Why is Chernobyl still radioactive and Hiroshima is not?

The first was that the explosion at Chernobyl happened on the ground, whereas the explosion at Hiroshima happened high in the air above the city, which greatly reduced the radioactive levels. The second difference was the strength of the explosions.

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Is Hiroshima more radioactive than Chernobyl?

Compared with other nuclear events: The Chernobyl explosion put 400 times more radioactive material into the Earth's atmosphere than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; atomic weapons tests con ducted in the 1950s and 1960s all together are esti mated to have put some 100 to 1,000 times more radioactive material into ...

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Is Hiroshima still radioactive today?

The radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki today is on a par with the extremely low levels of background radiation (natural radioactivity) present anywhere on Earth. It has no effect on human bodies.

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Why didn't Chernobyl explode like a nuclear bomb?

The explosion was chemical, driven by gases and steam generated by the core runaway, not by nuclear reactions; no commercial nuclear reactor contains a high enough concentration of U-235 or plutonium to cause a nuclear explosion.

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How long did Hiroshima remain radioactive?

In fact, nearly all the induced radioactivity decayed within a few days of the explosions.

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Why can you live in Hiroshima but not in Chernobyl?

36 related questions found

How long did it take for Hiroshima to become safe again?

The restoration process took approximately two years and the city's population, which had dwindled to about eighty thousand after the bombing, doubled in a short time. Until March 1946 the ruins were cleared, and the buildings that were damaged but still standing underwent controlled demolition.

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How long was Hiroshima unlivable after the bomb?

It was being said, he reported, that Hiroshima might remain uninhabitable for 75 years. Yet within 24 hours, survivors were already returning to the city to search for relatives, friends, and former homes in the rubble. Ms. Kondo's family was among those who would return and rebuild their lives upon the ashes.

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Will Chernobyl ever be habitable again?

While it naturally fades over time, this can sometimes take thousands of years. Scientists have previously said, due to the huge amount of contamination in the Chernobyl area, the exclusion zone will not be habitable for many, many years.

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Is reactor 4 still burning?

Is Chernobyl reactor 4 still burning? Chernobyl reactor 4 is no longer burning. The reactor was originally covered after the disaster, but it resulted in a leak of nuclear waste and needed to be replaced.

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What is the most radioactive place on earth?

1. Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant, Japan is one of the world's most radioactive places. Fukushima is still highly radioactive today.

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How many Hiroshima survivors are still alive?

The Japanese government has recognized about 650,000 people as hibakusha. As of March 31, 2022, 118,935 were still alive, mostly in Japan.

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How many children died in Hiroshima?

2-2-3Children Killed in the Bombing.

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Do animals live near Chernobyl?

Within the Chernobyl disaster region, grizzly bears, wolves, lynx, buffalo, deer, elk, beavers, foxes, beavers, wild boar, raccoons, dogs, and over 200 species of birds have developed their own ecosystem. The uninhabited habitat is home to a variety of frogs, fish, worms, and germs, in addition to the larger species.

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How many Hiroshima bombs equals Chernobyl?

But he added, “Roughly speaking, the Chernobyl accident is estimated to have released an equivalent 30 to 40 times those the Hiroshima or Nagasaki A-bombs released.”

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Was Chernobyl worse than Fukushima?

The accident at Fukushima occurred after a series of tsunami waves struck the facility and disabled systems needed to cool the nuclear fuel. The accident at Chernobyl stemmed from a flawed reactor design and human error. It released about 10 times the radiation that was released after the Fukushima accident.

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What bomb was worse than Hiroshima?

The plutonium-type bomb detonated over Nagasaki actually had a greater explosive power than that used on Hiroshima. The reason for the greater number of casualties in the latter city is to be sought in large part in differences in the physical features of the two cities.

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Is the core at Chernobyl still hot?

The flow hardened and cooled over time into what is now a sand-like solid. It is no longer 'melting', but parts of it are still apparently hot enough for the uranium atoms to fission more than expected, spewing out neutrons that break more uranium atoms apart.

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How long can you stay in Chernobyl without dying?

How long can you stay in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone? There are two exclusion zones in Chernobyl; a 10km inner and 30km outer Exclusion Zone. It is safe to stay in the outer Exclusion Zone overnight.

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Is Chernobyl still leaking radiation?

Although some of the radioactive isotopes released into the atmosphere still linger (such as Strontium-90 and Caesium-137), they are at tolerable exposure levels for limited periods of time.

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Are there still dogs in Chernobyl?

Living among radiation-resistant fauna are thousands of feral dogs, many of whom are descendants of pets left behind in the speedy evacuation of the area so many years ago.

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How long until Chernobyl is livable?

Shrouded in secrecy, the incident was a watershed moment in both the Cold War and the history of nuclear power. More than 30 years on, scientists estimate the zone around the former plant will not be habitable for up to 20,000 years.

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Does anyone live in Chernobyl today?

Before the disaster, Chernobyl was home to about 14,000 people. Although humans are not supposed to live there, some survivors remain in nearby villages.

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How long would it take for the Earth to recover from nuclear war?

This is a true nuclear winter. Nor is it just a short blip. Temperatures still drop below freezing in summer for several years thereafter, and global precipitation falls by half by years three and four. It takes over a decade for anything like climatic normality to return to the planet.

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How did Japan react to Hiroshima?

Despite the horror of Hiroshima, there were many in the Japanese government that disbelieved the United States had the technical ability to develop, yet alone transport and drop, an atomic bomb. The events of August 9 changed all that.

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How long did it take to rebuild Japan after Hiroshima?

The construction took a long time because of the tight budged and the buildings were left unfinished for some time. Four years after the start of construction work, the buildings were completed. The reconstruction process in Japan typically started with a public authority that established the infrastructure.

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