NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT AND PROLIFERATION CHERNOBYL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09-00997R000100270001-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 493
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 15, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 5, 1986
• Content Type: REPORT

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? FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
JPRS-TND-86-004-L
5 JUNE ,1986
FBIS
Worldwide Report
NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT
AND
PROLIFERATION
CHERNOBYL
FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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NOTE
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transmissions and broadcasts. Materials from foreign-language
sources are translated; those from English-language sources
are transcribed or reprinted, with the original phrasing and
other characteristics retained.
Headlines, editorial reports, and material enclosed in brackets
[] are supplied by JPRS. Processing indicators such as [Text]
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mation was summarized or extracted.
Unfamiliar names rendered phonetically or transliterated are
enclosed in parentheses. Words or names preceded by a ques-
tion mark and enclosed in parentheses were not clear in the
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COPYRIGHT LAWS AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING OWNERSHIP OF
MATERIALS REPRODUCED HEREIN REQUIRE THAT DISSEMINATION
OF THIS PUBLICATION BE RESTRICTED FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.
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JPRS-TND-86-004-L
5 JUNE 1986
WORLDWIDE REPORT
NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT. AND PROLIFERATION
CHERNOBYL
CONTENTS
[The following are materials on the construction of the Chernobyl
Nuclear Power Plant and on nuclear power plant safety that were
selected from the Soviet media and previously translated and
published in various FBIS publications.]
Work Continues on Construction of Chernobylskaya AES
(V.S. Konviz; ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITELSTVO, No 4,
Apr 81) 1
Particulars of Startup, Adjustment on Third Generating
Unit of Chernobyl AES
(Ye.M. Levin, M.G. Kremen; ENERGETICHESKOYE
STROITELSTVO, No 6, Jun 83) 8
Chernobylskaya AES Third Phase Construction Begins
(V.S. Konviz, L.V. Golubkov; ENERGETICHESKOYE
STROITELSTVO, No 1, Jan 84) 19
Emergency Localization System at Third Unit of Chernobyl AES
(Ye.P. Markov, et al.; ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITELSTVO,
No 1, Jan 84) 26
Interview With Chief Construction Engineer at Chernobyl AES
(Vladimir Timofeyevich Gora; ENERGETICHESKOYE
STROITELSTVO, No 2, Feb 84) 32
Fourth Chernobylskaya -AES Unit
(EKONOMICHESKAYA GAZETA, No 12, Mar'84) 40
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Chernobylskaya AES Experiment-in Testing 'RBMK-1000-
Reactor Operator's Kibitzer",, Program
(I.Ya. Yemelyanov, et a.; ATOMNYYE ELEKTRICHESKIYE
STANTSII 1984,01984) 40
Chernobyl AES Power Generation
(SWB, 9 Nov 84) 40
:Construction Parameters" for Chernobylskaya AESiGiven
(V .M. Chernyshenko; ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITELSTVO,
No 11, Nov 84) 41
Testing Improved Steam Separators in Third Energy Block
of Chernobyl AES
(0.Yu. Novoselskiy, et al..; ATQMNAYAENERGIYA4',
Vol 574 No 6, Dec 84) ' 51
ChernobylskaY4 AES' 4th.:POwer Block-Construction,Discussed-
,(V .P. Tokarenko;:ENERGETICHESKOYE-STROITELSTVO.,
No 12, Dec 84) 59
Progress Report: Chernobylskaya AES' 4th Power Block
(A.M. Usik, et al.; ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITELSTVO,
No 12, Dec 84)
64
Chernobylskaya AES Status
(Zh. Tkachenko; SOTSIALISTICHESKAYA INDUSTRIYA,
26 Feb 85) .. . .. ......... .. . . . .. ... .... 74
Chernobyl AES Replaces Boiler
(Zh. Tkachenko; SOTSIALISTICHESKAYA INDUSTRIYA,
3 Apr 85) 74
Fire Prevention Shortcomings at Electric Power Stations
(R. Nurseitov; KAZAKHSTANSKAYA PRAVDA, 1 Apr 82) 75
Effects of Nuclear Power Plants on Waters of Rivers, Seas
(A.M. Petrosyants; TEPLOENERGETIKA, No 12, Dec 83) 78
Radiation Safety Measures for AES Examined
(Alejandro Bilbao Alfonso, Wilhelm Stregober;
EKONOMICHESKOYE SOTRUDNICHESTVO STRAN-CHLENOV SEV,
No 3, Mar 84) 83
Book: Examination of AES Safety Regulations
(SOBRANIYE POSTANOVLENIY PRAVITELSTVA SSSR, No 20, 1986.... 89
Nuclear Station Safety
(SWB, 15 Feb 85).. Aloe .. ? .. . e.eloofbersoor so*" ............... 98
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Safety Procedures Outlined for GorkiyliST
(V. Khrustov; KRASNAYA ZVEZDA, 6 Aug 85) 99
Book on AES Radiation Safety To Be Published
(TEPLOENERGETIKA, No 12, Dec 85) 101
(The following articles are reports from various sources after
the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant incident of April 26, 19861
USSR
Soviets Link Chernobyl'Accident to Arms Control
(Yuriy Solton;-,Moscow World Service, 29 Apr 86) 102
Moscow CritiCizes US. Reports. of Chernobyl Incident
(Moscow World Service, 30 Apr'86) 103
Dubinin: No Need for Foreign Assistance at Chernobyl
(TASS International Service, 1 May 86) 104
Dubinin Informs UN Delegates
Perez de Cuellar Informed
Ukrainian Envoy Updates UN
Developments on Chernobyl Accident Reported
(Various sources, May 86) 106
European Envoys Briefed
Departing Travelers Checked
Kvitsinskiy Comments on Accident
Update on Aftermath
Report of 50 Killed
Aid Requested for Victims
Denial on Request for Aid
IAEA Receives Report
Analysis of Satellite Pictures
Rumors Abound in Kiev
Kiev Festivities Reported
TV Report on Celebrations
Comparisons of Soviet Update
Western Reaction to Chernobyl Accident Considered
(Various sources, 3-4 May 86)
TASS Denounces 'Apocalyptic Pictures'
Washington Encourages 'Hysteria'
Western Media Reports .'Unscrupulous,' by Igor
Charikov?
111
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Yeltsin Addresses Eighth Congress of German Communist Party
(Various sciUrCes,:2, 5 May 86) 115
Assails Media on Chernobyl
Hamburg TV Interview, by Boris Yeltsin
AFP Interview
Further Developments On Chernobyl Accident Reported
(Various sources, 2, 4 May 86). 119
Arbatov Comments', by Georgiy Arbatov
?Ryzhkov, Ligachev Visit Area
Decontamination Under Way
TV Shows Extent of Damage
Matveyev-Hits West's .Stance on Arms Talks, Chernobyl
(V. Matyeyevl IZVESTIYA, 6 May 86) " 131
Yeltsin Gives FRG TV FUrther Details on Chernobyl
(ZDF-TeleVision Network, 5 May 86) 132
,
French Paper Cited on Anti-Sovietism Over Chernobyl
(PRAVDA, 4 May 86) 133
Further Reportage on Chernobyl Accident
(Various sources, various dates) 133
PRAVDA Reports Details, by V. Gubarev, M. Odinets
Council of Ministers Statement
IAEA Director Arrives in Moscow
Kovalev Meets With IAEA Director
U.S. Radiology Expert Arrives
Cleanup Work Continuing
TV Interviews Kievans, by Mikhail Krutov
Kiev Student Gives Assurances, by A. Guretskiy
Tourists Complain at Evacuation
Foreigners Bemoan Departure
Muscovites View Western Reaction, by G. Sedov
Kiev Radiation Level 'Low'
Petrosyants: 'Severe Blow'
Kiev Paper Outlines Construction Problems at Chernobyl
(Lyubov Kovalevska; LITERATURNA UKRAINA, 27 May 86) 144
Foreign Ministry Holds Press conference on Chernobyl
.
(Various sources,' 6--7 May.86) 147
Officials Comment
Further Remarks'.
