Re: Dirty Bonbs & Radiophobia

[Tom Mohaupt <tom.mohaupt@WRIGHT.EDU>]

My wife, a sci-fi aficionado, has a book "Atomic Children" that protrays 

a child whose intelligence flies off the charts because his parents died 

in an explosion at the local "radiation plant". The boy finds other 

children who have the same savant trait after their parents suffered the 

same fate. I was caught off guard by the relative positive mutagenic 

effect, lack of information on the radiation plant and how the explosion 

was presented as if it were a non-nuclear disaster, like a grain silo 

explosion. The book was published in 1950, just before all the negative 

mutation story plots. I don't recall the author.

Tom

jjcohen wrote:



>    Lets see --- There was "On The Beach", "Dr. Strangelove","The China

>Syndrome", "Silkwood", etc. etc. detailing the horrors of radiation and

>nuclear energy. I've been trying to think of a movie or anything else in the

>popular media extolling the science that went into understanding radiation

>or the benefits of anything nuclear. So far, I can't think of any! Is there

>any wonder why in the public's mind, there are no  generally recognized

>redeeming virtues of radiation?

>    To educate the public, one must overcome decades of strong antinuclear

>indoctrination. I don't know if it would be possible. In any case, it would

>certainly not be easy.

>

>  

>

>  

>



-- 

Thomas Mohaupt, M.S., CHP

Radiation Safety Officer

Wright State University

937-775-2169

tom.mohaupt@wright.edu







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