Nuclear Power and Health: The Implications for Health of Nuclear Power Production

by World Health Organization, Frank Theakston

Meets the need for an objective assessment of the risks to human health posed by the use of nuclear power to generate electrical energy. Health risks during normal operation of nuclear power stations and following accidents are considered. Addressed to decision-makers, the book issues recommendations based on recent advances in radiobiology, radiological protection, the health effects of radiation, and experiences following the Chernobyl accident.

The book has seven chapters. Background information is provided in the first, which describes the nuclear fuel cycle from uranium mines to decommissioning. Chapter two summarizes knowledge about the somatic and genetic effects of radiation in normal and accident situations, discusses dose-response relationships, and sets out general principles of radiation protection. The third chapter, on the health hazards of normal operation, explains the risks posed by the release of airborne and liquid radioactive waste, the reprocessing of uranium and plutonium, the transportation of radioactive material, and the treatment and disposal of radioactive waste. Nuclear accidents and their effects on health are discussed in the most extensive chapter, which draws on what has been learned following the catastrophic accidents at Chernobyl and Goiania, Brazil and from accidents linked to the military and medical uses of radiation. Chapter five tabulates and compares data on the risks to workers, the general public, and the environment posed by coal, oil, thermal, and nuclear sources of electrical energy. The concluding chapters assess the risk of theft of radioactive materials, and discuss public information.

162 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1994

About the author

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations.

The constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by 61 countries on 22 July 1946, with the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finishing on 24 July 1948. It incorporated the Office international d'hygiène publique and the League of Nations Health Organization. Since its creation, it has played a leading role in the eradication of smallpox. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and aging; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse; and driving the development of reporting, publications, and networking.

The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, a leading international publication on health, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day (7 April of every year)