Kovalev on Danger of Nuclear Energy ,
Media Reutioato-Conference Noted, by Oleg,Brinov
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PRAVDA's Zhukov on 111, .,.,Reactipn ,to Chernobyl
(Yuriy Zhukov; PRAVDA, 6 May 86) 154
Zholkver: U.S. Publicity Distracts, From Disarmament_.:.
(AleksandrZhplkver,;, Moscow. Domestic. Service,-,6 May 86)... 155
West Said To Make False Reports, Hide Own Incidents
(Farid Seyful-Mulyukov; Moscow Television Service,'?
5 May, 86). OOOOOO ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? OO ? OOO O ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 156
UK Reaction to Chernobyl Termed 'Sensationalism'
(Viktor Orlik; LITERATURNAYA GAZETA, 7 May 56) 157
'Political Expedience' Behind West's Reaction
(Vladimir Pozner; Moscow in English to North
America, 5 May 86)....... O . OOO . OO . O . .... . . . .. . . .... 157
Chernobyl 'Cloud of Lies Over U.S., W. Europe
(Aleksandr. Putko; Moscow ,World Service, 6 May 86)...... .... 158
IZVESTIYA Reports on Chernobyl Area Evacuation
(IZVESTIYA, 7 May 86; TASS, 6 May 86) 159
Situation 'Under Control,' by A. Illesh
TASS Updates Status of Cleanup,
Life 'Normal'_ in Kiev
Chernobyl Staff. Preparing To Return to Work
(Vladimir Sokolov; Moscow. Domestic Service, May 86)
Third Person Dies From Disaster; Others Treated
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 8 May 86)
Council of Ministers Reports on Work at ,Chernobyl:.
(KRASNAYA ZVEZDA; May-.86 TAS?S International,
Service, 7 May ...... ............
'Work Continues'
TASS Details Actions
162
163
163
Kiev Hosts Scientific-Economic Conference
(S4 Luzgarq SELSKAYA-ZHIZN, 6_May ..... 165
IAEA Director General Blix Meets Officials
(Moscow Television Service, 7 May 86)................ ...... 165
Kiev Party Chief, Evacuees Interviewed
(Various sources, 7-8 May 86) 166
Evacuees Describe Hardships, by Vladimir
'Zhukovskiy, et al.
7
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More on Settling of Evacuees, by N. Dolgopolov,
P. Polozhevets
Officials on Pripet Evacuees
PRAVDA Cites Academician Velikhov on Accident
(V. Gubarev, M. Odinets; PRAVDA, 8 May 86) 170
Life Reported 'Normal' in Ukraine Areas
(Various sources, various dates) 172
Assistance in Evacuation
Kiev Water Said 'Pure'
Physicians on Kiev Radiation, by Aleksandr Krutov
Foreign Students: Life 'Normal'
Tourists on 'Contemptible' Propaganda, by A. Nazarov
Journal on Plant Problems, Poor Work
Vilnius Reports No Danger From Radioactivity
(Vilnius in Lithuanian to North America, 18 May 86) 175
Comment on Western Reaction to Chernobyl Information
(Various sources, various dates) 175
Inadequate Information Discounted, by Yevgeniy
Grigoryev
'Propaganda' Approaching 'Absurdity,' by V. Bolshakov
Donald Regan Criticized for Remarks, by T. Vasilyev
U.S. 'Fabrications' Said 'Nasty,' by A. Palladin
U.S. 'Inventions' Reach 'New Apogee'
West Covering Up N-Weapons Issue, by Tomas
Kolesnichenko
Kiev Radio Attacks West's Reports
Poland's Urban Condemns 'Inventions'
French Reaction Assessed, by Oleg Maksimenko
Moscow Party Chief Yeltsin Interviewed on Accident
(Boris Yeltsin; STERN, 7 May 86) 180
Blix, Rosen Continue Visit, Hold Press Conference
(Various sources, 8-9 May 86) 182
Visit Chernobyl Area
More on Visit to Area
Blix Comments on Tour of Site
Sees Reactor From 800 Meters Away
Rosen Says Levels 'Stabilizing'
Says 204 'Affected by Radiation'
Rosen: 'Temperatures Remain High'
'Very Frank, Open' Talks Cited
Blix Asked About Causes of Chernobyl
Blix on Smoke, Major Work at Reactor
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Blix Emphasizes Objective Reporting
Rosen Confirms Reactor Shutdown
Visit Concludes 9 May
Communique Issued on Visit
ORF: Government Admits Inhabitants Fleeing Kiev
(ORF Teletext, 8 May 86) 188
Announcement: USSR Goods Pose No Radiation Hazards
(KRASNAYA ZVEZDA, 9 May 86) 188
Ukrainian Official 9 May: AES Fire 'Continuing'
(AFP, 9 May 86) 188
Ukrainian Premier: Reactor 'No Longer Burning'
(AFP, 8 May 86; TASS, 8 May 86) 189
'Radiation Levels Dropping'
More on Premier's Comments
AFP Cites IZVESTIYA: Fire Still Smouldering
(AFP, 8 May 86) 190
Health Minister: Radiation No Danger to Health
(Anatoliy Yefimovich Romanenko; Kiev Domestic
Service, 8 May 86) 191
Health Official Reviews Consequences
(Viktor Knizhnikov; Bratislava Domestic Service,
8 May 86) 192
Army Air Missions Continue Over Chernobyl
(TASS, 8 May 86) 192
TASS Cites Foreign Reactions to Chernobyl Aftermath
(TASS, 8 May 86) 193
Further Reportage on Life in Surrounding Areas
(Various sources, 8-9 May 86) 194
Resettlement Proceeding Smoothly, by A. Zhuk
Agricultural Work Continuing
Work at Kiev Monitoring Center
Makarov Rayon Activities Reported, by V. Lyaskalo
Medics Working Non-Stop, by Vladimir Zhukovskiy, et al.
Radiation Levels Decreasing
Officials on Evacuation, by V. Gubarev, M. Odinets
Army Paper Gives Update, by Vladimir Itkin, Lev
Chernenko
IZVESTIYA Correspondent Reports From Kiev Oblast
(A. Illesh; IZVESTIYA, 9 May 86) 200
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Grigoryev: Man Cannot Renounce Atomic Energy-
(TASS International Service, 8-May-86):' 202
Arbatov Comments on Chernobyl Incident
(G: Arbatov;'PRAVDA, '9 May 86) 203
Residual Anti-Spviet 'Radiation' Lingers
(Vladimir' Bolshakov;Igoscow Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 205
U.S. 'Hypocrisy' Over Accident Assailed
(A. Lyutyy; SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA, 8 May 86) 206
Scare Stories Reportedly Ordered by Washington
(Aleksandr Zholkver; Moscow Domestic Service, 8 May 86).... 207
Proidganda, Contrasted With ,1CoMpetent'''Vi'ews
(Vladimir BeloShapko; Moscow Domestic
AFP Cites Government onl4orting'J&Dedth
(AFP, 9, 11 May 86) 208
-First RadiatiOn Victim
APN's Falin Reports 4th Death
Service, 9
,
May 86)... 208
PRAVDA Details Chernobyl Party Reorganization
(V. Gubarev, M. Odintsev; PRAVDA, 12 May 86) 209
Council of Ministers Issues Communiques on Cleanup
(TASS, 9, 11 May 86; PRAVDA, 12 May 86) 211
9'May Statemerity.
10 May Statement
11 May Statement ,
Silayev, Velikhov Say Chernobyl Danger Past
(Various sources, 11 May 86)'
Silayev Conducts Work Sessions, by Aleksandr Krutov
Velikhov: 11 May 'Turning Point'
'Possibility of Catastrophe' Existed
Kiev Radio Cites Silayev, Velikhov
Embassies in Moscow Warn of Possible ,Food Dangers
(Milan Dragovic; AFP, 12 May 86)
212
215
TV Carries Blix, Rosen 9 May News Conference
(Hans Blix, Morris Rosen; Moscow Television.
Service, 9 May 86) 216
Blix Interviewed on Cleanup, Nuclear Future
(Moscow in English to North America, 9 May 86) 218
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IAEA Expresses Gratitude for Soviet Cooperation
(TASS, 8 May 86) r 219
PRAVDA Cites News Conference With Ukraine Premier
? (V, Gubarev, M. Odinets; PRAVDA, 10 MaT86) 220
Medical Care for Radiation Victims Described ?
