The Radiation Exposure in Hiroshima - Research Paper Example

The Radiation Exposure in HiroshimaCause of the Exposure The cause of radiation exposure in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been caused by two atomic bombs that the US under the auspices of the Manhattan Project had detonated, at the height of World War II. On August 6, 1945, a uranium atomic bomb known as Little Boy was detonated and dropped on Hiroshima and thereby causing people in Hiroshima to be exposed to tremendous amount of radioactive exposure. As for Nagasaki, the US detonated a plutonium implosion-type of bomb known as Fat Man on August 9, 1945.

Quantity and Type of Ionizing Radiation of the Exposure The two types of radiation exposure in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings are: induced radioactivity from items or objects that are near the center of the explosion; and radiation stemming from fission products. There were also gamma ray injury and radiation injury from the ionizing radiation exposure. The quantity or measure of the exposure to radiation can be said to have been 35 kilotons (35,000 tons of TNT). Likewise, the doses of the radiation of 100 Rem (1 Sievert) were detected as having been inflicted within a short period, having been caused by 10 percent of the people who had been exposed to a number of radiation-related reasons such as skin, organ and blood cancer .

Initial Effects of the Radiation Exposure The effects of the radiation exposure in Nagasaki and Hiroshima were far-reaching. The initial phase is bifurcated into the initial and intermediate stages. The initial stage comprises the first 9 weeks of the radiation exposure. Within this interval, there was the highest number of deaths. 90 percent of these deaths were a culmination of thermal injury and blast effects. The other 10perecent of the deaths were a result of the super-lethal radiation exposure.

The intermediate stage lies between 10 and 12 weeks after the initial exposure to the radiation. The deaths in Hiroshima and Nagasaki stemmed from ionizing radiation within the median lethal range of LD50. Deaths In Hiroshima alone, about 140,000 died instantly and 100,000 were seriously injured. Syndromes That the damage that had been left by the nuclear radiation was extensive, is a matter that is underscored by the trail of medical or health complications it left in its wake. Some of the symptoms that Japan had to deal with include bleeding, hair loss, nausea, flash burns, blood cancer and a higher level of vulnerability to leukemia, malignant tumors and cataracts.

Some of the syndromes that accompanied the radiation included small brain size, skin, organ and blood cancer, lower Intelligence Quotient, mental retardation, cleft and lip palate, blindness, delayed development and spinal bifida. Other conditions that accompanied the radiation include The fact that the radiation had claimed Hiroshima and Nagasaki’s 90 percent of medical personnel and left many others disabled did not make things lighter. The same state of affairs also dilapidated medical supplies and resultantly, claimed more deaths.

burns- Long term impact to the exposed population * Cancers, genetic defects, other biologic effectsIn addition:- Define any radiation units used in your research paper (R, rem, rad, Ci, Sv, Gy, Bq, etc.)- Define the term LD 50/30- Describe the LD 50/30 in humans- Current standards for Effective Dose Equivalent limits for occupational and non-occupational exposures