Editorial 1: When a nuclear site is attacked
Context
The United States launched strikes on Iran’s key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz, all critical sites involved in enriching uranium to potentially weapons-grade levels for nuclear bomb development.
The process
- Enrichment is the process of increasing the concentration of Uranium-235 (U235) in a sample of natural uranium which is primarily — more than 99 per cent — Uranium-238 (U238).
- It is only U-235 that is fissile, meaning its nucleus is susceptible to being broken (fissionable) through a process that produces energy, and is capable of sustaining a chain reaction.
- An enrichment of 3-5 per cent is adequate for producing electricity in nuclear power stations, but for making nuclear weapons, HEU, which has concentrations of 90 per cent or more of U235, is required.
- The attacks have led to fears of a major nuclear disaster, in the form of nuclear explosion, or at least largescale nuclear radiation leaks.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported no rise in off-site radiation after the attacks, and Iran confirmed no public health risk.
How nuclear weapons are different from other bombs
- Traditional bombs use chemical explosives designed to detonate on impact but can also explode due to heat, friction, or mishandling. Stored explosives pose a risk of unintended blasts if struck by other weapons.
- Nuclear weapons, or nuclear material, do not behave like that. A nuclear bomb causes damage not by exploding the way traditional bombs do, but by releasing very high amounts of energy in a very short span of time. This large amount of energy sets off a series of processes that cause widespread damage.
- Nuclear weapons are designed to detonate mid-air, not on impact like traditional explosives.
- They release a massive amount of energy in a few milliseconds, which heats up the surrounding air to millions of degrees Celsius, leading to the formation of what are known as blast waves, an expanding bubble of extremely hot air. Most of the damage is caused by these blast waves.
- A nuclear explosion also releases electromagnetic radiations of different kinds, and these also cause a lot of destruction.
- The initiation of the chain reaction requires a very precise set of processes to be followed and very precise conditions. These precise conditions cannot be met accidentally, or when the fissile material is under some kind of stress, like when it is struck by a missile or a bomb.
But what about radiation leak
- This is a more realistic threat. There are risks of both chemical and radiological leaks.
- Nuclear facilities, by their very nature, store a lot of radioactive substances, particularly uranium in different forms, including in gaseous state like uranium hexafluoride (UF6), and dust.
- Radioactive substances are unstable and release radiation over time. Some of these radiations, like gamma rays, are extremely harmful. They can penetrate the skin, damage cells and DNA, and can cause cancer.
- Radioactive materials in nuclear facilities are stored in secure containers, with systems designed to prevent leaks into the environment.
- Attacks, like those by the U.S. or Israel, can damage these safety mechanisms, risking leaks similar to past disasters at Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011).
- More recently, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant—Europe’s largest—has faced repeated attacks during the Russia-Ukraine conflict but remains operational.
Conclusion
The IAEA confirmed no rise in radiation levels near Iran's targeted sites and will continue to assess the situation as more information emerges.