was approximately forty-five thousand people (International Physicians
for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1982). The thermal radiation produced by an
atomic bomb explosion will account for thirty-five percent of the atomic bomb’s
damage. Thermal radiation can come in either one of three forms; ultraviolet
radiation, visible radiation, or infrared radiation. Theultraviolet radiation
is absorbed so rapidly by air particles that it has no substantial effect on
people (World Book, 1990). However, the visible and infrared radiation creates
an enormous amount of heat to be produced, approximately ten million degrees
Celsius at the hypocenter (Physicians and Scientists on Nuclear War, 1981).
This heat has two main effects. The first is known as flash burns. These flash
burns are produced by the flash of thermal radiation right after the explosion.
Flash burns can be either first degree burns (bad sun burns), second degree
burns ( blisters, infections, and scars), or third degree burns (destroyed skin
tissue). The second type is known as flame burns. These are burns that come
from one of two different types of fires, which are created when flammable
materials are ignited by the thermal radiation. The first type is called
firestorms. A firestorm is violent, has raging winds, and has extremely
hightemperatures; but fortunately it does not spread very rapidly. The second
type is called a conflagration. A conflagration is when the fire spreads in a
front (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1982). The
thermal radiation produced by the atomic bomb’s explosion will account for most
of the deaths or injuries. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki the thermal radiation
accounted for approximately twenty to thirty percent of the deaths or injuries
from the atomic bomb’s explosion. Those that were at a distance of four and two
hundredths of a kilometer from the hypocenter received first degree burns.
Those that were at a distance of three and onehalf kilometers from the
hypocenter received second degree burns. Those that were at a distance of
ninety-seven hundredths of a kilometer from the hypocenter received third
degree burns (International Physicains for the Prevention of Nuclear War,
1982). Ninety-five percent of the burns created from the thermal radiation were
by flash burns, and only five percent of the burns were by flame burns. The
reason for this low number of flame burns is that only two to ten percent of
the buildings caught on fire (International Physicians for the Prevention of
Nuclear War, 1982). By combining thedamage from both the flash and flame burns
one can begin to see the effects that an atomic bomb’s thermal radiation had.
Approximately sixty thousand in Hiroshima, and approximately forty-one thousand
people were either killed or injured from the thermal radiation (The Committee
for the Compliation of Materials on Damage Caused by theAtomic Bombs in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1981). The final effect that an atomic bomb caused is
the nuclear radiation produced from the fission process. The cuclear radiation
comes in the form of either Gamma rays or Beta particles. Gamma rays are
electromagnetic radiation originating in the atomic nuclei, physically
identical to x-rays. They can enter into living tissue extremely easily. Beta
particles are negatively charged particles, identical to an electron moving at
a high velocity (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War,
1982). These formsof nuclear radiation are measured in rads
(radiation-absorbed-dose), which is defined as teh absorption of five ten
millionths joule per gram of abosorbing material (International Physicians for
the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1982). During the initial nuclear radiation
mostly Gamma rays are emitted from the fireball. This period of initial nuclear
radiation lasts for approximately one minute. During the residual nuclear
period (fallout) the Betaparticles and more of the Gamma rays are emitted. The
residual radiation has two stages: early fallout and delayed fallout. In early
fallout, the heavyand highly radioactive particles fall back to the earth,
usually within the first twenty-four hours. In delayedfallout, the tiny and
often invisible particles fall back to the earth, and usually last from a
couple od days to several years (Physicians and Scientists on Nuclear War, 1981
and World Book, 1990). The nuclear radiation from the atomic bomb’s explosion was
notthe main cause of death, but it did still have serious results. In
Hiroshima, the initial nuclear radiation was spread over a distance of
approximately fifty-three hundredths of a kilometer. In Nagasaki, the initial
nuclear radiation only spread one and six thousandths of a kilometer (The
Committee for the Compilation of Materials on Damage Caused by the Atomic Bombs
in Hiroshima nadNagasaki, 1981). The reason why the nuclear radiation was not
the main caused of deaths or injuries was that the atomic bomb was detonated so
high in the atmosphere; approximately five hundred and seventy meters in
Hiroshima, and approximately five hundred and ten meters in Nagasaki (Outlaw
Labs). Even without causing many deathsthe nuclear radiation probably caused
the most serious effects. Those with definite proof were those of increased
rates of cataracts, leukemia, cancer of the thyroid, cancer of the breast,
cancer of the lungs, cancer of the stomach, and mental retardation on babies
inutero. Those that had substantial but not definite proof were those of tumors
of the esophagus, tumors of the colon, tumors of the salivary glands, and
tumors of the urinary tract organs. Those that had no definite nor substantial
proof were those of increasedrates of birth mortality, birth defects,
infertility, and susceptibility towards illnesses (Physicians and Scientists on
Nuclear War, 1981). The total number of people effected by the nuclear
radiation was estimated to be thiry-five thousand people in Hiroshima, and
twenty-one thousand people in Nagasaki (The Committee on Damage Caused by the
Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki). Either the blast, the thermal
radiation, or the nuclear radiation from an atomic bomb explosion will have
severe effects on both humans and on the environment in which they live in. The
only two cities that have ever experienced having an atomic bomb being exploded
on them were the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasakiduring World War II.
In Hirsohima, the total number killed was one hundred and eithteen thousand six
hundred and sixty-one. The total number severely injured was thrity thousand
five hundred and twenty-four. The number slightly injured was forty-eight
thousadn six hundred and six. The total number missing was three thousandand
six hundred and seventy-seven. In Nagasaki, the total number killed was
seventy-three thousand eitght hundred and eighty-four. The total number
severely injured was seventy-four thousand nine hundred and nine. The total
number slightly injured was one hundred and twenty thousand eight hundred and
twenty (The Committee for the Compliation of Materials on Damage Caused by the
Atomic Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1981). With statistics like these it is
clearly seen that Pope John Paul II was right when he said, “Any nuclear war
would inevitably cause death, disease, and suffering of pandemic proportions
and without the possibility of effective medical intervention. The only hope
for humanity is prevention of any form of Nuclear War.\"The examples of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki will hopefully be the first and the last time that the
power of the atomic bomb will ever be used.