CHAPTER FOUR:  HEALTH DAMAGE

*Reprinted with permission from NuclearReader.info

THIS CHAPTER CLARIFIES THAT THERE IS NO SAFE AMOUNT OF RADIATION.  ANY DOSE IS AN OVERDOSE.

In high, short doses like the Hiroshima bomb blast, radiation primarily causes direct damage to the nucleus of cells where the genes that control the functioning of the cell are located.  This high level radiation causes an alteration in the structure of the DNA, the chromosomes that carry the genetic blueprint, resulting in incorrect structure of new cells.  Damaged DNA tends to reproduce new cells very rapidly – becoming what we call cancer. 

In contrast, low doses acting continuously over time produce their damage indirectly through the generation of free radicals that destroy cell-membranes, hundreds to thousands of times more efficiently than might be expected in calculations related to high-dose damage.  So the everyday amount of radiation that is released as part of the normal operation of the world’s 400 nuclear power plants is a very grave concern.  Nuclear power plants must have releases in order to function, and these releases, even though they may be partially filtered, disperse radiation into our air and drinking water, onto farmland and into our food. Continue reading →