03.15.10
Atomic America
After reading A Slow Death: 83 Days of Radiation Sickness, I did what I usually do after reading what I consider to be a good book–check out Amazon to see what other books other people read who also read the same book I did. From that handy service, I came across Atomic America by Todd Tucker.
One thing I like to keep in mind when I read books or articles dealing with controversial topics is what bent does the author have? Many times authors will have a specific agenda, but so long as the information they impart is valid and pertinent, I’m okay with reading their material. I just try to keep in mind that they may have a particular bias. From reading the inside leaf of the dust jacket of Atomic America I found that Todd Tucker served as an officer with the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine force. Since my particular bias has been against using nuclear energy, I thought Tucker’s insight as an officer working in the nuclear field would give me an interesting perspective of the other side. I also felt that since he specifically worked with the military’s nuclear force, he would have a more educated view of nuclear energy.
Tucker’s book did not disappoint. Not only did I learn many things about nuclear energy, particularly some history of how it evolved in the U.S. through the military branches and the public sector, but also learned of the first fatal nuclear reactor incident in American history–the SL-1 explosion in Idaho Falls on January 3, 1961.
Until I read Atomic America, I had never heard of SL-1, nor known of the three men who died from that nuclear accident. Their story, though true and aside from the rumors of two to the men’s uncontrolled passions, is stuff of science fiction novels and movies. To think that the bodies of these three men were so radioactive after the explosion that they had to be buried in lead caskets sounds like a story straight out of a sci-fi movie or a Marvel comic book. The shocking reality is that it was not from a fictional movie, but an event that happened in real life. These men have real graves of which can be visited today. Each cemetery for their grave sites has a special agreement with the military that since there is radioactive remains (parts of the victims’ bodies contaminated with long-life radioactive isotopes) interred at the cemetery, “under no circumstances will the body be moved from this location without prior approval of the Atomic Energy Commission in consultation with this headquarters.” Oh. My. Other parts of their bodies were too radioactive and were thus “severed” and buried separately in a radioactive waste site in Idaho Falls.
It could be easily tempting to run with such a sensational story as the SL-1 explosion, but Tucker did a nice job of retelling the story while at the same time trying to look levelly at the various angles of what was thought to have really happened and also chronicling the history and uses of nuclear energy to help put the SL-1 reactor in historical perspective. Tucker shares the history of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, aka the father of the nuclear Navy, and how Rickover was very instrumental in allowing the public sector in on the uses and development of nuclear power. I appreciate from Tucker’s writing how he respects the hazards of nuclear energy. He does highlight many of it’s positive uses, but also examines the idea that a nuclear power plant can be inherently safe. Tucker quotes Rickover’s testimony before Congress regarding the Three Mile Island investigation wherein he stated:
“Admiral Rickover: I do not believe that nuclear power is worth it, if it creates radiation. Then you might ask me, why do I have nuclear powered ships? That’s a necessary evil. I would sink them all. Have I given you an answer to your question?
“Senator Proxmire: Youve certainly given me a surprising answer. I didn’t expect it and it’s very logical.
“Admiral Rickover: Why wouldn’t you expect it?
“Senator Proxmire: Well, I hadn’t felt that somebody who’s been as close to nuclear power as you have and who’s been so expert in it and advanced it so greatly would point out that, as you say, its destroys life.
“Admiral Rickover: I’m not proud. . .
“Senator Proxmire: Without eliminating it or reducing it many, mnay years ago, we couldn’t have had life on earth. It’s fascinating.
“Admiral Rickover: I’m not proud of the part I’ve played in it. I did it because it was necessary for the safety of this country. That’s why I’m such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war.”
I give Todd Tucker’s Atomic America two thumbs up. Definitely a good read for anyone interested in nuclear issues. I can see how nuclear proponents have used global warming to help them push their agendas, but personally I still think the risk is too high. It’s one thing to pollute the environment, but a totally different level to create wastelands that would remain dangerously radioactive for centuries.
I’ve already checked out Amazon for more related books, and have picked out my next book–The Day We Lost the H Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History by Barbara Moran. Let’s see where that one leads.
Marlakins
