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Science 26 June 1987:
Vol. 236. no. 4809, pp. 1636 - 1640
DOI: 10.1126/science.3603003
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Articles

Science, Vol 236, Issue 4809, 1636-1640
Copyright © 1987 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

A visit to Chernobyl

R Wilson

Details of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were given by Soviet experts at a special International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna, Austria, in August 1986. Several unanswered questions were made much clearer by a visit to the decontaminated and operating power plant at Chernobyl and by discussions with Soviet scientists. The visit gives us insights into the way the Soviets design their technology, the consequences of the accident, and the magnificent way they coped with the disaster. Although there are general conclusions to be drawn for the rest of the world, such as the realization that operators of technological systems can and will deliberately cut out safety systems, the primary specific conclusion is to be grateful that the West did not follow the Soviet route in its development of nuclear power.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Human factors in large-scale technological systems' accidents: Three Mile Island, Bhopal, Chernobyl.
N. Meshkati (1991)
Organization Environment 5, 133-154
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Medical Perspective on Nuclear Power.
Council on Scientific Affairs (1989)
JAMA 262, 2724-2729
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A Cesium-Selective Ion Sieve Made by Topotactic Leaching of Phlogopite Mica.
S. Komarneni and R. Roy (1988)
Science 239, 1286-1288
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