"Nuclear weapons"

• Operating principle
• Brief nuclear explosion
• Nuclear charges: their types

If we approach the definition briefly, then nuclear (or, in other words, atomic) weapons, includes in its definition the presence of nuclear warheads and the ability to transport and control them.

Nuclear weapons are on the list of weapons mass destruction.

Operating principle

Nuclear weapons (yadernoe oruzhie), more precisely its operating principle is nuclear energy. A chain reaction occurs, subsequently, by which heavy nuclei are divided. In another case, light nuclei are synthesized using a thermonuclear reaction. If a huge amount of intranuclear energy is instantly released, but in a limited volume, then an explosive reaction. The visual center of the explosive reaction can be identified by the fireball.

Brief nuclear explosion

A nuclear explosion can cause seismic vibrations if it occurs on or near the earth's surface. It is similar to an earthquake, but the propagation radius is in the region of several hundred meters. The explosion leads to the release of energy, which is converted into bright light and heat. If it is located in the epicenter of the explosion, that is, within the radius of propagation of a nuclear reaction, then people get burned, and combustible substances ignite.
The range extends to kilometers. With the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, ionizing radiation occurs, briefly - radiation. Its action lasts about a minute. Since radiation has a huge penetrating power, being within its radius of action is very dangerous to health. In order not to fall under its action, a reliable shelter is required.

Nuclear charges: their types

Atomic. This type of charge involves the fission of nuclei of heavy metals, such as uranium-235 (or uranium 233), plutonium-239. The explosion of an atomic charge is characterized by a nuclear reaction of one type.

Thermonuclear. The specificity of this charge is that lighter elements are synthesized into heavier ones. The reaction occurs during the explosion, under the influence of a colossally high temperature. Lithium-6 deuteride is used as a fuel.

. The neutron charge is characterized by very high neutron radiation. At the same time, the power remains low. In this case, the emphasis is on the increased spread of radiation and, accordingly, a greater destructive force for all living forces. Any technique will also suffer from the explosion of this charge. The United States was the first to develop the technology to create a neutron charge. Now Russia and France can also create it.

Nuclear explosion: its damaging factor

IN modern world, nuclear weapons appear to be one of the the most dangerous species weapons, due to their large-scale damaging factors.

shock wave. For the most part, it is the shock wave that has the most powerful damaging property.

• The origin of the shock wave of the weapon, corresponds to a conventional explosion.
• However, the force of destruction is much stronger. In addition to the destructive shock wave itself, objects located in the zone of its influence can be destroyed by flying fragments or objects located closer to the center of the explosion.
• Accordingly, the destructive force of a nuclear explosion in populated areas or wooded areas will be many times stronger than in open space. A person can protect himself from a shock wave in shelters designed specifically for this, or use the terrain and natural shelters.
• Buildings from a nuclear explosion can suffer both insignificantly and even to complete destruction. The shock wave is compared to water, as it is able to penetrate the room through the smallest hole, destroying partitions inside the building on its way.

. Light emission. It includes visible, infrared and ultraviolet radiation.

• When the air is heated and the temperature of the explosion products is high, this damaging factor is obtained. During the explosion, the brightness of light radiation is several times brighter than sunlight.
• The area that was in the zone of light radiation can heat up to 10,000 ° C. How long the light radiation will last can only be judged by the power of a nuclear explosion. The damaging factor lies in the high temperatures affecting everything around.
• Thus, a nuclear explosion can cause fires, melt down equipment, and for a person, severe burns up to complete charring.
• In a nuclear explosion, a person needs to hide the exposed parts of the skin and in no case look in the direction of the explosion.
• Light radiation is more destructive when a nuclear weapon explodes in the air than on the surface of the earth.
• When bad weather conditions(rain, snow, fog), the striking ability of light radiation is significantly reduced. An ordinary shadow from something can serve as a shelter from light radiation.

. penetrating radiation. With a nuclear explosion underground or under water, the penetrating power of radiation is markedly reduced. In the air, radiation spreads rapidly.

• Radiation, in its destructive power, surpasses the above damaging factors. But the radius of propagation of radiation, even with a powerful explosion, is several kilometers.
• The damaging effect on living organisms occurs by affecting the vital organs, more precisely, their function. Affected by radiation, people or animals fall ill with radiation sickness.
• The action of radiation caused by a nuclear explosion lasts a few seconds. You can hide from such a damaging factor with the help of thick materials that can trap radioactive radiation. For example, a layer of steel is able to extinguish the force of radiation twice.
• You can hide behind concrete structures, underground, in water, behind a thick tree or under snow (in this case, you need a thick layer of at least half a meter).

. radioactive infection. Both living organisms and various non-living objects are exposed to this type of infection.

. electromagnetic pulse, arising in the atmosphere, does not affect humans. The action is on conductors for currents and voltages of a different nature. The consequence of this impulse is damage to devices associated with radio engineering and current.
Nuclear weapons: their varieties
Nuclear potential is used in different purposes. And already starting from the targets, the weapon is divided into several types of explosions.

. Explosion high in the air, called air, due to the explosion of a nuclear warhead, can be high and low. Thus, the explosion occurs in such a way that the area of ​​light emission does not reach the ground or the surface of the water. During explosions in the low layers of the atmosphere, radioactive contamination of the entire environment occurs. It is not significant, even for living organisms. The rest of the damaging factors act to the maximum.

. Another type of explosion in the air is high-altitude. It is used to destroy missiles or aircraft. When used for ground objects, it is safe. Here, all damaging factors are the most destructive, except for radioactive contamination.

. Ground or surface nuclear explosion produced on the surface of the water/land. It can also be produced not high above these surfaces. Ground or surface can be considered one in which light radiation touches a particular surface. The strongest damaging factor is the radiation contamination of the surface on which the explosion occurs. Other destructive factors also take place.

. The last type of nuclear explosion, carried out either underground or underwater. The main factor of damage is the formation of seismic explosive waves. The ground is contaminated with radiation. But there is no damaging factor of penetration of radiation and light radiation.

Nuclear weapons as a threat to the destruction of mankind

The use of nuclear warheads happened at the end of World War II against Nazi Germany. Then the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered. The nuclear bombing was carried out by the US military. Such measures were dictated by the early signing of Japan's surrender. The results of the explosion were catastrophic. The people who were at the epicenter of the explosion turned into coal. Birds burned up in flight. The blast wave knocked out windows, which caused the death of most of the people.

Buildings collapsed. There were many small fires, which later grew into one big one. Those who remained alive after the explosion, and its destructive factors, subsequently began to die from radioactive contamination.

