Nuclear weapons

 

 

The most terrible and destructive weapons are made from nuclear energy. These are nuclear or atomic bombs. So far, nuclear bombs have only been used a few times but they have caused the deaths and illnesses of hundreds of thousands of people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This woman is suffering from radiation from a nuclear bomb.

During the Second World War, American pilots dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It killed 100,000 people. Another bomb killed 75,000 people in the city of Nagasaki. People in these cities continue to suffer from illnesses caused by the radiation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many leaders have agreed not to use nuclear power to make weapons.

Some people think that nuclear weapons should be destroyed to stop people using them. Others argue that owning nuclear weapons prevents wars, because people will be afraid of the weapons being used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nuclear weapons contain deadly plutonium.

When uranium is used to make nuclear energy, a material called plutonium is produced. This is one of the most toxic substances known to humans. Plutonium has been used to make nuclear weapons and can destroy a population within minutes.