IndexCreation/TestingUse of Nuclear WeaponsHuman and Ecological RisksThis report will cover topics on nuclear war. The following topics will be discussed in this topic: creation/testing of nuclear weapons, locations where bombs have been used, human and ecological risks, and environmental risks that arise from and after nuclear war. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Creation/Testing In 1938 it was thought possible to make the first atomic explosive because three men named Fritz Strassman, Otto Hahn, and Lise Meitner discovered nuclear fission in a laboratory in Berlin, Germany. Plutonium-239 and uranium-235 are the most commonly used radioactive materials in nuclear weapons. The reason they are used more commonly is that they are more stable, which allows for easier transportation. The first nuclear bomb tests began in Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The first nuclear bomb was tested and dropped in the desert creating a mushroom cloud approximately 40,000 feet high. This is what started the nuclear age. There are two ways for nuclear detonation to occur. The first way is nuclear fission when an atom splits into two or more nuclei. Nuclear fusion, however, is exactly the opposite and combines two atomic nuclei which then release a large amount of energy causing the explosion. Use of nuclear weapons On August 6, 1945 the US Army carried out a mission to drop the first nuclear weapon ever used in the war. The name of the bomb was “The Little Boy” and it was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. The explosion was estimated to be 13,000 kilotons of force, leveled the city in a five-mile radius, and was estimated to instantly kill about 80,000 people. Many after the explosion later died from nuclear exposure. After the first bomb was dropped, the Japanese showed no sign of surrender, even though they had lost many lives and the Nazi Party had already lost the war. The American plan was to drop another bomb on the city of Nagasaki. They initially did not intend to drop the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, but instead the pilots wanted to bomb the city of Kokura where the Japanese had some of the largest munitions facilities. But due to some recent bombing on the city, they headed to Nagasaki as their secondary. The bomb's name was "The Fat Man" by the time the bomb made contact with the ground, an estimated 40,000 people had died. Human and Ecological Risks After the explosion occurs, the cloud or mushroom resulting from the detonation of a nuclear bomb absorbs most of the radioactive material in the atmosphere. When the material eventually flows back down it becomes very harmful to humans. Small surface materials, pebbles, rocks and the material used to build the bomb will also be released into the atmosphere. Larger materials such as pebbles, rocks and the material used to create the bomb will come back down in a few hours, while dirt, dust or ash will remain in the atmosphere for a few days. While high in the atmosphere, most of it becomes incorporated into raindrops which then fall back to earth. When it mixes with water and rains in a lake or city, animals and people will be able to drink it, which will cause the water to become contaminated and undrinkable. Birth defects and cancer will also play another role in this for humans and animals. Congenital defects can play an important role, for animals may see the deformed child as dead weight and leave him behind. Cancer can also become another big problem as many people drink.