The consequences of a nuclear explosion backfired in the future. People have been dying of cancer and other diseases for many years. If a huge nuclear explosion is used, then its consequences will be colossal fires that would engulf forests and cities. From this, a large amount of smoke would tend to the stratosphere. Solar radiation would cease to pass to the surface of the earth. This phenomenon is called "Nuclear Winter".

Its danger lies in the destruction of the ozone layer of the globe. Direct ultraviolet rays, not retained by the ozone layer, would be fatal to all living things. These are not happy prospects for humanity with the large-scale use of nuclear weapons.

After the sad events in Japanese cities, the development of a hydrogen bomb began. It's time for an arms race. Countries wanted to have weapons more powerful than those of rival countries. The arms race continued until the threat of nuclear war arose. Today, the threat of nuclear war is hampered by the disarmament of the existing arsenal. But there is a nuclear potential in a number of modern states. Also, to date, the UN convention has banned the use of nuclear weapons in the world.

A nuclear war is usually called a hypothetical clash between countries or military-political blocs that have thermonuclear or nuclear weapons and put them into action. Nuclear weapons in such a conflict will become the main means of destruction. The history of nuclear war, fortunately, has not yet been written. But after the start of the Cold War in the second half of the last century, a nuclear war between the US and the USSR was considered a very likely development.

• What happens if a nuclear war breaks out?
• Doctrines of nuclear war in the past
• US nuclear doctrine during the thaw
• Russian nuclear doctrine

What happens if a nuclear war breaks out?

Many fearfully asked the question: what will happen if a nuclear war breaks out? This is a major environmental hazard:

• Explosions would release a huge amount of energy.
• Ashes and soot from fires would block the sun for a long time, which would lead to the effect of "nuclear night" or "nuclear winter" with a sharp drop in temperature on the planet.
• The apocalyptic picture was to be supplemented by radioactive contamination, which would have no less catastrophic consequences for life.

It was assumed that most of the countries of the world would inevitably be drawn into such a war, directly or indirectly.

The danger of a nuclear war is that it would lead to a global environmental catastrophe and even the death of our civilization.

What will happen in the event of a nuclear war? A powerful explosion is only part of the disaster:

1. As a result of a nuclear explosion, a giant fireball is formed, the heat from which chars or completely burns all life at a sufficiently large distance from the epicenter of the explosion.
2. A third of the energy is released in the form of a powerful light pulse, which is a thousand times brighter than the radiation of the sun, so it instantly ignites all flammable materials (fabrics, paper, wood), and causes third-degree burns to people.
3. But the primary fires do not have time to flare up, because they are partially extinguished by a powerful blast wave. Flying burning debris, sparks, household gas explosions, short circuits and burning petroleum products cause extensive and already long-lasting secondary fires.
4. Separate fires merge into a terrifying fiery tornado that can easily burn down any metropolis. Such fiery tornadoes, arranged by the allies, destroyed Dresden and Hamburg during the Second World War.
5. Since heat is released in large quantities in mass fires, the heated air masses rush upward, forming hurricanes near the surface of the earth, bringing new portions of oxygen to the focus.
6. Dust and soot ascend to the stratosphere, forming a giant cloud there that blocks the sunlight. A prolonged blackout leads to a nuclear winter.

After a nuclear war, the Earth would hardly have remained at least a little like its former self, it would be scorched, and almost all living things would die.

An instructive video about what will happen if a nuclear war starts:

Doctrines of nuclear war in the past

The first doctrine (theory, concept) of nuclear war arose immediately after the end of World War II, in the United States. Then it was invariably reflected in the strategic concepts of NATO and the United States. However, the military doctrine of the USSR also assigned nuclear missiles a decisive role in the next big war.

Initially, a massive nuclear war scenario was envisaged with the unlimited use of all available nuclear weapons, and their targets would be not only military, but also civilian objects. It was believed that in such a conflict, the advantage would be given to the country that launched the first massive nuclear strike against the enemy, the purpose of which was the preemptive destruction of his nuclear weapons.

But there was the main problem nuclear war - a preventive nuclear attack might not be as effective, and the enemy would be able to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike on industrial centers and large cities.

Since the late 1950s, a new concept of "limited nuclear war" has emerged in the United States. In the 70s, according to this concept, in a hypothetical armed conflict, various systems weapons, including operational-tactical and tactical nuclear weapons, which had restrictions on the scale of use and means of delivery. Nuclear weapons in such a conflict would only be used to destroy military and important economic facilities. If a distortion of history could happen, nuclear wars in the recent past could actually follow a similar scenario.

One way or another, but the United States is still the only state that in practice used nuclear weapons in 1945 not against the military, but dropped 2 bombs on the civilian population of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9).

Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945, under the guise of the Potsdam Declaration, which set an ultimatum regarding the immediate surrender of Japan, the American government sent an American bomber to the Japanese Islands, and at 08:15 Japanese time it dropped the first nuclear bomb on the city of Hiroshima, which had the code name "Kid".

The power of this charge was relatively small - about 20,000 tons of TNT. The explosion of the charge occurred at an altitude of about 600 meters above the ground, and its epicenter was above the Sima hospital. Hiroshima was not chosen by chance as the target of a demonstrative nuclear strike - it was there at that time that the General Staff of the Japanese Navy and the Second General Staff of the Japanese Army were located.

• The explosion destroyed a large part of Hiroshima.
• Over 70,000 people were killed instantly.
• About 60,000 died later from wounds, burns and radiation sickness.
• Within a radius of about 1.6 kilometers there was a zone of complete destruction, while fires spread over an area of ​​11.4 square meters. km.
• 90% of the city's buildings were either completely destroyed or badly damaged.
• The tram system miraculously survived the bombardment.

In the six months following the bombing, they died from its consequences. 140,000 people.

This “insignificant”, according to the military, charge once again proved that the consequences of a nuclear war for humanity are devastating, as for a race.

Sad video about the nuclear attack on Hiroshima:

Nagasaki

On August 9, at 11:02 am, another American plane dropped another nuclear charge on the city of Nagasaki - "Fat Man". It was blown up high above the Nagasaki Valley, where industrial enterprises. The second consecutive American nuclear attack on Japan caused new catastrophic destruction and loss of life:

• 74,000 Japanese were killed instantly.
• 14,000 buildings were completely destroyed.

In fact, these terrible moments can be called the days when a nuclear war almost started, since bombs were dropped on civilians, and only a miracle stopped the moment when the world was on the brink of nuclear war.

