Nuclear Power - Tapa dura

Each title in this series focuses on an important contemporary issue that is arousing widespread debate. Key aspects are selected for discussion and analysis, in an attempt to raise levels of awareness and to provoke independent thought and opinion on some of the most challenging issues of our time. The series is intended to provide background reading for GCSE studies and Standard Grade in Scotland. This title provides information for discussion on the nuclear debate, introducing the history and operation of nuclear power. The scientific aspects of nuclear energy are illustrated with colour diagrams and the author raises issues such as the twin phenomena of nuclear fuel and the nuclear bomb, the health risks from radiation and the frightening legacy of dumped radioactive waste. The explosion of Chernobyl in 1986 is used to illustrate the human error factor involved in nuclear power. Pressure groups worldwide, such as Greenpeace as well as those agencies who promote the benefits of nuclear power are also discussed.