Book Review

Wow, just finished reading Area 51: an uncensored history of America's top secret military base. It's amazing what you can piece together from declassified documents and interviews with former employees. And there is very little in the book about UFOs and aliens which are commonly associated with Area 51 (you must have watched X-Files at some point). The truth is much more sinister it seems.

It's mostly about nuclear weapons. Area 51 is part of a larger nuclear testing site/military base in Nevada. So many weapons were tested there as outlined in the book and many more remain classified. The US even tested a so called dirty bomb in the desert so they could see the results of this kind of blast. Of course they lined up animals to face the brunt of it.

Some other shocking highlights were Pacific Ocean tests in the upper atmosphere of the earth. Check out information on Teak. Though the entry doesn't really mention it, the US was unsure what the result of exploding this weapon would be. The altitude was so high (50 miles) it was close to the ozone layer. They almost blew up the ozone layer. Seriously.

And I never had heard about two instances of US bombers crashing in Palomares, Spain and near Thule, Greenland. In both cases B52 bombers crashed and their nuclear payloads spread radiation over the landscape. Both are now forgotten it seems but the release of so much radioactive material is shocking.

So what have I concluded on reading the book? Well I think I understand why cancer rates are so high around the world. The US and USSR (and China, UK, France, Israel, India, Pakistan, South Africa, North Korea) are guilty of releasing so many radioactive isotopes through their reckless testing of weapons. Similarly, the Fukushima meltdown and others have done the same. These isotopes are constantly irradiating anyone who is unlucky enough to respire or consume them.

I remember reading an article about how you can be exposed to radiation (those milisilverts we heard so much about after Fukushima) and how it may not be harmful in low doses. The real risk is inhaling or ingesting isotopes which irradiate you from within, constantly as they last for thousands of years.

All these nuclear tests and 'accidents' have just pumped up the potential for cancers to form. I truly believe that there is no use 'fighting' cancer unless you work for a complete abolition of all nuclear weapons and nuclear power.

Or maybe we can just turn Parliament pink and all will be well.