As the world stands on the brink of a major conflict, a shocking simulation has revealed what could happen to those within range of a nuclear bomb.
Created by a channel aptly named "Atomic Marvel," the animation depicts the impact of an apocalyptic explosion in five distinct 'zones', each at a certain distance from the site of the explosion.
The video – which has been viewed over 13 million times – shows that even those two miles away are not safe.
For those in zone one – which in the animation represents the outer part of the blast radius between 1.27 km (0.8 miles) and 3.27 km (2 miles) – the main risk is blindness, as the retinas are burned by the intensity of the nuclear light.
This will be followed by a wave of radiation that causes second-degree burns, burning the skin of the figure used in the animation.
Finally, the sound wave from the explosion can cause temporary or permanent deafness to those within this radius.
But those in zone one can be considered lucky.
The fate of those in zone two – within 600 m (2,000 feet) and 1.27 km (0.8 miles) – is even more dire, as the shockwave will immediately knock them to the ground.
They risk serious injuries, including ruptured eardrums due to pressure.
Radiation burns will be more severe – third-degree – covering large parts of the body.
Things get even worse in zone three, located between 350 m (1150 feet) and 600 m (2,000 feet).
So close to the nuclear explosion, people are hit by a shock wave traveling at 800 km/h (500 miles per hour) just a second and a half after the explosion.
This wave throws bodies like rag dolls into the distance, causing catastrophic injuries such as internal hemorrhage and destroyed organs.
The lungs are particularly affected by the pressure wave, which eventually collapses them.
Thermal radiation is even more devastating this close to the explosion, causing fourth-degree burns to most of the body.
Zone four is closer to what the video calls the “fireball” – between 200 m (650 feet) and 350 m (1150 feet).
The macabre animation shows people in the area being instantly burned by the sudden increase in temperature, just moments before their bodies are torn apart by the blast wave.
Those in zone five – which represents ground zero – experience less suffering, as they die instantly.
Anyone closer than 200 m from the center of the explosion is instantly vaporized.
When a nuclear weapon explodes, it creates a sphere of air hotter than the Sun's core itself, reaching 15,000,000°C (59,000,000°F).
Anything within this radius is converted into superheated white plasma – essentially superheated gas.
As one social media user wrote: “This teaches us a bitter lesson: when a nuclear bomb explodes, it is better to be too far away or too close.”
The animation does not capture the true horror that the use of a nuclear weapon would cause today.
First, it takes place in an open field, not in cities where nuclear bombs would most likely fall.
Those in the outer areas will also face hail of glass, concrete and metal fragments from destroyed buildings and collapsed skyscrapers.
Fires will spread throughout the area, meaning survivors will face the risk of burns or asphyxiation from smoke.
Furthermore, the measurements used in the animation to depict the damage are historical.
The figures refer to the blast radius of the "Trinity Test" – the first explosion of a nuclear bomb in New Mexico in 1945, carried out by American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
That bomb had a yield of 18.6 kilotons – a unit of measurement for nuclear weapons, where one kiloton is equal to 1,000 tons of TNT explosives.
Modern nuclear weapons – over 12,000 units that can be launched across continents – are measured in hundreds of kilotons.
This means that the radius of a modern bomb will be much larger and more destructive than what is shown in the animation.
For example, in a dense city like London, a 500kt explosion could kill around 400,000 people instantly. But over 850,000 more could be injured by the blast, the wave and the radiation.
With the health infrastructure in ruins after the explosion, many of the injured would die in the following days.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons says that “not even all the crematorium beds in the world would be enough to treat the survivors of a single bomb in a city.”
The animation only depicts the immediate horror, but not the ones that will haunt the survivors for days and years later.
The radiation left over from a nuclear explosion will poison the air, water, and people for many kilometers away for decades.
Exposure to radiation – which is invisible, odorless and tasteless – damages internal tissues and causes a condition called radiation sickness.
Immediately after the explosion, victims may experience nausea, vomiting, headaches, or diarrhea.
Depending on the level of exposure, a person may recover or go through a period of false hope, followed by rapid deterioration of the condition until organs and cells stop functioning.
These victims usually die within weeks, even with medical treatment, as the body ceases to function or cannot fight off even the simplest infections.
In the long term, radiation and contamination of food and water can increase the risk of developing cancer.
Rising global tensions have revived fears of a nuclear conflict.
Putin's invasion of Ukraine – and British support for it – led Russian state television to openly simulate a nuclear attack on London, declaring that "there will be no survivors."
Just this week, US and Israeli warplanes have attacked nuclear facilities in Iran to stop the development of a nuclear weapon.
Surviving a nuclear explosion depends largely on luck and location at the time of the explosion.
However, the British Government has published guidance for citizens in the event of a "radiation emergency".
The main advice is to get inside a building as soon as possible, because this reduces radiation exposure by 85 percent compared to staying outside.
Staying indoors also reduces the absorption of radioactive materials from the air by 40 percent.
Buildings made of brick, stone, or concrete offer the best protection – but even a simple building is better than being outside.
If you are already inside, stay there.
Authorities warn that citizens may be advised to stay indoors for up to two days – a procedure called “shelter in place” – to minimize the risk from radiation.
Those who were outside and near the emergency site may have contaminated clothing, skin, and hair.
For this reason, they may be advised to self-decontaminate: remove their clothes (which removes 90 percent of the contamination) and wash with water. /GazetaExpress/
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