Mitchell Zembower

SCH 345 01
Reflection Paper 2
4 October 2022

Dr. Derek Muller begins the documentary with the quote “be careful how you wake the
dragon.” The dragon is used as a metaphor for uranium as it is a very valuable, but deadly
element. If harnessed correctly and thoughtfully, uranium can be used to the advantage of the
people. Technetium-99, caused by nuclear fission of uranium-235, has been used to detect
cancers within the body. Since it has a half-life of 6 hours, it will decay within the body before
any harm is done. Uranium-235 is used in atomic bombs and was present in the bomb that was
dropped over Hiroshima. The half-life of uranium-235 is 700 million years, which is much
larger than technetium-99. The Chernobyl disaster, which was a nuclear accident in Pripyat,
Ukraine, caused many people to be exposed to radiation. This led to 28 people dying from acute
radiation syndrome and 15 people dying of thyroid cancer due to radiation exposure later in their
life. The scientist who discovered radium and polonium was Marie Curie. Curie was a pioneer
in the field of radioactive elements. However, Curie ultimately died of radiation exposure while
working with uranium in her career. She did not know the risks of working with these
radioactive elements as no one did. Ultimately, do the risks outweigh the benefits of radioactive
elements? This dilemma raises many ethical and health issues when doing research with uranium
and other radioactive elements.
The Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Principles are principles used throughout the
Catholic religion concerning the well-being of society. Multiple CST principles are brought to
attention when discussing research with uranium and other radioactive elements. Global
Solidarity is a principle rooted in loving thy neighbor and that we are one human family under
God. While the creation of the atomic bomb was underway, the intent was to destroy another
nation and win the war. If this CST principle was considered, creating a bomb to destroy another
country, would have not even been a thought. The CST principle of the Common Good is rooted
in the responsibility of the individual to contribute to society positively. The use of technetium-
99 is a way to use radioactive elements to detect early signs of cancer which can ultimately save
people’s lives. This use of radioactive elements is helping society, for the common good.
 Nuclear reactors are currently being used to create a greener source of energy with no
carbon emissions by taking nuclear waste and extracting energy from it. Dr. Leslie Dewan is a
nuclear physicist currently using this method to create energy. She says that her nuclear reactors
use a fuel that can shut itself down safely. This new type of reactor can’t melt down, runs
entirely on nuclear waste, and is cheaper than coal. This use of nuclear waste is not only helping
the common good but also taking responsibility for the nuclear waste instead of just leaving it be.
This is related to the CST Principle of Stewardship of Creation, meaning that we are responsible
for the goods that God gave us on earth and for preserving these goods for future generations.
The principles of Stewardship of Creation and the Common Good, are both beneficial to a
healthy society when discussing nuclear radioactivity. They are both important to remember
because science dealing with radioactive elements can be dangerous to not only people but also
to the environment.
I never learned about the Chernobyl accident in depth, but this documentary depicted
how bad it was and the aftermath of a nuclear meltdown. The city of Pripyat, Ukraine is now
inhabitable and is still radioactive. Accidents happen, but why were there not more safety
precautions? If the government would have been regulating these chemicals more, the meltdown
may have not happened. Many of the citizens of the city developed acute radiation syndrome
due to the exposure which led many of them to die. When these radioactive elements were first
discovered, Pierre Curie found that touching these elements to the skin, resulted in some sort of
sunburn. This idea was then used to treat wounds where doctors would put uranium in bandages.
This made me cringe because of the knowledge we know about radioactive elements and the side
effects that come with exposure. The doctors didn’t know at the time of the risks, but why didn’t
they do more testing then?
This documentary brought a new perspective to my knowledge of the risks and benefits of
radioactivate elements. Uranium can be used to treat disease as it has saved more lives than it
has killed. Since the half-life of many of these elements is in the millions and billions of years,
they are trying to be used for energy that is greener than most of the energy used today. Dr.
Derek Muller ends the documentary by saying that the nuclear dragon has been unleashed. This
dragon has been unleashed but has not even been close to being tamed. There is still much more
to learn about nuclear energy and radioactivity as we have only breached the surface of the
dragon.