(N. Dolgopolov, P. Polozhevets; KOMSOMOLSKAYA
PRAVDA, 8 May 86) 221
'Strength of Character' Shown in Aftermath
Itkin, Lev Chernenko; KRASNAYA ZVEZDA,
7 May 86) 222
Newspaper Readers Offer Help to Victims
(KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA, 8 May 86; IZVESTIYA, 8 May 86) 223
Money Sent to Fund, by L. Kurin
Offers of Foreign Assistance Noted
TASS Cites IZVESTIYA on Regional Situation
(TASS InternatiOnal Service, 8 May 86) 224
Moscow TV Carries Report From Pripyat Sanatorium
(Moscow Television, 9 May 86) 225
U.S. Uses Chernobyl in 'Anti-Soviet Campaign'
(TASS, 11 May 86) 226
IZVESTIYA Cited on Lessons for Nuclear Arms Race
(TASS International Service, 8 May 86) 227
Council of Ministers: 6 Dead From Burns, Radiation
(Moscow Domestic Service, 12 May 86) ? 227
Top Scientist: Reactor To Be Encased in Concrete
(AFP, 13 May 86) 228
Helicopter Flights Continue Over Chernobyl
(Aleksandr Krutov; Moscow Television 'Service,
12 May 86) 228
Red Lead Brought to Chernobyl for ABS Work
(Moscow Domestic Service, 12 May 86)' ? 229
More Than 90,000 Reportedly Evacuated From Area
(Budapest Domestic Service, 10 May 86) 229
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Environmental Effects of Accident Reported
(KRASNAYA ZVEZDA, 13 May 86; TASS International
Service, 12 May 86)
Izrael Interviewed, by V. Zhukovskiy, et al.
Legasov Comments
230
DER SPIEGEL Interviews NOVOSTI's Falin on Accident
(Valentin Falin; DER SPIEGEL, 12 May 86) 231
Kalyagin Conducts 'Telebridge' on Chernobyl
(Boris Kalyagin; Moscow Television Service, 10 May 86) 236
PRAVDA Reports IAEA Officials' Press Conference
(PRAVDA, 11 May 86) 237
RSFSR Paper Describes Evacuation of Area
(Vladimir Zhukovskiy, et..:al..1 SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA,
9 May 86) 238
Chernobyl Fire Chief Interviewed in Hospital.
(G. Alimov; IZVESTIYA, 10 May 86) 239
PRAVDA Reports Nationwide Support for Chernobyl
(B. Gubarev,'M. Odinets; PRAVDA,'. 13 May 86) 241
Lomeyko Condemns West's Restrictions on Food Imports
(TASS International Service, 12 May 86; AFP,
12 May 86) 242
'Discriminatory Measures'
More on Lomeyko Criticism
Kondrashov on Anti-Soviet Treatment of Chernobyl
(Stanislav Kondrashov; IZVESTIYA, 9 May 86) 244
IZVESTIYA on Work To Seal Stricken Reactor Site
(A. Illesh; IZVESTIYA, 14 May 86) 245
Moscow Describes Events Immediately. After Accident
(Vladimir Zhukovskiy; Moscow Domestic Service,
13 May 86) 246
IZVESTIYA Cites Silayev; 'Disaster' Danger Now Past
(Andrey Illesh; IZVESTIYA, 12 May 86) 248
IZVESTIYA Cites Official on Cleanup Techniques
(IZVESTIYA, 13 May 86) 250
SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA Reports on Chernobyl Cleanup
(V. Zhukovskiy, et al.; SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA, 14 May 86) 250
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Academician Interviewed on Chernobyl Area Tasks
(A. Krutov, Ye. Shmatrikov; Moscow Television
Service, 13 May 86) 251
Scherbina Briefs W. Europe, U.S. Envoys on Chernobyl
(TASS, 13 May 86) 252
Civil Aviation Ministry Coordinates Cleanup
(Vladimir Mikhaylenko; Moscow Domestic Service,
13 May 86) 253
Press Told Chernobyl Industries 'Working Normally'
254
(Kiev Domestic Service, 12 May 86)
Medics at Chernobyl 'Operating as Though in Combat'
(V. Zhukovskiy, et al.; TRUD, 9 May 86) 254
Ukrainian Officials Brief Newsmen at ?8 May Session
, (Andrey Illesh; IZVESTIYA, 10 May 86) 255
Medical Official SaysH'Sltuation-Stabilized'
. (Leonid AndreyeVich ilyln;,14Oscow Television
Service, 10 May 86) 256
Moscow on Conditions at Mirgorod Health Resort
(Vitally Pidchenko; Moscow Domestic Service,
12 May. 86) 257
IZVESTIYA Describes Facilities for Chernobyl Evacuees
(Andrey Illesh; IZVESTIYA, 11 May 86) 257
Placement of Chernobyl WorkersElseWhere in Progress
(Moscow Television Service, 13 May 86) 258
Party's, Military's Aid to Evacuees Praised ,
(A. Polyakov; KRASNAYA ZVEZDA, 11 May 86) 259
Area Children Receive Holiday Health Care
(Moscow Domestic Service, 13 May 86) 259
Activities at Ukrainian Sanatorium Reported
Moscow Television Service, 10 May 86) 260
IAEA Thanks USSR for 'Readiness To Cooperate'
(PRAVDA, 10 May 86) 260
Blix to Swedish Paper: 'Satisfaction' With Visit
(TASS, 12 May 86) 261
PRAVDA Carries Communique on IAEA Officials' Visit
(PRAVDA, 12 May 86) . 261
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TASS: Blix Criticizes Western Reporting on Chernobyl
(TASS, 14 Mp.y 86) 262
Reportage, Analysis of Western Chernobyl Coverage
(Various sources, various dates) 262
'Malicious' Campaign Abating, by Farid Seyful-Mulyukov
U.S. Exaggerates Incident, by A. Shalnev
'Pack of Lies,' by Genrikh Borovik
Paper on U.S. 'Malicious Reaction,' by V. Soldatov
'Cacophonous Pandemonium,' by Vsevolod Ovchinnikov
'Red Menace' Stereotype Behind Propaganda, by
Vladimir Tsvetov
FRG Media Sow Panic Over Chernobyl
(Yu. Yakhontov; PRAVDA, 12 May 86) 266
Western TV 'Led Up Garden Path' by Yugoslav Videotape
(TASS International Service, 14 May 86) 267
Embassy in FRG States USSR Safe for Tourists
(TASS, 13 May 86) 267
Lithuanian Farmers Use Lasers To Level Fields
(Semen Astakhov; Moscow Domestic Service, 12 May 86) 268
Text of 14 May Gorbachev Television Address
(M.S. Gorbachev; PRAVDA, 15 May 86) 268
TASS Reports Gale, Armand Hammer Press Conference
(TASS, 15 May 86; AFP, 15 May 86) 272
'Soviet Specialists Lauded
AFP: More Deaths Expected
PRAVDA Cites Blix Criticism of West's Reporting
(PRAVDA, 15 May 86) 273
Loginov Briefs SFRY, PRC Envoys on Chernobyl
(TASS International Service, 14 May 86) 273
Moscow TV Shows Chernobyl 'Forgery' Videotape
(Boris Kalyagin; Moscow Television Service, 14 May 86) 274
USSR Journalists Visit AES for First Time 15 May
(TASS, 15 May 86) 274
Chernobyl Firemen, Workers Leave Kiev Hospital
(TASS International Service, 13 May 86) 275
Kiev Oblast Children Begin Pioneer Camp Vacations
(Moscow Domestic Service, 14 May 86) 275
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Workers Donate Pay to Red Cross, Red Crescent
(Moscow Domestic Service, 12 May 86) 275
SELSKAYA ZHIZN on Rural Life Near Chernobyl
(S. Luzgan; SELSKAYA ZHIZN, 13 May 86) 276
Komsomol Official Describes Work in Kiev
(Anatoliy Plevachuk; Moscow Domestic Service,
14 May 86) 277
IZVESTIYA interviews Officials, Students in Kiev
(A. ?Illesh; IZVESTIYA, 13 May 86) 278
Kiev Daily Describes Initial Chernobyl 'Hell'
(V. Zhukovskiy, et al.; RADYANSKA UKRAINA, 8 May 86) 279
Militia's Heroic Feats at Chernobyl Described
(A. Polyakov; KRASNAYA ZVEZDA, 9 May 86) 281
Travelers From Kiev Say Food Shortages Worsening
(AFP, 11 May 86) 282
West's Arms Posturing 'Main Lesson' of Chernobyl
(Aleksey Grigoryev; TASS, 13 May 86) 282
W. Europe said Victim of Own Propaganda on Radiation
(Aleksey Grigoryev; TASS, 13 May 86) 283
Zholkver: U.S. 'Crisis of Trust' Countered by SALT II
(Aleksandr Zholkver; Moscow Domestic Service,
13 May 86) 284
Ponomarev: West Exploits Accident To Provoke Enmity
(Leonid Ponomarev; TASS, 13 May 86) 284
Columnist Excoriates Senator Dole's 'Mudslinging'
(Melo Sturua; IZVESTIYA, 14 May 86) 285
Chernobyl 'Pretext' for Banning Farm Imports
(V. Bolshakov; PRAVDA, 13 May 86) 286
Shlenov on EEC Commission's Ban on Foodstuffs
'(Viktor Shlenov; Moscow in Portuguese to Portugal,
12 May 86) 286
'U.S. ?Nuclear Plants Safer' Claims Discounted
