There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war. And one of the triggers for that war would be a nuclear missile inbound toward the United States.

Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in—where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made. Nuclear War: A Scenario examines the handful of minutes after a nuclear missile launch. It is essential reading, and unlike any other book in its depth and urgency.

In March 2011 the Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) in Japan was hit by an earthquake and subsequent tsunami which resulted in the release of significant amounts of radioactive material. The incident led to the suspension of nuclear programmes by a number of countries. This book provides a definitive account of the accident.

Radioactive waste management and contaminated site clean-up reviews radioactive waste management processes, technologies, and international experiences. Part one explores the fundamentals of radioactive waste including sources, characterisation, and processing strategies. International safety standards, risk assessment of radioactive wastes and remediation of contaminated sites and irradiated nuclear fuel management are also reviewed. Part two highlights the current international situation across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. The experience in Japan, with a specific chapter on Fukushima, is also covered. Finally, part three explores the clean-up of sites contaminated by weapons programmes including the USA and former USSR.
Radioactive waste management and contaminated site clean-up is a comprehensive resource for professionals, researchers, scientists and academics in radioactive waste management, governmental and other regulatory bodies and the nuclear power industry.
Explores the fundamentals of radioactive waste including sources, characterisation, and processing strategiesReviews international safety standards, risk assessment of radioactive wastes and remediation of contaminated sites and irradiated nuclear fuel managementHighlights the current international situation across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America specifically including a chapter on the experience in Fukushima, Japan

This book is the first comprehensive treatment of the major ethical and social issues resulting from the use of ionizing radiation. It covers topics such as nuclear fuel cycles, radioactive waste treatment, nuclear bomb testing, nuclear safety management, stakeholder engagement, cleanup after nuclear accidents, ecological risks from radiation, environmental justice, health and safety for radiation workers, radiation dose standards, the ethics of clinical radiology, and the principles of radiation protection and their ethical underpinnings. With authors ranging from philosophers to radiation protection officials and practitioners, the book spans from theoretical to practical implications of this important area of radiation risk assessment and management.
Covers all the major social and ethical issues in relation to radiation protectionInformation is easily accessible and non-technicalAuthors include leading radiation protection officials as well as specialists who are more independent of the radiation protection system, thus presenting both authoritative and more critical viewsIncludes theoretical perspectives as well as practical experience

Nuclear power has been a contentious issue in Japan since the 1950s, and in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, the conflict has only grown. Government agencies and the nuclear industry continue to push a nuclear agenda, while the mainstream media adheres to the official line that nuclear power is Japan's future. Public debate about nuclear energy is strongly discouraged. Nevertheless, antinuclear activism has swelled into one of the most popular and passionate movements in Japan, leading to a powerful wave of protest music. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Protest Music After Fukushima shows that music played a central role in expressing antinuclear sentiments and mobilizing political resistance in Japan. Combining musical analysis with ethnographic participation, author Noriko Manabe offers an innovative typology of the spaces central to the performance of protest music-cyberspace, demonstrations, festivals, and recordings. She argues that these four spaces encourage different modes of participation and methods of political messaging. The openness, mobile accessibility, and potential anonymity of cyberspace have allowed musicians to directly challenge the ethos of silence that permeated Japanese culture post-Fukushima. Moving from cyberspace to real space, Manabe shows how the performance and reception of music played at public demonstrations are shaped by the urban geographies of Japanese cities. While short on open public space, urban centers in Japan offer protesters a wide range of governmental and commercial spaces in which to demonstrate, with activist musicians tailoring their performances to the particular landscapes and soundscapes of each. Music festivals are a space apart from everyday life, encouraging musicians and audience members to freely engage in political expression through informative and immersive performances. Conversely, Japanese record companies and producers discourage major-label musicians from expressing political views in recordings, forcing antinuclear musicians to express dissent indirectly: through allegories, metaphors, and metonyms. The first book on Japan's antinuclear music, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised provides a compelling new perspective on the role of music in political movements.

