Nuclear Power for Beginners [ペーパーバック]

Originally published under the title 'Anti-Nuclear Handbook' by Pantheon Books, this book is set out to raise awareness to the issue of nuclear power as it posed a threat in the eighties (and most likely today as well). While it begins quite simply explaining how nuclear power came about with the advent of Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb in which it was used in WW2, from then on it was harnassed as a tool. It seems to have caused more destruction and problems than the bomb itself has manifested. At this point in the book, it seems to trail into political stances and other world problems. The author Stephen Croall is also the author of 'Ecology for Beginners,' which is evident that the author is somewhat self righteous in his own stance, regardless of his points. The book eventually becomes bogged down with too much information that it transcends comic book beginners status and into intermediary positions. So in essence, it was not an altogether enjoyable read. While I dont know much about nuclear power in general, I would imagine this being an ideal place to begin as I would guess its a thorough and tough subject to ascertain comfortably.

In case you're new to them, the "For Beginners" Documentary Comic Books by Pantheon were what existed before the "For Dummies" and "Complete Idiot" book series came into being. Profusely illustrated (more like a "graphic novel" than a "comic book"), they actually contained pretty reliable---and clearly-presented---information.

This 1983 book (formerly titled the more explicitly political "The Anti-Nuclear Handbook") notes that "(India) only had a small Canadian research reactor, imported for peaceful purposes. For years we'd been assured by the scientists, the military, the industrialists, the politicians, 'Peaceful nuclear power can NOT be used to make nasty nuclear bombs! And that's final!'... But by the end of (1974) more than 150 of those harmless little nuclear power plants were sprouting up around the globe..." (Pg. 19-20)

They add, "The British... had come up with a nuke they called the AGR. It was such a mess that it's no longer mentioned in polite company. The Swiss also had a crack at making one... and wisely stuck it underground... After two years the core blew up and the reactor had to be scrapped. Sweden's first attempt was even more embarrassing... it couldn't be made to work at all! The plant... was refitted to run on oil." (Pg. 31)

They note, "Radioactive radon gas gets into the lungs... so not too many uranium miners collect pensions.... out of a total of 6,000 underground uranium workers, between 600 and 1,100 will die of lung cancer through radiation exposure. There's a simple remedy and the industry has long been aware of it--vigorous ventilation." (Pg. 63)

Ominously, they state, "The history or plutonium management is full of unexplained losses, carelessness and 'fixed books.' Accounting systems for nuclear materials can never be more than 98-99% accurate... and 1% of the annual throughput at a reprocessing plant, for example, is enough for a cartload of bombs." (Pg. 95)

The book's original title was probably more descriptive of its contents; but this is still an engaging introduction to the perils of nuclear power.