A Late Night Safety Test Poem by Brad Evans

(i) Condy's Crystals (Potassium permanganate) was a chemical compound used in my science class for demonstrating convection currents. After a glass beaker was filled with water, a small amount of these crystals was placed into the bottom, heat was then applied using a Bunsen burner to illustrate the way convection worked. If placed directly in the centre of the beaker, often the appearance of the dissolving crystals would resemble a mushroom-shaped cloud.

Following the sabre-rattling of world leaders (and a terrifying nightmare of a nuclear bomb going off) , I wrote this one down. Although it is based on the Chernobyl disaster, I deliberately left out national references as I feel that this is not something that affects one country, but the whole world. The Chernobyl reactor meltdown was an accident that occurred in the Ukraine, yet its effects had repercussions all around the world. In Great Britain, radiation levels affected livestock and, consequently, the food supplies. I wrote this piece partly through my disgust at how world leaders and military leaders can continue to advocate nuclear armaments when, even in peacetime (like with Chernobyl & Fukushima) , nuclear energy cannot be 100% safely managed and is, therefore, a constant danger and threat to our existence.