US nuclear doctrine during the thaw

After the end of the Cold War, the American doctrine of limited nuclear war was transformed into the concept of counterproliferation. It was first voiced by US Secretary of Defense L. Espin in December 1993. The Americans considered that with the help of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons it was no longer possible to achieve this goal, therefore, at critical moments, the United States reserved the right to deliver "disarming strikes" on the nuclear facilities of objectionable regimes.

In 1997, a directive was adopted, according to which the US Army must be ready to strike at foreign facilities for the production and storage of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. And in 2002, the concept of counterproliferation was included in the US national security strategy. Within its framework, the United States intended to destroy nuclear facilities in Korea and Iran or take control of Pakistani facilities.

Russian nuclear doctrine

The military doctrine of Russia also periodically changes its wording. In the latter version, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if not only nuclear or other types of weapons of mass destruction, but also conventional weapons were used against it or its allies, if this threatens the very foundations of the existence of the state, which may become one of the causes of nuclear war. This speaks of the main thing - the likelihood of a nuclear war is currently quite acute, but the rulers understand that no one can survive in this conflict.

Russian nuclear weapons

An alternative story with a nuclear war developed in Russia. The US State Department for 2016 estimated, based on the data provided under the START-3 treaty, that 508 strategic nuclear launchers were deployed in the Russian army:

• intercontinental ballistic missiles;
• strategic bombers;
• submarine missiles.

In total, there are 847 nuclear charge carriers, on which 1796 charges are installed. It should be noted that nuclear weapons in Russia are being reduced quite intensively - in half a year their number is reduced by 6%.

With such weapons and more than 10 countries in the world that have officially confirmed the presence of nuclear weapons, the threat of nuclear war is global problem, the prevention of which is a guarantee of life on Earth.

Are you afraid of nuclear war? Do you think it will come and how soon? Share your opinion or guesses in the comments.

Global problems are an objective result of human development. The fate of civilization depends on the solution of these planetary problems. To date, there are a large number of problems that are considered to be global, but all scientists agree that the super-problem is the prevention of nuclear war and the preservation of peace.

Nuclear weapons are a problem for mankind

Scientists realized that such a problem really exists after the end of World War II, after the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945 - the entry into the nuclear era), after the Caribbean crisis, after many countries began to build up their nuclear potential during the Cold War . Since 1945, more than 2,000 nuclear weapons tests have been carried out on the ground, underground, in the air and in the waters of the World Ocean, which has led to both deaths of people and the deterioration of the ecological situation on the planet.

Fig 1. Nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, consequences

After the end of the Second World War, more than 60 wars of a local nature were registered on the planet, in which 6.5 million people died. Many of these wars could escalate from local conflicts to global ones, with the use of nuclear weapons.

Currently, the countries (the main "nuclear" countries are the USA, Russia, England, France, India and Pakistan + 30 countries capable of creating and transporting nuclear weapons) have built up a nuclear potential capable of destroying all life on the planet 30-35 times.

Nuclear weapons, the global problem of mankind, belongs to the intersocial group of global problems.

Making the problem worse

A lot of scientists, politicians and public figures seriously thought about the problem of nuclear disarmament after:

• Soviet tests of a new nuclear bomb on the island New Earth in 1961 (the blast wave “circumvented” the globe twice and caused panic in the ruling circles of the two superpowers - the USA and the USSR);
• catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 (it was then that it became clear that even if a “peaceful atom” can lead to such consequences, then even a single use of nuclear weapons can lead to nuclear winter and the death of all life on the planet).

Fig 2. Catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

M. Gorbachev, the leader of the USSR, in 1986 proposed to Western countries to completely destroy nuclear weapons, but no other head of state supported this project.

Solution to the problem

At the moment, work continues on solving the problem of the destruction of all nuclear weapons. It was started in the 60s when agreements were reached on a ban on nuclear tests in three environments. In the 1970s and 1980s, work was carried out to maintain the strategic parity of the nuclear powers and not build up nuclear weapons. And in the 90s, work began to reduce the level of nuclear parity and the destruction of nuclear weapons. Also in the 60s, the non-proliferation regime of nuclear weapons was turned on, which led to the fact that many countries on the planet are not able to create a "clean" nuclear bomb.

Currently, the countries continue to negotiate to reduce the level of nuclear potentials. This is necessary in order to exclude accidental nuclear war and the so-called HLG (mutually assured destruction).

What have we learned?

The threat of nuclear war and worldwide nuclear armament is indeed the most important global problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Scientists, politicians and public figures from all over the world are working on it, realizing that the use (and even testing) of nuclear weapons can lead to a global environmental catastrophe and the destruction of mankind.

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Wars left their mark on the development of society in all previous eras of the development of human civilization. In the 20th century alone, more than 100 million people died in two world and local wars. And in the second half of this century, nuclear weapons appeared, and there was a real threat of destruction of entire countries and even continents, that is, almost all modern civilization and life on Earth in general.

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device in which the source of energy is the synthesis or fission of atomic nuclei - a nuclear reaction. Devices that use the energy released during the fusion of light nuclei are called thermonuclear. Nuclear weapons include both nuclear weapons and their means of delivery to the target and controls. Nuclear weapons are classified as weapons of mass destruction (WMD) along with biological and chemical weapons. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device in which the source of energy is the synthesis or fission of atomic nuclei - a nuclear reaction. Devices that use the energy released during the fusion of light nuclei are called thermonuclear. Nuclear weapons include both nuclear weapons and their means of delivery to the target and controls. Nuclear weapons are classified as weapons of mass destruction (WMD) along with biological and chemical weapons.

A nuclear explosion can be carried out in the air at different heights (air - the most effective of all), near the surface of the earth (ground) or water (above water), underground (underground) and under water (underwater), as well as in space (high-altitude and space ). A nuclear explosion can be carried out in the air at different heights (air - the most effective of all), near the surface of the earth (ground) or water (above water), underground (underground) and under water (underwater), as well as in space (high-altitude and space ).

July 24, 1946 were tested 21-kiloton ammunition "Baker" (USA). July 24, 1946 were tested 21-kiloton ammunition "Baker" (USA). Underwater nuclear explosion on Bikini Atoll. Underwater nuclear explosion on Bikini Atoll.

On August 30, 1961, in the Soviet Union, within the nuclear test site on Novaya Zemlya (73 ° 51 N 54 ° 30 E), a thermonuclear bomb (Tsar Bomba) was detonated at an altitude of 4500 m. The power of the explosion was 58 megatons of TNT. On August 30, 1961, in the Soviet Union, within the nuclear test site on Novaya Zemlya (73 ° 51 N 54 ° 30 E), a thermonuclear bomb (Tsar Bomba) was detonated at an altitude of 4500 m. The power of the explosion was 58 megatons of TNT.

