January 2014

Nuclear Weapons 63 - 1968 U.S. Plan to Nuke North Korea

          The only nuclear bombs have been used during wartime were the two that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in World War II. However, there have been plans by the U.S. and other countries to use nuclear weapons that were not carried out. Few of these plans were widely publicized and are not known by the public because they were classified military secrets. Every now and then, a particular plan surfaces. This blog post is about one such plan.

Radioactive Waste 50 - North Dakota Fracking Sludge

           When we talk about nuclear waste, it is almost always with respect to uranium mining, uranium fuel production, spent nuclear fuel and nuclear laboratories. I have written in the past about the ubiquity of uranium in rocks and soil all over the world. Uranium is forty times more common than silver. It combines with many different minerals in many different forms. We experience "normal background radiation" from the uranium in the ground which varies from place to place.

Radiation and Health - 10 Symptoms of Radiation Poisoning

           I have written several blog posts about the dangers of radiation exposure to human health. Today I thought that I would mention ten symptoms of radiation sickness or "acute radiation syndrome." These symptoms are certainly unpleasant to consider or experience but in our increasingly nuclear world, it is important for the public to be aware of these symptoms. If you have these symptoms, without prompt medical treatment, you will probably die.

Nuclear Weapons 62 - Israel's Secret Nuclear Weapons Program

           Israel is thought to have about eighty nuclear warheads. The exact number is not known  because Israel has never explicitly admitted having nuclear weapons. They even tested a nuclear device about fifty years ago. The other nuclear powers in the world have not been very vocal about the Israeli nuclear program. Israel has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NNPT).

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