Risks and Realities: Understanding Radiation in the World Around You

Overview It is natural and all around us. It comes up from the ground, down through the atmosphere, and even from within our own bodies. It can be man-made too. But it’s nothing new. It’s been present since the birth of the planet. It is radiation, and radiation is, quite simply, part of our lives. […]


Who Oversees Nuclear Power Plants in the United States?

In the United States, more than 100 nuclear reactors supply about 20% of our electricity. Worldwide, more than 400 reactors provide 17% of the world’s electricity. Nuclear power plants produce electricity through a heat-generating process known as “fission,” in which neutrons split uranium atoms to produce large amounts of energy. This process also creates some […]


No Excess Mortality Risk Found in Counties with Nuclear Facilities

A National Cancer Institute (NCI) survey published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, March 20, 1991, showed no general increased risk of death from cancer for people living in 107 U.S. counties containing or closely adjacent to 62 nuclear facilities. The facilities in the survey had all begun operation before 1982.  Included were […]