Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation

by Timothy J. Jorgensen

Overview

The fascinating science and history of radiation

More than ever before, radiation is a part of our modern daily lives. We own radiation-emitting phones, regularly get diagnostic x-rays, such as mammograms, and submit to full-body security scans at airports. We worry and debate about the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the safety of nuclear power plants. But how much do we really know about radiation? And what are its actual dangers? An accessible blend of narrative history and science, Strange Glow describes mankind's extraordinary, thorny relationship with radiation, including the hard-won lessons of how radiation helps and harms our health. Timothy Jorgensen explores how our knowledge of and experiences with radiation in the last century can lead us to smarter personal decisions about radiation exposures today.

Jorgensen introduces key figures in the story of radiation—from Wilhelm Roentgen, the discoverer of x-rays, and pioneering radioactivity researchers Marie and Pierre Curie, to Thomas Edison and the victims of the recent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Tracing the most important events in the evolution of radiation, Jorgensen explains exactly what radiation is, how it produces certain health consequences, and how we can protect ourselves from harm. He also considers a range of practical scenarios such as the risks of radon in our basements, radiation levels in the fish we eat, questions about cell-phone use, and radiation's link to cancer. Jorgensen empowers us to make informed choices while offering a clearer understanding of broader societal issues.

Investigating radiation's benefits and risks, Strange Glow takes a remarkable look at how, for better or worse, radiation has transformed our society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691165035
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Timothy J. Jorgensen is associate professor of radiation medicine and director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program at Georgetown University. He lives with his family in Rockville, Maryland.

Table of Contents

PREFACE ix

1. Nuclear Jaguars 1

PART ONE: RADIATION 101: THE BASICS

2. Now You See It: Radiation Revealed 7

3. Seek and You Shall Find: Radioactivity Everywhere 38

4. Splitting Hairs: Atomic Particles and Nuclear Fission 51

PART TWO: THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF RADIATION

5. Painted into a Corner: Radiation and Occupational Illness 81

6. The Hippocratic Paradox: Radiation Cures Cancer 116

7. Location, Location, Location: Radiation Sickness 141

8. Snow Warning: Radioactive Fallout 164

9. After the Dust Settles: Measuring the Cancer Risk of Radiation 187

10. Breeding Season: Genetic Effects 206

11. Crystal Clear: The Target for Radiation Damage 234

PART THREE: WEIGHING THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF RADIATION

12. Silent Spring: Radon in Homes 275

13. A Tale of Two Cities: Diagnostic Radiography 293

14. Sorry, Wrong Number: Cell Phones 310

15. Hot Tuna: Radioactivity in Food 326

16. Blue Moon: Nuclear Power Plant Accidents 346

17. The Things They Carried: Geopolitical Radiation Threats 374

Epilogue: N-Rays 397

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 407

NOTES AND CITATIONS 411

BIBLIOGRAPHY 453

INDEX 465

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The discovery of radiation opened the way to the modern era and created one of humanity's greatest moral challenges. In this lucid book, Timothy Jorgensen explains the mechanics of radiation, tells the stories of those who helped uncover it, and gives us a careful assessment of how it continues to influence people and society."—Tom Zoellner, author of Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World

"A thoroughly readable book about an important subject. The sometimes bizarre, sometimes brilliant story of the discovery of radioactivity and its effects on living things is told in an enlightening and entertaining way. I found it surprisingly reassuring."—Penny Le Couteur, coauthor of Napoleon's Buttons: How Seventeen Molecules Changed History

"Strange Glow is an accessible book that presents a huge amount of information about radiation. It enables readers to make sound judgments about various kinds of radiation exposures, including the risks of living in areas affected by radioactive fallout. Useful to radiation experts and general audiences alike, the knowledge gathered here is enormous and full of insights."—Ohtsura Niwa, Fukushima Medical University

"Through stories and examples, rather than graphs and equations, this lucid book explains the discovery, benefits, and dangers of different forms of radiation, and it examines qualms about nuclear power, cancer treatment, possible radon in the basement, and extensive cell-phone use. Strange Glow is both a fine history and a deft elucidation of risk assessment."—David E. Nye, author of Technology Matters: Questions to Live With

"Jorgensen's history is an engaging and entertaining attempt to make us feel more secure about the sea of radiation in which we live."—Kate Brown, author of Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atom Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters

"This fascinating book is well written, entertaining, and informative. I don't know of another book that takes such a comprehensive look at radiation and it will enjoy a large and diverse readership."—William F. Morgan, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Editorial Reviews

01/25/2016
Jorgensen, a radiation biologist at Georgetown University, walks readers through the history of humanity’s interaction with radiation in order to help them understand and evaluate current risks. As he mixes science, history, and biography, Jorgensen runs through a roster of early radiation-related deaths, including those of Marie Curie, the “radium girls,” and Manhattan Project scientists. He also covers more recent incidents, such as the Fukushima meltdown and other nuclear-related accidents. Jorgensen’s emphasis on health leads him to shine some positive light on human uses of various forms of radiation, including cancer treatments, and the role that radioactivity plays in understanding DNA. He introduces a few basic mathematical formulae, but ably explains concepts and allows lay readers to easily follow along. In the third part of his book, Jorgensen examines some specific threats—radon in homes, cell phones, and nuclear power plants, for example—and assesses their risks. Threats from cell phone usage and tuna irradiated after Fukushima, it turns out, are basically nonexistent, but he is not so sanguine about nuclear power plants or weapon security. This is a solid, accessible work, but perhaps its most beneficial aspect is that Jorgensen equips readers with enough knowledge to make their own risk assessments, whether it is of a potential medical diagnostic test or a particular consumer decision. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Unbiased, comprehensible information on radiation risk is hard to come by. . . .Strange Glow fills this gap."

