Читать книгу Атомный «Маяк» – проблема на века. Третье издание переработанное и дополненное - Vladislav Larin - Страница 8

About Author

Vladislav Larin is a researcher, analyst, ecologist, professional traveler, eco-designer, writer, scientific journalist, photographer. He is the author of dozens of books and hundreds of articles published in different countries, mainly devoted to the problems of anthropogenic impact on the environment. He worked for 33 years in the journal of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences «Energy: Economics, Technology, Ecology», where he headed the department for the study of environmental problems. He has degree M.Sc. (Master of Science) in Environmental Sciences and Politics, Diploma from the University of Manchester, UK, 1998.

He has been studying a wide range of problems related to the work of the head enterprise of the nuclear military-industrial complex of the former USSR, currently known as the «Mayak» Combine production association, since 1991. He has published several dozen articles on this topic. The first edition of the book «Combine „Mayak“ – Half a Century of Problems» took place in 1996, the second edition of «Combine „Mayak“ – a Problem for the Ages» – in 2001. Chapters from these books have been reprinted by many periodicals – both in Russia and abroad. Published in September’s, 1999 issue «The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists» the article about unknown radiation accidents at the «Mayak» was reprinted in the magazine «The Guardian» – «The Editor – The Best of the World’s Media».

From Author

In April 1993, I first time visited at the «Mayak» Combine production association as a staff writer and researcher for the magazine «Energy: Economics, Technology, Ecology». At that time, outsiders who were not involved in the nuclear industry had just begun to be admitted to this secret enterprise. I thought that I would prepare several publications for the magazine – and that’s it. However, the topic turned out to be so huge and unknown that it was not limited to several articles.

In 1993, I wrote a book published in 1996 under the title «The „Mayak“ Combine – half a century of problems». The book was published on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR on the beginning of the design of the first plutonium reactor in the USSR and on the tenth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. It was published quickly, there was practically no money for publication, so the design and circulation left much to be desired. In addition, the range of problems discussed in the book was limited to historical aspects and practically did not concern either today’s problems or the prospects of the «Mayak». And there were very few sources of information at that time. Despite this, the book turned out to be interesting both for specialists in this field and for activists of environmental movements because it was a reference book on all the problems of the «Mayak». Maybe a little superficial, but comprehensive.

Meanwhile, there was more information available on the topic under discussion, contacts with specialists and veterans of the «Mayak» expanded, and interest in the problem did not decrease. People who read the book sent letters, offered to share their memories and help correct the inevitable inaccuracies that accompanied the first edition. So, the idea was born to write a new book, partly using the materials included in the first edition. I visited «Mayak» several more times, met with dozens of veterans and specialists working at the enterprise today, with the management of the «Mayak» combine and the city of Ozyorsk, with specialists in the transportation and processing of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, with experts in the field of offshore companies in «closed cities», with representatives of «Gosatomnadzor» and «Goskomekology» in Ozyorsk and Moscow. As a result, I wrote a new book, published in 2001, entitled «The «Mayak Combine – a Problem for the Ages».

The discussion of the problems of the nuclear industry and energy in the post-Chernobyl era was highly politicized and did not tolerate shades. The author was required to clearly define whether you are «for» the further development of the nuclear industry or «against». That is, to classify oneself as one of the opposing groups. But as a researcher and analyst, objectivity and maximum impartiality were required of me. I collected facts and research results, without skipping or discarding anything because of the inconsistency of my position, described them in understandable language – giving the reader the opportunity to understand the problem himself and determine his attitude to it.

While working on my book, I did not try to select facts that confirm or refute someone’s positions and points of views. My main goal was to collect as much reliable information as possible and present it in the most accessible, and if possible, in a fascinating way. I did this in order to popularize a problem that I consider to be one of the most serious problems of our time. Moreover, it cannot be attributed only to the field of ecology. It is also a social, economic, and in the foreseeable future, a political problem.

To verify the correctness of the chosen approach and the objectivity of the data presented, I gave both the first book «The Mayak Plant – half a Century of Problems» and the second book «The Mayak Plant – a Problem for the Ages» to specialists and experts involved in overcoming the consequences of the development of the nuclear military-industrial complex of the former USSR. Despite the difference of views and belonging of these specialists to opposing organizations and public groups, they all highly appreciated the work done. Their brief reviews are presented at the beginning of the book. For more thoughtful readers, the original expert reviews are presented in Appendix 8.

Here is the third edition of my book, revised and supplemented with some new data, which I called «The Atomic „Mayak“ – a Problem for the Ages». I hope I have managed to write a book that, if not reconciles, then at least clarifies, and perhaps brings together the positions of those who approach the solution of the same tasks and problems of the nuclear military-industrial complex of the former USSR and modern Russia from different sides. There are a lot of problems. And the more people understand the real scale of the disaster, the more realistic the program of joint actions aimed at overcoming the consequences of the era of nuclear madness will be. Moreover, it does not seem to be over yet…

In the mid-forties of the twentieth century, when the main strategic task of the Soviet Union was to create its own atomic weapons, «secret» cities began to appear on the territory of the USSR. They could not be talked about, they were not written about in the press, they still do not exist on maps. These cities became the centers of the nascent nuclear industry. This book is dedicated to one of these cities. We are talking about the city where the personnel of the nuclear facility, currently known as the «Mayak» Combine production association, or «Mayak» for short, lived and worked.

At different stages of its existence, for reasons of secrecy, this city and the enterprise under construction had different names. At first it was the «tenth site», «postbox 21», «plant 817», etc. Later, when the city was already built, it was named Chelyabinsk-40 («Sorokovka»). In the nuclear industry system, it was also known as Chelyabinsk-57 and Chelyabinsk-65. It should be remembered that all these are the names of the same city. In April 1994, the city received its first proper name – it was officially renamed Ozyorsk. So, the first time was in April 1993. I also came to Chelyabinsk-65.

Accidents and catastrophes are inevitable when such a large-scale business begins. But their consequences become fully understood only years later, when the rush passes and the fog of secrecy is dispelled. In the case of accidents at the «Mayak» plant, it took more than forty years to only briefly imagine the consequences of overexposure of the personnel and residents of the surrounding settlements. This book is devoted to the history of the creation of the «Mayak», the consequences of its activities for human health, the scale of environmental destruction and the prospects for the existence of this huge enterprise and the satellite city of Ozersk.

P.S. An important clarification

The main text of the book was written between 1993 and 2000. Therefore, when the text contains messages about the «current state of affairs» in different areas of the problem under discussion, it should be understood that we are talking about the end of the twentieth century. The latest edition of the book is aimed at improving the quality of the presentation of the material, and not at rewriting the text of the book. Although, some new materials have been added to it.

To describe the current state of affairs and problems at the «Mayak» plant, it is necessary to conduct a new study. Such a study seems to be absolutely necessary within the framework of the modern understanding of the global design of nuclear and radiation safety. The author is ready to do this if favorable circumstances arise.