Question: If a nuclear reactor exploded with the equivalent of 25 megatons(unrealistic i know) and you were within 5 miles of the blast could you seurvive and how?

Dilwar Hussain answered on 20 Nov 2013:

Hi u12laversb,

That is a very good question. A nuclear reactor will never explode like a nuclear weapon. That’s because a nuclear weapon needs uranium-235 that’s enriched to more than 70% for it to have anything like the devastation of a nuclear bomb. It also works by having the nuclear reaction being uncontrolled. In a nuclear reactor where the nuclear reaction is controlled, the uranium is enriched to only 3.5% which is very small. So if there was an explosion and you were 5 miles away, you would easily survive even if you were 1 mile away. Though I would make a run for it as the radioactive material that’s given off during the explosion can spread in the wind. That’s why nuclear reactors are built in remote locations and far away from areas that are built up with people. Also nuclear reactors are very safe. The last explosion was in 2011 in Fukushima, Japan as a result of the tsunami and earthquake but fortunately no one died from the explosion or radiation exposure.