The Leak: Politics, Activists and Loss of Trust at Brookhaven National Laboratory

“In 1997, a leak of water containing radioactivity was discovered at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Though federal, state, and local officials declared that it posed no health hazard either to the lab’s employees or to the surrounding community, it triggered a media and political firestorm. In its wake came a startling series of events that included…the permanent closure of the lab’s research reactor, and even calls to close the lab itself…A quarter of a century later, in a period of social and political uncertainty when the value and authority of science are urgently needed, it is vital to look back on this episode.” 

Peter Bond, co-author and interim laboratory director during much of the time covered in the book, will present this riveting story.