Review of Pandora's Promise (2013) by Barry O — 02 Jun 2013

Having already seen an early screening of Pandora's Promise at the Thorium Energy Alliance Conference last week, I can say that it is definitely pro-nuke. That said, its main goal is to dispel many of the myths against nuclear energy.

For example, let's look at the belief that "there is no such thing as a safe level of radiation." Pandora's Promise takes the approach of demonstrating what background radiation is and its levels around the world. It visits places like New York City, Rio de Janeiro, and... Chernobyl. It holds up a Geiger counter to the camera, and shows the level of background radiation in these places. These levels vary considerably, from about .14 mSv/h in NYC, to about 40 mSv/h in Rio. Standing outside the damaged reactor at Chernobyl, it shows a reading of... 2. Even at the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history, radiation levels are on the low end of natural variation. Even among people who moved back home less than a year after the disaster, there has not been an elevated level of cancer or death.

All in all, I strongly recommend anybody, either pro or anti-nuclear, spend an hour and watch Pandora's promise. It's worth the time, trust me.