This book presents a critical review of designing, siting, constructing and demonstrating the safety and environmental impact of deep repositories for radioactive wastes. It is structured to provide a broad perspective of this multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary topic: providing enough detail for a non-specialist to understand the fundamental principles involved and with extensive references to sources of more detailed information.
Emphasis is very much on "deep" geological disposal - at least some tens of metres below land surface and, in many cases, many hundred of metres deep. Additionally, only radioactive wastes are considered directly - even though such wastes often contain also significant chemotoxic or otherwise hazardous components. Many of the principles involved are generally applicable to other repository options (e.g. near-surface or on-surface disposal) and, indeed, to other types of hazardous waste.
* Presents a current critical review in designing, siting, constructing and demonsrating the safety and environmental impact of deep repositories for radwaste
* Addresses the fundamental principles of radioactive waste with up-to-date examples and real-world case studies
* Written for a multi-disciplinary audience, with an appropriate level of detail to allow a non-specialist to understand

CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY SUNDAY TIMES AND HISTORY TODAY 'Absolutely stunning. . . a formidable achievement. A six-part historical thriller that is essential reading for both our politicians and the ordinary citizen' Kai Bird Best-selling historian Serhii Plokhy returns with an illuminating exploration of the atomic age through the history of six nuclear disasters In 2011, a 43-foot-high tsunami crashed into a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. In the following days, explosions would rip buildings apart, three reactors would go into nuclear meltdown, and the surrounding area would be swamped in radioactive water. It is now considered one of the costliest nuclear disasters ever. But Fukushima was not the first, and it was not the worst. . . In Atoms and Ashes, acclaimed historian Serhii Plokhy tells the tale of the six nuclear disasters that shook the world: Bikini Atoll, Kyshtym, Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. Based on wide-ranging research and witness testimony, Plokhy traces the arc of each crisis, exploring in depth the confused decision-making on the ground and the panicked responses of governments to contain the crises and often cover up the scale of the catastrophe. As the world increasingly looks to renewable and alternative sources of energy, Plokhy lucidly argues that the atomic risk must be understood in explicit terms, but also that these calamities reveal a fundamental truth about our relationship with nuclear technology: that the thirst for power and energy has always trumped safety and the cost for future generations.

Nuclear Corrosion: Research, Progress and Challenges, part of the "Green Book" series of the EFC, builds upon the foundations of the very first book published in this series in 1989 ("Number 1 - Corrosion in the Nuclear Industry"). This newest volume provides an overview on state-of-the-art research in some of the most important areas of nuclear corrosion. Chapters covered include aging phenomena in light water reactors, reprocessing plants, nuclear waste disposal, and supercritical water and liquid metal systems. This book will be a vital resource for both researchers and engineers working within the nuclear field in both academic and industrial environments.

This book on TENR discusses the basic Physics and Chemistry principles of natural radiation. The current knowledge of the biological effects of natural radiation is summarized. A wide variety of topics, from cosmic radiation to atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic radiation is addressed, including radon, thoron, and depleted uranium. Issues like terrorism and geochronology using natural radiation are also examined.

This book presents a compelling account of atomic development over the last century that demonstrates how humans have repeatedly chosen to ignore the associated impacts for the sake of technological, scientific, military, and economic expediency. In 1945, Albert Einstein said, "The release of atomic power has changed everything except our way of thinking ... the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind." This statement seems more valid today than ever. Romancing the Atom: Nuclear Infatuation from the Radium Girls to Fukushima presents compelling moments that clearly depict the folly and shortsightedness of our "atomic mindset" and shed light upon current issues of nuclear power, waste disposal, and weapons development. The book consists of ten nonfiction historical vignettes, including the women radium dial painters of the 1920s, the expulsion of the Bikini Island residents to create a massive "petri dish" for post-World War II bomb and radiation testing, the government-subsidized uranium rush of the 1950s and its effects on Native American communities, and the secret radioactive material development facilities in residential neighborhoods. In addition, the book includes original interviews of prominent historians, writers, and private citizens involved with these poignant stories. More information is available online at www.romancingtheatom.com. Draws from top-secret government and military documents from the history of atomic development, archival documents from the Library of Congress, and letters from Albert Einstein and other prominent scientists during the 1950s and 1960s Presents chronological histories of events such as the displacement and relocation of the Bikini Islanders, uranium mines on Native American lands, and the cleanup of a secret uranium milling facility in a residential neighborhood in Oxford, Ohio Contains various maps including radioactive cleanup sites in the United States and other parts of the world Includes many photographs and illustrations that accompany the text Provides a bibliography containing a significant collection of books, magazine articles, newspaper reports, movies, comics, government documents, and other related archival materials

