Nuclear Fallout

“Everybody's a mad scientist, and life is their lab. We're all trying to experiment to find a way to live, to solve problems, to fend off madness and chaos.” - David Cronenberg

The definitive guide to surviving nuclear fallout appears to be Nuclear War Survival Skills by Kresson H Kearny. Chapter 1 is devoted to debunking the many myths that there is no chance of survival. Tens of thousands of people did survive the atom bombs dropped in WWII and went on to live "normal" lives with non-mutant children.

Yet if you're not convinced that Nuclear War is survivable (for some), then consider two other scenarios where knowledge of radiation skills could save your life: dirty bombs and nuclear power plants. A dirty bomb uses a normal explosion (like TNT) to spread radioactive dust. The result is radiation poisoning but without the mushroom cloud. It is far easier for terrorist to build a dirty bomb than a nuclear bomb.

Another radiation risk is nuclear power. With the exception of 3-mile island, the US has an excellent safety history for nuclear power. But as plants age and old fuel rods pile up there is a growing possibility of a nuclear accident. Here in NY, a leak was found in the holding pond for old fuel rods at the Indian Point reactors. The authorities claim the radiation leaked into the Hudson River was within safety guidelines (this time).

Bottom Line

Old nuclear fuel is a security and safety risk ignored by many. After much debate the "best" solution found was to bury old fuel rods inside Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Billions of dollars were spent building tunnels but Nevada has never liked the idea of being the dumping site for nuclear trash and has tried many times to kill the project. With the current DC administration, Nevada appears to have succeeded. This means dozens of sites across America will continue to store radioactive rods in places were never meant to be long term. These sites are also at risk for attack by anyone wanting to collect radioactive materials to make a dirty bomb.