Book Review

The Legacy of Chernobyl by Zhores Medvedev

http://www.amazon.com/The-Legacy-Chernobyl-Zhores-Medvedev/dp/0393308146

Published in 1990, 4 years after the nuclear incident at Chernobyl, Ukraine, Medvedev seeks to make sense of the accident and shed light on its causes. The Legacy of Chernobyl provides a unique and unbiased view of the accident which remained clouded in bureaucratic mystery for many years. Medvedev's text comes across as very technical, but offers an in depth look at what occured in the reactor. He begins by describing the construction of the reactor, which was an older style model of a graphite model. He explains many limitations that this particular model offers, including lack of water as a coolant, or containment structures to prevent meltdown.

The book goes over a lengthy account of why the accident occurred. He states that the issue was initially from human error caused by new staff and unfortunate working conditions. However the text goes into the deeper issue behind the accident, and focuses on the issues with the government at the time which praised efficiency and profit; a project completed quickly resulted in more bonus rewards for those involved. Medvedev claims the reactor was built too quickly to appease government officials, and as a result, many systems were not fully tested, or built to standards. The post accident coverage and aid was slow to grow to the desire to cover up the accident.

This was an interesting read because it uncovers many hidden truths about the incident, that are not fully known to the public. It was fascinating to learn about the deeper issues involved with the accident, as well as the impact on the land. The Legacy of Chernobyl is not an easy read, it was lengthy and at times very technical in its wordage, but very insightful. I feel that this book really highlights how proper planning and mitigation for hazards is important to prevent a catastrophic chain of events such as the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Reading this book helped me make sense of the accident, and diffused some of my fears regarding nuclear reactors also. Chernobyl, although disasterous, was not the result of being a reactor but of human error and ignorance.