This is the essay that i wrote for my Western history class in 2008.I am posting it here like my other essay to see comments and criticism.Bibliography is attached.


The nuclear age is the most destructive development in the history of mankind. It has brought man to the threshold of annihilation and extinction. Possession of nuclear knowledge has let nations fabricate the most dangerous weapons on this planet, which are against all life forms. It has created a world of uncertainty, disbelief and fear in which a threat of a huge nuclear war always keep hovering around people’s minds. The nuclear age has affected nations all around the world and has created issues regarding safety of nuclear material, protection of sovereignty of different states, possible theft of nuclear weapons, reactor accidents, contamination of water and food chain and last but not least the threat of a drastic environmental and radiological aftermath of a possible nuclear war.

The catastrophic effects of nuclear development cannot be understood without understanding the rudiments of nuclear technology. Nuclear power is the controlled use of nuclear reactions to release energy for work including propulsion, heat, and the generation of electricity. Human use of nuclear power to do significant useful work is currently limited to nuclear fission and radioactive decay. (wikipedia.com). Nuclear fission is the process of splitting of a nucleus into smaller fragments. These fragments, or fission products, are about equal to half the original mass. This 'missing' mass (about 0.1 percent of the original mass) gets converted into energy (heat energy) according to Einstein's equation. (Atomicarchive.com). Nuclear fission can be termed as both useful and harmful depending on how it is being used; however its disadvantages exceeds its benefits. A single gram of Uranium (fuel used in nuclear propulsion) can produce as much heat as three million grams of coal. In an uncontrolled reaction, so many collisions occur that the energy is released in an explosion. An atom bomb explosion results from an uncontrolled chain reaction. Controlled reactions take place in atomic reactors where they are used to generate electricity. Nuclear fission produces radioactive wastes that give off harmful particles and rays. In large amounts these particles and rays can leave harmful effects to human and as well as the animal population throughout the dormant years of any radioactive gas. As a result, nuclear power plants have to store the radioactive wastes that they produce. They store some wastes in large containers. The containers have thick walls that help stop the radioactive wastes from leaking through. (Iowa’s Electric Energy Sources Today). One of the most harmful products of fission reactions is Depleted Uranium (DU), which is a very devastating, heavy metal. Heavy metals are metals and metal compounds that negatively effect peoples health. (www.osha.gov). its behaviour in body is identicall to that of the natural Uranium :it affects kidneys and there is a risk of contacting radiation-induced cancers. (www.who.int). Almost all countries have this dangerous material as an essential part of their arsenals because its dense properties are used to stabilize planes and missiles and also to coat projectiles to penetrate armour plates. For example in Palestine, Israel has DU as a part of its arsenal. When the missile explodes or the plane crashes, DU burns and is released to the air. It enters into the land and the whole food chain contaminating the thickly populated Gaza and West Bank where water is already scarce, which is a huge crime against humanity (J.Cattanelato and S.Flanders).
The most deadly gift of nuclear age is that of an ever-increasing legacy of weapons that can create mass destruction. The fuel used in nuclear reactors is uranium, which can be further manipulated to create weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear weapons are made powerful by the inclusion of either HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium) or Plutonium. (Friedman,8). The nations, which possess nuclear power, are piling up their arsenals with deadly nuclear weapons that include hydrogen bombs, cluster bombs, ballistic missiles, and atom bombs. These are weapons capable of wiping out tens of hundreds of people in mere seconds. To put it in Hans A.Bethe’s words, “If we fight a war and win it with H-bombs, what history will remember is not the ideals we were fighting for but the methods we used to accomplish them. These methods will be compared to the warfare of Genghis Khan who ruthlessly killed every last inhabitant of Persia”. There are twenty-seven thousand nuclear warheads in the world in which twelve thousand and five hundred are operational and ninety-five percent of these weapons are in possession of US and Russia. (Friedman 35). The quantity of these deadly weapons makes people extremely fearful of the outcome of a possible nuclear war.
Another huge problem created by these proliferating arsenals is that of a power imbalance that means that the countries that possess nuclear power are a threat to the other countries as a war for resources can be initiated on the basis of nuclear superiority. The biggest example is that of Iraq war, which was initiated in the name of eliminating chemical and biological weapons but resulted in the complete destruction of the country and death of a nation. The urge to invade Iraq was justified by the Bush administration in many ways. The Bush Administration said that Iraq had chemical weapons and that satellite photos of buildings, bunkers, and trucks showed secretive movement to hide missiles and chemical/biological weapons. The facts say otherwise. These sites had been inspected about five hundred times by U.N. inspectors and Hans Blix reported that his inspectors found no evidence that contraband had been evacuated. Norwegian U.N. inspector Jorn Siljeholm also told AP that he had followed up on similar intelligence and found that the vehicles were ordinary fire trucks and water trucks, and nothing else. Since that time of course, there have been no reports of anything being found. The Bush Administration's pre-war claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction were "manipulated, at least" to mislead the American people. “. (John Ehrenfeld). Former President Jimmy Carter has said." The decision to go to war was the culmination of a long-term plan to attack Iraq.” Whatever the reasons for this invasion were, it has acted as an