|
||||||||||||||
Answer to Question #1996 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Alpha Emitters — Plutonium The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
In 1945 an atomic bomb using plutonium as its source for a chain
reactive explosion was used to destroy the city of Nagasaki in Japan.
Because plutonium was used, and because plutonium has a very long
half-life, is plutonium still present there today and is it still
irradiating and affecting local fauna and local inhabitants?
A
Essentially all of the uranium and plutonium in the Hiroshima and
Nagasaki bombs fissioned, producing radioisotopes with half-lives of a
few seconds to a few years. These have decayed down to near-background
levels. Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki are now thriving cities, rebuilt
and repopulated. I had the privilege of visiting Hiroshima recently and
found it to be a modern, lively city. They have maintained one
bombed-out building, near the hypocenter, and developed a large Peace
Park and museum, all as reminders of the suffering and devastation of
nuclear war.
S. Julian Gibbs, DDS, PhD
Answer posted on 17 May 2002. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.
|
||||||||||||||
| This page last updated 18 December 2009. Ask Question | Search ATE | Site Map | Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Security Notice | Webmaster | ||||||||||||||
