In February 1896, Henri Becquerel working in a lab in France made a consequential discovery – it was radioactivity – an unknown (up until that time) physical event taking place in nature. The term radioactivity was actually coined by Marie Curie who was able to repeat Becquerel’s findings in her own lab. It was soon determined that certain elements, such as uranium, polonium and thorium, constantly emitted radiation; not just in x-rays which had been discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895, but in other forms that Ernest Rutherford later called alpha, beta and gamma rays. From that time on, countless scientists and doctors from around the world have researched, tested and applied the properties of radiation for various purposes. So we’ve known about radiation for over 125 years. Why then, for the most part, do people still fear it?
Radiation in large doses is definitely something to fear, but that’s true for any toxic substance. Fully understanding this is a way to remove the fear and determine what benefits can be obtained by utilizing elements in a controlled and safe manner. Toxic chemicals, for example, are used in a safe manner on a daily basis despite the fact that large doses can kill. But today every chemical we create and utilize is fully understood before it is used in society. Each is evaluated as to its efficacy and lethalness with each assigned a TLV (threshold limit value) and an IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) concentration that manufacturers use to devise methods in which to prevent these values to ever be reached in day-to-day uses. For over 40 years of my life I worked in an industry that had to understand and utilize radiation for the public good. As many of you know I worked at nuclear power plants (like the Seabrook Station) that used radioactive fuel as a source of energy to create hot water. The hot water releases steam that drives turbines that turns a generator that produces “electricity;” another important discovery (occurring at about the same time that radioactivity was discovered) that powers much of today’s civilization through its use in our homes, factories and now our electric vehicles. Fossil power plants produce electricity in a similar manner except they burn coal, oil, or gas to create the hot water. Unfortunately when you burn fossil fuels they emit greenhouse gases that contribute to the global warming issue. Also unfortunately, because of the fear and rejection of nuclear power by many people, the nuclear power method of helping to solve the global warming problem is not welcomed. To me this is irrational thinking. I guess because I worked around nuclear reactors for so many years, the training and experience I gained allowed me to overcome the cries by anti-nuclear activists that nuclear power was not a safe industry. I tried to counter this perception in a book I published last year called “Happiness is a Cool Reactor” that explains in some depth as to why nuclear power is a safe and vital technology for our wellbeing. In 125 years we should have become accustomed to having a nuclear power plant just down the street, similar to many communities that have chemical plants next door. Honestly, I’d rather have my family live next to the nuclear plant.
