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 Nuclear
Hazards.
The very thought of those two words can make the strongest man shudder.
The visions a nuclear disaster can bring are horrific to say the least.
In the past, they have been known to cause catastrophic destruction
and loss of life. Unfortunately, these are just the immediate results.
Those people that do survive may deal with chronic illness, physical,
mental, and emotional disfunction, and an increased incidence of disease
manifestations such as cancer. After the initial disaster, the long
term effects soon become evident. These effects include the destruction
of the environment for distances of hundreds of miles. Whether it
is a nuclear accident, such as the one at Chernobyl, located in the
former Soviet Union, in 1986, or a bomb like the atomic bombs that
destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II,
these disasters have some of the worst consequences that the human
race has ever seen.
 Chernobyl',
the worst civilian nuclear accident ever recorded, opened the world's
eyes to the unbelieveable destruction nuclear radiation can cause.
Yes, there have been previous nuclear accidents, but never one of
the magnitude of Chernobyl' in 1986. According to the Library of Congress'
Soviet Archives Exhibit, "On April 26, the city's anonymity vanished
forever when, during a test at 1:21 A.M., the No. 4 reactor exploded
and released thirty to forty times the radioactivity of the atomic
bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The world first learned of
history's worst nuclear accident from Sweden, where abnormal radiation
levels were registered at one of its nuclear facilities. Ranking as
one of the greatest industrial accidents of all time, the Chernobyl'
disaster and its impact on the course of Soviet events can scarcely
be exaggerated. No one can predict what will finally be the exact
number of human victims. Thirty- one lives were lost immediately.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, Russians, and Belorussians had
to abandon entire cities and settlements within the thirty-kilometer
zone of extreme contamination. Estimates vary, but it is likely that
some 3 million people, more than 2 million in Belarus' alone, are
still living in contaminated areas."
Despite
these devastating visualizations, exposure to radiation can
occur even without a major nuclear event. By definition, radiation
is a form of energy.
It comes from man-made sources such as x-ray machines, from
the sun and outer space, and from some radioactive materials
such as uranium in soil. Small
quantities of radioactive materials occur naturally in the air
we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and in our
own bodies. Radiation that goes inside our bodies causes what
we refer to as internal exposure. The exposure that is referred
to as external comes from sources outside the body, such as
radiation from sunlight and man-made and naturally occurring
radioactive materials. Scientists
estimate that the average person in the United States receives
a dose of about one-third of a rem per year. Eighty percent
of typical human exposure comes from natural sources and the
remaining 20 percent comes from artificial radiation sources,
primarily medical x-rays.
 Radiation
can affect the body in a number of ways, and the adverse health consequences
of exposure may not be seen for many years. These adverse health effects
can range from mild effects, such as skin reddening, to serious effects
such as cancer and death, depending on the amount of radiation absorbed
by the body (the dose), the type of radiation, the route of exposure,
and the length of time a person is exposed. Exposure to very large
doses of radiation may cause death within a few days or months. Exposure
to lower doses of radiation may lead to an increased risk of developing
cancer or other adverse health effects.
For
more information on nuclear terrorism tips, please see the "TERRORISM"
section of this site.
Information
obtained from the CDC
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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