July 7, 1977 in the United States, the first test of a "humane weapon" took place - a neutron bomb, which, being a type of nuclear weapon low power, with the help of neutron irradiation destroys organic life without causing damage to buildings, structures and equipment. On July 7, 1977, the first test of a "humane weapon" took place in the United States - a neutron bomb, which, being a type of low-yield nuclear weapon, destroys organic life with the help of neutron irradiation without damaging buildings, structures and equipment.

Intercontinental ballistic missile RSM-56 Bulava. A successful launch was carried out on September 18, 2008 at 18:45 Moscow time by a Russian submarine missile cruiser from a submerged position. Intercontinental ballistic missile RSM-56 Bulava. A successful launch was carried out on September 18, 2008 at 18:45 Moscow time by a Russian submarine missile cruiser from a submerged position.

Consequently, modern war is turning into a global problem for all mankind. Consequently, modern war is turning into a global problem for all mankind. The catastrophe will not bypass agriculture and major ecosystems and will entail a global ecological catastrophe. The catastrophe will not bypass agriculture and major ecosystems and will entail a global ecological catastrophe.

According to the report national academy sciences of the USA, in the world nuclear war can be detonated up to Mt of nuclear charges. The first detrimental effect of nuclear explosions of such a total force will be the destruction of the ozone layer of the stratosphere. As a result of explosions and fires, up to 5 million tons of soot will fall into the stratosphere (to a height of up to 80 km). According to a report by the US National Academy of Sciences, up to Mt of nuclear warheads can be detonated in a world nuclear war. The first detrimental effect of nuclear explosions of such a total force will be the destruction of the ozone layer of the stratosphere. As a result of explosions and fires, up to 5 million tons of soot will fall into the stratosphere (to a height of up to 80 km).

By absorbing sunlight, the soot will heat up and heat the gases around it, which will greatly speed up the chemical reactions that lead to the decay of stratospheric ozone. The total amount of ozone will decrease by 20%, in middle latitudes by 25-45%, in general by 70% over the Northern Hemisphere and by 40% over the Southern Hemisphere. By absorbing sunlight, the soot will heat up and heat the gases around it, which will greatly speed up the chemical reactions that lead to the decay of stratospheric ozone. The total amount of ozone will decrease by 20%, in middle latitudes by 25-45%, in general by 70% over the Northern Hemisphere and by 40% over the Southern Hemisphere.

The ozone layer supports life on Earth by shielding (retaining) approximately 2/3 ultraviolet radiation Sun. It is believed that the formation of the ozone layer about 600 million years ago was the condition due to which multicellular organisms and life in general appeared on Earth. The ozone layer supports life on Earth by shielding (holding) about 2/3 of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. It is believed that the formation of the ozone layer about 600 million years ago was the condition due to which multicellular organisms and life in general appeared on Earth.

Thus, the destruction of the ozone layer will have devastating consequences for many forms of life (especially for the inhabitants of aquatic ecosystems): people will suffer extensive burns and skin cancers; some plants and small organisms will die instantly; many people and animals will become blind and lose the ability to navigate. Thus, the destruction of the ozone layer will have devastating consequences for many forms of life (especially for the inhabitants of aquatic ecosystems): people will suffer extensive burns and skin cancers; some plants and small organisms will die instantly; many people and animals will become blind and lose the ability to navigate.

With the onset of "nuclear winter" there will be a sharp, strong (from 15º to 40º C in different regions) long-term cooling of the air over all continents. The consequences will be especially severe in the summer, when over land in the Northern Hemisphere the temperature drops below the freezing point of water. In other words, all living things that do not burn in fires will freeze. With the onset of "nuclear winter" there will be a sharp, strong (from 15º to 40º C in different regions) long-term cooling of the air over all continents. The consequences will be especially severe in the summer, when over land in the Northern Hemisphere the temperature drops below the freezing point of water. In other words, all living things that do not burn in fires will freeze.

Scientific committee for the study of protection problems environment(SCOPE) produced a two-volume publication on climate and environmental impact nuclear war. “Nuclear winter,” it says, “means a significant increase in the scale of suffering for humanity, including nations and regions not directly involved in nuclear war... Nuclear war will cause the destruction of life on Earth, a catastrophe unprecedented in human history, and will be a threat to the very existence of humanity." The Scientific Committee for the Study of Environmental Protection (SCOPE) has published a two-volume publication on assessments of the climatic and environmental consequences of nuclear war. “Nuclear winter,” it says, “means a significant increase in the scale of suffering for humanity, including nations and regions not directly involved in nuclear war... Nuclear war will cause the destruction of life on Earth, a catastrophe unprecedented in human history, and will be a threat to the very existence of humanity."

IN central regions the temperature of the continents of the Northern Hemisphere will drop to -31°C. The temperature of the waters of the world ocean will remain above 0°C. Due to the large temperature difference, severe storms will arise, tsunamis will form. In the central regions of the continents of the Northern Hemisphere, the temperature will drop to -31°C. The temperature of the world's oceans will remain above 0°C. Due to the large temperature difference, severe storms will arise, tsunamis will form.

Electromagnetic pulses from nuclear explosions will completely destroy electronic communication systems, electrical networks and the Earth's electromagnetic field. The destruction of the Earth's electromagnetic field will cause the strongest natural disasters: hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, floods, and so on. Water and air will be mixed into one mass. The weather will be considered good when there is no hurricane wind. Electromagnetic pulses from nuclear explosions will completely destroy electronic communication systems, electrical networks and the Earth's electromagnetic field. The destruction of the Earth's electromagnetic field will cause the strongest natural disasters: hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, floods, and so on. Water and air will be mixed into one mass. The weather will be considered good when there is no hurricane wind.

People who survived nuclear explosions in the very first days will begin to suffer from radiation. Radiation will be carried by natural disasters and will be everywhere: in the air, in water, in soil. Penetrating radiation acts only from after the explosion. However, this is enough to cause in unprotected people and animals a serious illness called radiation sickness. The action of penetrating radiation is based on the fact that gamma rays and neutrons ionize the molecules of living tissues. People who survived nuclear explosions in the very first days will begin to suffer from radiation. Radiation will be carried by natural disasters and will be everywhere: in the air, in water, in soil. Penetrating radiation acts only from after the explosion. However, this is enough to cause in unprotected people and animals a serious illness called radiation sickness. The action of penetrating radiation is based on the fact that gamma rays and neutrons ionize the molecules of living tissues.

