Nuclear Danger: Radiation Exposure, Causes and Effects

¶ … Nuclear Danger:

Radiation Exposure, Causes and Effects

With the advent of technology comes high risk. This small truth applies especially well when one speaks about nuclear weapons, which derive form nuclear technology, and which were pioneered in the midst of the Second World War in the previous century. Nuclear energy is not inherently dangerous; in fact, it can help the world quite a lot, but with enriched uranium comes the weapon, which, as seen in the Second World War, can destroy a city completely in a matter of minutes. Yet nuclear energy has also proven highly dangerous, despite all its positives. In order to illustrate this latter fact, the paper will examine three distinct instances when humans were exposed to radiation: the bombing of Hiroshima, the accident at Chernobyl, and the accident at Three Mile Island.

The first instance, at Hiroshima, was an attack on the Japanese by the United States, which helped our country win World War Two, but at what price? According to statistics, the Japanese, at this life changing point in history, on a bright, sunny day, were exposed to so much radiation that hundreds of thousands died. According to historical accounts, radiation inflicted severe injuries on those even two to three kilometers form the hypocenter. Many people died either immediately, or a few days after the attack. Yet, radiation effects were felt months and years after the attacked, by even children of those who had experienced the attacks and who were not yet born.

The attacks on Hiroshima completely flattened the city. However, in the second case, at Chernobyl, the effects were not experienced quite in the same way. In this instance, the power plant's reactor exploded, sending lethal doses of radiation that not only evacuated the citizens of a whole city and shut down the plant completely, but also put in place rules for citizens not to return for decades to come.

In the third instance, at Three Mile Island, the radiation was the cause of another power plant reactor meltdown. The leak, however, unlike at Chernobyl, was contained and could not damage the immediate population, which was very lucky. Thus, technology proves its advances in this case, with the most recent event being the Japanese reactor problem after the earthquake that happened this year in Japan, and which has been quite contained, though some work is still necessary.

The next question that this essay will address has to do with some of the issues that were seen above, including faulty design and management procedures. These are imperative questions to pose and answer if one is to successfully utilize nuclear technology for positive advancements. Often times, managers do not understand how an office truly works. It is, for this reason, necessary to apply examples to certain situations to prove to a manager that working people, especially with regards to computer, need a good workspace.