Carbon M.W. Nuclear Power: Villain or Victim? Our Most Misunderstood Source of Electricity

Pebble Beach Publishers, Madison WI, 1997, 103 pages, ISBN: 0965809609, 9780965809603Making electricity from nuclear energy is a fascinating process. How in the world can we generate electricity to operate a microwave oven from the nuclei of atoms — specks of matter so tiny that 10,000 billion of them would still be invisible? This book is about nuclear power — electricity made from specks of uranium and plutonium.This book's major goal is to present facts about nuclear power and to eliminate as much misunderstanding about it as possible. The book is addressed to adults who have forgotten their high school science courses and to ninth and tenth grade high school students who haven't; brighter students in grades as early as the fourth or fifth will also understand it. Each of you will learn more about the subject than most scientists, engineers, government leaders, and representatives of industry and environmental groups know. The book doesn't provide the intricate details of the design and operation of a nuclear plant because that takes years of study. Nevertheless, it gives "the big picture" on which decisions are made about the use of nuclear energy.Foreword
Why Is Nuclear Power Important?
What Is Nuclear Energy?
What Is a Nuclear Reactor?
What Is a Nuclear Power Plant?
Radiation and Health Effects
Nuclear Power Plant Safety
High-Level Wastes
Diversion of Nuclear Materials
Advanced Reactors
Nuclear Power Costs
The Promises of Nuclear Power
What Can We Do?