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Essay on effects of radiation on human being
Chernobyl disaster essay
Radiation and its health effects
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Radiation is the emission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a certain material. Examples of radiation are electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, light that you can see, x-rays and also gamma radiation. The radiation disaster that happened at Chernobyl not actually the worst to ever happen, it is that one that happened in Fukushima, Japan in 2012 they were both level 7. The reason the one in Japan was so much worse is because the amount that got into the ocean that can affect and even mutate the fish. The worst one to happen in America is called the Three Mile Accident, it happened in Pennsylvania in 1979. Two nuclear reactors had a meltdown and the disaster was a lever 5. Even though small amounts of radioactive gases and radioactive iodine was released into the atmosphere their hasn’t been any cases of cancer linked with the accident. When radiation gets into the water and gets in the fish it can raise their radiation level but not very high. After the meltdown in Japan scientist did research and found that the levels were increased but it was still below the level of it being dangerous for humans to eat. …show more content…
Also you will lose your hair very quickly if exposed to a high amount of radiation. Like the heart radiation kills cells and small blood vessels, and can cause seizures and immediate death. When a person is exposed to around 100 rems the blood's lymphocyte cell count will be reduced, leaving the victim more prone to infection. This is called mild radiation sickness. Early symptoms of radiation sickness can be a lot like those of flu and may go unnoticed unless a blood count is done. According to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, studies show that symptoms may last for up to 10 years and may also have an increased long-term risk for leukemia and
Humans feel a need to transcend boundaries even if the consequences are numerous. A prime example of this is found in Chapter 1 of Visit Sunny Chernobyl. The engineers exceed the safety limits of the reactors to understand what will happen, and the results of disregarding the limits were catastrophic. Another excellent example is in Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Enkidu overreach the periphery of the gods, and the result of their actions is the death of Enkidu. Consequences always follow pushing boundaries, but humans never stop exceeding perimeters.
Radiation exposure can affect children as well an children have the risk of being the most harmfully effected by radiation because their body absorbs substances differently also their bodies can or are more likely to get certain kinds of cancers from too much exposure, “they are also closer to the ground, where radioactive fallouts settle.”
Wing, Steve et al. "A reevaluation of cancer incidence near the Three Mile Island nuclear plant: The collision of evidence and assumptions." Environmental Health Perspectives, v.105, n.1, January 1997, pp.52-57.
The April 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was the product of a flawed Soviet reactor designed with a couple of serious mistakes made by the plant operators. Luckily, the capital Kiev was not affected due to the help of the wind that was blowing North West. This major Nuclear Reactor Disaster stole the lives of over 200 workers on impact (World Nuclear Association). The disaster caused thousands of residents that were momentarily living around Chernobyl to immediately evacuate, causing Chernobyl to seem as if people still lived there. Undeniably the damage the Reactor had caused the city around the Reactor is to this day, Radioactive. (World Nuclear Association)
Chernobyl was the greatest nuclear disaster of the 20th century. On April 26th, 1986, one of four nuclear reactors located in the Soviet Union melted down and contaminated a vast area of Eastern Europe. The meltdown, a result of human error, lapsed safety precautions, and lack of a containment vessel, was barely contained by dropping sand and releasing huge amounts of deadly radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere. The resulting contamination killed or injured hundreds of thousands of people and devastated the environment. The affects of this accident are still being felt today and will be felt for generations to come.
The seemingly limitless power of the atom has been exploited by scientist around the world ever since the Enola Gay flew over Hiroshima on August 6th 1945 and dropped the second atomic bomb, revealing to the world this new form of energy. The key to harnessing the energy from nuclear fission in a stable reaction soon followed, starting the Nuclear age. Russia, emerging as a superpower and major industrial center found special needs for nuclear fission. From the period of 1980-1990, the Russian Federation’s Gross Democratic Product grew 2.8% each year, comparable to the United State’s 2.9% each year. To fuel this growth, the only cheap, affordable, efficient energy production means was nuclear energy. The fission of 1 lb of uranium-235 produces as much energy as 1,500 tons of coal. The Cold War only escalated this demand, and soon, reactors served dual purposes of providing energy, as well as producing weapons grade plutonium. In fact, the first reactors were designed to manufacture plutonium, not to generate electricity. Everything has its flaws though, and nuclear energy was no exception, with one of the heaviest reprucussions in the event of an accident. April 26th, 1986 is an excellent example of that. Chernobyl was not the first nuclear reactor mishap the world has encountered, but it was definitely the worst for many years to come. Previous accidents such as Three Mile Island in the United States, Indian Point near New York, and a partial meltdown at Leningrad predated Chernobyl. However, the 100 million curies of radiation emitted by the RMBK-1000 reactor put Chernobyl on an entirely different scale compared to the previous accidents. Failure to effectively prevent, contain, and effectively respond to the radiation emit...
