NATS-101 Introduction to Global Change
           Writing Project by Stewart Dent
       April 4, 2005
POSITION ADVOCATED: Gamma rays are good
List of Positives (Favor my advocacy):
Nuclear explosions might end wars or battles.
The threat of nuclear explosions is deterrent to others possessing nuclear weapons.
Nuclear explosions might be used for engineering purposes, eg, excavation.
Gamma radiation:
Naturally emitted from soil minerals (including radon) and from background cosmic radiation
Can kill pathogens
Has been proposed to treat food in order to kill pathogens in imported food or treat food as it leaves processing factories (eg, it will kill salmonella)
Neutron radiation has more penetrating power than gamma radiation
At Earth’s surface, 100km of atmosphere does help protect us
Radiation is a natural part of Earth’s environment (of typical exposure by an individual, about 1/7 is from artificial sources and 6/7 from natural sources):
11% from radioactive elements in our body (40K and 14C)
8% from rocks and soils
55% from radon in indoor air
Balance from cosmic rays
Seeds treated with gamma radiation were found to have increased germination rates, drought tolerance, and growth under low light intensities