Deadly Deceit: Low-Level Radiation, High-Level Cover-Up

The dangerous release of ``low-level radiation''--from nuclear power and weapons plant mishaps, from fallout, from so-called routine emissions, and from disastrous meltdowns--causes more death and health damage than previously suspected. That's the thesis of this impressively documented, powerful report. Gould, a statistician, and Goldman ( Hazardous Waste Management ) base their findings on data from Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, South Carolina's 1970 Savannah River plant meltdown and from the 1975 Millstone, Conn., mega-emission, which apparently set off a cancer epidemic, and which, in the authors' view, may be directly linked to the outbreak of Lyme disease. They provide suggestive evidence tying radiation to the proliferation of immune-deficiency diseases, including AIDS, herpes and Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus. The book should serve as springboard for a national debate. (Apr.)