(The layout of Stage 2 of the writing project may look something like this:)

ISSUE: Aboveground nuclear explosions

POSITION ADVOCATED: Gamma rays are good

Positives:

Nuclear explosions might end wars or battles

The threat of nuclear explosions is a 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

Negatives:

Nuclear explosions tend to be highly destructive to people and property

Nuclear explosions would breakdown the society of those people remaining

Nuclear explosions would interrupt communication and cause electronic devices to stop working at least temporarily, including autos, planes, telecommunication, power grids, hospital power, etc.

Nuclear explosions emit alpha, beta, gamma and neutron radiation

Gamma radiation:

Is very short wavelength, ionizing radiation emitted from atomic nuclei, and can

penetrate skin and organs

Can cause burns and cellular damage

Produces increased risk of cancer

Food irradiation might break down some vitamins

People are afraid of the concept of irradiation of food

Pilots and flight attendants exposed to more radiation than the average citizen (gamma

illness)

Gamma Radiation- As Innocuous as A, B, C

On casual inspection, many people might be concerned about the negative consequences of nuclear explosions on the surface of our planet. Indeed, there may be some minor adversities associated with such events, but these can be exploited to strengthen our moral fiber as we overcome them. The positive aspects of such events, however, such as release of gamma radiation, are simply not being widely publicized, perhaps even shrouded in some grand conspiracy to prevent inquiring minds from knowing.

Gamma radiation is emitted from the nuclei of radioactive elements in the Earth and is present in the cosmic ray background in which our universe is bathed. Those radioactive elements occur in rocks, water, food and air, and are incorporated into the tissues of our bodies as well. Thus, gamma radiation is simply part of the natural environmental background that we experience from the day we are born to the day we die. Furthermore, evolution of humans over tens of thousands of years (and other organisms over millions of years) has occurred in equilibrium with this natural flux of gamma radiation.

Fluxes of gamma radiation above background levels have been demonstrated to produce beneficial consequences. For example, the viability of seeds and the drought resistance of seedlings have been found to increase after gamma irradiation (Roberts and Weese, 1965). In the face of future climate variability and likely water shortages, such methods to imbue plants with drought resistance would be invaluable.

In addition to helping plants tolerate and survive stress thereby increasing food stocks, gamma radiation may also help us feed Earth’s exponentially increasing population by better disinfecting and preserving our available food supply. Gamma radiation will kill pathogens present in food and will help prevent outbreaks of diseases such as salmonella from contaminated food. The “shelf life” of food can be extended almost indefinitely if gamma irradiation is used to destroy decomposing bacteria when it is packaged.

The survival of our planet is clearly linked to our need for increased dosages of gamma radiation……………………………………

[NOTE: THIS NEEDS MORE WORK BECAUSE IT IS NOT SUFFICIENTLY LONG, AND IT IS NOT DOUBLE-SPACED; ALSO IT IS A FIRST DRAFT AND CLEARLY NEEDS MORE WORK; ALSO I AM NOT YET QUITE SURE IF I CAN GET SOME OF THE PEOPLE TO BUY THIS SOME OF THE TIME]

REFERENCES CITED AND USED

Global Deactivation of Radiation Corp. (GDR), 2001. Gamma Illness- gamma radiation from airlines and space missions, http://www.gdr.org/gamma.htm.

Health Physics Society, 2002. Radiation terms and definitions. http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/radfactsheets/radfact25.html, MacLean, VA.

McCormick, J.F. and R.E. McJunkin. 1965. Interactions of gamma radiation and other environmental stresses upon pine seeds and seedlings. Health Physics 11:1643-1652.

Roberts, W.T. and J. O. Weese. 1998. Gamma Radiation Effect on Vitamin B6 Content in Ground Beef Patties. Institute of Food Technologists, 1998 Annual Meeting, June 20-24, Atlanta.

University of California-Santa Cruz, Environmental Health and Safety Department, 1998. Radiation Safety. http://www.ehs.ucsc.edu/rs/RAT/ppt/sld017.htm, June.