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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

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The online version of this article can be found at:

DOI: 10.1177/0096340211399746

2011 67: 77

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Mikhail Gorbachev

Chernobyl 25 years later: Many lessons learned

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Bulletin

of the

Atomic

Scientists

IT IS

6

MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

®

Turn back the clock

Chernobyl 25 years later:
Many lessons learned

Mikhail Gorbachev

T

he catastrophic accident in 1986 at
the

Chernobyl

nuclear

power

station in Ukraine was one of the

worst man-made disasters of the twenti-
eth century. Two and a half decades
later, the nuclear accident offers many
lessons for preventing, managing, and
recovering from such a horrible event,
as well as specific lessons for the further
development of nuclear power.

I first heard of the Chernobyl nuclear

reactor breakdown on the morning of
April 26, when the Soviet Ministry of
Medium Machine Building, responsible
for nuclear reactors, reported it to the
Kremlin. Though the seriousness of the
incident remained unclear during our
emergency Politburo meeting, a govern-
ment commission headed by Boris
Yevdokimovich

Shcherbina,

Deputy

Chairman of the USSR Council of
Ministers, was established and immedi-
ately dispatched to Chernobyl. This
commission included scientists from
the Soviet Academy of Sciences, nuclear
reactor specialists, physicians, and radi-
ologists. They met that evening with
their counterparts from the Ukrainian
Academy of Sciences.

Initial reports were cautious in tone,

and only on the following day, April 27,
did we learn that an explosion had taken

place at the nuclear power station, at
least two people had been killed, and
radioactive material had been released
downwind. International media, how-
ever, had already started to speak
about a radioactive cloud. We received
more concrete information on April 28
and started informing the Soviet public
of the serious nature of the disaster,
focusing on efforts to manage the very
dangerous and worsening situation.

As efforts continued to contain the

fire and radioactive releases, authorities
began evacuating the local Soviet popu-
lation. ÒThe heart of the reactorÑthe hot
radioactive coreÑis in suspension, as it
were,Ó Soviet Academician Yevgeni
Velikhov announced at the time. ÒIt has
been covered by a layer of sand, lead,
boron, and clay, and this puts an addi-
tional load on the structure. Can it hold
up or will it sink into the ground? No one
has ever been in such a difficult
position.Ó

Within about 10 days the reactor fire

and major radioactive releases were
contained, but by then nuclear fallout
had spread over three regions of the
Soviet UnionÑUkraine, Belarus, and
RussiaÑmost of Europe, and beyond.
Thanks to the bravery of thousands of
emergency workers, the number of

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

67(2) 77–80

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The Author(s) 2011

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victims and the proliferation of serious
consequences were limited. Much long-
term damage, however, had been done.
Some 50 workers died fighting the fire
and reactor core meltdown, and another
4,000 or more deaths may eventually be
shown to have resulted from radioactive
releases. The radiation dosage at the
power plant during the accident has
been estimated at over 20,000 roentgens
per hour, about 40 times the estimated
lethal dosage, and the World Health
Organization identified 237 workers
with Acute Radiation Sickness.

Over 135,000 people were evacuated

from the area, including the nearest
town of Pripyat, immediately following
the accident, and another 200,000 over
the following months. The extent of the
nuclear fallout was illustrated by the fact
that, within only a few hours after the
accident began on April 26, radiation
alarms

sounded

at

the

Forsmark

Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden, over
700 miles from Chernobyl. Today we
know that about 77,000 square miles of
territory in Europe and the former
Soviet Union has been contaminated
with radioactive fallout, leaving long-
term challenges for flora, fauna, water,
the environment, and human health.
Tens

of

billions

of

dollars

have

already been spent in trying to contain
and remediate the disaster, with a
new

containment

shell

now

being

constructed over the 1986 sarcophagus
and whatÕs left of the reactor.

