78 years have passed since the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, and these days the historic event has returned to the headlines with the release of Christopher Nolan's film Oppenheimer, which deals with the life of the father of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer.
While talks continue to sign a renewed nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States and the Russian nuclear threat is reemerging, it seems that concerns about nuclear bombs continue to accompany us in 2023. On the other hand, Dr. Joshua Sokol, a researcher and lecturer at the Lev Academic Center, an expert in nuclear physics and chairman of the Forum of Academics for Nuclear Awareness, argues to Israel Hayom that even if we take the Iranian threat to an extreme scenario in which Iran acquires nuclear weapons and launch capabilities and drops an atomic bomb in central Tel Aviv, contrary to conventional wisdom, this will not turn into doomsday.
The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Photo: AP
"Such an extreme event will undoubtedly have devastating consequences of unprecedented scope, but far from being the end of the state," stresses Dr. Sokol, adding that "such an attack is expected to cause tens of thousands of deaths and extensive destruction, but it is far from a second Holocaust. Israel will not cease to exist as a political entity and the Dan region will not be erased." Dr. Sokol relies on research on the nuclear threat to the State of Israel, and states that such an attack, if it happens, is not as severe and severe as is attributed to it.
Dr. Sokol notes that an analysis of the results of the use of nuclear weapons in Japan at the end of World War II states that most of the people who saw the nuclear fungus with their own eyes survived to tell what happened, while many of them were not hurt at all.
Iranian nuclear facility exposed by hackers
"In Hiroshima, for example, people who were inside a concrete building only 200 meters from the site of the explosion survived. In contrast, most of the people who were outside 2 km away perished. By the end of the 20th century, radiation had caused a deadly cancer in about 600 survivors of the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan, an overmortality rate of only 6%. In addition, to date, no genetic phenomena have been discovered in the descendants of the survivors, contrary to popular belief," he says.
Dr. Sokol adds that anyone found too close to the explosion will be killed, but this is no different from a direct missile strike on the safe room. He offers a number of instructions on behavior that he claims will increase the chances of rescue by a factor of 10 or more in the event of a nuclear attack. "The blast wave will probably be the main cause of impact. As a result, we must fall to the ground with a flash vision."
Greenpeace activists demonstrate against the nuclear program in front of the campus in Tel Aviv on the anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima during World War II (archive), photo: Roni Shaitzer
He said underground shelters were expected to protect those inside as early as 200 meters from Hiroshima's powerful explosion. A standard safe room is expected to stand at a distance of about 500 meters from the explosion and against the thermal radiation generated by the nuclear explosion, a garment or newspaper clipping is enough to protect the skin from burn.
And what about nuclear radiation? "People who have absorbed high doses of radiation do not die immediately," explains Dr. Sokol, "Many of them can be saved by antibiotics and anti-vomiting drugs. Those who develop radiation sickness and survive will have an increased risk of cancer by about 50%. This is a reduction in life expectancy from 81 to 79 years, approximately. The fears of mutations are completely unfounded."
He adds, "Radioactive contamination can result from nuclear fallout if the explosion occurs near the ground. And in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for example, there wasn't. The radiation from the fallout decreases 10-fold after 7 hours and 100-fold after <> days. It is advisable to be in an underground building, and if it is not possible, then in a high-rise building while avoiding the ground floor and roof floor."
Atomic missiles. Nothing to fear?, Photo: GettyImages
Dr. Sokol concludes by saying, "A nuclear bomb is destructive, but like any weapon, its power is limited. Half a kilometer from the site of the explosion, safe rooms will probably also be destroyed; at a distance of a kilometer from the explosion there will be the collapse of modern reinforced concrete structures; 3.4 km away – collapse of stone and concrete structures with a squattered floor; At a distance of up to <> km, severe skin burns are expected; Up to <> kilometers from the site of the explosion, unreinforced windows will be shattered. This is not at all a blow to the entire country, and quantitative assessments show that no large number of atomic bombs dropped on different parts of the country will bring about an end. 'The eternity of Israel will not lie' is not only a belief assertion, but also a scientific conclusion."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us