The first nuclear test was carried out by the United States in July 1945, followed by the Soviet Union in 1949, the United Kingdom in 1952, France in 1960 and China in 1964. Production , the testing and use of nuclear weapons can affect the social and natural world in a wide range of ways. “Nuclear weapons pose the greatest environmental danger to the planet from humans, not global warming or ozone depletion.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe ozone layer, which protects the Earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation, would be reduced by 40% over many inhabited areas and up to 70% at the poles, tens of millions of people would die, global temperatures would plummet, and most part of the world would not be able to grow crops for more than five years after a conflict. Nuclear weapons testing, responsible for radioactive contamination of a large number of sites around the world. The amount of radioactivity generated by a nuclear explosion can vary the size of the weapon and the location of the explosion. A ground-level explosion can be expected to generate more dust and other radioactive particulates than an air explosion. This dispersion of radioactive material also depends on weather conditions. The explosive components of nuclear weapons are made of uranium or plutonium, both radioactive elements. Radioactive waste emits ionizing radiation through the process of radioactive decay and is dangerous to the environment and most life forms. At the nuclear level, ionizing radiation can cause induced radioactivity and nuclear transmutation. ionization can lead to the destruction of chemical bonds, and materials contaminated by radioactivity continue to react chemically with other elements after the original ionizing radiation has ceased. Exposure to high levels of radiation can cause acute radiation syndrome, a constellation of health effects defined by cellular degradation and damage to DNA structure. Immediately, radiation exposure causes a collapse of the immune system and can damage the bone marrow and the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The major contributor to the exposure of the world's population [to radiation] came from nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere from 1945 to 1980. Each nuclear test resulted in the uncontrolled release of significant quantities of radioactive substances into the environment materials, which were widely dispersed in the atmosphere and deposited everywhere on the Earth's surface.”