The Thorium Network

5 days ago

Episode 18 — Pass the Salt Dear — How Fission Gets Rock Solid Stability — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 8 Part 2

What’s an MSR? A Molten Salt Reactor of Course! Molten Salt Reactors are superior in many ways to conventional reactors. In a Molten Salt Reactor, the uranium (probably Thorium in the future), is dissolved in a liquid fluoride salt. (Although fluorine gas is corrosive, fluoride salts are not.) …

Unintended Consequences

5 min read

May 5

Episode 17 — All At Sea — The Best Technology and Not Used. Why? Unintended Consequences — Chapter 8, Part 1

Powering Ships and Desalination Cargo ships emit more air pollution than all of the world’s cars, but we don’t power them with emission-free nuclear power because we are worried about nuclear proliferation. …

Diablo Canyon

9 min read

Episode 17 — All At Sea — The Best Technology and Not Used.

Apr 28

Episode 16 — Green is Clean Air and Clean Water for All — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 7, Part 2

The trail of destruction continues from Episode 15. Later in 2010, an Enbridge pipeline ruptured in Michigan, eventually “spilling” more than a million gallons of tar sands crude into the Kalamazoo River. When monitors at the Alberta office reported that the line pressure had fallen to zero, control room staff…

Unintended Consequences

9 min read

Apr 21

Episode 15 — Clean Air and Water? Not with Fossil Fuels Around — Death by Fossil — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 7 Part 1

What’s the Fossil Fuel Record? Millions of Air Pollution Deaths each year Fossil fuel air pollution responsible for more than 8 million people worldwide in 2018. Loretta J. Mickley | Harvard | February 9, 2021 Because the carbon industries are heavily subsidised, one might expect them to have exemplary safety…

Unintended Consequences

7 min read

Apr 14

Episode 14 — What’s up Doc? Tremors from Fukushima — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 6, Part 2

Japan responded [to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake] by closing its nuclear plants — a foolish move that has required the country to spend USD 40 billion per year on liquefied natural gas plus billions more for coal, which has created huge amounts of greenhouse gases. …

Unintended Consequences

10 min read

Apr 7

Episode 13 — What’s so Great about Nuclear Power? — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 6, Part 1

Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima No other technology produces energy as cheaply, safely and continuously on a large scale as nuclear power. …

Unintended Consequences

12 min read

Mar 31

Episode 12 — The Dismay of Radiophobia — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 5, Part 2

Remembering Leslie Corrice’s words from Episode 11, Corrice’s dismay over the results of radiophobia are echoed by many professionals, one being Dr. Antone “Tony” Brooks, who grew up in “fallout-drenched” St. George, Utah, which led him to study radiation at Cornell University. …

George Erickson

8 min read

Episode 12 — The Dismay of Radiophobia — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 5, Part 2

Mar 24

Episode 11 — Peekaboo, Where are you?? Looking for Radiation — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 5, Part 1

The Consequences of Overreaction ALARA = As Low As Reasonably Achievable LNT [Linear No Threshold Theory] was pushed through the U.N. by Russia and China in the 1950’s to stop America’s above-ground weapons testing. It worked, but it also caused a worldwide fear of radiation below levels that are dangerous.. The radiation safety people…

George Erickson

8 min read

Mar 17

Episode 10 — Hormesis: How Radiation is Good for You — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 4, Part 2

Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski, MD PhD, DSc, former Chairman of the United Nationals Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCLEAR): “What is really surprising, however, is that data collected by UNCLEAR and the Forum show 15% to 30% fewer cancer deaths among Chernobyl emergency workers and about 5% lower solid…

George Erickson

7 min read

Episode 10 — Hormesis: How Radiation is Good for You — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 4, Part 2

Mar 8

Episode 9 — Our Natural DNA Repair Capabilities — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 4, Part 1

Near the end of the 20th century, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered that DNA strands can break and repair about 10,000 times per day per cell, (this is not a typo), and that a 100 mSv per year dose increases the number of breaks by only…

George Erickson

4 min read

Episode 9 — Our Natural DNA Repair Capabilities — Unintended Consequences — Chapter 4, Part 1