On average, people are exposed to 0.62 rem of radiation per year. Radiation exposure is measured in rems (Roentgen equivalent man). That radiation causes changes to our cells on a chemical level, altering DNA. The Risks of Falloutįallout exposes us to radiation. The wind carries them, and they fall on the earth in a much larger radius. It won’t produce an ominous mushroom cloud, but the radioactive particles are released into the air. These radioactive particles eventually return to the ground, hence the name fallout.Ī nuclear bomb that gets detonated in the air is much worse than a land detonation. In the event of a land detonation, the particles of earth become radioactive and are thrown into the sky, forming a mushroom cloud. Gamma rays and neutrons are much more deadly than the actual nuclear blast! Over time, they would kill more people – including those far outside the blast site. None are “safe,” but the most problematic ones are gamma rays and neutrons. Nuclear fission creates many types of radiation. The biggest threat to nuclear survival is fallout. However, when talking about nuclear survival kits though, we are usually talking about surviving nuclear fallout. You’d need a structure that could withstand 50 pounds per inch, and it would mostly need to be underground. It would be theoretically possible to survive even close to the center of a nuclear blast. The rising heat would cause hurricane-strong winds that would spread the fire further. There would also be other immediate effects that make nuclear survival unlikely, such as firestorms raging as the oxygen is consumed from the air. At the center, temperatures would reach up to 500 million degrees Fahrenheit – vaporizing everything. The temperatures would rise drastically from the nuclear bomb. Every structure within a two-mile radius would be destroyed. A one-megaton hydrogen bomb would make a huge crater at the site.
If you are caught at Ground Zero of a nuclear attack, don’t count on surviving. However, if it does happen, everyone should be prepared – which is why everyone should have a nuclear survival kit at home. I don’t want to get into the politics of whether a nuclear war will happen.