Abstract
This chapter discusses new information on radiation health hazards and the extent to which this may impinge on possible decisions concerning new nuclear build in the United Kingdom. It presents a challenging, not to say critical, view of radiation risks, based largely on the findings of the 2004 UK Committee Examining the Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters (CERRIE) report (CERRIE, 2004). It focuses on health risks from radiation exposures rather than the risks of low probability, high consequence, accidents at nuclear facilities, although these can have extremely serious effects as occurred at Chernobyl in 1986. The chapter briefly discusses Chernobyl’s effects, the ‘dread’ factor of radiation and the widely polarised views held on radiation risks. These are partly due to official interest in controlling public perceptions on radiation risks, and the public’s apprehension of this.
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© 2007 Ian Fairlie
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Fairlie, I. (2007). New Information on Radiation Health Hazards. In: Elliott, D. (eds) Nuclear or Not?. Energy, Climate and the Environment Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230279346_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230279346_9
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