Science

"Strange Glow is clear, engaging and refreshingly willing to treat the reader as a thinking adult."

Japan Times

"Unbiased, comprehensible information on radiation risk is hard to come by. . . .Strange Glow fills this gap."

Science

"Strange Glow is a fantastic, well-written book about the benefits and risks of radiation. Jorgenson uses common prose so that a wide range of readers can follow the discussions. . . .The book includes extensive, useful, and lucid discussions on medical x-rays and radon gas. Readers also learn the facts regarding the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdowns and the problems they cause. [A] well-researched book."

Choice

03/15/2016
All popular science titles strive to be both absorbing and enlightening, and this offering from Jorgensen (radiation medicine, Georgetown Univ.) is no exception. However, while aiming for narrative, the author often misses the mark and provides too much background. That, combined with his attempts not to overburden readers, leaves one wondering why some facts, such as William Lawrence Bragg (winner of the 1915 Nobel Prize for Physics) having a cuttlefish named after him, are featured, while others, including crediting Rosalind Franklin with the discovery of DNA (rather than James D. Watson and Francis Crick), were not. Compelling extraneous details add to the story, but since this work has the stated purpose of discussing the health risks associated with radiation, the prose could certainly have been shorter. Indeed, the section on current dangers doesn't begin until halfway through the book. It seems that the author expects many readers to skip ahead to this section as several anecdotes from the preceding chapters are repeated. VERDICT Jorgensen's easy-to-follow and enthusiastic style will appeal to readers who are interested in the study of radiation yet have plenty of time on their hands to get to the information they seek.—Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston

Library Journal

★ 2015-12-17
An examination of the nature of radiation and the history of our understanding of the process. In this spirited, thorough investigation into radiation, molecular radiation biologist Jorgensen (Molecular Oncology/Georgetown Univ.), chair of Georgetown's radiation safety committee, delivers narrative science at its best, providing a propulsive story, each piece building on the next in a series of progressive revelations. Though the author is happy to steer readers away from nonessential dark matter—"the physics of wave polarization is quite complex and we don't need to know anything more about it here"—he brings them deep enough into the science to ensure a comfortable grip on what radiation is and how it both helps and harms our health. "This book seeks to both convince people that they can be masters of their own radiation fate," writes the author, "and empower them to make their own well-informed decisions about their personal radiation exposures." Jorgensen accomplishes his goal by running through the human experience with radiation. This tale includes the scientists, of course, some of whom gave their lives to the study, as well as a plenitude of human-interest stories—e.g., the watch-factory workers in the 1920s whose job was "to paint the numbers on watch dials with a fluorescent paint that contained radium," a task that often required them to sharpen the brush points in their mouths, resulting in the ingestion of radium. Throughout the book, Jorgensen keeps the science brisk—"radiation is energy on the move, be it through solid matter or free space"—and to the point: "it is the breaking of biological molecules that results in radiation's adverse biological effects." With a deft touch, the author delves into risks, statistics, and cohort studies ("the gold standard" of scientific studies, as opposed to the less reliable "small case-control studies"), and he displays a soft sense of humor while covering a serious topic. A seismic piece of scientific inquiry, top shelf in narrative style and illumination.

Kirkus Reviews

"Strange Glow is a cracking good read, filled with fascinating stories about the people behind the science."

Literary Review

Winner of the 2017 PROSE Award in History of Science, Medicine & Technology, Association of American Publishers

Winner of the 2017 AIP Science Writing Award for Books, American Institute of Physics

"One of Smithsonian Magazine’s Best Science Books of 2016"

"#6 on The Telegraph’s Top 50 Books of the Year 2016"

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2016

One of Physics World's Top Ten Books of the Year, 2016

Shortlisted for Physics World's Book of the Year 2016

From the Publisher

"Strange Glow isn't about lessening what is largely a sensible fear, but about removing some of the mystery and misunderstanding. . . . This is a long overdue and successful attempt to rationalise an emotional subject by telling its story in very human terms."

Engineering & Technology News

"Informative, fast paced and entertaining. . . . I guarantee you will be engaged and surprised."

Chemistry World

"The only antidote to irrational fear is knowledge, and Strange Glow imparts this in spades."

Independent Whig.

"The only antidote to irrational fear is knowledge, and Strange Glow imparts this in spades."

Independent

"Praise for the previous edition: The book's goal —‘to present the facts about radiation as objectively and even-handedly as possible, leaving you to decide which aspects to fear'— is achieved with authority and style."

The Lancet