Nuclear Disaster Report

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During the years of 1945 and 1989 the United States and the Soviet Union were involved in a Cold War. (“The rewards of being wrong,” 2002) In the few years leading up to 1948, the Soviet Union had been lagging in the production of nuclear weapons. (“1942-2002 60 years of nuclear,” 2002) In order to help speed up production, nuclear weapons were being made at a plant in Kyshtym in Soviet Russia. This plant was a plutonium production reactor for nuclear weapons and nuclear fuel processing, called the Mayak plant. (“1942-2002 60 years of nuclear,” 2002) The plant was built hastily between the years of 1945 and 1948, when it then produced weapon grade plutonium and uranium. (“1942-2002 60 years of nuclear,” 2002) Nuclear physicists had poor knowledge about nuclear physics, making many of the decisions they made dangerous. The nuclear reactors at the plant were near lake Techa, which they continually contaminated. (CIA Historical Review Program, 1999) All of the reactors that were on the lake used an open cycle cooling system, where they pulled in lake water then discharged the contaminated water back into lake. (CIA Historical Review Program, 1999) It would be because of unrepaired fissures in these tanks that a nuclear reaction would occur and send a radioactive plume into the atmosphere.

In order to stop some contamination, bypass canals were built to isolate the lake from the river, and a storage facility for nuclear waste was built, as well as coolers around them. (CIA Historical Review Program, 1999) A chain reaction occurred when one of the cooling tanks malfunctioned and was not repaired, ultimately causing the explosion. (CIA Historical Review Program, 1999) Without proper care these improvements proved to be not so hel...

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.... (2007) Nuclear war I and other major nuclear disasters of the 20th century 2007, pp. 237–240. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.au/books?id=3_2ILEQQqpIC&pg=PA238&lpg=PA238&dq=mayak+nuclear+disaster+1957&source=bl&ots=kwLJcvP77S&sig=lig2rLrAYFsf6DoiuQFBV2e-b2I&hl=en&ei=8BarStKnCMP_kAWMmKCVBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#v=onepage&q=mayak%20nuclear%20disaster%201957&f=false
Soran, D. & Stillman, D. (January 1982) An analysis of the alleged Kyshtym disaster. Retrieved from http://www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/14/724/14724059.pdf
The rewards of being wrong. (2013). Wilson Quarterly, 37(2), 68-70.

Image References
Jan Rieke. (24 November 2010). Map of the East Urals Radioactive Trace (EURT): area contaminated by the Kyshtym disaster. [photogragh]. Retrieved from http://libguides.scf.edu/content.php?pid=107184&sid=1354168

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