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Next: What Hazards?

Radiation Hazards

Few issues in our uncomfortably complicated high-tech modern world are so muddled as that of radiation hazards. The confusion stems partly from the emotionally charged politics surrounding any subject associated with the word ``nuclear'' - which in turn is the result of the brutalizing terror of nuclear war that has infected the psyches of several generations of Cold War veterans - and partly from ignorance and misunderstanding of what radiation does and how it can be harmful - which in its own turn is the result of decades of gleeful indulgence in the thrills of grade-B sci-fi horror films. Moreover, most people seem quite content with their fantasies and ``good vs. evil'' decision-making strategies, so don't expect a deeper understanding to enhance your popularity! Nevertheless, knowledge is power and someone has to know what's going on, so it looks like you're it. Let me tell you what I can.1


 

Jess H. Brewer
1999-11-05