Strange Glow

The Story of Radiation

Timothy J. Jorgensen (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

512 Seiten

2016
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-16503-5 (ISBN)

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More than ever before, radiation is a part of our modern daily lives. We own radiation-emitting phones, regularly get diagnostic x-rays, such as mammograms, and submit to full-body security scans at airports. We worry and debate about the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the safety of nuclear power plants. But how much do we really know about radiation? And what are its actual dangers? An accessible blend of narrative history and science, Strange Glow describes mankind's extraordinary, thorny relationship with radiation, including the hard-won lessons of how radiation helps and harms our health. Timothy Jorgensen explores how our knowledge of and experiences with radiation in the last century can lead us to smarter personal decisions about radiation exposures today. Jorgensen introduces key figures in the story of radiation--from Wilhelm Roentgen, the discoverer of x-rays, and pioneering radioactivity researchers Marie and Pierre Curie, to Thomas Edison and the victims of the recent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident.
Tracing the most important events in the evolution of radiation, Jorgensen explains exactly what radiation is, how it produces certain health consequences, and how we can protect ourselves from harm. He also considers a range of practical scenarios such as the risks of radon in our basements, radiation levels in the fish we eat, questions about cell-phone use, and radiation's link to cancer. Jorgensen empowers us to make informed choices while offering a clearer understanding of broader societal issues. Investigating radiation's benefits and risks, Strange Glow takes a remarkable look at how, for better or worse, radiation has transformed our society.

Timothy J. Jorgensen is associate professor of radiation medicine and director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program at Georgetown University. He lives with his family in Rockville, Maryland.

PREFACE ix 1. Nuclear Jaguars 1 PART ONE: RADIATION 101: THE BASICS 2. Now You See It: Radiation Revealed 7 3. Seek and You Shall Find: Radioactivity Everywhere 38 4. Splitting Hairs: Atomic Particles and Nuclear Fission 51 PART TWO: THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF RADIATION 5. Painted into a Corner: Radiation and Occupational Illness 81 6. The Hippocratic Paradox: Radiation Cures Cancer 116 7. Location, Location, Location: Radiation Sickness 141 8. Snow Warning: Radioactive Fallout 164 9. After the Dust Settles: Measuring the Cancer Risk of Radiation 187 10. Breeding Season: Genetic Effects 206 11. Crystal Clear: The Target for Radiation Damage 234 PART THREE: WEIGHING THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF RADIATION 12. Silent Spring: Radon in Homes 275 13. A Tale of Two Cities: Diagnostic Radiography 293 14. Sorry, Wrong Number: Cell Phones 310 15. Hot Tuna: Radioactivity in Food 326 16. Blue Moon: Nuclear Power Plant Accidents 346 17. The Things They Carried: Geopolitical Radiation Threats 374 Epilogue: N-Rays 397 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 407 NOTES AND CITATIONS 411 BIBLIOGRAPHY 453 INDEX 465

Erscheinungsdatum	29.02.2016
Zusatzinfo	25 b/w illus.
Verlagsort	New Jersey
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 235 mm
Gewicht	794 g
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik
	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Genetik / Molekularbiologie
	Naturwissenschaften ► Chemie ► Physikalische Chemie
ISBN-10	0-691-16503-3 / 0691165033
ISBN-13	978-0-691-16503-5 / 9780691165035
Zustand	Neuware