Nuclear Energy, Radiation and the Environment

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• Professor Wade Allison, Fellow of Keble College and Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford
• Wednesday 17 February 2010, 20:00-21:30
• Castlereagh Room, Fisher Building, St Johns College, Cambridge.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Katie Taylor.

Historically the effects of ionising radiation on life have been seen as exceptionally dangerous and a source of fear. But with modern data and understanding a quite different and more positive picture emerges. This is good news for the environment, especially on account of the need to increase the use of nuclear energy in place of fossil fuels.

Professor Wade Allison promises “the real facts, the real story, the real truth” about ionizing radiation, based on modern scientific evidence and understanding. Controversially, he notes that just the radiation dose experienced by the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused just 0.6% to die of radiation-induced cancer between 1950 and 2000, about 1/20 of the chance of dying of cancer anyway. Further, he points out that the wildlife at Chernobyl today is thriving, despite being radioactive!

If ionising radiation is about 1000 times less hazardous than current safety standards suggest, why are we so worried about it? Come along to this talk to find out!

See http://www.radiationandreason.com for more details

This talk is part of the Cambridge University Student Pugwash Society Talks series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Cambridge University Student Pugwash Society Talks
• Castlereagh Room, Fisher Building, St Johns College, Cambridge
• Humanitas and General Science

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