This leads to a violation of the normal metabolism in the human or animal body, a change in the vital activity of cells and individual organs. Irradiation is invisible to humans. Symptoms of the disease appear only after a certain time, and the further development of the disease depends on the dose of radiation received. This leads to a violation of the normal metabolism in the human or animal body, a change in the vital activity of cells and individual organs. Irradiation is invisible to humans. Symptoms of the disease appear only after a certain time, and the further development of the disease depends on the dose of radiation received.

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Donetsk Industrial Pedagogical College

ESSAY

life safety activities

"Nuclear Threat"

Completed by: Mikheev S.A.

Received by: Gudkov V.M.

1. From the history of the creation of nuclear weapons _____________________

2. Modern US policy in the field of nuclear weapons._

3.1 Types of nuclear explosions._________________________________________________

3.2 The damaging factors of a nuclear explosion.____________________________

4. Hiroshima and Nagasaki._________________________________

5. Further development of nuclear weapons ___________________

5.1 EMP or “non-lethal” weapons________________________________

6. Accidents at nuclear power plants _______________________________________

7. Conclusion________________________________________________

8. Literature used: ___________________________

1. From the history of the creation of nuclear weapons

In 1894, Robber Cecil, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, in his address to the British Association for the Advancement of Scientific Progress, listing the unsolved problems of science, settled on the problem: what really is an atom - does it really exist or is it just a theory suitable for only to explain some physical phenomena; what is its structure.

In the USA they like to say that the atom is a native of America, but it is not true.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, mainly European scientists were engaged. The English scientist Thomson proposed a model of the atom, which is a positively charged substance with interspersed electrons. The Frenchman Becquerel discovered radioactivity in 1896. He showed that all substances containing uranium are radioactive, and that radioactivity is proportional to the content of uranium.

The French Pierre Curie and Marie Sklodowska-Curie discovered radioactive element radium in 1898. They reported that they had succeeded in isolating an element from uranium waste that had radioactivity and was close in chemical properties to barium. The radioactivity of radium is about 1 million times greater than that of uranium.

The Englishman Rutherford in 1902 developed the theory of radioactive decay, in 1911 he also discovered the atomic nucleus, and in 1919 he observed the artificial transformation of nuclei.

A. Einstein, who lived until 1933 in Germany, in 1905 developed the principle of equivalence of mass and energy. He connected these concepts and showed that a certain amount of mass corresponds to a certain amount of energy.

The Dane N. Bor in 1913 developed the theory of the structure of the atom, which formed the basis of the physical model of a stable atom.

J. Cockfort and E. Walton (England) in 1932 experimentally confirmed Einstein's theory.

J. Chadwick in the same year discovered a new elementary particle - the neutron.

D.D. Ivanenko in 1932 put forward the hypothesis that the nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons.

E. Fermi used neutrons to bombard the atomic nucleus (1934).

In 1937, Irene Joliot-Curie discovered the fission process of uranium. Irene Curie and her Yugoslav student P. Savic had an incredible result: the decay product of uranium was lanthanum - the 57th element, located in the middle of the periodic table.

Meitner, who worked for Hahn for 30 years, together with O. Frisch, who worked for Bohr, found that during the fission of the uranium nucleus, the parts obtained after fission are, in total, 1/5 lighter than the uranium nucleus. This allowed them, using the Einstein formula, to calculate the energy contained in 1 uranium nucleus. It turned out to be equal to 200 million electron volts. Each gram contains 2.5X1021 atoms.

In the early 40s. 20th century A group of scientists in the United States developed the physical principles for the implementation of a nuclear explosion. The first explosion was made at the Alamogordo test site on July 16, 1945. In August 1945 2 atomic bombs with a capacity of about 20 kt each were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings caused huge casualties - Hiroshima over 140 thousand people, Nagasaki - about 75 thousand people, and also caused colossal destruction. The use of nuclear weapons then was not caused by military necessity. The US ruling circles pursued political goals - to demonstrate their strength to intimidate the USSR.

Soon, nuclear weapons were created in the USSR by a group of scientists headed by academician Kurchatov. In 1947, the Soviet government declared that there was no longer any secret of the atomic bomb for the USSR. Having lost its monopoly on nuclear weapons, the United States intensified the work begun in 1942 on the creation of thermonuclear weapons. On November 1, 1952, a 3 Mt thermonuclear device was detonated in the USA. In the USSR, a thermonuclear bomb was first tested on August 12. 1953.

Today, in addition to Russia and the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain, China, Pakistan, India, and Italy also possess the secret of nuclear weapons.

2. Modern US policy in the field of nuclear weapons.

For more than 50 years after the creation of nuclear weapons in the United States, the basis of all existing American military strategies, such as "massive retaliation" (50s), "flexible response" (60s), "realistic elimination" (70 years), which determine the goals, forms and methods of using this barbaric means of exterminating people, the principle has always remained unchanged - frank nuclear blackmail and the threat of using nuclear weapons in any conditions of the situation. In general, if we analyze the essence and orientation contemporary politics The United States and specific plans for the development of its strategic forces, then their aggressive aspirations are quite clearly visible. Under the conditions of the existing military-strategic parity between the US and Russia, Washington is trying to give its nuclear potential such properties that would provide an opportunity, in the words of the US President, "to gain the upper hand in a nuclear war." And although at the present stage there is a warming of the international situation: an agreement was signed on the destruction of medium-range missiles in Europe, plants for the destruction of chemical weapons were built, a unilateral reduction of the RF Armed Forces, etc. we must be ready to conduct combat operations in the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction. This is possible if we know the measures to protect against weapons of mass destruction, its combat properties, damaging factors.

3. Characteristics of nuclear explosions and their damaging factors.

Nuclear explosion - the process of fission of heavy nuclei. In order for the reaction to occur, at least 10 kg of highly enriched plutonium is needed. This substance does not occur naturally. This substance is obtained as a result of reactions carried out in nuclear reactors. Natural uranium contains approximately 0.7 percent of the isotope U-235, the rest is uranium 238. For the reaction to take place, it is necessary that the substance contains at least 90 percent of uranium 235.

