A nuclear explosion
consists mainly of four devastating effects:
-pressure
wave (blast)
-thermal
radiation
-ionising
radiation
-electromagnetic
pulse
Background
radiation per
year equals 5-10 mSv*. A nuclear bomb explosion
leads to radiation levels of more than 200
Sv within seconds.
This
leads
to radiation sickness with symptoms depending on the level of radiation:
~ 1 Sv
neuromuscular
~ 0.5 – 2 Sv
haematopoetic
> 2 Sv
gastrointestinal
> 50 Sv
neurovascular
*1
Sv (Sievert) =
dose equivalent = Gray (absorbed energy) * Q (quality
factor, radiation type)
Effects
of a nuclear
blast, based on a bomb the size used on Hiroshima (12.5 kt):
| Ground zero:
|
giant crater 90 x 370 m,
total annihilation |
| 0 – 1.5 km: |
giant fireball (1 sec.)
3
x heat of the surface of the sun
rises
into the air, destroys everything below |
| 1.5 – 5 km:
|
flash + heat radiates
outward with the speed of light
pressure
wave of compressed air (5 km in 12 sec.) |
| 5 – 10 km:
|
direct heat radiation
pressure
wave
both
create firestorm that consume all oxygen (shelters, underground
tubes etc.) |
10 – 20 km:
|
100%
casualties within minutes or hours shock wave (15 km in 40
sec.)
electromagnetic
radiation
casualty
5-50% depending on shelter |
Considering this together
with the
total amount of beds for severe burns (in Europe there are only about
1500) and the
loss of medical infrastructure and personal, the only thing one can do
is to prevent
an atomic bomb from exploding.
|
