It is time we are aware of the potential lethality of nuclear radiations at a time we hear day in and day out, attempts to deescalate tensions among nations and global efforts to prevent a nuclear war !
As far as electromagnetic radiations such as gamma rays and X rays are concerned, apart from their incredible benefits in various fields such as industry, medicine, agriculture and research, there is a great amount of risk also associated with them if there are safety lapses.The quality of consequences in the event of an accident in a thermal power plant and that in a nuclear power plant would vastly differ ! Needless to speak of the effects with the use of nuclear weapons !
Radiation is a source of danger if levels are beyond permissible limits !The hazards due to radiation vary from minor short lived problems like nausea, diarrhoea to long term irreparable damages such as still birth, impairment of fertility, cancer or even instant death etc, besides genetic damages which can spread over to successive generations too depending upon the dose of radiation received, time over which it is received,age and a number of factors. Unlike in the case of hazards in many other activities, the genetic damages are of additional concern while dealing with radiation ! This is one of the reasons why the world is afraid of a WW III with chances of nuclear weapons being deployed high,spewing radioactive radiations into the environs.Many survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosion are still reaping the catastrophic consequences of the calamity.There is a great possibility that a global nuclear warfare with the kind of arsenal built up by nations can inflict an inescapable damage to most complex life on the planet,its ecosystems and the global climate too ! The nuclear fall out can travel in air for long distances aided by wind currents and land at far flung places affecting the food chain too !
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