Atoms and Ashes

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A chilling account of over fifty years of nuclear catastrophes, this work details the aftermath of the Three Mile Island incident in March 1979, when nearly 145,000 Americans evacuated due to fears of radiation from a partial meltdown. Although an explosion was averted, the event profoundly impacted public perception of nuclear power in the U.S. The narrative recounts Three Mile Island alongside five other significant nuclear accidents: the 1954 hydrogen bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, the Kyshtym disaster in the USSR that contaminated the Urals, the Windscale fire, the Chernobyl catastrophe that displaced 350,000 people due to design flaws, and the Fukushima disaster, triggered by an earthquake and tsunami. Through these harrowing events, the author examines the inherent risks of nuclear energy, both military and civilian, and how decisions are made in extraordinary circumstances. With 440 reactors currently operational worldwide, providing 10 percent of global electricity, the pressing question remains: How safe is nuclear energy as the world strives to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change?