impetus for other countries to either start their nuclear programmes or speed up the existing ones. (Friedman 14). To quote a political science professor, Stephen Zunes, “Iraq, which had given its nuclear programme almost a decade ago and had subsequently, allowed IAEA inspectors back in the country to verify the absence of such a program, was invaded and occupied by the United States. By contrast, North Korea, which reneged on its agreement and has apparently resumed production of nuclear weapons, has not been invaded. The Iranians may see a lesson in that.” US foreign policy has spurred certain nations already at odds with US to get weapons to preserve their sovereign status (Friedman 15). There are fifteen middle east states, which are exploring nuclear prospects and many of them(Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey) are procuring nuclear technology and are approaching IAEA(International Atomic Agency Agency) to start their own nuclear programmes. (W.Broad and D.Sanger).
The nuclear age has bestowed the world with constant threat of a drastic environmental and radiological aftermath of a possible nuclear war. The fifteen-kiloton bomb dropped on Hiroshima destroyed about eight square miles of city. (Friedman79). Within a certain distance from the site of explosion, the heat was so intense that practically everything was vaporised,the surface temperature rose upto four thousand degree celsius. Fierce heat rays and radiation burst out in every direction, unleashing a high pressure shockwave, vaporising tens of thousands of people and animals, melting buildings and streetcars, reducing a four hundred year old city to dust. (www.fogonazos.com). In comparison to Hiroshima, modern nuclear weapon can average upto about three hundred kilotonnes.(Friedman 82). In case of a nuclear explosion, the number of deaths will depend on size and power of blast, strength of ensuing flame, radius of radiation exposure, damage caused by falling buildings, wreckege and more(Friedman 79). In a war between archrivals India and Pakistan the death toll might be somewhere near nine to twelve million people. (Friedman 79). Large number of radiation( a type of energy which,in small doses is useful but in large doses is very dangerous)encounter will kill hundreds of thousands of people. The first effects are death of cells and tissues,major symptoms would be diarrhea,reduced blood cell counts,bleeding,hairloss, and temporary male sterlity(del.nas.edu). Those who counter first effects will continue to encounter long term effects which include cancer of all organs, abnormalities in lymph nodes and bone marrow. The offsprings will have higher than normal rates of still born, daeth, retardation and other birth defects. Reserachers argue that genetic mutations might take years to show up.(Friedman 81). To cap it all, an atomic bomb exploded over a modern urban area will cause radiation sickness, cancers and deaths in millions and will affect the whole world regardless of where the explosion took place.
The big problems regarding nuclear development are concerns about the safety of nuclear fission reactions, which include the possibility of radiation releasing nuclear-accidents, the difficulty in disposal of radioactive waste and the threat of contributing to the nuclear weapon proliferation. (www.hyperphysics.com). The major health and environmental effect is due to the escape of fission products to the atmosphere. The most important of these are Caesium, Ruthenium, Tellurium and the fission gases, Iodine, Krypton and Xenon. (www.ccnr.org) . Supposedly, an accident happens in a nuclear plant the radioactivity would collect in a cloud and will travel downwards with the air currents. The closer to reactor building, the greater the probability of an individual being exposed to intense radiation. At distance of two to three kilometres,depending on wind velocity,the cloud would begin to disperse(the dispersal zone could extend to distances of several hundred kilometres) and the radioactive materials would be deposited on the ground.as a result both prompt and latent cancers would be produced. (www.ccnr.org).
There have been several deadly reactor accidents in the past but two of them are very important when it comes to reactor safety,namely:Chernobyl disaster and Chalk River accident. On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear accident to date took place in Chernobyl located in former USSR. The accident spewed massive quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, contaminating large areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Radioactive clouds drifted as far as Europe and the eastern United States. The Chernobyl nuclear fallout was ten times more powerful than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and is the worst disaster in the history of nuclear power. (Kevin Chan). The two accidents that occurred at Chalk River, Ontario Canada released about thousands of curies of fission products into atmosphere. During the clean-up a million gallons of radioactively contaminated water was dumped out in the trenches not far from the Ontario River. However, the core of the NRX reactor could not be decontaminated, it had to be buried as a radioactive waste.(www.ccnr.org)
One concern about nuclear reactors is that the fuel could be diverted for the production of nuclear weapons. While the uranium fuel is enriched to only 3-5% and could not easily be further separated to the greater than 90% U-235 needed to produce a bomb, the spent fuel elements contain plutonium-239. The plutonium could be separated chemically and diverted to nuclear weapons production. (www.hyperphysics.com), another problem is how to dispose of radioactive waste? As it takes hundreds may be even thousands of years for the radioactive to become harmless. The long-term disposal of these wastes remains a major problem.(www.hyperphysics.com).
A glimpse at the problems and controversies dealing with the proliferation of nuclear power reveals that this is indeed the most devastating discovery of all times. It might be environment friendly and produce large amounts of energy in very less time but it still is lethal. Fuel sources such as wind, water and sun should be explored to meet with the ever-increasing energy demands of our burgeoning economies. Nations should stop pointing nuclear weapons at each other so that the world might become a peaceful place to live in. It seems to be hard but a little effort and great determination can change it all.










