Technology has advanced to such a large extent such that use of nuclear weapons is likely to take place in any war in near future.These nuclear weapons make use of the phenomenon called radioactivity ( radiations ).
Radiation is the energy emitted by the unstable (radio active) elements .When any atom possess high energy, it releases the extra energy in the form of radiations to become stable and this emission is called radio activity.So it clearly indicates that the nuclear weapon can destroy a complete city in a wink.
When the radiation dose of certain element rises in the human body, it gives rise to health abnormalities and severe diseases.
Radiations containing energy damage cells in the human tissues. Even these tiny levels of radiation are more harmful than sunlight Also inhalation of radioactive elements like Radon enhances the risk of lung cancer. Another radioactive element ,Iodine, concentrates in leafy vegetables and milk being absorbed from soil .When it enters the human body, it migrates to the thyroid gland in the neck and become malignant, inducing thyroid cancer. People can not live without their thyroid glands and thyroid replacement hormones are required daily. Similarly, Strontium (90) gets absorbed in the cow and goat milk and get accumulated in the human breast during lactation. Later, it can induce breast cancer, bone cancer and leukemia.
The primary element in the nuclear elements used earlier was Plutonium. It is the most dangerous element known to humans. Even its one-millionth gram can cause cancer. It is stored in the liver and cause liver cancer. If it gets absorbed in the bones, it can induce bone cancer and blood malignancies. Presently it is used as nuclear fuel and around 200 Kg is produced per year in the nuclear reactor. So this clearly indicates that if this much amount is used in any future war, it can destroy almost complete world in one go.
So considering all the facts and statistics available, it can be concluded that the nuclear weapons containing radioactive elements and nuclear fuels used in the power plants need to be handled with utmost care to avoid severe health hazards.
