Its safety and its benefits at low levels justify its wider acceptance for improved public health and economic prosperity
Nuclear Radiation – friend or enemy?
Its safety and its benefits at low levels justify its wider acceptance for improved public health and economic prosperity
The health and economic prosperity of the human race depend on applications of science in engineering and medicine, and these have involved the outer (or electronic) part of atoms. Use of the inner (or nuclear) part has raised public and political apprehension when used for energy production but less so when used for human health e.g. following the legacy of Marie Curie. The cause of this concern is historical and cultural with no basis in science. Appreciating this misunderstanding in everyday terms is not difficult, but future prospects for world economic prosperity and a sustainable environment depend critically on overcoming these concerns through explanatory education and improved public trust in science. Only then may the known benefits of nuclear technology (access to power, clean water, food preservation, as well as advances in healthcare) be widely accepted and realised.
(Published May 7,2013)
