Radiation
By Robert Peter Gale and Eric Lax
By Robert Peter Gale and Eric Lax
By Robert Peter Gale and Eric LaxRead by Robert Fass
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Published on Jan 29, 2013 | 288 Pages
Published on Jan 29, 2013 | 288 Pages
The essential guide to radiation: the good, the bad, and the utterly fascinating, explained with unprecedented clarity.
Earth, born in a nuclear explosion, is a radioactive planet; without radiation, life would not exist. And while radiation can be dangerous, it is also deeply misunderstood and often mistakenly feared. Now Robert Peter Gale, M.D,—the doctor to whom concerned governments turned in the wake of the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters—in collaboration with medical writer Eric Lax draws on an exceptional depth of knowledge to correct myths and establish facts.
Exploring what have become trigger words for anxiety—nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, uranium, plutonium, iodine-131, mammogram, X-ray, CT scan, threats to the food chain—the authors demystify the science and dangers of radiation, and examine its myriad benefits, from safely sterilizing our food to the relatively low-risk fuel alternative of nuclear energy. This is the book for all readers who have asked themselves questions such as: What kinds of radiation, and what degree of exposure, cause cancer? What aftereffects have nuclear accidents and bombs had? Does radiation increase the likelihood of birth defects? And how does radiation work?
Hugely illuminating, Radiation is the definitive road map to our post-Chernobyl, post-Fukushima world.
Author
Robert Peter Gale
Dr. Robert Peter Gale was on the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine for twenty years and has served as chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry. He is the author of twenty-two medical books, eight hundred scientific articles, and numerous pieces on medical topics and nuclear energy for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in Los Angeles.
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Eric Lax
Eric Lax’s books include Woody Allen: A Biography, an international best seller and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; Bogart (with A. M. Sperber); and Conversations with Woody Allen. Lax has written for The Atlantic, Esquire, the Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times Magazine. He lives in Los Angeles.
Learn More about Eric Lax