Emma Watson's Our Shared Shelf book club choice New York Times bestseller 'Fascinating.' Sunday Times 'Thrilling.' Mail on Sunday All they wanted was the chance to shine. Be careful what you wish for... 'The first thing we asked was, "Does this stuff hurt you?" And they said, "No." The company said that it wasn't dangerous, that we didn't need to be afraid.' As the First World War spread across the world, young American women flocked to work in factories, painting clocks, watches and military dials with a special luminous substance made from radium. It was a fun job, lucrative and glamorous - the girls shone brightly in the dark, covered head to toe in dust from the paint. However, as the years passed, the women began to suffer from mysterious and crippling illnesses. It turned out that the very thing that had made them feel alive - their work - was slowly killing them: the radium paint was poisonous. Their employers denied all responsibility, but these courageous women - in the face of unimaginable suffering - refused to accept their fate quietly, and instead became determined to fight for justice. Drawing on previously unpublished diaries, letters and interviews, The Radium Girls is an intimate narrative of an unforgettable true story. It is the powerful tale of a group of ordinary women from the Roaring Twenties, who themselves learned how to roar. Further praise for The Radium Girls 'The importance of the brave and blighted dial-painters cannot be overstated.' Sunday Times 'A perfect blend of the historical, the scientific and the personal.' Bustle 'Thrilling and carefully crafted.' Mail on Sunday

This book discusses multiple aspects of radiological and nuclear terrorism. Do you know what to do if there is a radiological or nuclear emergency in your city? These accidents are not common, but they have happened - and even though we have not seen an attack using these weapons, governments around the world are making plans for how to prevent them - and for how to respond if necessary. Whether you are an emergency responder, a medical caregiver, a public health official - even a member of the public wanting to know how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe - there is a need to understand how these weapons work, how radiation affects our health, how to stop an attack from taking place, how to respond appropriately in the event of an emergency, and much more. Unfortunately, the knowledge that is needed to accomplish all of this is lacking at all levels of society and government. In this book, Dr. Andrew Karam, an internationally respected expert in radiation safety and multiple aspects of radiological and nuclear emergencies, discusses how these weapons work and what they can do, how they can affect our health, how to keep yourself safe, and how to react appropriately whether you are a police officer investigating a suspect radiological weapon, a firefighter responding to a radiological or nuclear attack, a nurse or physician caring for potentially contaminated patients, or a governmental official trying to keep the public safe. To do this, he draws upon his extensive experience in the military, the several years he worked directly with emergency responders, his service on a number of advisory committees, and multiple trips overseas in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident and on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Interpol, and the Health Physics Society.

Over the past several years, the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) has been working on a definition of 'nuclear security culture' so that it can be used as a tool to improve the physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities. A 2001 IAEA report titled "Fundamental Principles of Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials and Nuclear Facilities" identified security culture as one of the twelve principles underlying fissile-material security. In February 2005, at a summit in Bratislava, President Bush and President Putin vowed to step up joint efforts to bolster nuclear security, pairing disciplined, well-trained, responsible custodians and protective forces with well-maintained security systems.In July 2005, a series of amendments to the Physical Protection Convention was approved elevating the status of security culture to that of a treaty obligation. Since that time, IAEA member states worked on a concept, definition and guidelines for developing and implementing a robust security culture at nuclear facilities worldwide. This NATO workshop presents the views of experts with the hope to contribute to the IAEA's work and facilitate nuclear security culture worldwide better. Issues include: universality of nuclear security cultures; nuclear security in a nation's culture; differences and similarities between regions such as US, European Union, Japan, etc.; and the advantages of similarities between the regions.

This book presents a compilation of selected papers from the Fourth International Symposium on Software Reliability, Industrial Safety, Cyber Security and Physical Protection of Nuclear Power Plant, held in August 2019 in Guiyang, China. The purpose of the symposium was to discuss inspection, testing, certification and research concerning the software and hardware of instrument and control (I&C) systems used at nuclear power plants (NPP), such as sensors, actuators and control systems. The event provides a venue for exchange among experts, scholars and nuclear power practitioners, as well as a platform for the combination of teaching and research at universities and enterprises to promote the safe development of nuclear power plants. Readers will find a wealth of valuable insights into achieving safer and more efficient instrumentation and control systems.

