1) When atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, radiation doses were considerably higher than normal levels. 2) Radiation exposure can cause acute radiation sickness by damaging white blood cells and reducing platelet counts, making victims vulnerable to infection and bleeding. 3) In addition to immediate deaths from burns, many people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki died later from radiation poisoning as radioactive materials released in the explosions gradually caused worsening symptoms and eliminated the body's natural healing abilities.