By Max W. Carbon, Pebble Beach Publishers (July 1997)

"This book addresses many issues concern nuclear power very clearly and directly in simple non-technical language. It should be read by everybody for better understanding of its constructive potential and tremendous practical advantages over other conventional energy sources. No matter you are pro or con nuclear power, everyone should give this quick-read book a try. " Phongsan Meekunnasombat

Max W. Carbon, Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote the book Nuclear Power: Villain or Victim? in 1997 and subsequently made it available electronically in 2005.

The book was written for the general public, with the aim to inform the public about both the benefits and the risks of nuclear power. No scientific training is needed to understand the material presented there.

Download Links:

The Book Official Website

Download the eBook (Pdf, 1.25MB, 108Pages)

Book Description:

The book discusses the important aspects of nuclear power, including the following:

• The safety record of nuclear power is outstanding. Radiation from nuclear plants has not caused any known deaths worldwide, except at the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine. The known death toll from the Chernobyl accident is less than 100.
• Nuclear power plants emit less radiation than coal-burning power plants.
• Nuclear power plants emit neither carbon dioxide (which contributes to global warming and the greenhouse effect) nor sulfur and nitrogen oxides (which cause acid rain).
• There is a good solution to disposing of nuclear wastes—to bury them deep underground where they will be harmless. In contrast, there is no solution to handling the billions of tons of carbon dioxide that coal and natural gas plants emit yearly, except to discharge them into the atmosphere.
• Nuclear power plants are believed to save thousands of lives annually in the United States. This is because nuclear plants replace many coal plants, which emit tiny particulates into the atmosphere. These particulates are believed to kill thousands of Americans each year. Nuclear plants emit no particulates.

About the Author:

Max Carbon is Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he chaired the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics Department and its predecessor program from 1958 to 1992. After graduation with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1949, he worked for the General Electric Company at the Hanford Works and for the Avco Manufacturing Corporation before joining the University. He is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, and has previously served on the federal Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, on the University of Chicago Special Advisory Committee for the Integral Fast Reactor, on the National Nuclear Accrediting Board of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, on the Nuclear Safety Review and Audit Committee for the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant and chaired the University of Chicago Special Advisory Committee for the Nuclear Technology Program at Argonne National Laboratory.

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