(Igor Fesunenko; Moscow Television Service, 12 May 86) 287
Radio Criticizes Western Propaganda on Chernobyl
(Boris Andriyanov; Moscow Domestic Service, 12 May 86)..... 288
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ALBANIA
Literary Paper Cited on U.S. 'Hysterical' Press
(TASS, 13 May 86) 288
'Anti-Soviet Hue and Cry' Continues Over Chernobyl
(Moscow World Service, 14 May 86) 289
'New Generation' Meeting Test of Accident 'Trial'
(Moscow Domestic Service, 9 May 86) 289
EAST EUROPE
'Absence of Information' From USSR Noted
(ZERI I POPULLIT, 1, 3 May 86) 290
Radiation Levels Near Normal, Restrictions Lifted
(ATA, 15 May 86) 290
BULGARIA
Fatherland Front Official Comments on Accident
(BTA, 6 May 86) 291
Radiation Said Posing No Threat to Public Health
(BTA, 7 May 86) 291
Foreign Ministry Rejects Western 'Disinformation'
(BTA, 9 May 86) 292
Agrarian Journal Carries Arbatov Interview
(Georgiy Arbatov; ZEMEDELSKO ZNAME, 9 May 86) 292
EEC Food Imports Ban From E. Europe Faulted
(Sofia Domestic Service, 13 May 86; BTA, 13 May 86) 293
Termed 'Discriminatory'
Further Criticism
Sofia Paper: Radiation Level 'Back to Normal'
(BTA, 14 May 86) 294
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Charter 77 Protests Lack of Information
(Otto Hoermann;'Vienna Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 295
Health Official Assures No Danger From Radiation
(Dana Zuskova; Prague Television Service, 6 May 86) 296
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Hygienist Speaks on Increased Radiation Levels
(CTK, 6 May 86) 296
Prague TV Describes Scenes Near Chernobyl, Kiev
(Prague Television Service, 8 May 86) 297
Soviet Health Minister on Measures at Chernobyl
(Prague Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 297
Prague Contrasts Shultz Remarks, 'Evidence'
(Prague International Service, 6 May 86) 298
Chernobyl 'Hysteria' Further Divides East, West
(Julius P. Loerincz; PRAVDA, 5 May 86) 298
RUDE PRAVO Denounces 'Hysterical Campaign'
(Zdenek Horeni; RUDE PRAVO, 4 May 86) 300
Underground 'Antiatom' Protest Reported Developing
(KURIER, 9 May 86) 301
Radioactivity Levels in Air Found Dropping
(RUDE PRAVO, 6 May 86) 301
GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
HUNGARY
Safety Office Reports No Radioactivity Danger
(ADN International Service, 7 May 86) 302
Chernobyl Rumors Used To Mask Real Threat
(Hans-Guenter Moerike; Voice of GDR Domestic
Service, 5 May 86) 302
Radioactive Levels Down; Food Warnings in Effect
(Budapest in Hungarian to Australia and New
Zealand, 6 May 86) 304
Radioactivity Remains Low; Food, Milk Safe
(MTI, 7 May 86) 304
'More Than Enough' Iodine Tablets, Yet No Need
(Budapest Television Service, 6 May 86) 305
Szuros Speaks at National Peace Council Session
(Budapest Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 305
NEPSZABADSAG Cited on Chernobyl 'Manipulations'
(1A1I, 7 May 86) 306
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POLAND
Grazing Halted in Some Areas; Food Uncontaminated
(Budapest Domestic Service, 10 May 86) 307
Weekly Sums Up Chernobyl Accident Chronology
(Tams Oltvanyi; MAGYARORSZAG, No 19, 11 May 86) 307
Air Radioactivity Levels 'Practically' Normal
(MTI, 12 May 86) 308
Nationwide Radiation Levels Return to Normal
(MTI, 13 May 86) 308
Budapest Paper Questions EEC Sanctions on Fallout
(MTI, 14 May 86) 308
Radioactivity Data Exchanged With FRG
(NEPSZABADSAG, 7 May 86) 309
Radiation Differs Slightly From Normal Levels
(MTI, 14 May 86) 309
Spokesman Urban Discusses Radiation Situation
(Waldemar Janiec, Miroslaw Luniewski; PAP, 6 May 86) 310
Commission Reports Latest Radiological Readings
(PAP, 7 May 86) 314
Messner Refutes Rumors About Radioactivity
(Zbigniew Messner; Warsaw Television Service, 7 May 86) 315
Messner Attends Commission Meeting on Chernobyl
(Warsaw Television Service, 7 May 86) 316
Urban Criticizes Western Reporting of Radiation
(PAP, 6 May 86) 316
Urban: EEC Ban on Polish Food Imports Political
(Warsaw International Service, 7 May 86) 316
Urban Announces Travel Constraint on U.S. Diplomats
(Marek Kassa; Warsaw Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 317
IAEA Approves Polish 'Prophylactic Measures'
(Warsaw Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 318
Warsaw Water Said Safe; Hoarding Discouraged
(Warsaw Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 318
IAEA Publishes Polish Radiation Levels
(NEUE AZ, 7 May 86) 318
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Warsaw Reports on USSR Press Conference on Chernobyl
(Warsaw Domestic Service, 8 May.86) 319
Soviet Minister Says Five Victims in Serious Danger
(Warsaw Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 319
Tourism Continues Despite Heightened Radioactivity
(PAP, 8 May 86) 320
Urban Says EEC Meat Import Ban Not Justified
(Warsaw Domestic Service, 9-10 May 86; PAP, 10 May 86) 320
Termed 'Discriminatory'
Ban 'Insult' to Scientific Authorities
Ban Said 'Political'
Radiation Situation Seen Returning to Normal
(Warsaw Domestic Service, 9 May 86) 322
Urban Says Food Export Ban To Cost $45-50 Million
(PAP, 13 May 86) 323
Urban on U.S. Milk Aid, EEC Ban on Food
(Stanislaw Filipczak, Janusz Zaleski; PAP, 13 May 86) 323
Measures To Protect Poles From Radiation Outlined
(PAP, 13 May 86) 324
Air, Water 'Almost Returned' to Normal Conditions
(Warsaw Television Service, 14 May 86) 325
ROMANIA
Radioactivity Lower in Some, Higher in Other Areas
(AGERPRES, 5 May 86) 326
Radiation Drops; Above Normal in 'Certain Zones'
(AGERPRES, 12 May 86) 326
Radiation Decreases, Presents 'No Health Hazards'
(AGERPRES, 14 May 86) 327
YUGOSLAVIA
TANJUG on Tokyo Declaration, Terrorism, Chernobyl
(TANJUG, 7 May 86)
328
Radiation Levels in Vojvodina Stabilize
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 328
High Radiation Levels Found in Kragujevac Milk
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 329
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Reduced Radiation Permits Resumed Sowing in Bosnia
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 7 May. 86) 329
Radioactivity 'Continues To Fall' in Serbia
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 329
Lower Radiation Recorded in Macedonian Areas
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 329
Radiation 'Bounced Off' Mountains, Bypassed Adriatic
(TANJUG, 7 May 86) 330
Radiation Decreasing 'Throughout Country'
(Zagreb Domestic Service, May,86; TANJUG
Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 330
No Health Hazard
Levels Continue To Fall in Slovenia
LCY Presidium's Vidic on Chernobyl Accident
(Dobrivoje Vidic; POLITIKA, 5 May 86) 331
'Belated' Information Causes 'Mistrust' in Poland
(N. Burzan; BORBA, 6 May 86) 332
POLITIKA Discusses 'Lessons of Chernobyl'
(Bosko Jaksic; POLITIKA, 4 May 86) 332
Nuclear Power Plant Not Mentioned in Croatian Plan
(TANJUG, 6 May 86; AFP, 7 May 86) 333
Nuclear Waste Storage Omitted
Further on Station Postponement
Radiation Levels Continue To Fall in Belgrade
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 334
Radiation Decreasing Throughout Nation
(Zagreb Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 334
Soviet Officials Update Situation Around Chernobyl
(TANJUG, 8 May 86) 334
Nation Suffers Heavy Losses Due to Chernobyl
(TANJUG, 8 May 86) 335
Workers in USSR Given Medical Examinations
(TANJUG, 8 May 86) 335
