The Consequences of Nuclear War

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Effects of Nuclear Weapon Detonation

In the event of a conventional explosion, temperatures of a few thousand degrees are formed, while in a nuclear detonation, temperatures rise to millions of degrees, comparable to the core of the son. This vaporizes everything within the radius of nearly a mile in the larger weapons. The explosion causes a blast wave that with huge amounts of pressure and wind speeds of around 500 mph. At over a mile, there is enough pressure to create serious injuries and shatter windows. Everyone within miles of a large bomb will experience third degree burns, however, medical treatment for this amount of people would likely be impossible. The thermal effects of a nuclear weapon detonation hold the greatest potential for human destruction and environmental damage. A nuclear firestorm created by the detonation can create millions of tons of smoke out of the vaporized earth surface (soil, water, etc.) which would likely cause more deaths than the initial local effects of the detonation. This smoke layer could very easily result in a global climate change, as the sun would be blocked out for hundreds of miles in the event of a large detonation. The larger and very radioactive particles fall back to earth within 24 hours and can extend for hundreds of miles from the blast center. This area of radioactive would become uninhabitable for up to hundreds of years. Radiation also has a long term effect on all survivors. The DNA of those affected is damaged and cells are disrupted. To live through this, blood must be continually replaced in order to rid the body of damaged blood cells. There are very few hospitals that have the ability to perform this procedure. (Phillips, 2016)

Nuclear warfare continues to be a threat to all of mankind. Any form of this type of warfare will likely result in mutually-assured destruction. The scientists that developed the atomic bomb created means to end the world as we know it. The U.S. attacks on Japan show the effects of a considerably smaller bomb than what countries are now capable of. This paper briefly described the creation of nuclear weapons, the countries that have them, and the effects of such weaponry. Clearly, nuclear war is a can of worms that would best go unopened for the rest of time.

Bibliography

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Chuck, E. (2016). Fact Sheet: Who Has Nuclear Wepaons, And How Many Do They Have? Retrieved from NBC News: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/fact-sheet-who-has-nuclear-weapons-how-many-do-they-n548481

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Phillips, A. (2016). Nuclear Darkness, Global Climate Change & Nuclear Famine. Retrieved from Nuclear Darkness: http://www.nucleardarkness.org/nuclear/effectsofnuclearweapons/

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