Hiroshima Black Rain

• 31 Jul 2020

Why in News

Recently, a district court of Hiroshima (Japan) has recognised 84 survivors of the post-nuclear explosion “black rain” as the atomic bomb survivors enabling them to avail benefits like free medical care.

Key Points

• Nuclear Explosion:
  
  • In 1945, the USA dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6^th and 9^th August respectively, which marked the end of World War II.
    
    • 2020 marks the 75^th anniversary of the incident.
  • The explosion and resultant firestorms are believed to have killed around 80,000 people in Hiroshima and around 40,000 people in Nagasaki.
  • Thousands more died in the following years due to the exposure to radiation from the blast and also from the black rain that fell in the aftermath of the explosions.
• Black Rain:
  
  • The debris and soot from the destroyed buildings in Hiroshima (estimated 69% of the buildings was destroyed) 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 vapour in the atmosphere and came down as dark drops of liquid that have been called black rain.
  • Survivors describe it as consisting of large, greasy drops that are much heavier than normal raindrops.
  • Nagasaki witnessed less black rain despite the fact that the nuclear bomb dropped on it was more powerful than Hiroshima’s.
    
    • It killed fewer people and its effects were confined to a smaller area because of Nagasaki’s geographical position between hills.
    • The blast did not produce firestorms and the material contributing to black rain was less.
• Effects:
  
  • Black rain is full of highly radioactive material and exposure to it can result in serious illnesses.
  • A study conducted in 1945 showed that black rain had come down as far as 29 km away from ground zero.
    
    • In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation.
    • In the case of an explosion above the ground, ground zero is the point on the ground directly below the nuclear detonation and is sometimes called the hypocenter.
  • The rain contaminated everything it came in contact with. Dead fish were reported floating in water bodies and severely ill cattle were seen lying in the fields.
  • Black rain caused Acute Radiation Symptoms (ARS) in many who were exposed to it.
    
    • These symptoms include nausea, diarrhoea, fever, sore throat and loss of hair.
  • Over time, many people who were exposed to black rain have developed cancer as well.
• Addition to Survivors:
  
  • In 1976, Japan used a 1945 study to demarcate the area within which people could claim to have been affected by black rain and be recognised as survivors of the nuclear blast.
  • It allowed people living in the area during the time of the black rain to avail free medical care and other benefits if they showed symptoms related to radiation exposure.
  • However, later studies have shown that black rain could have come down on an area nearly four times the size of the one demarcated by the government.
  • It was also argued that people who moved to the area later, could also be affected by the radioactive contamination caused by the rain.
• Effects of the Ruling:
  
  • The Hiroshima District Court ruling recognises the plaintiffs as Hibakusha (Japanese term for the survivors of the nuclear blasts).
  • It gives hope to many others because the decision may pave the way for the government to reconsider the limits it has set on who can be considered a survivor of the atomic bomb.

Source: IE