Annotated Bibliography


http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/metalsheavy/index.html
This website had great information about toxic and heavy metals.

(http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/faq/faq_du.jsp
The information on depleted uranium and its various health effects were taken from this website.

http://www.iacenter.org/depleted/israel_du.htm
This article written by John Catanilotto and Sara Flounders was very effective in highlighting the presence of depleted uranium in Israel’s arsenal and its use in Gaza and West bank.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs257/en/
World Health Organisation’s website provided valuable information about effects of depleted uranium within human body.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/wo.../15sunnis.html
W.Broad and D.Sanger in this article discuss the initiation of nuclear programmes in many middle east states.

http://zero.newassignment.net/blog/j...uth_about_iraq
“Truth about Iraq” this article is blunt enough to unravel the reality of the Iraq war.

http://fogonazos.blogspot.com/2007/0...ant-us_05.html

This page had graet information on Hiroshima disaster and also had some pictures taken just a day after the blast.

http://www.ccnr.org/CANDU_Safety.html
This page talks about the reactor safety issues

http://blogs.newamericamedia.org/kit...ince-chernobyl
The information about Chernobyl disaster was taken from this source.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...ucprob.html#c4
This website had great information about problems related with nuclear reactors.

Friedman,Lauri. Nuclear weapons and security. ReferncePoint Press,2008
This book is a compact and succinct research tool.It had many useful facts about the proliferation of nuclear power,effects of a possible nuclear war,remedies to solve these issues,illustrations and maps.This book is a very useful tool in researching about any aspect of nuclear technology.