The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were detonated far above ground level. This maximized the explosions' yields, causing greater immediate damage, but it also reduced the levels of radiation.
Neutrons can cause non-radioactive materials to become radioactive when caught by atomic nuclei. However, since the bombs were detonated so far above the ground, there was very little contamination—especially in contrast to nuclear test sites such as those in Nevada.
Answer and Explanation:
The second difference was the strength of the explosions. Chernobyl was estimated to be 400 times stronger than the explosion at Hiroshima. These are the conditions that made Hiroshima be able to recover and left Chernobyl as a forever deadly location.
The radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki today is on a par with the extremely low levels of background radiation (natural radioactivity) present anywhere on Earth. It has no effect on human bodies.
"Compared with other nuclear events: The Chernobyl explosion put 400 times more radioactive material into the Earth's atmosphere than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; atomic weapons tests conducted in the 1950s and 1960s all together are estimated to have put some 100 to 1,000 times more radioactive material into ...
Compared with other nuclear events: The Chernobyl explosion put 400 times more radioactive material into the Earth's atmosphere than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; atomic weapons tests con ducted in the 1950s and 1960s all together are esti mated to have put some 100 to 1,000 times more radioactive material into ...
Depending on the material, this could be a fraction of a second or multiple decades. Does this mean that the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still radioactive today? The answer is a definitive no. After the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, residual radiation was left behind but this declined rapidly.
Until March 1946 the ruins were cleared, and the buildings that were damaged but still standing underwent controlled demolition. Already by 1947 most of the streets and the shops were restored, and the survivors began to repopulate even the heart of ground zero.
How Long Will It Take For Ground Radiation To Break Down? On average, the response to when Chernobyl and, by extension, Pripyat, will be habitable again is about 20,000 years.
In 1958, the population of Hiroshima reached 410,000, finally exceeding what it was before the war. It is currently a major urban center with a population of 1.12 million people.
More than 30 years on, scientists estimate the zone around the former plant will not be habitable for up to 20,000 years. The disaster took place near the city of Chernobyl in the former USSR, which invested heavily in nuclear power after World War II.
Fukushima is the most radioactive place on Earth. A tsunami led to reactors melting at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Even though it's been nine years, it doesn't mean the disaster is behind us.
Based on the observed residual radioactivity at intervals following the bombing, Warren (1945) has estimated that the maximum irradiation due to residual radioactivity was in Hiroshima during the first 60 days following the bombing the equivalent of 4.2r, and in Nagasaki during the first 47 days, the equivalent of 14.2 ...
The plutonium-type bomb detonated over Nagasaki actually had a greater explosive power than that used on Hiroshima. The reason for the greater number of casualties in the latter city is to be sought in large part in differences in the physical features of the two cities.
The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were detonated far above ground level. This maximized the explosions' yields, causing greater immediate damage, but it also reduced the levels of radiation.
Today, over 1.6 million people live and seem to be thriving in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, yet the Chernobyl exclusion zone, a 30 square kilometer area surrounding the plant, remains relatively uninhabited. Here's why.
Chernobyl animals are mutants ...
Among breeding birds in the region, rare species suffered disproportional effects from the explosion's radiation compared to common species.
Today, an area with a roughly 19-mile radius surrounding the plant is essentially uninhabited by humans—but it hosts hundreds of dogs.
If the three courageous men were not successful in their mission the Chernobyl death toll was likely to reach the millions. Nuclear physicist Vassili Nesterenko declared that the blast would have had a force of 3-5 megatons leaving much of Europe uninhabitable for hundreds of thousands of years.
While President Truman had hoped for a purely military target, some advisers believed that bombing an urban area might break the fighting will of the Japanese people. Hiroshima was a major port and a military headquarters, and therefore a strategic target.
News of Hiroshima's destruction was only slowly understood in Tokyo. Many members of the Japanese government did not appreciate the power of the new Allied weapon until after the Nagasaki attack. Meanwhile, on August 8, the U.S.S.R. had declared war against Japan.
Since World War II, the city has been rebuilt and is significant as a spiritual centre for movements to ban nuclear weapons. Nagasaki is an important tourist centre; its industry is still based upon its large shipyards, which are grouped along the western and inner parts of the harbour.
Only swim in designated swimming areas and always follow the instructions of lifeguards. Swimming outside of designated areas or in prohibited areas is dangerous: Tide changes can be significant; currents can be strong; there may be undercurrents; and there is an increased chance of encountering venomous marine life.
Due to radiation fears, Fukushima had become a ghost town with overgrown weeds and crumpled buildings over the past 11 years.
Cleaning Up Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Three units were sent to Hiroshima from October 6, 1945 to March 6, 1946: the 186th Infantry Regiment of the 41st Division; the X Corps of the Sixth Army; and the 34th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Division.