Black rain

Subject: History

Context:

Important ruling was given for black rain survivors in Japan

Concept:

• The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and another one on Nagasaki three days later on August 9 as part of second world war.
• Thousands of people died in both cities in due to their exposure to radiation from the blast and also from the black rain that fell in the aftermath of the explosions.
• An estimated 69 per cent of the buildings in Hiroshima were destroyed by the atomic bomb.
• The debris and soot from this, mixed with the radioactive fallout from the bomb, rose high into the atmosphere in the form of a mushroom cloud. This material combined with the vapor in the atmosphere and came down as dark drops of liquid that has been called black rain.
• Black rain is full of highly radioactive material.

Effects:

• A study conducted in the year 1945 itself showed that black rain had come down as far as 29 km away from ground zero.
• The rain contaminated everything it came in contact with, and dead fish were reported floating in water bodies and severely ill cattle were seen lying in the fields.
• Black rain has caused acute radiation symptoms (ARS), nausea and diarrhoea for weeks. Other ARS include fever, sore throat and loss of hair. Over time, many people who were exposed to black rain have developed cancer.