From the first second and the distance is zero and even after years. This is what happens to humans when a nuclear explosion occurs.

Highlights: From the first second and the distance is zero and even after years. This is what happens to humans when a nuclear explosion occurs. What should you do? And where are you hiding? How to save yourself if nuclear weapons are used? Is it dangerous to take iodine as a preventive measure against the effects of a nuclear attack? We used multiple sources, including a video entitled "What happens if we bomb a city with nuclear weapons?" produced in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

What happens when a nuclear explosion occurs? And what should you do? And where are you hiding? How to save yourself if nuclear weapons are used? Is it dangerous to take iodine as a preventive measure against the effects of a nuclear attack? The answers are in this report.

We used multiple sources, including a video entitled "What happens if we bomb a city with nuclear weapons?" produced in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell, the US government's Reddy Ready website and the French newspaper Lefigaro.

What happens when a nuclear explosion occurs?

The first stage in a nuclear explosion is in the first second of it

The first stage begins in milliseconds, a ball of plasma hotter than the sun is emitted and grows like a fireball with a diameter of more than two kilometers, and everything that falls within the range of this fireball of humans or buildings evaporates.

A tsunami emerges from bright light, covering the city where the explosion occurred, anyone whose face is facing this bright light will lose sight for several hours.

This bright light produces a heat pulse that contains energy and heat that burns anything within 13 kilometers of the blast site, meaning that anything within a combustible 500 square kilometers will start to burn: plastic, wood, fabric, hair, and leather.

The second stage in nuclear detonation is within a few seconds after it

Most people around the scene of the explosion are lamenting that something is not right, but it is too late, bright light followed by shock waves, heat and radiation from the fireball cause a bubble of very hot and very compressed air, which expands more quickly than the speed of sound causing stronger winds than hurricanes.

Structures located within a kilometer of the fireball (not the center of the explosion) collapse to the ground, only reinforced concrete buildings may partially resist pressure, and in an area of 175 square kilometers houses collapse, detaining hundreds of thousands of people.

A mushroom cloud consisting of the remnants of the fireball, dust and ash rises for kilometers in the sky during the subsequent minutes, putting a dark shadow over the destroyed city, and this leads to violent air movement around the city, destroying many buildings and providing more oxygen for the fires.

21 kilometers from the explosion, people will rush to their windows to watch the mushroom cloud and take pictures, unaware that the shock wave is coming to them to shatter the windows and create pieces of sharp crumbling glass.

The third stage, starting in the coming hours and days

Thousands will die from wounds and burns, thousands will also die under the rubble, hospitals are probably destroyed, and most medical staff have lost their lives.

Depending on the type of weapon and weather, black rain containing ash and radioactive debris may begin to fall on the ruins of the city and cover the rest of the objects and people, and with radiation, each breath carries poison to the lungs of the survivors.

Over the following days, the people who received the most radiation will die.

Phase IV and continues through subsequent weeks, months and years

Over the weeks, months and years that follow, many of those who survived will develop cancers such as leukemia.

In summary, this is what happens about where the nuclear bomb was detonated:

In a radius of one kilometer of a nuclear explosion: everyone will die.
In a radius of 7 kilometers from the nuclear explosion: extensive deaths.
In a radius of 13 kilometers of nuclear explosion: third-degree burns.
In a radius of 21 kilometers from the nuclear explosion: numerous injuries.

How to save yourself if nuclear weapons are used?

Nuclear explosions can cause extensive damage and injuries from explosion, heat and radiation, but you can keep your family safe by knowing what to do and being prepared if it happens, according to the U.S. government's Reddy website.

A nuclear weapon is a device that uses a nuclear reaction to cause an explosion, and nuclear devices range from a small portable device carried by an individual to a weapon carried by a missile, and a nuclear explosion may occur with or without warning for a few minutes.

Nuclear fallout is more dangerous in the first few hours after detonation when it emits the highest levels of radiation.

Nuclear fall is the residual radioactive material that is pushed into the upper atmosphere after a nuclear explosion, so called because it "falls" from the sky after the explosion and shock wave, and this fall includes dust and radioactive ash from the explosion of a nuclear weapon.

It takes time for the precipitation to reach ground level, and it often takes more than 15 minutes for areas outside the areas of direct damage to the explosion, which is enough time to be able to prevent significant radiation exposure by following these simple steps:

First: Move inward

Enter the nearest building to avoid radiation, preferably brick or concrete buildings.
Remove contaminated clothing and wipe or wash unprotected skin if you are outside after the fall arrives, hand sanitizer does not protect against it, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if possible, do not use disinfectant wipes on your skin.
Go downstairs or the middle of the building, stay away from the outer walls and ceiling, and try to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between you and people who are not part of your household.
If possible, wear a mask if you are sheltering in people who are not part of your family, to prevent transmission in the event of an infectious disease, noting that masks should not be worn by children under the age of two and people with difficulty breathing, who cannot remove masks on their own.

Second: Stay indoors

Stay indoors for 24 hours unless local authorities provide other instructions.
Continue to practice social distancing by wearing a mask and by maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet between you and people who are not part of your household.

Third: Follow the latest updates from the authorities

Adjust any available media such as radio for official information, such as when it's safe to go out and where to go.
Mobile phone, text messaging, TV and internet services may be disrupted.

