Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

The legacy of Chernobyl

Book ·
OSTI ID:5952218

The essential message in this book is that the true impact of the accident at Chernobyl is far greater than the Soviet government is willing to admit. The author says that he remains skeptical of the official version of the accident. The many key mistakes or shortcomings that figured prominently in the accident and that the Soviets have been reluctant to publicize are highlighted in this book. Problems with initial construction, the lack of instruments in the first hours and days after the accident to adequately measure the radiation level, the deliberate initial under-reaction to the accident, the evaluation fiasco, the mistakes made in taming the reactor fire, and the botched cleanup are all traced back to certain longstanding features of the Soviet system. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is faulted for helping the Soviets coverup the accident effects at the August 1986 IAEA International meeting by not questioning deeply enough the Soviet reports concerning the accident.

OSTI ID:
5952218
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

The social impact of the Chernobyl disaster
Book · Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1987 · OSTI ID:6011244

Chernobyl: Its effects in the USSR
Journal Article · · Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy; (United States) · OSTI ID:7002508

Chernobyl: the Soviet report
Journal Article · Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · Nucl. News (La Grange Park, Ill.); (United States) · OSTI ID:6957686