Hi everyone,
I took a back seat in yesterday's heated debate, but wanted to share an article on microwaves. Does anyone else besides me consciously stand as far away from their operating microwaves as humanly possible? Or push 'start' and quickly leave the room? Like cell phones, microwaves are something I've always been wary of but don't know much about. This article skims the surface scientifically (I can tell it's written for a layperson), but it still covers some pertinent concerns. If anyone has any more thorough articles on microwaves, they should post!
From your shy classmate,
Nola Weber
Microwave Dangers: Urban Myth or Frightening Reality?
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Articles for Homework 1 - Radiation in the News
This week's readings are a smattering of news articles about different sources of radiation around us. Some of the questions deal with trying to make sense of the different types of radiation discussed in these articles, and some of the questions deal with your reflections on the articles and the topics they discuss. If you get stuck or have any questions, please email me (or message me through Canvas)!
Articles:
1) New York Times article on granite counter tops
2) Huffington Post article on contaminated fish.
3) Two articles on cell phone radiation:
Chicago Tribune article on recent calls for review of cell phone radiation rules.
PCWorld article on the state of our understanding of cell phone radiation risks.
4) Two articles on airport x-ray body scanners:
Wired article on lingering questions about the safety of the scanners.
Scientific American article on Europe banning x-ray body scanners
5) ABC News article on radioactive polonium in cigarettes.
If you have any trouble accessing these articles, please email me. Technical difficulties are not an excuse for skipping any of them!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Welcome to a new semester of The Unstable Nucleus!
It's Fall again, and time to restart this blog for a new session of The Unstable Nucleus. It's been a big year for nuclear news! Some of the news stories we will be talking about this semester:
1) Iran! This is the nuclear news story that never dies - is Iran on the verge of having nuclear weapons? Or not? How does the recent change in leadership in that country affect the situation? What should the U.S. and the world do (if anything) to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons?
Here's an article from the Washington Post about the current situation.
2) Fukushima! If you thought the nuclear crisis that unfolded after the 2011 Tsunami in Japan was over, think again. The nuclear reactors that experienced meltdowns during that crisis are still in a very dangerous state, and are still leaking radioactive materials. A recent leak of a significant amount of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean caused international concern. Read about it in this CNN article.
3) Nuclear Waste in the U.S.! We've got lots of it, and no real plan for what to do with it. Debates have been re-opened about maybe using a site in Nevada called Yucca Mountain as a long-term storage facility for extremely radioactive nuclear waste. But, the bigger issue is whether the U.S. administration can enact any workable plan for nuclear waste - besides just letting it sit in aging temporary storage locations all around the country. Here's an update on the Yucca Mountain discussion from ABC News, as well as a recent opinion piece on nuclear waste policy from the L.A. Times.
4) Closing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant! This may be a regional news story but it is an interesting situation to consider in this class. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant has caused a lot of controversy in the past. It has had safety problems, and for a while was leaking small amounts of radioactive water into the environment. After fighting for years to keep the plant open, the company that owns it has recently decided to shut it down for economic reasons. What changed? Why is the power plant no longer economically viable? Here's an article about this from USA Today.
Have you seen any other interesting news stories about nuclear weapons, nuclear power, nuclear waste, or radiation? Post them to talk about in class! I look forward to a great semester of discussions about all of these issues and many more.
1) Iran! This is the nuclear news story that never dies - is Iran on the verge of having nuclear weapons? Or not? How does the recent change in leadership in that country affect the situation? What should the U.S. and the world do (if anything) to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons?
Here's an article from the Washington Post about the current situation.
2) Fukushima! If you thought the nuclear crisis that unfolded after the 2011 Tsunami in Japan was over, think again. The nuclear reactors that experienced meltdowns during that crisis are still in a very dangerous state, and are still leaking radioactive materials. A recent leak of a significant amount of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean caused international concern. Read about it in this CNN article.
3) Nuclear Waste in the U.S.! We've got lots of it, and no real plan for what to do with it. Debates have been re-opened about maybe using a site in Nevada called Yucca Mountain as a long-term storage facility for extremely radioactive nuclear waste. But, the bigger issue is whether the U.S. administration can enact any workable plan for nuclear waste - besides just letting it sit in aging temporary storage locations all around the country. Here's an update on the Yucca Mountain discussion from ABC News, as well as a recent opinion piece on nuclear waste policy from the L.A. Times.
4) Closing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant! This may be a regional news story but it is an interesting situation to consider in this class. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant has caused a lot of controversy in the past. It has had safety problems, and for a while was leaking small amounts of radioactive water into the environment. After fighting for years to keep the plant open, the company that owns it has recently decided to shut it down for economic reasons. What changed? Why is the power plant no longer economically viable? Here's an article about this from USA Today.
Have you seen any other interesting news stories about nuclear weapons, nuclear power, nuclear waste, or radiation? Post them to talk about in class! I look forward to a great semester of discussions about all of these issues and many more.
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