3.1 Types of nuclear explosions.

Depending on the tasks to be solved by nuclear weapons, on the type and location of objects against which nuclear strikes are planned, and also on the nature of the forthcoming hostilities, nuclear explosions can be carried out in the air, near the surface of the earth (water) and underground (water). In accordance with this, the following types of nuclear explosions are distinguished:

air (high and low)

ground (surface)

underground (underwater)

3.2 The damaging factors of a nuclear explosion.

A nuclear explosion is capable of instantly destroying or incapacitating unprotected people, openly standing equipment, structures and various materiel. The main damaging factors of a nuclear explosion are:

shock wave

light radiation

penetrating radiation

radioactive contamination of the area

an electromagnetic pulse

a) The shock wave in most cases is the main damaging factor in a nuclear explosion. By its nature, it is similar to the shock wave of a conventional explosion, but it lasts for a longer time and has a much greater destructive power. The shock wave of a nuclear explosion can inflict injuries on people, destroy structures and damage military equipment at a considerable distance from the center of the explosion. The shock wave is an area of ​​strong air compression, propagating at high speed in all directions from the center of the explosion. Its propagation speed depends on the air pressure in the front of the shock wave; near the center of the explosion, it exceeds the speed of sound by several times, but decreases sharply with increasing distance from the explosion site. In the first 2 sec, the shock wave travels about 1000 m, in 5 sec - 2000 m, in 8 sec - about 3000 m. Satisfactory - 4 sec. The damaging effect of a shock wave on people and the destructive effect on military equipment, engineering structures and materiel are primarily determined by the excess pressure and air velocity in its front. Unprotected people can, in addition, be amazed by fragments of glass flying at great speed and fragments of destroyed buildings, falling trees, as well as scattered parts of military equipment, clods of earth, stones and other objects set in motion by the high-speed pressure of the shock wave. The greatest indirect damage will be observed in settlements and in the forest; in these cases, the loss of troops may be greater than from the direct action of the shock wave. The shock wave is also capable of inflicting damage in enclosed spaces, penetrating there through cracks and holes. Blast injuries are categorized as mild, moderate, severe, and extremely severe. Light injuries are characterized by temporary damage to the hearing organs, general mild contusion, bruises and dislocations of the limbs. Severe lesions are characterized by severe contusion of the entire body; in this case, damage to the brain and abdominal organs, severe bleeding from the nose and ears, severe fractures and dislocations of the limbs can be observed. The degree of damage by a shock wave depends, first of all, on the power and type of a nuclear explosion. With an air explosion with a power of 20 kT, minor injuries in people are possible at distances up to 2.5 km, medium - up to 2 km, severe - up to 1.5 km from the epicenter of the explosion. With an increase in the caliber of a nuclear weapon, the radii of damage by a shock wave grow in proportion to the cube root of the explosion power. In an underground explosion, a shock wave occurs in the ground, and in an underwater explosion, in the water. In addition, with these types of explosions, part of the energy is spent on creating a shock wave in the air as well. The shock wave, propagating in the ground, causes damage underground structures, sewerage, water supply; when it spreads in water, damage is observed to the underwater part of ships located even at a considerable distance from the explosion site.

b) The light radiation of a nuclear explosion is a stream of radiant energy, including ultraviolet, visible and infrared radiation. The source of light radiation is a luminous area consisting of hot explosion products and hot air. The brightness of light radiation in the first second is several times greater than the brightness of the Sun. The absorbed energy of light radiation is converted into heat, which leads to heating of the surface layer of the material. The heat can be so intense that combustible material can be charred or ignited and non-combustible material cracked or melted, which can lead to huge fires. At the same time, the effect of light radiation from a nuclear explosion is equivalent to the massive use of incendiary weapons, which is considered in the fourth educational question. The human skin also absorbs the energy of light radiation, due to which it can heat up to a high temperature and get burned. First of all, burns occur on open areas of the body facing the direction of the explosion. If you look in the direction of the explosion with unprotected eyes, then damage to the eyes is possible, leading to complete loss of vision. Burns caused by light radiation are no different from ordinary burns caused by fire or boiling water. They are the stronger, the smaller the distance to the explosion and the greater the power of the ammunition. With an air explosion, the damaging effect of light radiation is greater than with a ground explosion of the same power. Depending on the perceived light pulse, burns are divided into three degrees. First-degree burns are manifested in superficial skin lesions: redness, swelling, soreness. Second-degree burns cause blisters to form on the skin. Third-degree burns cause skin necrosis and ulceration. With an air explosion of a munition with a power of 20 kT and an atmosphere transparency of about 25 km, first-degree burns will be observed within a radius of 4.2 km from the center of the explosion; with the explosion of a charge with a power of 1 MgT, this distance will increase to 22.4 km. Second degree burns appear at distances of 2.9 and 14.4 km and third degree burns at distances of 2.4 and 12.8 km, respectively, for ammunition with a capacity of 20 kT and 1MgT.

c) Penetrating radiation is an invisible flux of gamma quanta and neutrons emitted from the zone of a nuclear explosion. Gamma quanta and neutrons propagate in all directions from the center of the explosion for hundreds of meters. As the distance from the explosion increases, the number of gamma quanta and neutrons passing through a unit surface decreases. During underground and underwater nuclear explosions, the effect of penetrating radiation extends over distances that are much shorter than during ground and air explosions, which is explained by the absorption of a stream of neutrons and gamma rays by water. The zones of damage by penetrating radiation during explosions of nuclear weapons of medium and high power are somewhat smaller than the zones of damage by a shock wave and light radiation. For ammunition with a small TNT equivalent (1000 tons or less), on the contrary, the zones of damaging effects of penetrating radiation exceed the zones of damage by shock waves and light radiation. The damaging effect of penetrating radiation is determined by the ability of gamma quanta and neutrons to ionize the atoms of the medium in which they propagate. Passing through living tissue, gamma quanta and neutrons ionize the atoms and molecules that make up cells, which lead to disruption of the vital functions of individual organs and systems. Under the influence of ionization, biological processes of cell death and decomposition occur in the body. As a result, affected people develop a specific disease called radiation sickness. To assess the ionization of the atoms of the medium, and, consequently, the damaging effect of penetrating radiation on a living organism, the concept of radiation dose (or radiation dose) is introduced, the unit of which is roentgen (r). Dose of radiation 1 r. corresponds to the formation of approximately 2 billion pairs of ions in one cubic centimeter of air. Depending on the dose of radiation, there are three degrees of radiation sickness. The first (light) occurs when a person receives a dose of 100 to 200 r. It is characterized by general weakness, mild nausea, short-term dizziness, increased sweating; personnel receiving such a dose usually do not fail. The second (middle) degree of radiation sickness develops when receiving a dose of 200-300 r.; in this case, the signs of damage - headache, fever, gastrointestinal upset - appear more sharply and faster, the personnel in most cases fail. The third (severe) degree of radiation sickness occurs at a dose of more than 300 r. ; it is characterized by severe headaches, nausea, severe general weakness, dizziness and other ailments; the severe form is often fatal.

