Safety from Radiological Hazards

By

Muhammad Yousaf Gabriel

Oqasaorg@gmail.com

It was during the March 1954 test explosion at Bikini Atoll in Pacific Ocean that a really grim fact dawned on the atomic powers to their horror, namely that the atomic bomb was a very treacherous slave. It could also rebound towards its own master who had unleashed it on his foe, and thus bring about the ruin of both, nay even of other neutral peoples all over the globe. It so happened that a Japanese fishing boat with a crew of 23 was lying at a distance of 90 miles from the testing site. The misfortune of this "Fortune Dragon", that was the name of this boat, appeared in the form of a powdry fallout of the explosion and began to settle on it to announce to the world that the thermonuclear bomb constituted a serious radiological hazard for every one who lived on earth. And that it could not be kept secret. The frightened crew of the boat rushed towards Japan, and sailing a distance of 2000 miles in about 13 days reached the port, all sick with radiation. There the Radio-operator died after a few months, but the rest were saved eventually. It was however, proved beyond any doubt that no one should deem himself safe from other radiological hazards of nuclear energy all over the globe. The news about the potential hazards of Radioactive fallout from thermonuclear weapons burst out of deep secrecy.  Twenty three Japanese fishermen announced to the world the first fateful news about the lurking catastrophes that lay in wait for all of us.All the official secrecy proved inept, and the inscruitable providence of God, decided otherwise. And when the secret come out, through unexpected channels, the shock to the world opinion rivalled the blast of the Hydrogen bomb itself.