Zagreb Institute Demands Ban on New Nuclear Plants
(TANJUG, 8 May 86) 336
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Government Not Yet Considering Damage Claim
(TANJUG, 8 May 86) 336
USSR Agrees 'in Principle' to Chernobyl Monitoring
(TANJUG, 8 May 86) 336
Slovenes Protest Chernobyl, Nuclear Station Plans
(TANJUG, 10 May 86) 337
Reportage of EC Efforts To Ban SFRY Food Exports
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 9 May 86; TANJUG,
10-11 May 86) 337
No Need for Restrictions'
No Grounds for EEC Ban
TANJUG Reports 'One-Sided' Ban
No EC Accord Yet
TANJUG on Consequences of Ban
Nation's Press Lauded for Chernobyl Reporting
(Moscow Domestic Service, 10 May 86) 339
Military Commentator on Effects of Chernobyl
(Dimitrije Seserinac; BORBA, 6 May 86) 340
U.S. Corn More Dangerous Than Chernobyl Fallout
(TASS, 11 May 86) 340
Milk Consumption 'Rapidly Increased' Last Week
(TANJUG, 12 May 86) 341
Satisfactory Physicals for Workers Near Chernobyl
(TANJUG, 12 May 86) 341
Radiation Levels Fall; Preventive Measures Lifted
(TANJUG, 12 May 86) 341
Loncar Explains SFRY Protest to EEC in Assembly
(Belgrade Domestic Service, 13 May 86) 342
SFRY Correspondent Reports on Visit to Region
(Belgrade Domestic Service, 9 May 86) 343
Call for Emergency EEC Meeting on Food Ban Issued
(AFP, 14 May 86) 343
Radiation Preventive Measures No Longer Necessary
(TANJUG Domestic Service, 14 May 86) 343
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WEST EUROPE
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY
Failure To Agree on Ban of E. European Food Imports
(AFP, 7 May 86) 344
EEC Suspends Meat, Livestock Imports From E. Europe
(AFP, 8 May 86) 344
Decision on Soviet Food Ban Postponed
(AFP, 10 May 86) 345
Travel Discouraged to Affected Areas
(AFP, 12 May 86) 345
Farm Products 'Seriously Hit' by Consumer Concern
(AFP, 11 May 86) 346
Provisional Ban of Some E. Europe Foods Imposed
(AFP, 12 May 86) 346
AUSTRIA
Gratz on Possible Damages Demands to USSR
(Leopold Gratz; Vienna Television Service, 7 May 86) 347
Measures Taken Against Radioactive Contamination
(ORF Teletext, 6 May 86) 348
Ban Declared on East Bloc Food Imports
(ORF Teletext, 4,-6 May 86). .. 348
Cattle Feeding Prohibitions
Further Restrictions
IAEA Says USSR Authorities 'Very Cooperative'
(AFP, 7 May 86)
USSR Asks for Tunnel Construction Experts
(NEUE KRONEN-ZEITUNG, 10 May 86)
349
350
Traces of Plutonium Found in Vienna's Air
(Peter Strasser, Christian Hauenstein; NEUE
KRONEN-ZEITUNG, 13 May 86) 350
Health Ministry Projects Long-Term Chernobyl Impact
(Christian Nusser; NEUE AZ, 13 May 86) 351
Expert Study Analyzes Radioactivity in Austria
(Gisela Hopfmueller; Veinna Domestic Service,
14 May 86)
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BELGIUM
Prime Minister Reports on Anticontamination Action
(Brussels Domestic Service, 9 May 86) 353
TASS: Martens Says Country at No Risk
(TASS, 9 May 86) 353
-CYPRUS
Slight Increase in Radiation Level in Some Areas
(CYPRUS MAIL, 7 May 86) 354
DENMARK
Parliament Seeks Closing of Swedish Nuclear Center
(AFP, 7 May 86) 355
Editorials on Lack of Information From USSR
(AKTUELT, 2 May, 30 Apr 86) 355
Gorbachev 'Squandered' Prestige Abroad
Secrecy Over Incident Castigated
WHO Urges Coordinated Response to Nuclear Accidents
(AFP, 7 May 86) 356
FINLAND
Danish Paper Cites APN Correspondent. on Chernobyl:
-(Vladimir Kolinko; BERLINGSKE TIDENDE., 7 May 86) 357
Daily Criticizes USSR Secrecy Over Chernobyl I.
(Editorial; BERLINGSKE SONDAG, 11 May 86) 357
Contamination Rising; No Restrictions Necessary
(Helsinki Domestic Service, 5 May 86) 358
Radiation Levels Continue To Slowly Decline.
(Helsinki Domestic Service, 7 May 86).-?- .. .. .. 358 .
Experts Evaluate Long-Term Radiation Effects
(AFP, 6 May 86) 359
Radiation 'Up to Five Times' Higher Than Normal
(AFP, 7 May 86) 359
Foreign Ministry Denies Information Delay on Accident
(Helsinki Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 360
Statement at UN Confirms No Radiation Risk
(TASS, 8 May 86)
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360
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FRANCE
Trade, Industry Minister on Nuclear Energy Bill
(Helsinki Domestic Service, 13 May 86) 361
Ministry Sets 26 May for Safe Cattle Grazing
(Helsinki Domestic Service, 13 May 86) 361
Atmosphere 'Largely Free' of Chernobyl Radiation
(Helsinki Domestic Service, 14 May 86) 361
Radioactive Traces Diminish to Pre-Chernobyl Level
(Paris Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 362
Radiation Expert To Arrive at Moscow Embassy
(Paris Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 362
French 'Antiradiation Paint' Sent to USSR
(Paris Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 362
Setback to Gorbachev 'Openness' Campaign Seen
(Editorial; LE MONDE, 2 May 86) 363
Radioactivity Over Nation Normal for Last 2 Days
(Paris Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 363
Nuclear Specialist Meets With Officials in Moscow
(Paris Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 364
OECD Nuclear Safety Experts Meet 9 May in Paris
(AFP, 9 May 86) 364
France Unilaterally Bans Bloc Food Imports
(AFP, 9 May 86) 364
Greens Accuse Government of Withholding Information
(AFP, 9 May 86; Paris Domestic Service, 10 May 86) 365
Officials' Resignation Demanded
Authorities Criticized
Government Criticized for Radioactivity Silence
(AFP, 12 May 86) 366
Produce Sales Fall; Radioactivity Decreasing
(Paris Domestic Service, 14 May 86) 367
Ministry Bans Consumption of Spinach From Alsace
(AFP, 13 May 86) 367
Radioactivity in Nation Found Insignificant
(Paris Domestic Service, 15 May 86) 367
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FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
FRG Summons USSR Envoy Over 'Secrecy' on Damage
(DPA, 5 May 86)
Soviet Embassy Seeks Advice on Reactor Aftermath
(DPA, 6 May 86)
Chancellor Kohl Remarks on Incident
(DPA, 6 May 86)
Radiation Readings Show 3 Areas Remain Above Normal
(DPA, 7 May 86)
Latest Atmospheric Radioactivity Levels Reported
(DPA, 6 May 86)
Interior Minister Evaluates FRG Response
(DPA, 7 May 86)
USSR Spokesman Zagladin Says 'Still Worrying'
(AFP, 7 May 86)
Chancellor Kohl on Chernobyl, Tokyo Summit
(ZDF Television Network, 6 May 86; DPA, 9 May 86)
Discusses Nuclear Security, by Helmut Kohl
Criticizes 'Limited' USSR Information
368
368
369
369
369
370
370
371
Government To Send Two Decontamination Vehicles
(DPA, 6 May 86) 373
Bundestag Interior Committee To Discuss Incident
(ZDF Television Network, 5 May 86) 373
Zagladin Says Radiation Leak 'Practically Stopped'
(DPA, 7 May 86) 374
Bundestag President Jenninger Meets Yeltsin
(ZDF Television Network, 7 May 86; DPA, 7 May 86) 374
Chernobyl Incident Discussed
Yeltsin on More Nuclear Cooperation
Greens Criticize Yeltsin
USSR Embassy Attacks 'Campaigns' on Chernobyl
(DPA, 6 May 86)
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375
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Radioactivity Readings Increase in Marburg Area
(DPA, 5 May 86)
Border Controls Restrict Meat, Vegetable Imports
(DPA, 5 May 86)
DPA Reports Vegetables Polluted in Saarland
(DPA, 6 May 86)
375
376
376
Berlin Conference Criticizes USSR Information Policy
(DPA, 2 May 86)
376
Press Views Tokyo Reaction to Chernobyl
(Deutschlandfunk Network, 6 May 86). .
