On the Home Front: The Cold War Legacy of the Hanford Nuclear Site - Softcover

Gerber, Michele Stenehjem

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9780803271012: On the Home Front: The Cold War Legacy of the Hanford Nuclear Site

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803271018 ISBN 13: 9780803271012

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 2002

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On the Home Front is the only comprehensive history of the Hanford Nuclear Site, America's most notorious plutonium production facility. Located in southeastern Washington State, the Hanford Site produced most of the plutonium used in the atomic bombs that effectively ended World War II. This book was made possible by the declassification in the 1980s of tens of thousands of government documents relating to the construction, operation, and maintenance of the site. In a new epilogue, Michele Stenehjem Gerber provides a detailed history and commentary on the first twelve years of the Hanford cleanup project—the largest waste cleanup program in world history.

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About the Author:

Michele Stenehjem Gerber works in the Public Information Office of Fluor Hanford, Inc. She has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Declassification and has served as a consultant to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Hanford Cultural Resources Management Plan.

From Library Journal:

Given current concerns about the safe disposal of by-products from nuclear weapons and power plants, this is a highly relevant historical work. Gerber reminds us that some communities have already confronted this issue by telling the story of the Hanford Nuclear Site, a facility in Washington state for manufacturing radioactive raw materials that was begun at the time of the Manhattan Project. Although aware of the potential dangers, those involved in developing the facility placed short-term needs ahead of long-term health and environmental issues. In addition, the promise of economic development led many nearby residents to avoid asking questions about their future well-being. Postwar pressure to deliver products necessary for the massive build-up of weapons during the Cold War, combined with an inadequate understanding of the consequences of the activities at Hanford, led to an irreversibly hazardous situation by the 1980s. Though a bit wooden in style, Gerber's treatment is both scientific and humane. Well worth reading.
- Charles K. Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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