Duck and Cover! Save Yourselves! Radiation is Everywhere!

Sounds like panic, but in a way it's true. We may not live in any wasteland, but we do get exposed to radiation. It comes from the sky, the ground, brick and granite buildings and each other. In one year, your average non-smoker can expect to receive around 360 millirem of radiation.

Don't worry about it. Since the beginning of time, humanity has always received the same yearly dosage. When you consider that the general public's exposure from nuclear reactors is less than 0.03 millirem per year, the threat posed by your local nuclear power plant suddenly seems to be overshadowed by the radioactive pack of Marlboro's in your pocket. (Smokers get 16,000 millirem per year. Ouch!)

Mike Lopez Man at Large

Myths abound about nuclear energy. There is not enough room to go into a detailed discourse, but perhaps a few FACTS will encourage you do your own research and find the truth for yourself. First of all, nuclear power plants cannot explode like nuclear bombs. They are entirely different animals. Chernobyl was a steam explosion, not a nuclear explosion. Since 1957, the total amount of accumulated spent fuel in the nation is 9000 tons. In stark contrast, each year, one coal plant spits out 750 thousand tons of ash, 7 million tons of carbon dioxide (global warming), 120 thousand tons of sulfur dioxide (acid rain), and 20 thousands tons of nitrogen oxide (smog). Chernobyl happened because the reactor was inherently flawed. A United States or European reactor under the same circumstances would shut down automatically. Have a question about radiation? Ask an expert. Ask a nuclear engineer.

What comes to your mind when you think of a nuclear engineer? Bombs? Very few nuclear engineers avoid being called a "bomb maker" every once in a while. Images of mushroom clouds, Chernobyl and Three Mile Island dance in the heads of little boys and girls. Yes, there are bad parts to nuclear energy. There are also bad parts to biology and chemistry. I guarantee that nuclear engineers did not develop biological and chemical weapons.

Despite the "bomb maker" stereotype, nuclear engineering has a long and distinguished history at the University. They have proven that nuclear energy is not only an incredibly efficient, clean, and safe way to make electricity, but also an incredibly clean and safe way to save lives and advance scientific understanding. Really, it is no lie. They have been doing it for years on North Campus.

This week the 50th anniversary celebration of the Phoenix Memorial Laboratory and Ford Nuclear Reactor will commence. Many good men and women dedicated to the peaceful use of nuclear power will be on hand. Together they will salute the incredible contributions that our nuclear reactor has made to humanity for the past 50 years.

Everyone knows someone whose life has been threatened by cancer. Tragically, some didn't make it. Thankfully, some did. It may be that those who did owe their lives, in part, to Ford Nuclear Reactor. The reactor produces radioactive isotopes used in PET scans, cancer diagnosis and cancer therapy. These isotopes are shipped to 52 hospitals in 24 states and three Canadian provinces.

The Cobalt-60 gamma irradiator at the Ford reactor is used to sterilize food. Gamma radiation doesn't make things radioactive. It only kills microbes and insects that cause food poisoning. The gamma irradiator is also used to sterilize human bone and cartilage. This aids the patient's body in accepting the new bone. Geologists use the Ford reactor to determine the age and material content of artifacts. Car manufacturers use the reactor to see inside an engine while it is running. Ever since coming on line, it has run without a hitch.

A lot of people spread bogus information about nuclear energy. Maybe they have good intentions, but so did the people burning witches in Salem. Do yourself a favor and learn about it before you knock it. Visit the NERS department homepage and click on the Cool Nuclear Facts link, http://www.engin.umich.edu/dept/nuclear. Educate yourself. If you and a group would like to see just how safe and well run the Ford Nuclear Reactor is, call 764-6220 and schedule a time to see it for yourself. Tour guides will be happy to show you around and share facts about nuclear energy.

- Mike Lopez is a graduate student in nuclear engineering. He can be reached via e-mail at manatlarge@umich.edu

10-20-99