d) Radioactive contamination of people, military equipment, terrain and various objects during a nuclear explosion is caused by fission fragments of the charge substance and the unreacted part of the charge falling out of the explosion cloud, as well as induced radioactivity. Over time, the activity of fission fragments rapidly decreases, especially in the first hours after the explosion. So, for example, the total activity of fission fragments in the explosion of a 20 kT nuclear weapon will be several thousand times less in one day than in one minute after the explosion. During the explosion of a nuclear weapon, part of the substance of the charge does not undergo fission, but falls out in its usual form; its decay is accompanied by the formation of alpha particles. Induced radioactivity is due to radioactive isotopes formed in the soil as a result of its irradiation with neutrons emitted at the time of the explosion by the nuclei of atoms of chemical elements that make up the soil. The resulting isotopes, as a rule, are beta-active, the decay of many of them is accompanied by gamma radiation. The half-lives of most of the resulting radioactive isotopes are relatively short: from one minute to an hour. In this regard, the induced activity can be dangerous only in the first hours after the explosion and only in the area close to its epicenter. Most of the long-lived isotopes are concentrated in the radioactive cloud that forms after the explosion. The height of cloud rise for a munition with a power of 10 kT is 6 km, for a munition with a power of 10 MgT it is 25 km. As the cloud moves, first the largest particles fall out of it, and then smaller and smaller particles, forming a zone of radioactive contamination along the way, the so-called cloud trace. The size of the trace depends mainly on the power of the nuclear weapon, as well as on the speed of the wind, and can be several hundred kilometers long and several tens of kilometers wide. Injuries as a result of internal exposure occur as a result of radioactive substances entering the body through the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. In this case, radioactive radiation comes into direct contact with the internal organs and can cause severe radiation sickness; the nature of the disease will depend on the amount of radioactive substances that have entered the body. Radioactive substances do not have a harmful effect on armament, military equipment and engineering structures.

e) An electromagnetic pulse affects, first of all, radio-electronic and electronic equipment (insulation breakdown, damage semiconductor devices, blown fuses, etc.). An electromagnetic pulse is a powerful electric field that occurs for a very short time.

4. Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Throughout the spring of 1945, many Japanese bombers were constantly raided by American B-29 bombers. These planes were practically invulnerable, they flew at an altitude inaccessible to Japanese planes. For example, as a result of one of these raids, 125 thousand inhabitants of Tokyo were killed, during another - 100 thousand, on March 6, 1945, Tokyo was finally turned into ruins. The American leadership feared that, as a result of subsequent raids, they would not have a target for demonstrating their new weapons. Therefore, pre-selected 4 cities - Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata and Nagasaki - were not bombed. On August 5, at 05:23:15, the first atomic bombing was carried out. The hit was almost perfect: the bomb exploded 200 meters from the target. At this time of day, in all parts of the city, small coal-fired stoves were lit, as many were busy preparing breakfast. All these stoves were overturned by the blast wave, which led to numerous fires in places far from the epicenter. It was assumed that the population would take refuge in shelters, but this did not happen for several reasons: firstly, an alarm was not given, and secondly, groups of aircraft that did not drop bombs had already flown over Hiroshima before.

The initial outbreak of the explosion was followed by other disasters. First of all, it was the effect of a heat wave. It lasted only seconds, but was so powerful that it melted even tiles and quartz crystals in granite slabs, turned telephone poles into coals at a distance of 4 km. from the center of the explosion.

The heat wave was replaced by a shock wave. A gust of wind swept at a speed of 800 km / h. Except for a couple of walls, everything else. In a circle with a diameter of 4 km. was turned into powder. The double impact of heat and shock waves in a few seconds caused the appearance of thousands of fires.

Following the waves in a few minutes, a strange rain fell on the city, large as balls, the drops of which were painted black. This strange phenomenon is due to the fact that the fireball turned the moisture contained in the atmosphere into vapor, which was then concentrated in a cloud rising into the sky. When this cloud, containing water vapor and fine dust particles, rose upward and reached the colder layers of the atmosphere, moisture re-condensed, which then fell out as rain.

People who were exposed to the fireball from the "Baby" at a distance of up to 800 m were burned so much that they turned into dust. The surviving people looked even worse than the dead: they were completely burned, under the influence of a heat wave, and the shock wave tore off their burnt skin. Drops of black rain were radioactive and therefore they left permanent burns.

Of the 76,000 available in Hiroshima, 70,000 were completely damaged: 6,820 buildings were destroyed and 55,000 were completely burned down. Most of the hospitals were destroyed, of all medical staff only 10% are capable. The survivors began to notice strange forms of the disease. They consisted in the fact that the person felt sick, vomiting occurred, loss of appetite. Later, fever and bouts of drowsiness and weakness began. There was a low amount of white balls in the blood. All these were the first signs of radiation sickness.

After the successful bombing of Hiroshima, the 2nd bombing was scheduled for August 12. But since the meteorologists promised worsening weather, it was decided to carry out the bombardment on August 9th. The target was the city of Kokura. Around 830 am, American planes reached the city, but smog from the steel mill prevented them from bombing. The plant had been raided the day before and was still on fire. The planes turned towards Nagasaki. In 1102 the bomb "fat man" was dropped on the city. It exploded at an altitude of 567 meters.

Two atomic bombs dropped on Japan killed over 200,000 people in seconds. Many people were exposed to radiation, which led to the occurrence of radiation sickness, cataracts, cancer, and infertility.

5. Further development of nuclear weapons

Having lost its atomic monopoly, the Truman administration seized on the idea of ​​creating thermonuclear weapons. At the first stages of work on the hydrogen bomb, serious difficulties arose: to start the fusion reaction, it is necessary heat. A new model of the atomic bomb has been proposed, in which the mechanical impact of the first bomb is used to compress the core of the second bomb, which in turn is ignited by compression. Then, instead of mechanical compression, radiation was used to ignite the fuel.

On November 1, 1952, a secret test of a thermonuclear device was carried out in the United States. The capacity of "Mike" was 5-8 million tons of trinitrotoluene. For example, the power of all explosives used in the 2nd World War was 5 million tons. Mike's nuclear fuel was liquid hydrogen, the explosion of which was detonated by an atomic charge.

On August 8, 1953, the world's first thermonuclear bomb was tested in the USSR. The power of the explosion exceeded all expectations. The nearest observation post was located at a distance of 25 kilometers from the explosion site. After the experiment, Kurchatov, the creator of the first Soviet atomic and thermonuclear bomb, declared that the use of this weapon for its intended purpose should not be allowed. His work was subsequently continued by A.D. Sakharov.

