Why fear radiation?

Radiation existed before life on Earth did. It is largely responsible for genetic mutations, and is thus the reason primitive life became more complex. Although believers in various religious myths (e.g., Christian Fundamentalists) often attack evolution, the ability of organisms to mutate provides the mechanism by which differentiation can occur. We are here due to radiation's mutations and the subsequent evolutionary processes that "built us". Opposition to radiation, despite most of it coming from nature itself, is often of an irrational, religious nature.

Would you ask someone, "Are you for or against fire?" Almost certainly not. Fire is one of our greatest discoveries and since we are intimately familiar with fire, the question is absurd. Our lack of knowledge about radiation and nuclear topics in general cause us to ask the absurd question, "Are you in favor or opposed to nuclear energy (fire!)?" Nuclear energy is not going to go away, and here is the reason:

Nuclear Energy gives over a million times the energy of any other fuel you could
imagine. Nature never gives humans advances that are 1000000 times more. Nuclear
is here to stay, so get used to it and learn it!

Radiation and Cancer

Does radiation cause cancer? Most everyone will say, 'Yes'. The problem, despite such broad agreement, is disagreement on how likely, or how much cancer does a given amount of radiation cause. The only way we have of answering such a question is by statistical studies where counts of cancer are made in selected populations. The problem is, there are numerous factors that influence the development of cancer and numerous different causes. Radiation is only one of those factors. Most ironic is radiation's ability to kill cancer. It does this because it kills fast growing cells more readily than slowly growing (most normal) cells. Cancer is really nothing more than unconstrained, rapid cell growth, thus radiation is one of the most effective means of treating cancer. Since hair, stomach, and red blood cells are also rapidly growing cells, these are also most effected by radiation, and is why very large lethal and near lethal acute doses cause hair loss, vomiting (stomach cells), and anemia (red blood losses).

You have probably heard that old joke, 'There are lies, damn lies, and then there are STATISTICS!', well, that is the joke about radiation; its truth is buried in statistics so even those who specialize in the subject, can not agree. However, an interesting observation is made in Cohen's excellent book {Chapter 5, "How Dangerous is Radiation", "The Nuclear Energy Option: An Alternative for the 90s" by Bernard L. Cohen (1990)}; Americans who live in high radiation areas often live longer and have lower cancer rates than those living in lower radiation zones. This interesting observation does not cause me to think low radiation levels are beneficial, but I do believe it illustrates the "noise" inherent in the statistical data and demonstrates that low levels of radiation are not significant health factors; either good or bad.

Radiation: "I Can't Live Without You, Baby!"

Here's the last joke on this page: the place where you would probably get the least amount of radiation is on a nuclear submarine! (NOTE: You will have to hit "Back" on your browser to return here) The funniest thing is, this is no joke, it is true! This is a fact, as it can be measured and verified. The reason behind this seeming contradiction is that on a nuclear submarine you eliminate most of the radiation by eliminating the rather large dose from soil and space, which exceeds any other source, including human caused sources. The remaining radiation comes mainly from what people are made of (carbon-14, potassium-40, and other trace materials) with a fairly small amount from the onboard nuclear reactor. Another fact is radiation existed long before life did. You might even say that radiation created humans as it may have been the primary cause of the necessary mutations to achieve evolutionary organism change. Of course the creationists will argue this, but they never let truth interfere with their beliefs!

Oh, and I lied above; there is one more joke (funny because it is true too!):

For a detailed information click here.

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