Larger bombs can flatten cities. Many if not most people within the blast radius — which can be up to 10 miles — would die instantly. Those who survived would wish they hadn’t, since most would die later of severe burns or awful cancers. Radioactive fallout from these weapons’ debris clouds would reach the stratosphere, where it would travel worldwide, potentially contaminating crops and livestock as well as causing radiation sickness and cancer directly. Later, this fallout would cause genetic mutations in plants, animals and human beings, as it has in the vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
Some scientists estimate that if there were a nuclear war resulting in 100 Hiroshima-size nuclear explosions on cities, it could cause significant loss of life in the tens of millions from long term climatic effects alone. The climatology hypothesis is that if each city firestorms, a great deal of soot could be thrown up into the atmosphere which could blanket the earth, cutting out sunlight for years on end, causing the disruption of food chains, in what is termed a nuclear winter scenario.
The main causes of death and disablement in this state are thermal burns and the failure of structures resulting from the blast effect. Injury from the pressure wave is minimal in contrast because the human body can survive up to 2 bar (30 psi) while most buildings can only withstand a 0.8 bar (12 psi) blast. Therefore, the fate of humans is closely related to the survival of the buildings around them.
If you make it through the blast and thermal burns you can look forward to form of cancer, to humans in the form of radiation. When radioactive chemicals break down they release a certain amount of radiation. When humans are exposed to this radiation there is a risk that it causes chemical changes in cells which can kill or makes cells abnormal. In damaging the DNA contained in cells, radiation can cause cancer and can also lead to birth defects in children due to the tampering with a person's genetic makeup. The amount of radiation that the body is exposed to is measured in a unit known is the gray which is defined as the absorption of one joule of energy per kilogram of tissue.
Here is a list of some things the radiation can cause:
gastrointestinal pain
anorexia
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
drowsiness
lethargy
tremors
delirium
frequent seizures
convulsions
heat prostration
coma
respiratory failure
temporary hair loss
permanent epilation occurs
itching and flaking occurs
weeping blistering and ulceration will occur
Loss of epithelial cells
Edema
Inflammation
Occlusions of airways, air sacs and blood vessels
Fibrosis
2 years for leukemia to appear
20 or more years for skin cancer or lung cancer
Dysentery
Typhoid
Infectious hepatitis
Salmonellosis
Cholera
Meningococcal meningitis
Tuberculosis
Diphtheria
Whooping cough
Polio
Pneumonia
These are just some of the many thing that can happen. I don’t think it would be easy to survive with the health problems alone, but the aftermath probably wouldn't be good either. I am still learning how to be a pro prepper. I don’t know what I would do, or how I would react in the situation. I am going to have to do more research. So for now I leave you with this. I hope I never have to find out what I would do. As I do more research I will definitely be writing more!
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