subject: The Reality Of Nuclear Fallout [print this page] With the news of Fukushimas fallout, the reality of a nuclear catastrophe has been discussed in more detail and in a much more serious manner than it has previously. Moving out of the spectrum of science fictions novels and post-war apocalypse, stories like the one in Japan have caused a new level of attentiveness to be given to the matter.
The term itself, fallout, refers to what occurs in the atmosphere in the event of a nuclear power plant having a malfunction and releasing chemicals or radioactivity into the air. When this occurs, it is generally brought on by a blast or explosion, as the force of the explosion pushes out of the structure, the nuclear radiation is expelled outwards. The word fallout was coined due to the falling properties of the radiation as it in essence falls out around the perimeter of the power plant or structure in question.
While the immediate threat of such an event is the contamination of the area around the site, the long term effects are in fact much worse. The real problem with nuclear fallout occurs when the contaminated dust from objects that were vaporized in the blast enter nearby aquifers or soil. This event can have a rather adverse effect on the wildlife and ecosystems, even ones that are thousands of miles away from the fallout zone.
It is with this last point that the real threat lurks. When studies were first being conducted about the effects of such an event, little was known about what would or could happen. Scientist speculated that the radioactive particles that were created from the blast would be expelled upwards and enters the atmosphere, eventually being carried by winds and air streams and being dispersed across the world. Upon more study and with the implementation of new technologies to study these dispersion patterns more information has been able to be gleaned.
The health conditions that can arise from these situations vary in nature and by exposure. If contact is immediate and the levels are high, death can occur, but if the contact is less and the quantity is lower, it can take months and sometimes years for the effects of such exposure to become apparent. When these effects occur they generally take place in the tissues and the organs of the body. Other conditions, such as eye problems, genetic abnormalities and changes in fertility can also occur.
So what does this mean for us if take this lens and apply it to the situation in Japan? The answer is a little tough to tackle but effects have been seen all over the world, most noticeably in the US. In a Santa Monica based facility that used a hepa-filter, test were done that showed a drastic increase in radiation levels over a 52 day period following the disaster. On a smaller level, radiation has also been observed in fruit, nuts and beef that make their way over to the United States from Japan.
While not a lot of media coverage has gone out about these effects, time will still tell if the worst is yet to come.
