Book Review: Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner

This is a fascinating book that explains the history and the people behind the rise of nuclear science. Zoellner takes a close look at the major producing uranium mines around the world. Notably the massive uranium mine Shinkolobwe in the Congo which supplied much of the American stockpile and the primary mine for the USSR at St. Joachimsthal, in Czechoslovakia.

The author focused mostly on the quest for the bomb for the USA, USSR, Israel, and Pakistan. The book takes a close look at the massive state industrial buildup to mine, process, and construct nuclear weapons. Fortunately, the process of enriching uranium is huge undertaking.

There are many troubling aspects this book revealed to me. Primarily that the construction of a nuclear bomb is very simple if one can find a grapefruit sized amount of "enriched" U-235. There exist some common smuggling routes for enriched uranium from the former USSR, through Georgia for example. Even if the borders are equipped with detectors, shielding the uranium in lead will, prevent the radiation from setting off the alarm. Worrying as well is that the A. Q. Khan Network that spread stolen blueprints for nuclear technology from his former employer a subcontractor for Urenco (which was Europe's only facility for enriching uranium for power) has passed that information on to Pakistan, North Korea, Iran and others.

The problem with waste must be addressed. The spent fuel must be secured for 10,000 years. Most nuclear power plants have their waste in pools of heavy water still inside the plants, a very short term solution. President Bush had a plan to build a huge multibillion dollar dump for spent nuclear fuel, but thanks to Obama and Harry Reid (D - Nevada) the desert storage facility was cancelled. The legacy of nuclear power and weapons have lead to many areas that will remain contaminated for centuries.

The importance of securing enriched uranium and preventing Iran and other nations form acquiring a nuclear weapon should be top priority. The US and its allies seem to be the only countries trying to secure enriched uranium, unfortunately it presently does not have any interest in stopping Iran from acquiring a bomb.

Nuclear power has its shortcomings but the major problem is that it is uneconomic. Private insurers require huge premiums making the plants unaffordable. This leads to government insurance and an indirect subsidy to the industry. The question of diversifying our energy sources with government subsidies for the preferred power of the day is useless. Governments should allow private enterprise to choose their preferred power source. Coal and natural gas should continue to play a major part in North America's energy mix, we will move to nuclear and others when technology improves and there is proper disposal plans. Market price signals should dictate our energy mix, not a confused government web of subsidies like Ontario has unveiled.