The effects on the city of Hiroshima are neverending. The people, buildings and overall landscape were completely obliterated. The four major components of the A-Bomb are Energy, Heat, Blast and Radiation. When combined the result is devastating.
Energy generated by the explosion The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima generated a huge amount of energy when it exploded. The amount of energy generated by the bomb was equivalent to the amount of energy generated by a 15-kiloton TNT explosion. Half of the energy was consumed when the explosion generated an ultra high air pressure which resulted in very strong bomb blast (wind). One third of the energy was consumed when the explosion generated heat, while the rest of the energy was consumed when the explosion generated radiation.WWW Museum
Heat On the ground, beneath the explosion center(hypocenter), the temperature rose to approximately 7,000 degree F. On the stairway of the entrance to a bank, which was 1/8 mile from the explosion center, a man was sitting waiting for its opening. The surface of the stone stairway was changed by the immense heat. The part where the man was sitting remained unchanged because his body absorbed the heat. Roof (ceramic) tiles on houses within 1/3 mile radius from the explosion center melted, and gray stones which contained silicon particles became white. The clothes which people wore were burnt by the heat within 1 1/4 mile radius from the explosion center.WWW Museum
Bomb blast An ultra high pressure was generated by the explosion. The wind velocity on the ground beneath the explosion center was 980 miles/hr, which is five times stronger than the wind generated by strong hurricanes. The pressure was 3.5 kg per square centi-meter which is equivalent to 8,600 pound per square feet. At a point that was 1/3 mile from the explosion center, the wind velocity was 620 miles/hr; the pressure was 4,600 pound per square feet. Most of concrete buildings inside this range were completely destroyed. Even a mile from the explosion center, where the wind velocity was 190 miles/hr and the pressure was 1,180 pound per square feet, all brick buildings were completely destroyed.WWW Museum
Radiation The explosion generated Alpha, Beta, Gamma and neutron rays. Alpha and Beta rays were absorbed by the air and did not reach to the ground. Gamma and neutron rays were strong enough to reach the ground; thus it was these rays that affected people. Within 1/16 mile radius from the explosion center, most people died within a few hours (even in the case where they were not directly exposed to the heat or wind). Within a half mile radius, most people died within 30 days after the explosion. The people who entered the area within a half mile radius from the explosion center in the first 100 hours after the explosion were also affected by the remaining radiation on the ground. Fortunately it has not been observed that the long term effects of radiation affected A-bomb survivors nor that a radiation exposure caused genetic damages.WWW Museum
Effects of Radiation-Early effects on survivors Within several months to several years after the atomic bombings. Summary Early effects include various acute radiation symptoms. Information on these symptoms was obtained by interviewing more than 100,000 atomic-bomb survivors primarily from 1956 to 1961. Survivor recollections of the traumatic day were highly subjective, possibly resulting in biased data regarding early effects. Among the acute radiation symptoms recalled by survivors, epilation (hair loss) is regarded as the most reliably reported. That is, it is considered to be more objectively remembered than other symptoms, such as vomiting, bleeding from the gums, diarrhea, and purpura. In general, acute radiation symptoms do not appear at low-dose radiation exposures, giving rise to a concept known as a threshold dose. That is, below a certain radiation dose, no acute symptoms occur. This is in contrast to a theory known as the linear dose-response relationship, which is illustrated by malignant diseases, one of the most well established late effects of radiation exposure. This concept implies that the higher the radiation dose, the greater the risk of developing a malignancy. Information provided by Radiation Effects Research Foundation
"Radioactive fallout isn't the only concern in the aftermath of nuclear explosions. The nations of the planet Earth have aquired nuclear weapons with an explosive power equal to more than a million Hiroshima bombs. Studies suggest that explosion of only half the weapons would produce enough soot, smoke and dust to blanket the Earth, block out the sun, and bring on a nuclear winter that would threaten the survival of the human race"
Interview of an A-Bomb survivor: Dr. Ryuso Tanaka
Date: May 16, 1995
place: President's Office, Hiroshima City University
interviewers: Students
Dr. Tanaka is the President of Hiroshima City University and before that was the President of Hiroshima University. He was born in Hiroshima and was a student of Hiroshima University of Education at the time the bomb was dropped. He has never talked publically about his experience before this interview, because he was afraid that talking about the bomb was somehow political.
1. Where were you at the time the bomb was dropped?
I was with five other students in the sports ground of the university. We were exercising. We had been locked in the dormitory under a warning from the military. We were stretching our bodies. I saw a plane fly over the city. Shortly after I saw a strong light above me.
2. What happened to you when the explosion occurred
I thought an explosion had occurred in a gas tank near the sports ground. When I felt the explosion, I jumped into the swimming pool which was just a few feet away. The other students laid down on the ground. I did not feel the strong wind caused by the explosion. I stayed in the water for about a minute because I saw the sky darken. When I raised my head above the water, the sky became darker. So, I sank into the water again. I stayed in the water for about 20 minutes until the sky became lighter.
3. What did you see when you came out of the water?
I looked for my friends around the pool. They were beneath a big tree lying down on the ground. Their skin was burnt. However the damage was not severe. They were still alive. Our dormitory was severely damaged so I carried them to the Judo practice building. I put some Judo clothes into water and then covered their bodies with the wet outfits. It was now about 30 minutes after the explosion. Many wounded people came into the Judo practice building to ask for help. Their skin was melted.
4. What did you do after that?
I realized that I had to rescue people and take them to a safe place. I found my truck that I drove to the University. I started the engine; it worked. I carried as many people as possible to a nearby hospital. When I came out of the University, I saw many people dying. Some people were still alive. I picked up those people and carried them to hospital. For the first 6 days, I did this everyday.
5. What was the major physical effect of the bomb?
As I stayed in the water for a while, I had no physical damage. I wore a white T-shirt. Some of my friends around me also wore T-shirts. Their skin was burnt where their T-shirts did not cover them. However it was not severe damage. I left the University six days later and went back home. I took care of myself. My mother suggested that I should drink as much persimmon juice as I could. She also suggested that I should eat vegetables. I believe that the persimmon juice significantly helped me because it contained large amounts of vitamin C. Doctors were advised to give new blood to victims, and although I was advised to undergo a transfusion, I refused. To date, I have not experienced any problems that could be attributed to the bomb.
6. What do you want to tell the world?
I have not publically talked about my experience with the A-bomb until now because I have not wanted to talk about it. It was my own experience which I could not share with others. I now think that we need to record our experiences for the future. The people in the next generation need accurate information in order to prevent the same mistake. Many people who experienced the Bomb have already died or are dying. It is becoming more and more difficult to record our experience. I believe that this will not happen again. So, it should be recorded as a part of human history. Nuclear weapons are something which human beings should not have. We have to understand this.WWW Museum
The effects of the Atomic bomb were devastating to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I hope that this will never happen again however, the question arises, was it necessary to drop the bomb on these two cities?
Page 1 The Day That Changed The World
Page 3 Was It Necessary???