Decommissioning nuclear facilities is a relatively new field, which has developed rapidly in the last ten years. It involves materials that may be highly radioactive and therefore require sophisticated methods of containment and remote handling. The wastes arising from decommissioning are hazardous and have to be stored or disposed of safely in order to protect the environment and future generations. Nuclear decommissioning work must be carried out to the highest possible standards to protect workers, the general public and the environment. This book describes the techniques used for dismantling redundant nuclear facilities, the safe storage of radioactive wastes and the restoration of nuclear licensed sites.
* Describes the techniques used for dismantling nuclear facilities, safe storage of radioactive wastes, and the restoration of nuclear licensed facilities.
* Provides the reader with decommissioning experience accumulated over 15 years by UKAEA.
* Contains valuable information to personnel new to decommissioning and waste management.

This book offers extensive and comprehensive knowledge to the researchers and academicians who are working on decontamination of radioactively contaminated areas. Remediation strategies for contaminated sites are provided. Readers who will find this book useful include professionals specializing in radioecology, safe disposal of radioactive waste, as well as decontamination, remediation legacies and impact of radioactive waste material on the environment. The chapters give a broad overview and reviews of a number of original publications on remediation strategies that were explored after the Chernobyl and Fukushima Nuclear Power plant accidents. Useful case studies are provided that explore the latest technological developments and future trends for affected area decontamination.

This book presents the proceedings of SICC 2017, a conference devoted to promoting the dissemination of the different methodologies, techniques, theories, strategies, technologies and best practices on the prevention and mitigation of CBRNE risks. As the first scientific international conference on safety & security issues in the CBRNE field, SICC 2017 attracted contributions resulting from fruitful inter-professional collaborations between university and military experts, specialized operators, decision makers and the industry. As such, these proceedings are primarily intended for academics and professionals from public, private and military entities. It is the first trans-disciplinary collection of scientific papers from the numerous fields related to CBRNE.

This book presents a comprehensive study of the environmental situation prevailing in the areas located near the Koshkar-Ata (Kazakhstan) tailings dump and the development of rehabilitation measures taking into account the area's soil and climatic features. Given their impact on the local population's health, rehabilitation activities and their monitoring are vital for countries where nuclear power technologies are developed and where uranium mining industry wastes exist. Book analyzes the negative influences of the tailings on soil and vegetation cover on near-ground atmospheric layers and groundwater. Based on radiometric, field and laboratory analytical research methods, it presents quantitative information on the levels of pollution of the environment by radionuclides and chemical toxicants, and includes the results of constant monitoring of dust from radioactive and toxic wastes in the area. The book also offers recommendations for technical solutions for reclaiming radioactive tailing ponds, as well as for the development of disposal sites for radioactive waste in the tailing ponds, based on effective rehabilitation technologies developed at two control sites. The study attracted considerable interest from the Republic of Kazakhstan's state authorities and public organizations, and raised awareness of the need for rehabilitation measures at the KOSHKAR-ATA tailing pond. The monograph is intended for specialists in the field of environmental protection and radiation ecology, as well as senior undergraduate and graduate students, doctoral students and young scientists. This publication is recommended by the Academic Council of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

What existential threats does humanity face? And how can we secure our future? 'The Precipice is a powerful book . . . Ord's love for humanity and hope for its future is infectious' Spectator 'Ord's analysis of the science is exemplary . . . Thrillingly written' Sunday Times We live during the most important era of human history. In the twentieth century, we developed the means to destroy ourselves - without developing the moral framework to ensure we won't. This is the Precipice, and how we respond to it will be the most crucial decision of our time. Oxford moral philosopher Toby Ord explores the risks to humanity's future, from the familiar man-made threats of climate change and nuclear war, to the potentially greater, more unfamiliar threats from engineered pandemics and advanced artificial intelligence. With clear and rigorous thinking, Ord calculates the various risk levels, and shows how our own time fits within the larger story of human history. We can say with certainty that the novel coronavirus does not pose such a risk. But could the next pandemic? And what can we do, in our present moment, to face the risks head on? A major work that brings together the disciplines of physics, biology, earth and computer science, history, anthropology, statistics, international relations, political science and moral philosophy, The Precipice is a call for a new understanding of our age: a major reorientation in the way we see the world, our history, and the role we play in it.

