BOOKS
An Upbeat Look at Radiation Risks Reviewed by William A. Mills
I recall Karl Z. Morgan, in a lecture to the Atomic Energy Commission's radiological physics fellows, making a statement to the effect that "radiation need not be feared but it must be respected." Since the discovery of ionizing radiation in the early 20th century, this basic philosophy has guided the safe handling of radiation and radioactive materials and their application in medicine, production of electric power, and scientific and industrial research. In fact, since the late 1920s, expert bodies, such as the National Council on Radiation Protection & Measurements and the International Commission on Radiological Protection, have provided guidelines to ensure that public health and safety are maintained in the workplace and in the environment. The adherence to this basic philosophy of "respect for radiation" and the implementation of these protection guidelines have resulted in a remarkable record of safety and protection against harm. In their use of radiation to diagnose and treat disease, physicians generally have been cautious; only in a few very early instances was the use of radiation found to be illadvised. For example, the use of xrays to reduce enlarged thymus glands in children proved later to be not only unnecessary but also to have increased the risk of later thyroid cancer. Currently, however, use of ionizing radiation in modern medicine and medical research is performed with due respect for protection of health and safety. Nuclear engineers and health physicists have been extremely diligent in ensuring that radiation protection is of paramount importance in building and operating nuclear facilities such as nuclear power plants and defense facilities. Despite the fear created by some scientists and the enhancement of this fear by some environmental and public health activist groups, re-
Radioactive materials, when handled with respect can enhance significantly the quality of life "Living with Radiation: The Risk, the Promise" by Henry N. Wagner Jr. and Linda E. Ketchum, Johns Hopkins University Press, 701 West 40th St., Baltimore, Md. 21211, 1989, 193 pages, $17.95
spect for radiation not only has resulted in a remarkable record of safety and environmental protection but also has allowed ionizing radiation to contribute to a significant improvement in the quality of life for many people. Unfortunately, the voices of unwarranted fear are louder in reaching an "overly influencing media" and "all-too-ready listener" than are the voices of those who are respectful, but not fearful, of the dangers of radiation. Henry N. Wagner Jr., a prominent Johns Hopkins University physician specializing in nuclear medicine, and science writer Linda E. Ketchum have combined their individual tal-
ents and interests to produce in "Living with Radiation" a nontechnical, but scientifically interesting, book that attempts to address this "radiophobia." The authors describe what is known about the health risk of radiation—correctly separating issues of risk from the political issues of nuclear defense strategies—and look down the road to some of the possible improvements in the quality of life that applications of radiation may offer. Their book begins with a prologue that describes a controversy in Malaysia over the disposal of lowlevel radioactive waste resulting from the extraction of rare-earth metals from monozite sands, the residues from a long history of tin mining. Wagner and Ketchum use the court trial questioning operation of the extraction plant to illustrate that fear of radiation has become so p r e v a l e n t in t h e i n d u s t r i a l i z e d world that it has spread controversy into the developing world as well. One scientist from the U.S. (not in the mainstream thinking of the vast majority of radiobiological experts) testified in opposition to the plant on the basis that current radiation standards are too permissive. This trial in far-away Malaysia is cited as demonstrating a need to "separate real from the perceived risks to individual well-being." The discovery of radiation and radioactivity and the exciting development of nuclear physics are briefly described in the book's opening chapter. How many graduate students have been awarded their doctorate degree and a Nobel Prize in the same year? Marie Curie was. This is followed by an account of t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e atomic bomb, decisions surrounding its use, and the establishment of U.S. and international controls for the new Atomic Age. A chapter on nuclear medicine is especially intriguing in that the authors note that advances in this area have the potential for "testing directly (by positron emisMarch 12, 1990 C&EN
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Books sion tomography) the hypothesis that mental illnesses such as schizo phrenia and depression are related to measurable abnormalities in brain chemistry (and) our understanding of why people act in undesirable ways under certain circumstances/' In an epilogue, Wagner and Ketchum suggest that now that we have the power to destroy ourselves (with nuclear weapons), "perhaps only bi ology can save us" (through nuclear medicine technology). Appropriate to the book's title, the last two chapters, "Living with Un certainty" and "The Search for Truth," capture its essence. In the former, the authors offer their per spective on the major radiation is sues of today, including the efficacy of mammography, the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl accidents, nu clear power plant safety, disposal of radioactive wastes, radon, and food irradiation. The final chapter offers the optimistic view that we can learn to live with life as "a process of continuous change," concluding that education is one way to battle the fear of radiation. "Education of the public must be a goal of the peo ple concerned with extracting the benefits of radiation for humankind while minimizing the risks."
