Publisher Description
The essential guide to radiation: the good, the bad, and the utterly fascinating, explained with unprecedented clarity. Earth, born in a nuclear explosion, is a radioactive planet; without radiation, life would not exist. And while radiation can be dangerous, it is also deeply misunderstood and often mistakenly feared. Now Robert Peter Gale, M.D,—the doctor to whom concerned governments turned in the wake of the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters—in collaboration with medical writer Eric Lax draws on an exceptional depth of knowledge to correct myths and establish facts. Exploring what have become trigger words for anxiety—nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, uranium, plutonium, iodine-131, mammogram, X-ray, CT scan, threats to the food chain—the authors demystify the science and dangers of radiation, and examine its myriad benefits, from safely sterilizing our food to the relatively low-risk fuel alternative of nuclear energy. This is the book for all readers who have asked themselves questions such as: What kinds of radiation, and what degree of exposure, cause cancer? What aftereffects have nuclear accidents and bombs had? Does radiation increase the likelihood of birth defects? And how does radiation work? Hugely illuminating, Radiation is the definitive road map to our post-Chernobyl, post-Fukushima world. Bonus: Includes a PDF of Illustrations.
Download and start listening now!
"The title sounds kind of alarmist but the insides aren't so bad. It had a lot of food for thought and refreshed my memory about what we learned in school about nuclear energy and radiation in general. It's pretty up to date as well, talking about as recent events as the Fukushima Daikii accident."
—
Sardonyx (5 out of 5 stars)
About the Authors
Robert Peter Gale, a scientist and
physician, is presently visiting professor of haematology at Imperial College,
London. His career has focused on the
biology and therapy of bone marrow and blood cancers, especially leukemias. He
is the author of numerous medical books, and his articles have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington
Post, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal. For the last thirty
years, he has led or been involved in the global medical response to nuclear and
radiation accidents, including those in Fukushima and Chernobyl. He lives in
Los Angeles.
Eric Lax is the author
of Faith, Interrupted; Conversations with Woody Allen; Life and Death on 10 West, a New York Times Notable Book; The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat, a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2004; and
co-author of Bogart, which was nominated
for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
in Biography. His biography Woody Allen
was a New York Times and international bestseller and a Notable Book of the
Year. His writing has appeared in the Atlantic,
Vanity Fair, Esquire, and New York Times
Magazine. An officer of PEN International, he lives with his wife in Los
Angeles.