Nuclear Choices for the Twenty-First Century

An authoritative and unbiased guide to nuclear technology and the controversies that surround it.

Are you for nuclear power or against it? What's the basis of your opinion? Did you know a CT scan gives you some 2 millisieverts of radiation? Do you know how much a millisievert is? Does irradiation make foods safer or less safe? What is the point of a bilateral Russia–US nuclear weapons treaty in a multipolar world? These are nuclear questions that call for nuclear choices, and this book equips citizens to make these choices informed ones. It explains, clearly and accessibly, the basics of nuclear technology and describes the controversies surrounding its use.

The book begins with scientific issues, covering the nature of the atom and its nucleus, nuclear radiation, and nuclear energy. It discusses nuclear power, the operation of nuclear power plants, nuclear accidents, nuclear waste, and alternatives to nuclear energy and considers nuclear weapons: strategies for use and non-use, controlling the spread of these weapons to other countries and terrorist groups, and the prevention of nuclear war. Nuclear Choices for the Twenty-First Century offers readers an authoritative and unbiased guide to difficult questions.