Nuclear Madness: What You Can Do [Paperback]

Helen Caldicott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 1994

"As a physician, I contend that nuclear technology threatens life on our planet with extinction. If present trends continue, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink will soon be contaminated with enough radioactive pollutants to pose a potential health hazard far greater than any plague humanity has ever experienced."--Helen Caldicott

First published in 1978, Helen Caldicott's cri du coeur about the dangers of nuclear power became an instant classic. In the intervening sixteen years much has changed--the Cold War is over, nuclear arms production has decreased, and there has been a marked growth in environmental awareness. But the nuclear genie has not been forced back into the bottle. The disaster at Chernobyl and the "incidents" at other plants around the world have disproven the image of "safe" nuclear power. Nuclear waste dumping has further poisoned our environment, and developing nuclear technology in the Third World poses still further risks.

In this completely revised, updated, and expanded edition, Dr. Caldicott defines for the 1990s the dangers of this madness--including the insidious influence of the nuclear power industry and the American government's complicity in medical "experiments" using nuclear material--and calls on us to accept the moral challenge to fight against it, both for our own sake and for that of future generations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This revised edition of Caldicott's 1978 polemic against nuclear power examines the dangers posed by the nuclear power industries of the 1990s.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Helen Caldicott is an internationally recognized antinuclear activist, cofounder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, and founder of the Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament and the International Physicians to Save the Environment. She lives in Australia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Revised edition (May 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393310116
• ISBN-13: 978-0393310115
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,640,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same pile, November 28, 2007

By 

M. G. Clark "Old atmo guy" (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nuclear Madness: What You Can Do (Paperback)

I once had the opportunity to see Helen speak. It was a lecture at the university of Guelph, some years ago. I thought it strange that she would constantly cite herself often and referred good intelligent questions back to "just read my book". So I did, and was disappointed. While intelligent I feel that she missed some of the larger physical concepts of nuclear power. I skip the physics lecture here but she does have quite a few contradictory points. Granted it was written by an intelligent medical doctor for the public and not by a physicist for graduate physics students. However I fear that she gives an entirely bias view of the subject. She fails to mention other vectors for transport of radioactive material, and entirely blames the nuclear industry. One omission that jumps to mind is the large number of unstable elements trapped inside coal beds, released into our atmosphere by the burning of coal. This one drove me nuts because if we are to rid our atmosphere of these agents then we must switch off coal. Sadly right now the only alternative to major power output is nuclear. Anyways I recommended the read if you want a intro to the debate but please don't take it as the only argument in one of the largest issues to face us and our children. To the students out there this is more nuclear energy 101 then a comprehensive advanced topics class. Much is skimmed over and nothing raised is without debate.

Cheers,

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 20/20 Hindsight, May 12, 2011

By 

Bob Montagne (Montmartre) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nuclear Madness: What You Can Do (Paperback)

In the aftermath of Fukushima Dai-Ichi , Helen Caldicott looks prescient. The naysayers of this book look like fools who rushed to judgment.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars HYSTERIA, May 13, 2010

By 

Severin Olson (Hyattsville, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nuclear Madness: What You Can Do (Paperback)

Fear mongering and hysteria are strong words to use when describing a book, but they accurately apply to Helen Caldicott's 'Nuclear Madness'. She informs us, among other things, that a power plant disaster is imminent, likely to take hundreds, even thousands, of lives. Cities such as Denver may even now need be evacuated due to radioactive contamination. While they have been unable to build any new plants in decades, the powerful nuclear industry 'controls' our lives. Finally, it may be too late for any corrective action. Is there any up side to nuclear power? None of any kind, we hear.

There are several advantages and disadvantages to this kind of energy. It is all worth a healthy debate. Nuclear waste, accidents and contamination are all serious concerns. But it should be clear to everyone that we need all the energy we can get. Solar and wind can only generate a tiny amount. So we would do well to cut out the fear and hysteria.