"The tops are leaping off the reactor lip" this was the first warning which the control room received before the destructive explosion in Chernobyl that occurred at 1:23 AM local time. Twenty three minute after the warning in the morning of 26 April 1989, the reactor exploded. The Chernobyl nuclear accident was an unexpected catastrophe that can happen in the history of producing nuclear power. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defined a nuclear accident as an accident that includes any activities that lead to the release of radioactive material and causes significant consequences. The location of Chernobyl city is in the north of Ukraine near the Belarus border. That nuclear accident happened when in reactor number 4 in the Chernobyl nuclear power in the Soviet Union exploded. Because of that extreme explosion, the radioactive emissions dispensed into the environment and caused immediate deaths, illnesses and many health problems. World Health Association (2013) reports that during the accident, one person died immediately and another one died in the hospital due to the harmful injuries he received. Health World Organization (WHO) (2006) also reports that a few weeks after the disaster 28 people died because of the Acute Radiation Sickness(ARS). The Chernobyl nuclear accident is one of the major disasters in the history of nuclear power which had many serious effects on humans and the environment.
This is the major contributor to worldwide radiation exposure, Non-medical, man-made radiation used in small amounts in food irradiation, airport security scanners, and some consumer products. Exposure to man-made radiation can happen in certain workplaces, or in communities as a result of above ground nuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents
Primarily, the Fukushima disaster has caused negative effects on the ecosystem. Eight hundred square kilometres near the nuclear plant have been declared too radioactive for human habitation; these areas are called exclusion zones. When radioactive caesium is introduced to an ecosystem it contaminates the water, soil, plants, animals and maintains ownership of the land for centuries (Starr). Further, radioactive caesium bioaccumulates as it moves up the food chain. Bioaccumulation refers to the build up of chemicals in an organism which can be dangerous for human consumption. Forty percent of bottom dwelling fish such as halibut and cod were found to have exceeding radioactive levels than regulatory limits. As a matter of fact, the Fukushima disaster is the largest discharge of radioactive material into the ocean in history (Starr). Unfortunately, efforts to clean up are futile because water run-off continues to re-contaminates the land and ocean. Also, many areas are still too radioactive to work in. Currently, reactor four is still in tact; however, if Japan is struck with another magnitude six plus earthquake, the reactor will be destroyed and will cause a world cr...
"Radiation Injuries." The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. .
As you can see, radiation can very easily be transferred from one point to another and ingested by someone without even their knowledge that there is a problem. The government of the Soviet Union was the owner of the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. When there was a problem, the government immediately sent soldiers to surround the plant and only two days later did they evacuate the surrounding town of Pripyat, but by then it was already much too late. The effects of radiation do not take long to occur. In adults, it is severe but not as severe as it is in children.
On April 26, 1986 disaster struck the world. It was not a disaster like any other before. A new type of death was now shown to the world. Although during World War II people encountered radiation sickness and death, that was sadly intended. The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear powerstation was undoubtedly the worlds largest nuclear accident. That was the difference. It was accidental, and although innocent people were killed or made sick in the past from radiation, this would prove to be the most disastrous of any incident (other that war) involving radiation.
In 2011 there is a city in Japan called Fukushima that had a nuclear meltdown and it was tragic, but there are people living there now 4 years later. Today there is no one that lives in Chernobyl the population is 0, however Fukushima's population is 283,145 and it still has radiation. This tells us that the Chernobyl meltdown was far more disastrous than the Fukushima meltdown. Chernobyl at this time was part of the Soviet Union which means it was part of a communist state. If you live in a communist state that means that it was more keep secret from the world. So when the meltdown happened there the world knew that it happened but they didn't know how bad it was and how bad it was for the
Following the accident there in 1986, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and the nearby city of Prypiat, were flooded with deadly radiation. 56 people lost their lives from the accident, the majority due to the effects of the radiation, and Prypiat was evacuated thirty-six hours after the accident.
Nuclear energy is defined as “the release during nuclear fission or fusion, especially when used to generate electricity. Nuclear provide energy like no other energy. This nuclear energy does well for our world by providing low pollution, low operating cost, reliability, and more proficient tan fossil fuels. Nuclear power has a fewer greenhouse emission. It was stated that the amount of greenhouse gases have decreased by almost half because of the prevalence in the making of the energy. Producing the energy is very inexpensive electricity. The cost of the uranium is low. The normal life of the nuclear reactor is anywhere from 40-60 years depending on how often it is used and how it is being used. Even if the cost of uranium goes up, the impact