377
Demonstrators Protest 'Concealment' of Effects
(DPA, 10 May 86)
377
Chernobyl Elicits Criticism of Bonn Policy
(Various sources, 5-6 May 86)
378
Kohl To Write Gorbachev Over Chernobyl Data
(DPA, 9 May 86)
378
East Europe Vehicles Checked at Border for Radiation,
(DPA, 9 May 86)
379
Firm Sells Remote-Controlled Devices to USSR
(DPA, 11 May 86)
379
Rejection of EEC Radiation Levels Explained
(DPA, 10 May 86)
379
Hesse Finds 'Astronomically High' Meat Radiation
(DPA, 9-10 May 86; AFP, 10 May 86)
380
Contamination Reported .
Radiation Limits Introduced for Meat
Community VOte on Food Imports Blocked
Government 'Regrets' Lack of EC Sanctions Decision
(DPA, 11 May 86) ,.. . . ? ?,.. ? ? ? ? ?_.., ?
?-? ?
?,? ?,? OO
381
Government Declares Entire Country 'All-Clear'
(DPA, 12 May 86) .... . ................... ,.. ? ? ? ?
? ? ?
o-._, .....
381
Chancellor Kohl Views Consequences of Chernobyl
(ZDF Television Network, 9 May 86)
381
Kohl Writes to Gorbachev About Nuclear Safety
(WELT AM SONNTAG, 11 May 86)
382
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GREECE
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Genscher Calls for Cooperation in Wake of Chernobyl
(DPA, 11 May 86) 382
Bonn Counters USSR Embassy on 'Safe' Travel Areas
(DPA, 13 May 86)
FDP Group Denies Western Anticommunist Campaign
'(DPA, 12 May 86)
383
383
Bangemann Says Farmers To Lose DM1 Billion
(DPA, 13 May 86) 383
XINHUA: Soviet Compensation Surely' Sought
(XINHUA, 14 May 86) 384
SPD Demands Reappraisal of Nuclear Energy Program
(DFA, 13 May 86) 384
Nobel Expert Warns of 'Thousands' of Cancer Deaths
(AFP, 14 May 86) 385
FRG Press: Chernobyl Will Affect Elections
(Deutschlandfunk Network, 14 May 86) 385
FRG Lawyer Sues USSR for Damages After Chernobyl
(AFP, 14 May 86) 386
Papandreou on Proposals for Worldwide Nuclear Safety
(Andreas Papandreou; Athens Domestic Service, 6 May 86).? 387
Spokesman on Soviet Disclosure of Nuclear Data
(Athens Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 387
Public Advised on Consumption of Milk, Vegetables
(Athens Domestic Service, 5 May 86) 388
Imports of Unchecked Foods Prohibited
(Athens Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 388
Protest Lodged for Tourists Forced on Kiev Visit
(AFP, 8 May 86) 388
RIZOSPASTIS Interviews Arbatov on Chernobyl
(Georgiy Arbatov; RIZOSPASTIS, 11 May 86) 389
'Anarchists' Hold Antinuclear Demonstrations
(Athens Domestic Service, 14 May 86) 390
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Film Showing Chernobyl Fire Said To Be 'Fraud'
(ANSA, 14 May 86) 391
Caorso Nuclear Plant To Close 10 Days for Repairs
(ANSA, 14 May 86) 391
IBERIAN PENINSULA
-ITALY
NORWAY
Newspapers Carry Wide-Ranging Editorial Comment
(Various sources, various dates) 392
Iodine, Caesium Traces Found; No Danger
(Lisbon Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 392
Radioactive Iodine Found in Urine Samples
(AFP, 8 May 86) 393
Craxi Received Gorbachev Message on Incident
(Rome International Service, 7 May 86) 394
Radioactive 'Cloud' Expected To Leave Late 7 May
(ANSA, 7 May 86) 394
Agricultural Losses Costly; Protest March Planned
(ANSA, 8 May 86) 395
Craxi: Situation Will 'Return to Normal' Soon
(ANSA, 10 May 86) 395
Further on Gorbachev Message to Craxi on Chernobyl
(ANSA, 8 May 86) 396
Soviet Freighter Isolated Due to Radioactivity
(AFP, 9-10 May 86) 396
Second Ship Checked
Third Freighter Held
EEC Ban on Food Imports Rejected as 'Too Stringent'
(AFP, 11 May 86) 397
Norwegian Envoy Protests Chernobyl Handling
(AFTENPOSTEN, 30 Apr 86) 398
USSR Envoy Briefs Willoch on Chernobyl Incident
(Arne Halvorsen; ARBEIDERBLADET, 2 May 86) 398
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SPAIN
SWEDEN
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Antinuclear Protests Increase After Chernobyl
(Madrid Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 399
Madrid Reports Radiation Levels in Catalonia
(Madrid Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 399
Politicians React to Chernobyl Incident
(Willy Silberstein; SVENSKA DAGBLADET, 30 Apr 86) 400
Ban on Food From E. Europe Temporarily Lifted
(Stockholm Domestic Service, 5 May 86) 401
Energy Minister, USSR Envoy Cited on Chernobyl
(Willy Silberstein; SVENSKA DAGBLADET, 2 May 86) 401
Concern Expressed Over 2d Chernobyl AES Reactor
(Stockholm Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 402
Editorial on Uncertainty, Danger of Nuclear Power
(DAGENS NYHETER, 2 May 86) 402
Birgitta Dahl on Chernobyl, Domestic Nuclear Program
(SVENSKA DAGBLADET, 30 Apr 86) 403
Chernobyl-Type Reactor Operating in Lithuania
(Stockholm Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 404
Finland Reportedly Maintains Silence Over Chernobyl
(Stockholm Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 404
National Radiation Levels Continue Falling
(Stockholm International Service, 8 May 86) 405
Plutonium Traced in Radioactivity Over Sweden
(Stockholm Domestic Service, 13 May 86) 405
Gotland Tests Show High Radioactive Iodine in People
(Stockholm Domestic Service, 14 May 86) 405
Radioactive Values on Food Lowered to EEC Levels
(Stockholm Domestic Service, 13 May 86) 406
Austria's Gratz on Nuclear Power Agreements
(Reinhard Krause; Stockholm Domestic Service,
13 May 86) 406
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SWITZERLAND
TURKEY
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Zurich Paper Reports on 'Strongest' Pollution
(NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG, 7 May 86) 407
Atomic Agency Says No Danger of Radioactivity
(Ankara Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 408
Ministry Reports Radioactivity-Free Produce
(Ankara Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 408
UNITED KINGDOM
MP's Debate Ban on E. Europe Food Imports
(PRESS ASSOCIATION, 8 May 86) 409
Howe Warns Against Using Chernobyl as Propaganda
(PRESS ASSOCIATION, 4 May 86) 410
Labour Leader Asks Gorbachev for Details
(PRESS ASSOCIATION, 1 May 86) 411
Radiation Levels Around Nation Summarized
(Don Philpott; PRESS ASSOCIATION, 8 May 86) 411
