Written by Wendy Jewell

Rosalie Bertell holds a doctorate in biometry (the statistical analysis of biological observations and phenomena), is an environmental epidemiologist and a world-renowned researcher in the field of mathematics and nuclear science. This internationally recognized expert in the field of radiation has been given the handle, "anti-nuclear nun," for her tireless activism on behalf of the most vulnerable and threatened by radiation: women and children, aboriginals and workers in uranium mines and nuclear facilities. Dr. Rosalie Bertell, scientist and eco-feminist, is also one of 1,000 women peace activists from around the world that have been nominated, en masse, for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

At the beginning of her carrier, Bertell went on to a research job at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the world's first cancer research facility. It was here that she first became interested in radiation and nuclear matters. Of this time, she says, "I was a senior cancer research scientist studying the harm done to a large population by unnecessary uses of diagnostic medical X-ray. I became outraged when I found that nuclear power plants were releasing radioactive materials (like X-rays) at this same level routinely, indiscriminately exposing the unsuspecting public. My first experience was a nuclear plant, which wanted to locate its facility next to the Gerber's Baby Food Farm in Barker, NY. That plant was never built." (The first time the nuclear industry was denied a location in the U.S.).

Armed with 10 years in radiation data, Dr. Bertell emerged as the foremost expert in the field. "Soon I was caught in the anti-nuclear network, and because I had a database of medical information, I was constantly asked to speak," Bertell says. "I began to realize it was routine for the military to release radiation and that it also set radiation standards." Meanwhile, the Roswell Institute, which favoured the nuclear industry because of its research dollars, was putting pressure on her. Dr. Bertell recalls, "Scientists are economic prisoners. I was told what I could say, so I quit."

Can you explain in simple terms the science behind nuclear power?

"Nuclear fission is a violent process of breaking open a large atom, usually uranium 235 or plutonium 239, and releasing the energy which has been holding the large atom together for thousands of years. This energy is used to boil water and turn a turbine, just as any steam engine operates. The problem is this reaction produces much more energy than is needed to boil water, produces about 500 radioactive atoms (the atoms which we use for life and which were never radioactive before this process was undertaken), and leaves a tremendous amount of toxic waste which must be contained away from living beings for the rest of the history of the planet. Nuclear reactors routinely release the toxic radioactive gases to the air and toxic radioactive water to the rivers and lakes nearby. Only the solid radioactive waste is retained."

Why do so many countries still focus on nuclear power? Why not harness the wind and the sun?

"The easy reason is that they do not know how to charge for the sun. Also, the vested interests in oil, gas and coal resist any change. They are very powerful!"

What is HAARP and how is it affecting the planet?

"HAARP is a facility built jointly by the US Army and US Navy in Gacona, Alaska. It consists of a large matrix of radio-transmission towers - now 48, but 150 are planned. It is able to send a synchronized energy wave into the ionosphere (the atmospheric layer of plasma, which is normally used to transmit long wave radio waves). This facility is experimenting with making changes in the ionosphere, and then measuring the effect of such changes on the lower stratosphere and biosphere. It has the potential to change the course of the jet stream and the major vapor rivers, altering climate and weather on the planet. It is a potentially powerful weapon system, able to wipe out communication globally."