NUCLEAR FALLOUT By Ilgar Bahishev

One of the causes of nuclear fallout are nuclear weapons. Weapons of enormous
destructive potential, derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions.
The main nuclear weapon produces its explosive energy through nuclear fission.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon

Nuclear fission is also known as the Atomic bomb or A-bomb. In order to successfully build
an A-bomb one of the following metals are required.

Uranium 235 and Plutonium 239. These metals are used in the making of atom bombs
because their atoms are the largest of any element.
The theory behind the success of atom bombs is the chain reaction.
The chain reaction occurs when heavy nuclei (uranium or plutonium) are bombarded with
neutrons, causing the nucleus of the atom to split into two smaller nuclei and several
neutrons.
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/nu/Nuclear_weapon
The combined mass of the product atoms and neutrons is less than the mass of the
original atom, and the mass loss is converted to energy according to Einstein´s equation.
So the force of one neutron is enough to split an uranium 235 or plutonium 239 atom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium
When the metal splits it gives of heat and the most deadly form of radiation called gamma
radiation releases. This process keeps on going exponentially (so like 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64)
leading to a chain reaction.
http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Di-Fa/Explosions.html

The estimated time of the whole process is one millisecond until the energy is violently
expelled creating the blast.
There are three basic things that these blasts produce: the blast wave, the thermal
radiation, and initial nuclear radiation. A fourth affect, which is delayed, is the residual
radiation.

The thermal radiation, consisting of ultraviolet is what causes skin burns called "flash
burns." Thermal radiation only lasts about ten seconds, but can cause second degree
burns and blistering as far away as eleven miles from ground zero.

The initial nuclear radiation, causes swelling and destruction of human cells. The
radiation can also deprive the body of normal cell reproduction, therefore can cause death.
The initial radiation, which is emitted within a minute after the initial explosion, doesn't
extend very far away from ground zero.

Residual nuclear radiation is given off after later than a minute after the explosion, and
has long-lasting effects on living plant and animal life in an enlarged area of the explosion.
http://library.thinkquest.org/26742/nuclear.html

Another word for Residual Nuclear Radiation is fallout.

The Chernobyl disaster is the world's worst nuclear
accident caused by the Chernobyl Nuclear Power
Plant.
On 26 April 1986 one of the 4 reactors on the
border between Ukraine and Belarus exploded
which led to many tons of radioactive materials to
be thrown into the air.
http://www.chernobyl-children.org.uk/disaster.html

Here are the causes that led to the disaster:

• Making an experiment with the reactor which

involved disabling its safety features. This is
the single main cause of the accident. The
safety features would have safely shut down
the reactor if they hadn't been disabled.
• Also to reduce costs, the reactor had been
constructed without any secure containment.
This allowed the radioactive contaminants to freely escape into the atmosphere
after the steam explosion burst the primary pressure vessel.

• The reactor also had been running for over one year, and was storing fission
byproducts; these byproducts pushed the reactor towards disaster.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster
Generally, it's not the power plant itself that caused the disaster. But the irresponsible
mistakes that people in Chernobyl have made.
Power plants are used because it doesn't depend on fossil fuels. Coal and natural gas
power plants emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. With
nuclear power plants, CO2 emissions are minimal.
These are the big advantages of the nuclear power plant, but many people are against it
fearing the Chernobyl disaster will happen once again.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm

Economically, the Belarus government estimated the total economic damage caused
between 1986-2015 would be $235 billion. This is because 70% of the radiation flew over
to the North over the border to Belarus. Also in Ukraine, in 1995 the Ministry for Chernobyl
needed $2.3 billion.
http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/nukes/chernob/read25.html

Environmentally, 600,000 people suffered from radiation exposure in Chernobyl , of which

4,000 died from cancer. A quarter of the country's best farmlands and forests have been
poisoned for hundreds of years.
http://www.chernobyl-children.org.uk/disaster.html

There isn't much that science can do about it.

Preventing what happened in Chernobyl would be the wisest consideration.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon

http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/nu/Nuclear_weapon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium

http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Di-Fa/Explosions.html

http://www.chernobyl-children.org.uk/disaster.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm

http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/nukes/chernob/read25.html

http://www.chernobyl-children.org.uk/disaster.html