Alan E. Waltar - Radiation and modern life : fulfilling Marie Curie’s dream

by Dr. Helene Langevin-Joliot

his book would never have been written without the original urging of Prof. Bernard Cohen of the University of Pittsburgh. He was the "fireplug" who recognized the need, based primarily on the pioneering work done by Roger Bezdek and colleagues about a decade ago that revealed the enormity of the previously unrecognized benefits of radiation technology to everyday life in America. Recognizing that this positive message needed to reach a wide audience, Bernie successfully convinced Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, a Nobel Laureate who had personally served ten US presidents in high-level positions, to author the book. After all, Glenn was the codiscoverer of several of the radioisotopes now in common commerce-one of which is responsible for benefiting one out of every three Americans who enters a US hospital or medical clinic today. Hence, his name alone would certainly give such a book credibility and wide readership. Glenn agreed to do this, along with the help of knowledgeable colleagues in the variety of fields served by radiation technology. Unfortunately, Dr. Seaborg died before the project got formally underway.

Enter Linda Regan, editor of some of Dr. Cohen's previous books and currently executive editor at Prometheus Books. Fully appreciating the importance of the project, she pushed hard to find a way to resuscitate and complete the mission. Since I was one of those who had agreed to help Dr. Seaborg, Linda pressed me for several months on how to continue this undertaking and, in particular, how to attract support from someone who had the stature of Dr. Seaborg to provide the needed vision. One day I casually mentioned the visit of Marie Curie's granddaughter, Dr. Helene Langevin-Joliot, to a special commemorative effort we held in honor of Marie Curie at Texas A&M University. Linda immediately recognized the possibilities, and she knew she had the makings of something very special. She convinced me to go to Paris and share these possibilities with Helene. After careful consideration, Helene agreed that the book was needed, and she graciously committed to both write an introduction and review the entire manuscript. That was the key to moving forward.

The only problem was that I had to agree to do most of the work! However, despite the long hours in trying to weave this project around a full-time job and numerous other commitments, I have found it to be an exceptional pleasure. Little did I realize how much our lives have been transformed for the better as a direct result of the pioneering discoveries of Marie Curie and those who followed her. Whereas I doubt that any living person has a full grasp of this impact, I have been the fortunate recipient of several very talented colleagues who agreed to review major portions of the manuscript in areas of their expertise to maximize both coverage and accuracy.

At the risk of missing key contributors, I would like to gratefully summarize the very constructive input and reviews by the following colleagues: opening chapter: Denis Beller; agriculture: James Dargie and Ray Durante; medicine: Bob Lull, Bob Schenter, and Darrell Fisher; electricity: Ann Bisconti and Angie Howard; industry: Peter Airey; transportation: Walt Laity and Roger Knight; space exploration: David Boyle and Fred Best; terrorism, crime, and public safety: Ned Wogman; arts and sciences: Dan Reece; environmental protection: Roy Gephart; modem economy: Roger Bezdek; and future glimpses: Lee Peddi- cord.

In addition to these special experts, I was pleased that Roger Bezdek, Bob Gehrke, and Don Todd agreed to review the entire manuscript. All three provided very valuable input. However, Bob Gehrke delivered true yeoman's duty. He was the only person I knew who had the breadth of experience to provide an in-depth review, and he did this with an incredible degree of professionalism.

Kathy Kachele deserves enormous credit for her masterful skill in creating the graphics. She has both the eye and the imagination of a true professional in transforming concepts into graphics that convey clear meaning. I am most grateful for her support.