William D. Budinger, Ray Rothrock, and Paul Bauman
Rethinking nuclear radiation and its dangers is critical if the world is to turn away from hydrocarbon sources of energy.
Many of us are seeing unwelcome spikes in our electric bills. This is due in large part to the fact that the demand for electricity is rapidly increasing and the supply is not. To meet this growing demand, utilities will have to massively increase their supply from all sources, including nuclear power. In fact, many experts believe it will be impossible to meet this demand without many more nuclear plants, both traditional large reactors and smaller modular ones (SMRs). To build these plants at a reasonable cost, we will need to address the public’s fear of nuclear radiation.
Since the dawn of humanity, life has flourished in a sea of natural radiation — from cosmic rays, from rocks beneath our feet, and even from the food we eat. Every human being carries traces of naturally radioactive potassium and carbon. In short, radiation is part of life itself. Yet, for most of the past century, we’ve been taught to fear it.
Is that fear of radiation justified?
For decades, science could not answer that question with confidence. The effects of low doses of radiation were simply too small to measure against normal variations in human health. So, out of an abundance of caution, scientists and regulators had adopted a simple assumption known as the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model. It held that any dose of radiation, no matter how tiny, carries some risk of harm — and that those risks increase with every additional exposure. The LNT has provided the basis and a guiding principle for all uses of radiation. Radioactive material users must reduce radiation to levels known as “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA). Even though the science behind LNT and ALARA is over 90 years old, it is still the operating policy covering all uses of radioactive materials.
That “safety” assumption has had sweeping consequences. For three-quarters of a century, the LNT has governed how radiation is taught, studied, regulated, and feared. It has shaped policies in energy, medicine, and research. One unfortunate result has been to convince the public that all radiation is dangerous and must be avoided at any cost. That fear, amplified by sensational headlines, stories, and speculation, has distorted our understanding of nuclear risks and thwarted the opportunity to produce a huge amount of clean energy from nuclear power.
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