Survival during nuclear explosion

In the event of an imminent attack warning, immediately enter the nearest building and stay away from windows, this will help provide protection from explosion, heat and radiation from the explosion.
If you are outside when an explosion occurs, avoid exploding behind anything, lie on your face to protect exposed skin from heat and flying debris, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if possible, if you are in a car stop safely and leave the car.
After the shock wave has passed, enter the nearest shelter.
Stay tuned for updated instructions from emergency response officials, if evacuation is advised and listen for information about roads, shelters and procedures.
If you have left the place do not come back until local officials tell you that it is safe to do so.

Survival after a nuclear explosion

If you are outside and then enter the shelter, remove the outer layer of contaminated clothing to remove falling and radiation from your body, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if possible.
Shower or wash with soap and water to remove falling from any skin or hair that has not been covered, if you cannot wash or bathe, use a damp cloth to wipe any skin or hair that is not covered, hand sanitizer does not protect against falling, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if possible, do not use disinfectant wipes on your skin.
It is safe to eat or drink packaged food, do not consume food or liquids that were outside exposed as they may be contaminated by falling.

Effects of nuclear weapons on human health

Death.
The bright light from the explosion can cause temporary blindness for less than a minute.
An explosive wave may cause death, injury, and damage to structures several miles from the explosion.
Radiation can damage the cells of the body.
Fires and heat can cause death and burn injuries several miles away.

Is it dangerous to take iodine as a preventive measure against the effects of a nuclear attack?

Fearing that Russia's war on Ukraine would lead to radioactive contamination, many Europeans rushed to buy iodine tablets, but these tablets are really effective in protecting against nuclear radiation? Is it dangerous to our health?

In her article published by the French newspaper "Le Figaro", writer Cecil Tibert said that the conflict in Ukraine raised long-standing concerns about targeting nuclear power plants or Russia's nuclear attack, and this prompted some people to get iodine tablets at all costs, a drug known for its effectiveness in combating the harmful effects of radioactivity.

The newspaper pointed out that the Pharmacists Syndicate has noticed in recent days "a significant increase in requests for iodine tablets from pharmacies," while some doctors stressed that taking iodine as a preventive measure is not only useless, but can be dangerous to health.

Iodine is found naturally in our diet and is used by the thyroid gland in the neck, which makes two types of hormones that play a very important role in various vital functions such as cellular metabolism, body temperature, heart rate control, digestion, sleep, weight and mood.

In the event of an accident at a nuclear facility, radioactive iodine 131, together with cesium-137, was one of the first and main radioactive substances emitted during a nuclear accident, as was the case during the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

Professor Mark Klein, an endocrinologist specializing in Nancy University Hospital, said, "In the long term, there is a high risk of hypothyroidism or inflammation or thyroid cancer after ingestion or inhalation of radioactive iodine," indicating that the risk of thyroid cancer is especially high in children, and much lower in adults.

The author points out that the goal of taking stable iodine tablets "or potassium iodide" (Potassium iodide) is to protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine that spreads in the environment, indicating that in practice the thyroid gland absorbs stable iodine until saturation, as Mark Klein confirms that "if iodine is taken at the right time - that is, in the hours before the passage of the radioactive cloud - it is 98% effective to counter the harmful effects of radioactivity of iodine on the thyroid gland."

A medicine that should not be taken randomly

The author stresses that despite the extreme effectiveness of iodine, it should not be taken randomly because of its undesirable effects, as Professor Klein explains that "one tablet of potassium iodide contains 50 milligrams of iodine, while the daily requirement of iodine for an adult ranges between 100 and 150 micrograms, and since the dose stipulates that an adult should take two tablets at a time if the situation requires it, this means that he should take the equivalent of consuming years of iodine." All at once."

It is possible that some people can tolerate this excess of iodine, but in some cases it can disrupt the activity of the thyroid gland and cause either its insufficiency, hyperactivity or inflammation, according to Klein, "hyperthyroidism is manifested by accelerated heart rate, anger, sleep disturbances, excessive sweating, tremors or even diarrhea," adding that "for a person with cardiovascular disease, hyperthyroidism can cause complications. can lead to death."

Protect the thyroid gland only

Contrary to popular belief, iodine does not provide absolute protection against accidental exposure to radioactivity, with the Nuclear Safety Authority noting, "It is a drug that only protects against thyroid radiation by iodine-131, but it does not protect the rest of the body from other radionuclides that can be released into the environment, such as cesium-134 or cesium-137."

"There are other things to do in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant, and you must take shelter in an airtight building or evacuate residents," the author said, while the author stresses that in the event of a nuclear attack, the protection of the thyroid gland will become a minor problem along with other damage.

And an answer to the question: when should I take iodine? "Stable iodine tablets should be used in the event of an accident, and on instructions from the authorities," the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety website says, adding, "To be effective, iodine should be ideally ingested within a few hours before radioactive particles and gases pass, and if you cannot do so within 6 to 12 hours of the particles passing time."

The author concluded that iodine is not recommended to avoid the effects of a possible nuclear accident.

In the event of a nuclear attack, where do you find shelter to protect you?

Writing in the French website Deavita, writer Paul Manu pointed out that the safest place in times of nuclear disaster is to stay underwater, concluding that submarines in these conditions are an invaluable haven.

There are plenty of shelters on the French coast that the Germans built during World War II to protect against coalition air attacks, and noted that they can be maintained and modernized to protect against the nuclear cloud.

Ancient mines are also a place in these cases that can help survive times of nuclear attacks.