Chernobyl and f*ckushima still remain uninhabitable to this day. However, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were rehabilitated after the atomic bomb attacks. Where do the differences stem from?
August 1945 will forever be remembered as one of the most dramatic months in the history of mankind, when nuclear weapons were used in warfare for thefirst and last time to date. Tragically, this powerful weapon was aimed at civilian targets: on August 6 the "Enola Gay" dropped the bomb dubbed the "Little Boy" and it blew up over the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The explosion, which amazed the world, instantly killed nearly seventy thousand people and a similar number again died later from injuries and radiation damage.
Three days later, the "Bockscar" dropped the "Fat Man" bomb on Nagasaki. Because of the mountainous topography of the city, the damage was smaller, even though the bomb was stronger than the previous one - forty thousand died from the explosion itself and another twenty five thousand people died later from their wounds. Six days after that the Emperor of Japan, Hirohito, announced to his people that the government of Japan unconditionally surrendered and World War II ended.
But these cities were not completely wiped off the face of the Earth. In Hiroshima, within a two kilometer radius to ground zero, the "Little boy" destroyed all buildings, but within a three kilometer radius or more, most of the buildings remained intact, including public facilities such as the railway station. The restoration process took approximately two years and the city's population, which had dwindled to about eighty thousand after the bombing, doubled in a short time.
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. The fact that water and sanitation infrastructures were not affected also assisted the restoration process. Photographer Shunkichi Kikuchiimpressively documented the reconstruction process of the city and created panoramas of its restoration two years after the bombing.
The restoration of Nagasaki was slower due to financial difficulties and did not start until 1946. The city changed dramatically following the explosion and new buildings were constructed, including civilian factories that replaced the military industrial buildings that were destroyed. Eventually, by the mid-1950s the two cities returned to the same size they were in August 1945.
What about radiation? Surprisingly, radiation damage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were only short-term, unlike the more recent nuclear reactor disasters that took place in Chernobyl, Ukraine and f*ckushima, Japan.
What could be the possible reasons for this? First, thebombswere exploded in the air to achieve maximum damage due to huge shock waves, so the products of the explosion were mainly pushed up into the atomic mushroom cloud. Second, the amount of radioactive material loaded onto the bombs was relatively small - seventy kilograms of uranium on the "Little Boy" and seven kilograms of plutonium on the "Fat Man". By comparison, nuclear reactors contain several tons of radioactive material.
In addition, the products of a nuclear detonation are not particularly radioactive and don’t contain harmful isotopes like cesium-137, which is still polluting f*ckushima and Chernobyl in great quantities. Finally, nuclear bombs are a one-time source of radiation, while the melting reactors continue to release large amounts of radiation even today, years after the disaster. Therefore, although we cannot compare the loss of life and property during disasters themselves, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were easy to rehabilitate and rebuild, while the Chernobyl and f*ckushima areas will remain abandoned and dangerous to live in for many years to come.
FAQs
Although the dangerous radiation levels will subside rapidly over the first few days, residual radiation from the long half-life fission products (such as 90Sr, 106Ru, 137Cs, 147Pm, and 155Eu) will become the main contributions to exposure (after about 10 years).
How long after a nuclear war is it safe? ›
Remain in the most protective location (basem*nt or center of a large building) for the first 24 hours unless threatened by an immediate hazard (e.g., fire, gas leak, building collapse, or serious injury) or informed by authorities that it is safe to leave.
How many years does it take for radiation to go away after a nuclear bomb? ›
Most radioactive isotopes produced by nuclear bombs have a half-life of around 30 years. There's also the matter of scattered uranium and/or plutonium that was the bomb itself, but the more modern the bomb, the more efficient it is, and the less of material gets scattered.
How long did it take Hiroshima to recover from a nuclear bomb? ›
The restoration process took approximately two years and the city's population, which had dwindled to about eighty thousand after the bombing, doubled in a short time. Until March 1946 the ruins were cleared, and the buildings that were damaged but still standing underwent controlled demolition.
How long should you stay indoors after a nuclear attack? ›
The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends staying indoors for at least 24 hours after a nuclear explosion.
How long after a nuclear meltdown is it safe? ›
You have been sheltered because of the potential for dangerous levels of radiation in the first 24 hours following a nuclear detonation. After 24 hours, outdoor radiation levels will have fallen significantly but may still warrant protective measures in your area.
How many days after a nuclear bomb is it safe to go outside? ›
If you are in a good shelter, plan on staying inside a minimum of 1 day and then wait for instructions from authorities about when to come out. By the end of the first day following a nuclear detonation, potential radiation exposure decreases by 80% (CBUPMC, 2011).
How far underground to survive a nuclear blast? ›
BUILD UNDERGROUND
A fallout shelter needs to protect you from radioactive particles and blast impact: compacted dirt is great at both. Building down to a depth of about ten feet will provide ample protection, but any deeper makes it hard to dig out in the event of a collapse.
Where is the best place to live in the US if nuclear war breaks out? ›
Parts of California, Florida and Texas that are away from their big cities like San Francisco, Miami and Houston are ideal because they are near water and have good weather. 'If you're near water you will always be near food and water that can be ingested after it has been desalinated,' said Ragusa.
What is the 7 10 rule of radiation? ›
Fallout decays rapidly 7-10 Rule: For every sevenfold increase in time after detonation, there is a tenfold decrease in the radiation rate. So, after seven hours the radiation rate is only 10% of the original and after 49 hours (7 x 7 = 49) it is 1%.
Also during the Chernobyl accident, the ratio between the different elements released by the accident changed as a function of time. A ground burst of a nuclear weapon creates considerably more local deposited fallout than the air bursts used at Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
How long after Hiroshima was it safe? ›
Roughly 80% of all residual radiation was emitted within 24 hours. Research has indicated that 24 hours after the bombing the quantity of residual radiation a person would receive at the hypocenter would be 1/1000th of the quantity received immediately following the explosion. A week later, it would be 1/1,000,000th.
How long until Chernobyl is habitable? ›
The 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant transformed the surrounding region into the most radioactive landscape known on the planet. It will not be habitable for humans for at least 20,000 years.
How long would Fallout from nuclear war last? ›
One hour after a surface burst, the radiation from fallout in the crater region is 30 grays per hour (Gy/h). Civilian dose rates in peacetime range from 30 to 100 μGy per year. Fallout radiation decays relatively quickly with time. Most areas become fairly safe for travel and decontamination after three to five weeks.
Was Japan warned about the atomic bomb? ›
Leaflets dropped on cities in Japan warning civilians about the atomic bomb, dropped c. August 6, 1945. TO THE JAPANESE PEOPLE: America asks that you take immediate heed of what we say on this leaflet.
What is the aftermath of a nuclear attack? ›
People sustain injuries from collapsing buildings and flying objects. Thermal radiation is so intense that almost everything close to ground zero is vaporized. The extreme heat causes severe burns and ignites fires over a large area, which coalesce into a giant firestorm.
What are the long-term effects of nuclear attacks? ›
Nuclear weapons produce ionizing radiation, which kills or sickens those exposed, contaminates the environment, and has long-term health consequences, including cancer and genetic damage.
How long would a nuclear winter last? ›
How Long Would a Nuclear Winter Last? No one knows for sure how long the aftermath of a nuclear winter would last. It is projected that a nuclear winter would last anywhere from a few weeks to a few years or, in the worst-case scenario, a decade or more.
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