Short Term Effects Of Nuclea Nuclear Weapons

The creation of the first atomic bomb started during World War II when Albert Einstein and his colleague, Leo Szilard, sent a letter to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt concerning the potential of a bomb of unfathomable power that could be made possible with the use of nuclear fission. This letter also advised the government to join the nuclear arms race due to the fear that Hitler was already furthering the development of this weapon with which he could use to destroy rival nations. In response, Roosevelt created a highly secretive project “The Manhattan Project” and four and a half years later, the first atomic bomb was tested. However, by the time it was tested Germany had already surrendered. This left the United States with a powerful weapon that could bring catastrophe to any nation, which later was decided to be Japan. The use of atomic weapons has had a significantly negative impact on society due to its destruction of the environment, threat of great human loss, and inherent immorality.

There are three parts to a nuclear explosion: heat wave, pressure wave, and radiation. The heat wave refers to the massive fires caused by the explosion and the pressure wave refers to the powerful wind created by the initial shock. The last part of the explosion, radiation, has short term and long terms effects. The short term effects include radiation sickness resulting in dehydration and malnutrition which can be fatal. Since animals have a similar response to radiation, most of the animal and plant kingdoms die. There also has been no effective way to dispose of nuclear waste, therefore it is usually buried where it further contaminates the