The health hazards of NOT going nuclear

I am an engineer working with electronics for radiation detectors. I gave a talk at my kids' school for Earth Day a couple of years ago, explaining that despite 40 years of fearmongering by people calling themselves environmentalists, a *rational* environmentalist would have to favor nuclear power as a big part of reducing CO2 emissions. I wish I'd had this book before I prepared that talk. This is a book written by one very p*ssed-off guy. You may or may not agree with the political slant, but the scientific facts are not in doubt. Beckmann shows unequivocally that, considering the entire fuel cycle, nuclear power is safer than all competing forms of large-scale power generation, including hydro, wind, and solar. Not just a little safer, but one or two orders of magnitude. Thousands of people are dead today from industrial accidents or respiratory disease because irrational activism blocked nuclear power 30 years ago. And that's *before* taking CO2 into account at all! If you want to be a thinking man's environmentalist, get this book and read it. Then start talking to your friends. The country and the planet need nuclear power *now*.

Dr. Beckman's energy book is still the most concise comparison of health hazards across multiple electrical generating technologies of which I am aware. He makes clear that no technique for generating electricity is absolutely safe. Each has its risks. However some are much more dangerous to human safety and health than others. His energy book carefully makes comparisons and shows that our failure to use nuclear as the primary heat source for electrical power generation has sentenced many people to premature death. Nuclear power generation using U.S. technology is not only safer in some aspects, but in all significant aspects. In his first chapter he discusses the fear mongering campaign that eventually halted construction of nuclear power reactors in the United States. He examines some of the lies, half-truths, and true statements of the type "I see you have not raped any under-age girls in the last two weeks." As usual fear sells, and journalists who did not wish to investigate the facts contributed heavily to the destruction of the U.S. lead in the use of the safest form of power yet discovered. Dr. Beckman disposes of the canard about the possibility of nuclear power stations exploding as part of his description of how nuclear power is used to generate electricity. We know more about the safety aspects of nuclear energy than any other form of power generation. Dr. Beckman pulls together enough of the fuzzy data available on the other forms to show that they are significantly more dangerous. Since Dr. Beckman's book was published it has been shown that coal plants release enough uranium and thorium in their stack gases and scrubber sludge to power a nuclear power plant larger than the coal powered plant. One of the few significant hazards of nuclear power is the release of radioactivity. Most coal plants release too much radioactivity to operate if they were regulated by the NRC. U.S. background radiation is about 250 millirems per year (some locations in other countries have levels 20 times higher). To this, nuclear power plants add about 0.003 millirems. Living within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant adds about 1/100 as much radiation as 1 old color TV. Grand Central station in NY could not be licensed as a nuclear reactor even without any fuel because its granite blocks emit too much radiation. Dr. Bechman discusses loss of coolant accidents and events leading to a meltdown and shows that even in this type of extreme event, loss of life is unlikely. He shows that loss of life events for nuclear power generation are the result of worst case computer simulations while deaths associated with fossil fuel generation are frequent occurrences. He discusses the many parts of the power generation cycle. For example coal mining kills about 100 times as many miners per unit of power as do fatal accidents in uranium mining. Black Lung disease causes about 50 excess lung cancer deaths for every excess case of lung cancer among uranium m

A thoughtful examination of the energy issue, as well as environmental safety concerns associated with it. Accurate, reliable well researched, I strongly recommend this book for anyone concerned with the future of society or the environment.

Petr Beckmann stands up and answers the anti-nuclear attacks. He is very scientific in his answers. This book was written in a way that those without nuclear scientific know-how could understand. Most enjoyable was the voice and attitude Petr Beckmann used. He was tired of the stupid reasons used against nuclear power, and he explains why these reason were stupid.

In an objective, technically researched book, Dr. Beckman presents a great deal of thought=provoking material that should give us pause to reconsider many of media=promulgated myths of nuclear power generation. In addition, he provides many facts pertaining to so=called "conventional" methods of generating power that will surprise and disturb you. A "must" read for anyone who is the least bit concerned and curious about the subject. This is not a book you read from cover=to=cover==a few pages at a time, anywhere in the book, will always prove worthwhile!