In recent years, radioactive contamination in the environment by uranium (U) and its daughters has caused increasing concerns globally. This book provides recent developments and comprehensive knowledge to the researchers and academicians who are working on uranium contaminated areas worldwide. This book covers topics ranging from the beginning of the nuclear age until today, including historical views and epidemiological studies. Modelling practices and evaluation of radiological and chemical impact of uranium on man and the environment are included. Also covered are analytical methods used for the determination of uranium in geo/bio environments. Some chapters explore factors which influence uranium speciation and in consequence plant uptake/translocation. Last but not least, several chapters provide approaches and practices for remediation of uranium contaminated areas.

This textbook provides an introduction to radiation, the principles of interaction between radiation and matter, and the exploitation of those principles in the design of modern radiation detectors. Both radiation and detectors are given equal attention and their interplay is carefully laid out with few assumptions made about the prior knowledge of the student. Part I is dedicated to radiation, broadly interpreted in terms of energy and type, starting with an overview of particles and forces, an extended review of common natural and man-made sources of radiation, and an introduction to particle accelerators. Particular attention is paid to real life examples, which place the types of radiation and their energy in context. Dosimetry is presented from a modern, user-led point of view, and relativistic kinematics is introduced to give the basic knowledge needed to handle the more formal aspects of radiation dynamics and interaction. The explanation of the physics principles of interaction between radiation and matter is given significant space to allow a deeper understanding of the various technologies based on those principles. Following an introduction to the ionisation mechanism, detectors are introduced in Part II, grouped according to the physical principle that underpins their functionality, with chapters covering gaseous detectors, semiconductor detectors, the scintillation process and light detectors. The final two chapters describe the phenomenology of showers and the design of calorimeters, and cover additional phenomena including Cherenkov and transition radiation and the detection of neutrinos. An appendix offers the reader a useful review of statistics and probability distributions. The mathematical formalism is kept to a minimum throughout and simple derivations are presented to guide the reasoning and facilitate understanding of the working principles. The book is unique in its wide scope and introductory level, and is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students in physics and engineering. The reader will acquire an awareness of how radiation and its exploitation are becoming increasingly relevant in the modern world, with over 140 experimental figures, detector schematics and photographs helping to relate the material to a broader research context.

This volume is a collection of the papers presented at the International Seminar on Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems toward Zero Release of Radioactive Wastes, which was held in Japan in November 2000.
Scientists and engineers working in academia, research organizations and industry came together to discuss the role and contributions of nuclear energy to the environmental issues in the new millennium. It provided a forum for open discussions about the pursuit of solutions for the reduction of nuclear wastes based on the accelerator and fusion technologies, in addition to the advanced fission technology to harmonize the nuclear energy systems with the global environment. It also promoted future international collaboration in the following research fields: the role of nuclear energy in the new millennium; waste management; transmutation of minor actinides and fission products; advanced fission systems, accelerator driven systems, fusion systems, nuclear database, and advanced nuclear fuel cycles for transmutation of wastes.

Published originally as a special issue (volume 40/3-4) of the international journal "Progress in Nuclear Energy."

This book provides extensive and comprehensive knowledge to researchers and academics who work on strontium contaminated areas. Topics covered include impact on plants and environment, as well as remediation strategies. This book will inform graduate and undergraduate students who are specializing in radioecology, especially strontium uptake via soil to plants, safe disposal of strontium waste, remediation legacies and impact of strontium waste material on the natural and manmade environment. A broad overview of reviews is provided covering a number of original publications on strontium plant uptake, including case studies that present the latest technological developments and future trends for investigating strontium mobility in soil and treatment of strontium contaminated areas.

This book presents the reader with a story-based narrative of discovery and development of radiation-induced graft polymerization. The report presented here accomplishes this by relating the inspiring account of research and development based on long-term collaboration among a professor, an engineer, and an entrepreneur. Their goal, ultimately successful, was to come up with a method for grafting functional polymer chains onto existing trunk polymers. The desired outcome was to produce feasible forms for practical use as adsorbents such as porous hollow-fiber membranes, porous sheets, nonwoven fabrics, and fibers. Adsorbents that specifically and efficiently bind to target ions and molecules are essential for capturing uranium species in seawater and antibody drugs in biological fluids and for removing metal ions from ultrapure water and radioactive cesium ions from contaminated water. This unique volume, with its clearly written text and many illustrative figures and diagrams, demonstrates the advantages of the high-adsorption capacity and rate and the easy handling of new polymeric adsorbents over conventional adsorbents. The dynamic behavior of graft chains as described here is certain to appeal especially to chemists, physicists, and material scientists as well as to other readers with an interest in this valuable subject.