Dr. Sherman has recently completed the translation and editing of the book Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and Nature, published by the New York Academy of Sciences in December 2009, which indicates that nearly one million people were killed by the Chernobyl disaster which places the gravity of damage far beyond that of the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi. There are also several indicators that this terrible tragedy was partially the combo result of state/corporate crime. If interested in the entire book free of charge then follow this link and download a digital copy. What do you think????
http://www.strahlentelex.de/Yablokov%20Chernobyl%20book.pdf
Before reading parts of this book I never knew or had heard of the Chernobyl Accident of 1986. It is surprising to me because so many innocent people were affected by it considering the radioactive contamination spread of 40 percent of Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Furthermore, to learn that it is considered to be an example of state corporate crime is even more sickening. The accident was caused by a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel and is considered to have been the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. It is difficult to even comprehend how negligence lead to people dying and being exposed to radiation even till this day. This plant explosion had long-term consequences on the people, food, and everything in their society. Then to have organizations that are tied to the nuclear industry dismiss and ignore the consequences of the catastrophe is unethical. Why would the nuclear industry be so willing to risk the health of humanity and the environment with nuclear power plants? Plus I didn’t even read anywhere that anyone was held responsible for the consequences of this explosion. In any case if someone was held responsible I don’t think there would even be a way to find a punishment that would even be able to fit the severity of the damaged causes and the lives loosed and effected. I’m just in shock that something of this magnitude happened but I have never heard of it or learned about it in school.
ReplyDeleteIve never heard of Chernobyl until i watched the movie. THe movie is different of course from the real story.Chernobyl is considered to be the worst nuclear power plant accident in history.The explosion released alot of radioactive products into the air. It is sad how this catastophe caused so many health problems for the residents.Cancer,deformalities and even death.The government tried to keep this catastrophe from the public which was unethical. The people surrounding Chernobyl were affected as well.THis event affected nearly all of the Northern hemisphere. The radiation is still there today but im glad that mother nature is cleaning up alot faster than predicted. I still believe it will be a very long time before this town will open up for people to visit. I found this presentation very interesting and informational.
ReplyDeleteWhat still gets me about this whole catastrophic event is that 26 years later we STILL have serious implications from the explosion. It is so frustrating that supposedly some of the smartest professionals are in place watching over the world's environment yet no one wants to step up to be aggressive in punishing these blatant offenders. How many people have to die? Evidently millions isn't enough...
ReplyDeleteThe disaster in Chernobyl is clearly a corporate crime. The government made a fatal error that ended up causing problems that are still present today. However I do believe that the government did not cause the Chernobyl disaster on purpose. However their actions have made such a major impact on the people and the rest of the world. Effects of Chernobyl are still present to today. For example, the radiation is still in effect. Causing many problems for the people and wildlife and the environment.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked when we watched the movie about the incident that happened in Chernobyl. This explosion had a lot of effects on the people around this area lives were lost and everything these people own was destroyed and taking from them. To make matters worst this explosion was bad that it is still having effects 26 years later. All because of a series of bad decisions, faulty valves and lack of maintenance these reasons tell me that these people didn’t know how to do their jobs. I don’t understand why this type of work is not checked on throughout the year to see if they were in fact doing everything the right way.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of Chernobyl, i knew it was a horrible accident. The people who have lived through it are going to have deal with radiation that escaped. The Government should be held responsible to the fullest extent. It was not only neglect but it was incompetince on the part of the engineer. The government should not have tried to cover it up. But when they knew they could not contain the media, that is when they told everyone. That is a good thing when it comes to the media. it kept the Bulgarian govt honest. But by the time they told the neighboring towns it was all ready to late. The people had all ready been exposed to the radiation.
ReplyDeleteChernobyl was the worst nuclear accident in history. The plant’s meltdown due to mismanagement, lack of supervision, and faulty equipment and design led to the delayed but permanent evacuation of nearby Pripyat whose residents have suffered cancer, birth defects, deformities, pains, and other ailments. The Soviet cover-up of this disaster was just business as usual for a government who only cared about its prestige and the absolute control over its people. If the Soviet government had taken responsibility, perhaps many fewer people would have died. Since the Soviet government was in charge of everything under its Communist domination, it was ultimately responsibility for the operation and safety procedures at Chernobyl. In their quest for nuclear energy, they created a system that was badly designed and poorly operated, and that’s bad; however, I’m not sure that the resultant backlash against nuclear power plants is completely warranted. Of course, there are risks involved with nuclear power, but there are also risks in everything we do. In a world where natural resources are becoming more scarce and costly, it would be a shame to see such a powerful force go the way of the dodo. Chernobyl is a lasting example of why this industry should be strictly regulated but not abolished.
