Mol, Flemish Region, Belgium
The power locked up in the atom, which allows to transform tiny amounts of matter into massive quantities of energy, governed by Einstein's famous equation, is a force of nature which holds great promises for humanity. It is time for mankind to embrace this two-faced miracle unlocked by the great minds of Curie, Meitner, Hahn, Fermi, Szilard, Seaborg, Zinn, Rickover, and so many others. If we deny ourselves the benefits of nuclear technology out of the fear for the destructive force it is capable of releasing, for the small quantities of well-detectable and manageable waste it is creating or for the devastating consequences of accidents which mainly result from fear and overconservatism in radiation protection (I live 5 miles from 4 nuclear reactors and I work next to another one), we risk the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives due to disease, starvation, natural disasters and pollution. It is not because these deaths are not spectacular enough to be televised that the reasons for their occurrence should be minimised or denied. If we cannot see past the poorly characterised association of radiation to cancer, we will remain oblivious to its ability to cure more patients than it has ever created. If we hold on to the biased views caused by the images of mushroom clouds and exploding reactors locked in our mind and by the misinformation spread under the guise of environmentalism, we cannot appreciate the solutions nuclear technology is able to provide, nor can we weigh its pros and cons or compare its downsides to the issues associated to its alternatives... It is often said that the discussion on nuclear energy should not be emotional. I disagree... I tend to get much more emotional about the daunting task we leave our children to deal with the virtually irreversible consequences of climate change and about the idea of the developing world and the next generations not being entitled to the same quality and enjoyment of life as we were, than about leaving them with the handling of comparably easily manageable radioactive waste.
Production of radioisotopes for Cancer treatment and diagnosis, focusing on 225Ac production
begeleiding van conversie van de BR2 reactor en andere onderzoeksreactoren