The Effects of Radiation on Humans in WW2

The end of the World War II saw the first military use of atomic weaponry and demonstrated the effects radiation can have on humans. The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were both devastated by atomic bombs. An estimated 120,000 people were killed by the initial explosions, with tens of thousands more dying of radiation poisoning and radiation-related diseases in the subsequent years.

Victims

• The Japanese have a word for the survivors of atomic bombing: hibakusha. Every year, Japan memorializes the additional deaths caused by radiation illnesses. The count as of 2009 stands at 413,171.

Residual Radiation

• Residual radiation makes up 5 to 10 percent of all the radiation produced in an atomic explosion. This is radiation that harms humans not killed by the initial blast or the heat.

Immediate Effects

• Within the first week of exposure to an atomic bomb, the death rate is largely due to burns. However, 10 percent of deaths during this period are due to huge doses of radiation.

Delayed Period

• Twenty weeks after exposure, many maladies become evident in victims. Those exposed frequently experience sterility, cataracts and blood disorders.

Cancer

• Nearly 3 percent of those exposed to a nuclear blast and survive long-term will experience cancer in later years. Leukemia typically develops within two years of exposure, while victims continue to suffer from an increased chance skin and lung cancer more than 20 years after the incident.