Have We Been Drinking Nuclear-Weapon Cool-aide?

Recently I received one of those interesting emails that get circulated widely. This one had pictures of Hiroshima right after the detonation of Little Boy in 1945 when the city was destroyed and in ruins, and again in 2009, sixty-four years later, when of course Hiroshima had rebuilt into a vibrant, impressive modern city of 1.2M people. Also pictured is the worst possible pictures of modern day Detroit Michigan, featuring run down buildings and slum-like areas. The email is obviously supposed to be tongue-in-cheek and facetious, with the juxtaposition of pictures of the best of Hiroshima and the worst of Detroit, and the question is posed, “Who won the War?”

But the email also asked another question that is worth thinking about: “What happened to the radiation that’s supposed to last for thousands of years?” According to popular conception (and one that I had bought into), nuclear weapons are supposed to leave a wasteland of radiation for thousands of years…but Hiroshima was rebuilt immediately after detonation of Little Boy…and by “immediately” I mean within just a few years, certainly not after waiting thousands of years. The travel website FantasticJapan.com assures us that everything is OK: To quote from the web site:

“Let`s face it, when most people consider staying at hotels in Hiroshima city, whether for tour vacations or private travel the first question they are likely to ask is: “What are the current Hiroshima radiation levels?” Well, rest assured that along with the approximately 1.2 million people that live there, you have nothing to worry about during your activities, travel or stay. ”

So, what gives? If nuclear explosions actually do leave a radioactive wasteland, how do you account for modern day Hiroshima?

I’ve re-created the email below (if there is a way to post the email directly, I haven’t figured it out yet).

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