---
product_id: 2170120
title: "Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima"
brand: "james mahaffey"
price: "25895CFA"
currency: XOF
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 19
url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/2170120-atomic-accidents-a-history-of-nuclear-meltdowns-and-disasters-from
store_origin: SN
region: Senegal
---

# Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima

**Brand:** james mahaffey
**Price:** 25895CFA
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima by james mahaffey
- **How much does it cost?** 25895CFA with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/2170120-atomic-accidents-a-history-of-nuclear-meltdowns-and-disasters-from)

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- james mahaffey enthusiasts

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## Description

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A Grand Adventure Disguised As A Technology Book
  

*by W***N on Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2015*

This was not the book I expected when I purchased it. I was expecting an authoritative, well researched, well documented treatise on the history of nuclear accidents. It was certainly that. But I was also expecting a dry, pedantic, academic, formal, and boring book that I was determined to slog thorough because I wanted to understand the topic.In a story that traces its plot from a wrecked 2-10-0 decapod steam engine in north Georgia in 1954 to a massive hydrogen explosion at Fukushima Daiichi, Japan in 2011, the human story is always front and center. Don’t misunderstand, Mahaffey understands the technology intimately and he describes the technical details with an engineers precision, but he also understands that it is the interface between the human and the machine where the true story is told, and time-and-time again, where the culprit of tragedy is to be found.Although the title makes it sound like an academic textbook, it reads more like a Sebastian Junger or Jon Krakauer adventure story. One where when you breathlessly complete it, you will be chagrined to realize you just may have read a textbook.There are two threads of striking similarities running through these stories. The first is how incaution led to so many of these accidents. At first, this seems surprising given the dangerous nature of the processes and materials being handled. But it reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend. We are both rock climbers and used to a certain element of risk. We were discussing a climber who was well known for incredibly difficult climbs without a rope and I suggested he was somehow fundamentally different from the rest of us. My friend disagreed and offered that each time we take a risk and have a positive outcome, our expectation of a positive outcome increases and conversely, our vigilance decreases. It is an interesting idea and one that highlights the imperativeness of following well designed safety procedures and how there can be little or no tolerance for mavericks here.The second striking thread was how many accidents were due to operators failing to follow procedures or mistrusting measurements because they followed their “gut instincts”. This thread might also seem to highlight the imperativeness of following well designed safety procedures and how there can be little or no tolerance for mavericks, but it less clear as we really have no good data on whether and how many accidents were averted by similar actions.This is a story of great tragedy and sometimes great catastrophe. It is a story that doesn't shy away from telling the, often painful, stories of the very real human beings at the center of the events. Whether the result of ignorance, youthful exuberance, hubris, heroism, or luck, the pictures painted in these words are fitting testimonials to the tragic victims of these events.But this is ultimately an optimistic story. It tells the tale of a completely new technology from its earliest inception to the present day through the lens of adversity. But the ultimate sense one is left with is a sense of triumph. If there is any pessimism, it is from the nagging sensation that what should be one of humanities greatest triumphs may be abandoned out of misplaced fear.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Informative, understandable, interesting, and fascinating.
  

*by J***S on Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2017*

I found this to be a great read! The author clearly knows what he is talking about. He takes us through the chronology of nuclear accidents, starting with an understanding of what radioactive elements are in the first place and then describing a whole series of nuclear accidents, from the relatively minor and early ones to the major ones (like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima Daiichi). The author describes the nature of these accidents in language that is readily understandable by those of us without a Ph.D. in physics. He also enables the reader to understand how nuclear reactors work and what can (and did) go wrong with them. Some very interesting photos are included with the book (I have the ebook version). When I was done reading it for the day, I was always eager to pick the book up again and continue. It was highly enjoyable, and I would heartily recommend it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    I really enjoyed this book
  

*by C***R on Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2016*

As an ex-Navy submariner and Engineering Watch Supervisor, I really enjoyed this book. I trained on the A1W prototype in Idaho (1972) and spent a good deal of time on the other 2 plants (S5G and S1W). SL1 was a scary rumor at the time and the only teachable moment I remember is that we needed to always believe our instrumentation, especially with a reactor accident or potential contamination event. I think this came from the first responders at SL1 not believing their counters when they first rolled up. We had to live in Idaho Falls and commute by a bus just about every day. We drove right past where some of the stories in this book unfolded. Brought back a lot of memories.The boat I was on had a few situations that I was disappointed were not mentioned in the book. She was a very old boat, since retired with her reactor compartment buried out at the Hanford site. We had a couple primary to secondary leaks in our steam generators, as well as unexplained shield tank overflows while at sea.The primary leaks were first seen as iodine isotopes at the air ejectors on the main condensers. We had to isolate the engineering spaces and lived in our EAB's for 3 weeks limping back to Pearl. At the time there were a number of incidents across the fleet, per the grapevine, leading to a crew on another boat refusing to go to sea. I was hoping to find where I could contact the author. Rickover's nuclear navy did not have as spotless of a record as book seemed to imply at some points. Anyway, very good book, especially if you lived some of it.

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*Product available on Desertcart Senegal*
*Store origin: SN*
*Last updated: 2026-02-22*