ReplyDeleteI had heard some stories about the Chernobyl incident and about it being one of the most devasting nuclear plant explosion. Watching this video in class was real interesting and very educational. Many people were affected by this massive explosion and all the affects it caused to the people and how it affected their environment, wildlife and health. These people were stricken with illnesses such as cancer, born with deformities and death. I strongly believe that this was a corporate crime due to the negligence, bad decisions, faulty values and poor maintenance. The government tried to cover it up and eventually, the public was told what had happened. They were unable to avoid the media and this left them no choice, but to tell the public. This catastrophe made this incident unethical and there doesn’t seem to be anyone was held accountable for this accident. Many people to this day are affected by the Chernobyl explosion and contaminated radioactivity products. Chernobyl is still not a safe place to visit because so much of the area is still contaminated. It’s so sad to know that the government did not take better precautions, but worst of all trying to keep this information from the public was crime enough.
ReplyDeleteThe accident at Chernobyl was a governmental crime. The knowledge of the damage that can be caused by a nuclear accident is no secret and the government should take care to protect people from the fallout of a nuclear explosion. The test that went wrong that caused the explosion should have been monitored more closely. Citizens could have been notified of the test, so that they could make a choice about how to proceed. There should have been some sort of control. When the machine malfunctioned, there should have been some other way to know that the water had disappeared.
ReplyDeleteI can think of no compensation for the people who were affected by the nuclear fallout. Many of them died, whereas others developed cancer. Children were born with birth defects and will never live normal, pain-free lives. The people were devastated, but so was the environment. The radioactivity cloud spread many miles to other countries. Animals, plants, and items were all affected by the explosion.
Nuclear power has the potential to destroy life on our planet, and one would think that governments and the human race would have enough sense to prevent catastrophes. As it stands, our future on this planet is in question due to the greed of the people who have control over the nuclear power.
This type of incident just amazes me. Just a simple experiment by people who really are intelligent enough to know better and you end up with a catastrophic event. I know there were other factors that played a role but for human error to have such a disastrous outcome and then to have a corporation lie about the severity of the incident just goes to show that money is the root of all evil. Then to have the government come in and also try to convince people that the explosion of the reactor 4 was not that bad. Now there are people being born with 3 eyes and elephant feet. I just don't understand why some of these greedy idiots can't be held to the utmost accountability.
ReplyDeleteIn school when I was younger I had heard about Chernobyl and how bad of a nuclear disaster it was but until reading parts of this book it did not really “hit me.” It is crazy that this nuclear explosion killed nearly one million people. Plus the people, animals, and plants were contaminated and still facing effects twenty six years later. People who were there and have had kids they have side effects of the radiation as well. This disaster happened due to faulty equipment and operator error. The overloaded reactor exploded releasing radioactive particles into the air. If this had so many bad outcomes and consequences why did they not monitor it more carefully when doing the tests? The Soviet Union knowing that it was their fault tried to cover it up. They did not tell the people that were feeling the effects of the radiation many days after the explosion. The Soviet Union just saw the nuclear power plant as a business and a way they could keep up with the rest of the world. They were not concerned for the people that they were supposed to be protecting. Because of all these things it does seem to be a state/corporate crime.
ReplyDeleteYea it was definitely biggest nuclear catastrophe before the one in Japan. It is sad to see how the government lied and tried to hide everything from the western world. We probably are never going to find out everything that happened in Ukraine that day, there is no way that the Soviet government is going to get prosecuted like Nazi government did. So there is probably more and more information that is going to come along about Chernobyl.
ReplyDeleteit is very sad to know how long the government tried to hide the melt down from people in soviet union. to this day today there are cases of mutations during childbirth from radiation poisoning from people in the soviet union. maybe if they had told the people to evacuate faster there would not be so many mutations. the government got nothing out of hiding the meltdown from people so why do it? nearly one million people were killed from this catastrophe and it was all due to a couple scientists wanting to expirament on a reactor. to this day people stay away from priyat and where the chernobly accident occurred due to fear of death from radiation poisoning.
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad how the government tried to cover up what happened. The effects of Chernobyl are still affecting people today. This event killed nearly one million people, and since the explosion contaminated people, their children and relatives are being affected too. Children are being born with cancer and birth defects today. I am amazed how such error could cause so much damage. The damage is not only to people, but also to the land. Much of the land near Chernobyl is still highly contaminated and cannot be touched. Touching these areas could lead to death. I am also amazed of how many people risked going back to the contaminated sites to make pictures, such as the one of the Ferris wheel. Our future of our planet relies on how greedy we are. Greed leads to many damaging effect, like people wanting to make money from fracking. The damage is clear from fracking, but its not being dealt with because of the money being made.
ReplyDeleteNuclear energy is so destructive. but this is what man wants...more destructive power. We want to be able to kill each other with efficiency and in very large numbers. Some things should just not be allowed. the same thing that happened there could very well happen here.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Chernobyl incident was horrible and the nuclear damage is still unresolved I believe that this book is very proactive in bring attention to the dangers of nuclear engery. People should be informed of what happened in the past and hopefully current owner of nuclear plants or corporations that harness nuclear energy will take better measure to prevent disasters such as Chernobyl.
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