The Legacy of Chernobyl - Softcover

Medvedev, Zhores

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393308146 ISBN 13: 9780393308143

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1992

Synopsis

"A damning history of the Chernobyl affair, from its origins in the plant's primitive design and careless management to the economic and political crisis the accident precipitated." ―Clenn Garelik, New York Times Book Review

On the morning of April 26, 1986, a Soviet nuclear plant at Chernobyl (near Kiev) exploded, pouring radioactivity into the environment and setting off the worst disaster in the history of nuclear energy. Now a former Soviet scientist gives a comprehensive account of the catastrophe.

About this title

About the Author:

Zhores Medvedev (1925―2018) was a Russian agronomist, biologist, historian, and dissident. He was the author of numerous books including Nuclear Disaster in the Urals, Legacy of Chernobyl, and Khrushchev: The Years in Power.

From Publishers Weekly:

The Chernobyl reactor disaster in April 1986 forced the permanent evacuation of some 100,000 people; more than half a million citizens in the Soviet Union and surrounding countries were showered with dangerous levels of radiation. Soviet biologist Medvedev forcefully argues that consumption of contaminated agricultural products, rather than the immediate fallout, will cause most of the health problems associated with this catastrophe, including a marked increase in cancer. He disputes the official version of the accident, which placed emphasis on human negligence while minimizing the reactor design flaws, which are pinpointed here. There were several previous nuclear accidents in the U.S.S.R.; the secrecy surrounding them was a major contributory factor in the runaway chain reaction at Chernobyl, Medvedev charges. The most comprehensive and revealing account of Chernobyl to date, this report gauges the political impact of the inflationary energy crisis precipitated by the 1986 meltdown.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0393308146
• ISBN 13: 9780393308143
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 378