British Groups Note Many Nuclear Plants 'Unsafe'
(TASS, 7 May 86) 412
Ballet Troupe Cancels Moscow-Leningrad Tour
(TASS, 9 May 86) 413
OTHER COUNTRIES
AFGHANISTAN
BAKHTAR Criticizes Western 'Hullaballoo'
(BAKHTAR, 7 May 86) 414
ARGENTINA
Nuclear Experts Stress Security in Plants
(DYN, 7 May 86)
Passengers Tested for Radioactivity on Arrival
(BUENOS AIRES HERALD, 7 May 86)
Atomic Commission Chief Says Nuclear Plants Safe
(TELAM, 8 May 86)
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BAHRAIN
BRAZIL
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Official Cites Area Countries on 'Natural' Radiation
(WAKH, 8 May 86) 417
Professor Reports 'Normal Radiation Levels'
(GULF DAILY NEWS, 11 May 86) 417
Incoming Airplanes Checked for Radioactivity
(Rio de Janeiro Radio Globo Network, 6 May 86) 418
Experts Say Radioactive Cloud Approaching
(EFE, 8 May 86) 418
Professor Calls for Changes in Nuclear Program
(Sao Paulo Radio Bandeirantes, 8 May 86) 419
'No Risk' Radioactive Cloud Awaited in '10 to 30 Days'
(Brasilia Radio Nacional da Amazonia Network,
13 May 86) 419
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
USSR Rejects West's Criticism on Chernobyl
(XINHUA, 7 May 86) 420
XINHUA Roundup on Chernobyl Incident
(XINHUA Domestic Service, I May 86) 420
Chernobyl Mishap Will Not Affect Nuclear Plans
(XINHUA, 9 May 86) 421
Military Scientist on Nuclear Power Development
(Kung Shuangyin; TA KUNG PAO, 10 May 86) 422
COSTA RICA
EGYPT
GHANA
USSR's Ryuytel on 'Exaggerated' Reports
(Danilo Antunez, Nery Artiaga; Tegucigalpa
Cadena Audio Video, 7 May 86) 423
Country Reportedly Free of Radiation Contamination
(MENA, 7 May 86) 424
Daily Criticizes U.S. Gloating Over Chernobyl
(Accra Domestic Service, 9 May 86) 425
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HONG KONG
ISRAEL
JAPAN
JORDAN
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Slight Increase in Radiation Levels Detected
(Hong Kong Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 426
Health Ministry Withholds Radiation Statistics
(Jerusalem Domestic Service, 7 May 86) 427
USSR Delegation Arrives, Comments on Chernobyl
(Jerusalem Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 427
Radiation Tests To Be Halted Due to Low Levels
(Jerusalem Domestic Service, 8 May 86) 428
Tokyo Summit Urges More Information on Chernobyl
(KYODO, 6 May 86) 429
'Mild Radioactivity' Found in Milk in West 1
(AFP, 6 May 86) 430
Prefectures Report 'Unharmful' Radiation in Food
(KYODO, 7 May 86) 430
Radioactivity Found on Returning Kiev Tourists
(KYODO, 5 May 86) 431
Visiting Kovalenko Denounces U.S. 'Propaganda'
(KYODO, 8 May 86) 431
Agency To Check East European Food for Radiation
(KYODO, 9 May 86) 432
Computer System To Evaluate Chernobyl Accident
(ASAHI EVENING NEWS, 12 May 86) 432
Milk Contaminated With Iodine 131 in Nagasaki
(KYODO, 15 May 86) 433
Soviet Tourist Office Stresses USSR Travel Safe
(KYODO, 15 May 86) 433
Minister on Steps To Ensure Radiation-Free Imports
(PETRA-JNA, 10 May 86)
Imported Meat Tested; Free of Radiation
(PETRA-JNA, 11 May 86)
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434
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REPUBLIC OF KOREA
KUWAIT
LEBANON
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Radioactive Dust Detected in Rainwater
(AFP, 6 May 86) 435
Precise Security Checks Due on Five Nuclear Reactors
(YONHAP, 7 May 86) 435
Chernobyl Poses No 'Serious Dangers' for Area
(KUNA, 6 May 86) 437
Ambassador Says Students in Kiev Safe, Happy
(KUNA, 6 May 86) 437
Health Officials Say No Radiation Contamination
(Voice of Lebanon, 7 May 86) 438
Food Imports From 7 East European Countries Banned
(Voice of Lebanon, 10 May 86) 438
MALAYSIA
Nuclear Unit Monitoring Chernobyl Effects
(Kuala Lumpur Domestic Service, 13 May 86) 439
MONGOLIAN PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC
Condolences Sent to USSR on Chernobyl Accident
(MONTSAME, 5 May 86) 440
NEW ZEALAND
Columnist Sees Chernobyl Supporting Labor Government
(Tony Garnier; THE EVENING POST, 6 May 86) 441
NIGERIA
Government Sends Condolences to USSR on Explosion
(Lagos Domestic Service, 6 May 86) 443
Guarantee on Safety of Citizens Requested
(AFP, 6 May 86) 443
Radio Examines Chernobyl Accident, Nuclear Reactors
(Lagos Domestic Service, 14 May 86) 444
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PAKISTAN
PANAMA
Editorial Views Lessons Involved in Nuclear Energy
(DAWN, 1 May..86),?.?, ,, ? o ? e. oo vi 000 ; 00000 ? e.; 0000 445
? ,
Physicist Comments on Western Lies About Chernobyl
PHILIPPINES
QATAR
(TASS, 6 May 86) 0000 446
Group Formed To Monitor Radiation Levels
(DZFM Radio, 5.M4T8,6) 447
Chernobyl RadioactiveJ'allout Reaches Nation
(AFP, 8 May 86) 447
Chernobyl Radioactive Fallout Level 'Minimal'
(BUSINESS DAY, 9 May 86) 448
Commission Says Chernobyl Fallout Not Health Hazard
(PNA, 13 May 86) 448
Official Says Nation 'Not Affected by Radiation'
(WAKH, 7 May 86)
449
University Studies Show No 'Abnormal' Radiation
(WAKH, 12 May 86) 449
SAUDI ARABIA
Incident Said To Pose No Danger to Kingdom
TAIWAN
(SPA, 7 May 86)
450
Ministry Bans Food Imports From West Europe
(SPA, 12 May 86) 450
Royal Approval for Ban on Food Imports
(Riyadh Domestic Service, 14 May 86) 450
Nuclear Plants Under Strict Safety Control
(CNA, 5 May 86)
Measures Ordered Against Chernobyl-Type Accident
(CNA, 8 May 86)
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451
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Premier Yu Seeks Chernobyl Report, Safety Assurance
(CHINA POST, 9 May 86) 452
?
No Radioactive Contamination in Imported Food'
(CNA, 14 May 86)
452
TRINIDAD-TOBAGO.
GUARDIAN Criticizes USSR on Lack of Information
(CANA, 6 May 86) 453
VIETNAM
Han9,1 Says U.S. 'Exploiting' Chernobyl Accident
(Hanoi International Service, 6 May 86) 454
WESTERN PACIFIC'
AFP Sums Up Asian Reaction.to Chernobyl Accident
.(Peter Mackler; AFP, 13 May 86) 455
'ZAIRE
First State Commissioner Receives Soviet Ambassador
(Kinshasa Domestic Service, 13 May 86) 457
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...ex a R.?arta.. t..hor.... 1/1111.
