num_pages: 288
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.Dthe doctor to whom concerned governments turned in the wake of the Chernobyl and Fukushima disastersin 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 anxietynuclear energy and nuclear weapons uranium plutonium iodine-131 mammogram X-ray CT scan threats to the food chainthe 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.
language: English
title: Radiation: What It Is, What You Need to Know
publisher: Knopf