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Publication Laka-library:
Poisoned Power. The Case Against Nuclear Power Plants

Author	J.Gofman, A.R.Tamplin
	-
Date	June 1971
Classification	6.01.4.00/36 (RADIATION - GENERAL)
Remarks	Online at https://ratical.org/radiation/CNR/PP/
Front

 

POISONED POWER

 by 
John W. Gofman and Arthur R. Tamplin 

THE CASE AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

> * In one year's operation, a single nuclear power plant generates as
> much radioactive poison as one-thousand Hiroshima-type atomic bombs! 
> 
> * Insurance companies -- experts on judging risks -- protect themselves
> against anticipated claims from private citizens for nuclear plant
> accidents and radioactive damage by specifically excluding such coverage
> in contracts. 
> 
> * The AEC--designated as the public's "protector"--is charged with
> promoting the nuclear industry. This is an impossible conflict of
> interest. 
> 
> * There is "not a shred of evidence" that AEC radiation standards for
> peaceful use of the atom are truly safe. 
> 
> * Nuclear power is _not_ the sole adequate source of electricity for
> the future. There are efficient alternatives -- cleaner, cheaper, safer
> ones.
> 
> In 1963 the Atomic Energy Commission asked Dr. John Gofman and Dr. Arthur
> Tamplin to undertake a series of long range studies on potential dangers
> that might arise from the "peaceful uses of the atom." Assuming that the
> Atomic Energy Commission seriously wanted to know the truth about the
> safety of nuclear electricity and its generation, the authors attacked
> the problem with gusto. 
> 
> Here's what they learned: 
> 
> * Radiation from rapidly expanding Atomic Energy programs is a far, far
> more serious hazard to human life than anyone had ever conceived it to
> be. 
> 
> * Atomic radiation will result in many times more deaths from cancer
> and leukemia than previously thought possible. The potential damage to
> future generations from genetic damage has been even more grossly
> underestimated.
> 
> But far from having their findings welcomed, Gofman and Tamplin
> experienced a torrent of personal and professional condemnation from the
> nuclear triumvirate--the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the Joint
> Committee on Atomic Energy, and the Electrical Utility Industry. The
> authors attribute this to their announced unshakeable conviction that the
> entire nuclear electricity industry was--and still is--developing under a
> set of totally false illusions of safety and economy. This judgment was
> inimical to the interests of all these groups. 
> 
> _Poisoned Power_ is a starkly realistic book. It is also a hopeful one,
> for the authors firmly believe that citizen action _can_ combat the
> nuclear power group's carefully contrived propaganda campaign. To help
> the citizen to navigate through the murky and controversial areas of
> debate Gofman and Tamplin provide an appendix containing the most
> frequently raised questions on the merits of nuclear power, with clear,
> direct answers. _Poisoned Power_ shows that we can have the electric
> power we need to maintain our high quality of life. And we can do it
> without destroying our environment through the introduction of
> radioactive poisons that will last, essentially, forever. 
> 
> Finally, the authors make a revolutionary proposal--an Adversary System
> of Scientific Inquiry, which will open all new technologies of national
> scope to serious, objective scrutiny by qualified scientists. These men
> would be specifically charged with exploring each proposed development
> with an eye to uncovering possible physical, social or economic hazards.
> These points would then be weighed against any advantages by the
> scientific community and the lay public before further development of the
> technology would be permitted. The authors believe such a system would
> long ago have postponed the proliferation of nuclear power stations to
> allow for detailed investigation into their safety and efficiency
> compared with alternate sources of power.

 

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