We must continue to seriously exam-

ine the long-term public health and envi-
ronmental consequences of the accident
to better understand the relationship
between radiation, both low- and high-
level, and human life. The twenty-fifth
anniversary of the Chernobyl accident
is an important historic milestone to

remind ourselves of this solemn duty.
Furthermore, it is also the perfect time
to address four key and related issues:

Prevention

First of all, it is vitally important to
prevent any possibility of a repetition
of the Chernobyl accident. This was a
horrendous disaster because of the
direct human cost, the large tracts of
land poisoned, the scale of population
displacement, the great loss of liveli-
hoods,

and

the

long-term

trauma

suffered by individuals yanked from
their homeland and heritage. Victims of
the tragedy were confronted by a crisis
which they could scarcely understand
and against which they had no defense.
The

material

damage

inflicted

by

Chernobyl, although enormous, pales in
significance when compared to the
ongoing human costs. The true scope
of the tragedy still remains beyond
comprehension and is a shocking remin-
der of the reality of the nuclear threat.
It is also a striking symbol of modern
technological risk.

Renewable energy

While the old Soviet nuclear reactor
model, which was without a safety
containment shell and helped cause the
Chernobyl disaster, is no longer in
production, we must still be extremely
careful when constructing and operating
nuclear power plants around the globe
today. Chernobyl is a warning sign.
In the worst of cases, a nuclear reactor
accident may devastate huge territories
where little if any human life can exist.

Access to affordable and safe energy

is vital for economic development

78

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 67(2)

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and poverty eradication. We cannot
therefore simply reject nuclear energy
today with many countries hugely
dependent on this energy resource. But
it is necessary to realize that nuclear
power is not a panacea, as some obser-
vers allege, for energy sufficiency or
climate change. Its cost-effectiveness is
also exaggerated, as its real cost does not
account for many hidden expenses.
In the United States, for example, direct
subsidies to nuclear energy amounted to
$115 billion between 1947 and 1999, with
an additional $145 billion in indirect
subsidies. In contrast, subsidies to wind
and solar energy combined over this
same period totaled only $5.5 billion.

To end the vicious cycle of Òpoverty

versus safe environment,Ó the world
must quickly transition to efficient,
safe, and renewable energy, which will
bring enormous economic, social, and
environmental benefits. As the global
population continues to expand, and
the demand for energy production
grows, we must invest in alternative
and

more

sustainable

sources

of

energyÑwind,

solar,

geothermal,

hydroÑand widespread conservation
and energy efficiency initiatives as
safer, more efficient, and more afford-
able avenues for meeting both energy
demands and conserving our fragile
planet.

Transparency

The closed nature and secrecy of the
nuclear power industry, which had
already experienced some 150 significant
radiation leaks at nuclear power stations
throughout

the

world

before

the

Chernobyl fire, greatly contributed to
the accident and response difficulties.

We need full transparency and public
oversight and regulation of the nuclear
power industry today, along with com-
plete

emergency

preparedness

and

response mechanisms.

Vulnerability to terrorism
and violence

I also remain concerned over the
dangers of terrorist attacks on power
reactors and terrorist groupsÕ acquisi-
tion of fissile material. After the heavy
damage wrought by terrorist groups in
New York, Moscow, Madrid, Tokyo,
Bali, and elsewhere over the past 15
years, we must very carefully consider
the vulnerability of reactor fuel, spent
fuel pools, dry storage casks, and related
fissile

materials

and

facilities

to

sabotage, attack, and theft. While the
Chernobyl

disaster

was

accidental,

caused by faulty technology and human
error, todayÕs disaster could very well be
intentional.

We especially must pay attention to

keeping weapons and materials of mass
destructionÑin

this

case,

nuclear

weapons-grade materials such as high-
enriched uranium and plutoniumÑout
of the hands of terrorists and rogue
nations. US President Barack ObamaÕs
historic initiative to secure and elimi-
nate all bomb-grade nuclear material in
four years is an important step forward
in improving global security, but we
must not forget that these fissile mate-
rials are often used in nuclear power and
research reactors.

Let us all remember Chernobyl, not

only for its negative impact on Ukraine,
Belarus, Russia, and Europe, but also as a
beacon of hope for a safer and more
sustainable future.

Gorbachev

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Author biography

Mikhail Gorbachev former President of the
Soviet Union, was awarded the 1990 Nobel
Peace Prize for his leading role in the peaceful
conclusion of the Cold War. Today, as the
Founding

President

of

Green

Cross

International

(Global

Green

USA

being

the US affiliate among its 32 national chapters),
he heads the international Climate Change
Task Force and guides Green CrossÕs practical
work in healing ChernobylÕs wounds.

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