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NUCLEAR WEAPONS: The most dangerous weapons in the
world are nuclear weapons: a threat to all life on earth. These weapons cause a massive explosion through what is called nuclear fission: the splitting of an atom, which creates a sudden, tremendous release of energy. The effects of a nuclear explosion include blast, heat, and radiation, producing destruction on an unimaginable scale. Immense light and thermal heat—comparable to the interior of the sun—cause what is called a firestorm, depleting oxygen from the environment and creating hurricane-like winds that attract debris and feed the storm itself, causing super-infernos. Another effect of a nuclear explosion is radiation. Once released, radioactive elements can hang around for millennia, putting future generations at risk of cancer and genetic mutations. The destructive power of nuclear weapons has been described as “unthinkable”.
AC T ION FOR DIS A RM A MENT: 10 T H INGS YOU C A N DO
BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS: Biological weapons have existed since antiquity: historical accounts from medieval Europe detail the use of infected animal carcasses thrown over besieged cities’ walls and in wells to infect enemy combatants and civilian populations. More recently, in World War I, both sides fired projectiles that released poisonous gases such as mustard gas, which is a mix of carbon, chlorine, hydrogen, and sulfur. Biological and toxin weapons differ from chemical weapons in that biological weapons use bacteria or viruses, or in some cases toxins that come directly from bacteria, to kill people. An example is ebola, a highly contagious bacterial agent which can be disseminated through a variety of delivery systems. Chemical, biological and toxin weapons are so lethal that their development, production, stockpiling and use are prohibited through international treaties. The stockpiling of
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