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The radiological impact of the Chernobyl accident

Conference · · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)
OSTI ID:5529554

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the international assessments of the radiological impact of the Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl accident was a technological disaster that went beyond the most pessimistic scenarios of nuclear engineers. It was more sever than a maximum credible accident to which nuclear engineers referred before it happened. In spite of its severity, the consequences of the accident at Chernobyl, seen in perspective, seem not to be so catastrophic. The number of fatalities was small compared with the figures for other common types of accidents, and the radiation doses incurred are only a small fraction of those inevitably incurred due to natural background radiation.

OSTI ID:
5529554
Report Number(s):
CONF-881011--
Journal Information:
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) Vol. 57; ISSN TANSA; ISSN 0003-018X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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