An account of the crusaders who exposed the state of Washington nuclear weapons facility's role in the radioactive poisoning of thousands discusses the lives of people suffering from sterility and chronic ill-health. 35,000 first printing.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Built in WW II to supply plutonium for the Manhattan Project, the federal nuclear installation in rural Hanford, Wash., is now undergoing a cleanup of more than 440 billion gallons of chemical and radioactive waste that is expected to cost some $1 billion a year for the indefinite future. No less staggering is Pulitzer Prize-winning News day reporter D'Antonio's sobering report on the "four decades of pollution, secrecy and deceit" at the nine-reactor, 570-square-mile site, whose officials allegedly put production needs over the safety of local populations. Focusing on several tireless activists, whistle-blowers and journalists, the author reveals how radiation-related health problems among animals and people prompted disclosures of plant mishaps and safety violations and how Hanford authorities deliberately failed to issue warnings when radioactive releases threatened public safety and the environment. The story has been covered in national media, but D'Antonio puts it into the context of the Cold War and such deceptions as the "missile gap" of the early '60s which defense secretary Robert McNamara later admitted was fabricated. The irony is that the local economy, once robust because of plutonium production, is booming again as the Hanford complex becomes a pioneer in developing the nuclear-waste cleanup technology needed here and in the former Soviet Union.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington helped develop the atomic bomb in the 1940s. For 30 years after its construction, according to D'Antonio, Hanford spewed enough dangerous radiation to cause thyroid diseases, miscarriages, and cancer. D'Antonio relates the sad tale of a government so obsessed with secrecy that it withheld vital information from the people it poisoned. Although the book is well written, the absence of notes or a bibliography is a fatal flaw. Whole conversations are re-created that are said to have taken place years before D'Antonio became aware of the Hanford victims, yet not one source is documented. The outrageous and duplicitous actions of the U.S government regarding Hanford deserve airing and a serious treatment. Unfortunately, this book is not up to providing it.
- Randy Dykhuis, OCLC, Dublin, Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Randy Dykhuis, OCLC, Dublin, Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Besides the influence of family and growing-up experiences in small town New Hampshire I have been most affected by two people I met in college, my wife Toni and my first mentor, writer Donald Murray. Both have encouraged me to express my creativity, connect with others, and find ways to serve. They understood intuitively what I later found expressed so well by Viktor Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning. I've found that if I don't take maysellf too seriously, and add a little silliness, it's a pretty good recipe.
Today I live in Long Island, not far from the sound. I have two grown daughters, Amy and Elizabeth, who have becopme the other great influences on my life.
Today I live in Long Island, not far from the sound. I have two grown daughters, Amy and Elizabeth, who have becopme the other great influences on my life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The truth hurts!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Atomic Harvest: Hanford and the Lethal Toll of America's Nuclear Arsenal (Hardcover)
...My father is a retired nuclear engineer who spent a majority of his career working as a project manager for three of the "area" contractors. My mother was a staunch pro-nuclear advocate who directed a grassroots organization called W.A.V.E.- Washington Voices for Energy. Now they're both voicing concerns over the information that has recently come to light regarding past practices at Hanford. Their concerns are based on solid knowledge and the cause & effect results of nuclear industry practices. Many of these concerns, especially the plight of the downwinders, are addressed in this book. Atomic Harvest is well written, and gives a personal voice to the peole afflicted by the heinous acts perpetrated by the nuclear industry. Some of these people are personal friends of my family. In an age where government conspiracy theories are rampant it's easy to say this book is just another example of history blown out of proportion. It's not, and the truth hurts! I'd like to see D'Antonio write more books. It would be interesting to read his take on the current waste management fiasco in the Tri Cities. I'd also like to read more about the Yucca Mountain situation.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Should Be Required Reading!,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Atomic Harvest: Hanford and the Lethal Toll of America's Nuclear Arsenal (Hardcover)
I feel this book expresses both sides of the issue. However, it's difficult to swallow the side of illness & death... in that there are, "Downwinders" today who are just now realizing their illnesses & losses are due to Hanford & other atomic sites. There is not real justification for the blatant lack of concern for the, "low importance" segment of the nation.
This book should be required reading! It's an excellent place to begin on your awakening about what the, "Manhattan Project" did to all of us & is still doing... as the waste flows into our rivers & winds to this day.
6 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well-written but clearly influenced by paranoia,
By A Customer
This review is from: Atomic Harvest: Hanford and the Lethal Toll of America's Nuclear Arsenal (Hardcover)
D'Antonio is clearly an excellent writer but he relies too much on a prevalent sinister attitude as portrayed to him by a few "legends in their own minds" at the Hanford Reservation. The "whistleblowers" he interviews are clearly so caught up in their own personna that we have to be reminded that these "experts" have no college degrees and are going up against PHD's. Yes it is clear that there were mistakes made in the past before adequate safety measures were observed, but D'Antonio seizes on exploiting what he perceives as secrecy as evil and sinister.
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