"Living with Radiation" will be enjoyable reading for anyone inter ested in the many issues involving radiation, whether they be profes sionals, decisionmakers, or citizens or whether they are pro or con on a given nuclear issue. The economic and social impacts of neglected fear are too enormous to be left unat tended. As Wagner and Ketchum imply, those who respect radiation have a responsibility to educate against unwarranted fear. The discovery of radioactivity and the production of plutonium in nu clear reactors may have their down sides. But wasn't the picture of Nep tune from the spacecraft Voyager 2 gorgeous and exciting? And imagine what is in store for us six years from now, when Galileo explores the planet Jupiter. Fear of radiation would deny our grandchildren such pleasures. William A. Mills, a senior technical adviser for Oak Ridge Associated Uni versities and to the U.S. government's Committee on Interagency Research & Policy Coordination, has more than 37 years of experience in radiation protec tion, including 30 years' service with the Public Health Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and Nuclear Regula tory Commission. D
Adsorption Equilibrium Data Hand book. Diego P. Valenzuela, Alan L. Myers, xvii + 366 pages. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 07632. 1989. $40.
Alpha Olefins Applications Handbook.George R. Lappin, Joe D. Sauer, editors, χ + 454 pages. Marcel Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $110 U.S. & Canada, $132 export.
Advances in Chromatography. Vol 29: Biotechnical Applications and Meth ods. J. Calvin Giddings, Eli Grushka, Phyllis R. Brown, editors, xix + 267 pages. Marcel Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $125 U.S. & Canada, $150 export.
The Atomic Scientists: A Biographical History. Henry A. Boorse, Lloyd Motz, Jefferson Hane Weaver, vii + 472 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $27.95.
Advances in Chromatography. Vol. 30. Bioprotein Manufacture: A Critical As J. Calvin Giddings, Eli Grushka, Phyl sessment. David H. Sharp. 140 pages. lis R. Brown, xix + 255 pages. Marcel John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., Dekker, 270 Madison Ave., New York, New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $59.95. N.Y. 10016. 1989. $125. Biotransformations in Preparative Or ganic Chemistry: The Use of Isolated Advances in Physical Organic Chemis Enzymes and Whole Cell Systems in try. Vol. 25. D. Bethell, editor, ix + Synthesis. H. G. Davies et al. xii + 474 pages. Academic Press, 1250 Sixth 268 pages. Academic Press, 1250 Sixth Ave., San Digeo, Calif. 92101. 1989. Ave., San Digeo, Calif. 92101. 1989. $60. $39.50. Algorithms for Chemists. Jure Zupan. xv + 290 pages. John Wiley & Sons, Blow Molding Handbook: Technology, Performance, Markets, Economics. 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $87.95. Donald V. Rosato, Dominick V. Rosa32
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to, editors, xxvii + 1010 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $125. Centrifugal Pump Clinic. 2nd Ed. Re vised & Expanded. Igor J. Karassik. xvi + 642 pages. Marcel Dekker, 270 Mad ison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $59.75. Chemical Sensors and Microinstru mentation. ACS Symposium Series 403. Royce W. Murray et al. xii + 410 pages. American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, DC. 20036. 1989. $89.95. The Chemistry of Enones. Parts 1 & 2. Saul Patai, Zvi Rappoport, editors, xvi + 1267 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $315 & $327, respectively. Computational Methods in the Chemi cal Sciences. A. F. Carley, P. H. Mor gan. 337 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $115. Dynamics of Disordered Materials. D. Richter et al. χ + 323 pages. SpringerVerlag New York, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010. 1989. $50.60. Ethylene (Ethene): International Ther modynamic Tables of the Fluid State. Vol. 10. R. T. Jacobsen et al. xxviii + 299 pages. Blackwell Scientific Publi cations Inc., 3 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Mass. 02142. 1988. $65. Expert System Applications in Chemis try. ACS Symposium Series 408. Bruce A. Hohne, Thomas H. Pierce, editors, xi + 257 pages. American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. 1989. $54.95. Fluid Mechanics Through Problems. R. J. Garde, xii + 660 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $44.95. The Fractal Approach to Heteroge neous Chemistry. D. Avnir, editor, xvii + 441 pages. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1989. $109. Housing, Care and Psychological Wellbeing of Captive and Laboratory Pri mates. Evalyn F. Segal, editor, xxxii + 544 pages. Noyes Publications, Mill Rd. at Grand Ave., Park Ridge, N.J. 07656. 1989. $64. Laboratory Manual for General and In organic Chemistry. Z. Vasilyeva, A. Granovskaya, A. Taperova. 301 pages. Imported Publications, 320 West Ohio St., Chicago, 111. 60610. 1989. $14.95. D