On November 22, 1955, another test of a thermonuclear bomb was carried out. The explosion was so powerful that accidents occurred. At a distance of several tens of kilometers, a soldier died - the trench was blocked. In the nearby locality people died who did not have time to hide in bomb shelters.

In the spring of 1955, Khrushchev announced a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing (tests would resume in 1961 as American researchers began to overtake Soviet developments).

In the spring of 1963, the first version of the neutron charge was tested in the state of Nevada. Later, the neutron bomb was created. Its inventor is Samuel Cohen. This is the smallest weapon in the atomic family, it kills not so much with an explosion as with radiation. Most of energy is spent on the release of high-energy neutrons. With the explosion of such a bomb with a capacity of 1 kiloton (which is 12 times less than the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima), destruction will be observed only within a radius of 200 meters, while all living organisms will die at a distance of up to 1.2 km from the epicenter.

5.1 EMP or "non-lethal" weapons

In the early 1990s, the concept began to emerge in the United States, according to which the country's armed forces should have not only nuclear and conventional weapons, but also special means to ensure effective participation in local conflicts without inflicting unnecessary losses on the enemy in manpower and material values.

EMP generators (super EMP), as shown by theoretical work and experiments carried out abroad, can be effectively used to disable electronic and electrical equipment, to erase information in data banks and damage computers.

Theoretical studies and the results of physical experiments show that the EMP of a nuclear explosion can lead not only to the failure of semiconductor electronic devices, but also to the destruction of the metal conductors of the cables of ground structures. In addition, it is possible to destroy satellite equipment in low orbits.

The fact that a nuclear explosion would necessarily be accompanied by electromagnetic radiation was clear to theoretical physicists even before the first test of a nuclear device in 1945. During the nuclear explosions in the atmosphere and outer space carried out in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the presence of EMP was experimentally recorded.

The creation of semiconductor devices, and then integrated circuits, especially digital technology devices based on them, and the widespread introduction of funds into radio-electronic military equipment forced military specialists to assess the EMP threat differently. Since 1970, the issues of protecting weapons and military equipment from EMP have been considered by the US Department of Defense as having the highest priority.

The EMP generation mechanism is as follows. In a nuclear explosion, gamma and x-rays are produced, and a stream of neutrons is formed. Gamma radiation, interacting with the molecules of atmospheric gases, knocks out of them the so-called Compton electrons. If the explosion is carried out at an altitude of 20-40 km, then these electrons are captured magnetic field Earth and, rotating relative to lines of force of this field, create currents that generate EMP. In this case, the EMP field is coherently summed towards the earth's surface, i.e. The Earth's magnetic field plays a role similar to a phased antenna array. As a result, the field strength sharply increases, and, consequently, the EMP amplitude in the areas to the south and north of the explosion epicenter. The duration of this process from the moment of explosion is from 1 - 3 to 100 ns.

At the next stage, lasting approximately from 1 μs to 1 s, EMR is created by Compton electrons knocked out of molecules by multiply reflected gamma radiation and due to the inelastic collision of these electrons with the neutron flux emitted during the explosion. In this case, the EMR intensity turns out to be approximately three orders of magnitude lower than in the first stage.

At the final stage, which takes a period of time after the explosion from 1 s to several minutes, EMP is generated by the magnetohydrodynamic effect generated by disturbances of the Earth's magnetic field by the conductive fireball of the explosion. The EMR intensity at this stage is very small and amounts to several tens of volts per kilometer.

6. Accidents at nuclear power plants

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in terms of its long-term consequences, was the largest catastrophe of our time.

There were other accidents related to nuclear energy.

In the United States, the biggest accident, which today is called the Chernobyl warning, happened in 1979 in the state of Pennsylvania at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. Before and after - 11 more minor accidents at nuclear reactors.

In the Soviet Union, to some extent, the forerunner of Chernobyl can be considered three accidents, starting in 1949, in the Mayak production association on the Techa River.

After it, more than ten accidents at the country's nuclear power plants.

The scale of the global Chernobyl disaster is amazing. In a Soviet report at the IAEA meeting in Vienna in 1986, it was noted that 50 million curies of radioactive radionuclides entered the external environment.

The release of only one of its radioactive components - cesium-137 - is equal to 300 Hiroshima.

One way or another, the Chernobyl zone includes, in the broad sense of the word, the entire globe, in particular, the entire population of the Soviet Union.

Four regions of Russia, five regions of Ukraine and five regions of Belarus were subjected to the most intense radioactive contamination in the Soviet Union.

7. Conclusion

Scientists believe that with several large-scale nuclear explosions, which entailed the burning of forests, cities, huge layers of smoke, burning would rise to the stratosphere, thereby blocking the path of solar radiation. This phenomenon is called “nuclear winter”. Winter will last for several years, maybe even just a couple of months, but during this time the ozone layer of the Earth will be almost completely destroyed. Streams of ultraviolet rays will rush to the Earth. Modeling of this situation shows that as a result of an explosion with a power of 100 Kt, the temperature will drop on average at the Earth's surface by 10-20 degrees. After a nuclear winter, the further natural continuation of life on Earth will be quite problematic:

There will be a shortage of food and energy. Due to strong climate change, agriculture will decline, nature will be destroyed or will change dramatically.

there will be radioactive contamination of areas of the area, which again will lead to the extermination of wildlife

· global changes in the environment (pollution, extinction of many species, destruction of wildlife).

Nuclear weapons are a huge threat to all mankind. Thus, according to the calculations of American experts, an explosion of a thermonuclear charge with a capacity of 20 Mt can level all residential buildings within a radius of 24 km and destroy all life at a distance of 140 km from the epicenter.

Given the accumulated stocks of nuclear weapons and their destructive power, experts believe that World War with the use of nuclear weapons would mean the death of hundreds of millions of people, turning into ruins all the achievements of world civilization and culture.

Fortunately, the end of the Cold War has somewhat deflated the international political climate. A number of treaties on the cessation of nuclear tests and nuclear disarmament have been signed.

Another important issue today is the safe operation of nuclear power plants. After all, the most common failure to comply with safety regulations can lead to the same consequences as a nuclear war.

Today, people should think about their future, about what kind of world they will live in already in the next decades.

8. Used literature:

Samuel Glasston, Philip Dolan, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons, 1977.

A.I. Ioyrysh, “What the Bell Tolls About”, 1991.

Civil Defense, 1982.