Professor Bill Lee, Director of the Nuclear Futures Institute has published his second article on The Conversation – a network of not-for-profit media outlets publishing news stories and research reports online, with accompanying expert opinion and analysis. The article was co-authored by Gerry Thomas, Chair in Molecular Pathology, Imperial College London.
Bill’s article was titled “We’re all radioactive – so let’s stop being afraid of it“, the article aims to draw attention to the fact that experts in nuclear power and nuclear medicine worry that fears of radiation will keep us relying on fossil fuels for longer.
The article highlights how historically, we have been oblivious to the presence of radioactivity in our environment but our bodies naturally evolved to live with it.
It is also discussed how natural radioactivity was first discovered and understood by scientists in the late 1800s through to the early 1900s – a very recent occurance in the grand scheme of human history.
Bill asserts that we now have the understanding to harness radiation safely and use it to our and our planet’s benefit. By fearing it too much and rejecting nuclear power as a primary energy source, we risk relying on fossil fuels for longer.