WORK CONTINUES ON CONSTRUCTION OF CHERNOBYL'SKAYA AES
Moscow ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO in Russian No 4, Apr 81 pp 2-6
[Article by candidate of technical sciences V. S. Konviz: "The Second Phase of
the Chernobyl'skaya AES"]
[Text] At the present time, work is being conducted at the site of the
Chernobyl'skaya AES on installations of the second phase of construction, while
the third phase has already been begun. The second phase will have the same output
as the first, which was basically completed in 1978 and which has two generating
sets with 1,000-MW RBMK [high-output, channel-type] reactors. With the commission-
ing of this second phase, the electric station's output will reach 6 million kW.
Since matters regarding the design and construction of the first phase of the
Chernobyl'skaya have been systematically covered [1-4], we will note only the high
operational characteristics of this electric power station. No more than six months
are required to bring power units with RBMK-1000 reactors up to rated power. As
early as a year after the reactors were brought up to rated power, the utilization
factor of their rated capacity reached 75 percent, while the operational readiness
factor exceeded 90 percent.
The basic production equipment utilized in the first power units is being installed
in the second phase of the AES.
In the design of the second phase, however, the speed of response and the perform-
ance of the reactor's emergency cooling systems have been considerably improved.
For complete condensation of steam leaking from the circuit during possible emer-
gencies associated with a rupture of the largest pipes in the loop used for circu-
lation of the heat-transfer medium, provisions have been made for a bubbler basin
located directly under the rigid leakproof chambers of the heat-transfer medium
circulation loop. Steam can be taken up into this basin in case the main safety
valves on the steam lines are actuated. Such a solution excluded the necessity
of installing bubblers in the machine room with its complicated assembly of medium-
pressure pipelines.
The reliability of the electric circuits and the power supply systems for internal
AES needs has been improved.
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The performance of the central heating installation has been increased almost two-
fold (to 1,470 GJ/h) which will make it possible to provide heat to population cen-
ters located in the immediate vicinity of the AES, to hothouses, etc.
In the design, a great deal of attention has been devoted to questions of protecting
the environment. We-will note in particular that the efficiency of the purifying
equipment has been increased as well as that of the systems for suppressing the
radioactivity of aerosol wastes and for special water purification. The capacity
of sewage decontamination equipment has been doubled and provisions have been made
for final purification of sewage in sand filters.
Atomic electric power stations in general and those with RBMK reactors in particular
belong to the most labor-intensive installations in power-plant construction. In
connection with this, designers and builders devote a great deal of attention to
the problem of i'echiCing the labor expended during the installation of construction
and installation operations.
At atomic electric power stations with RBMK reactors, the most labor-intensive oper-
ation is the construction of massive concrete safety structures. Since these elec-
tric stations are single-circuit, such structures are characteristic not only of
the reactor chamber and special buildings at the construction site, but also of
the machine room where the turbine unit, condenser-purifier, condenser-supply cir-
cuit and deaerator are enclosed by massive concrete shielding.
During the construction of the first phase of the Chernobyliskaya AES, the protec-
tive structures were made from cast-in-situ reinforced concrete. The complexity
of erecting these structures increased because it was impossible to use large-
diameter sheathing and difficult to insure a good-quality facing surface due to
the large number of engineering shafts and embedded structural elements. Associated
with this, about 200,000 m2 of concrete surface on each power unit had to be plas-
tered before the special protective covering was applied. A considerable portion
of the partitions and walls were made from brick and these were also plastered.
In order to reduce the amount of labor expended and the length of time needed to
erect such structures, it was necessary during the second phase of the construction
of the AES to make maximum utilization of precast and prefabricated cast-in-situ
reinforced concrete structural members as well as to reduce the number of individu-
ally standing buildings at the construction site and the number of operational lines
between them and the main building. However, the complex configuration of the
framework of the AES buildings and the lack of standardization in structural dimen-
sions have hindered the application of precast and prefabricated cast-in-situ struc-
tural elements. The ordering of three-dimensional layout solutions for the main
building was complicated by the fact that the selection of the basic production
equipment and the arrangement of the nuclear steam-generating installation in the
second phase of construction had to be retained without changes, that is, the same
as in the previous stage.
It was particularly. difficult to do this in the reactor section, since the reactor
units, the special water-purification unit separating them and the repair unit had
different three-dimensional layouts and were constructed from different structural
elements.
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The overall width of the reactor unit (72 m) and ,the width of its central room
(24 m) were used as the determining dimensions in the designs Of the reactor .
sections. The reactor units (retaining the layout of the nuclear assembly and the
transportation equipment) were turned to face one another. The remaining systems
of the reactor section were located between them with all dimensions in the plan
reduced to the dimensions of the construction grid by Sfactor of 3 m. At the same
time, the equipment for special water purification and the gas systems were located
in the lower portion of the building. The-repair shops for "dirty" equipment in
the middle section and the exhaust ventilating system with compartments for filters
and the unit for suppressing the radioactivity of aeroSol,wastes.(UPAK), previously
located in a separate building, were located.in'the upper portion.
Immediately over the exhaust fan station on the roof of the building was installed
a ventilation stack: Such a solution eliminated the necessity of constructing cum-
bersome ventilation boxes on the bridge between the main building, the ventilation
stack and the UPAK.
A transport-engineering corridor was made along the outer perimeter of the reactor
section at a height of 12.5 m. Large-scale equipment can be brought in along this
corridor into the repair area and up to the rail approaches.
As we already know, the bedplate for the reactor section in the first phase of the
AES was lowered to a depth of 8m, while large areaways were situated even lower,
to a depth of 13.5 m. Only after installing these areaways, which took more than
six months, were we able to get on with erecting the reactor unit proper. Consider-
able difficulties arose during the waterproofing of the building's underground con-
tour, upon which great demands are made.
In the design for the main building in the second phase of the AES, the flat bed-
plate of the reactor compartment was put on the same level as the areaways. The
entire building was raised over the level of the ground water, in connection with
which the height of ?the building's above-ground portion was increased.
The new layout of the main building provides for locating immediately alongside
its rear facade the reservoirs for collecting the drain water, tanks for clean and
contaminated condensate, a number of auxiliary systems which previously had been
located on the production platform as well as newly created quick-response emergency
cooling systems for the reactors.
Out of the special structures on the production platform, only the storage facility
for radioactive wastes with its bitumenizing apparatus, connected to the main build-
ing by a transport and engineering bridge, is located separately. As a-result,
the so-called "dirty" zone with its several small free-standing buildings and struc-
tures has been eliminatedJrom the general layout of the production platform.
As was already noted, in the new layout for the reactor compartment we have managed
to regulate considerably the dimensions of the individual compartments and the floor
plan of the building as a whole. The vertical, dimensions of the majority of com-
partments, however, were not changed due, to the necessity of retaining, the arrange-
ment of the reactor unit,while.they, as a rule, do not correspond ,to the dimensions
of a standard construction. grid. In connection with this, we were not able to use
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standard Glavenergostroyprom structural elements for the framework of the building,
the walls and partitions.
The three-dimensional layout of the machine room and the deaerator stacks have not
undergone any serious changes. In order to increase the fire-resistance of and
decrease the amount of metal used in the frame of the deaerator stacks, the frame
is made of precast reinforced concrete and not of metal, as was done in the first
phase.
All the elements in the frameworks of the main buildings and a great many of the
walls, partitions and sheathing to a depth of 500 mm, which had previously been
made from cast-in-situ reinforced concrete or brick, were also designed from precast
ieinforced concrete. Massive structural elements for the walls and sheathing of
more than 500 mm thickness are envisaged as being made from prefabricated cast-
in-situ reinforced concrete In such structures with ribbed reinforced form panels.
At the same time, engineering and cable shafts as well as embedded parts in such
structures were standardized and adapted for factory manufacture.
Below are shown the volumes of the reinforced concrete structural elements (in
thousands of m3) for the main buildings of the first and second phases (in the
numerator and denominator, respectively) of the Chernobyliskaya AES:
Precast concrete and reinforced concrete 44/102
Cast-in-situ concrete 87/132
Cast-in-situ reinforced concrete:
bedplates 46/46
walls and sheathing 110/28
It can be seen from the data cited that we have managed to reduce the volume of
cast-in-situ reinforced concrete in the main building in the second phase by a fac-
tor of 2.2, retaining it primarily in the building's foundation. At the same time,
more than 85 percent of the precast reinforced concrete was used for the necessary
special shielding and finishing of the concrete surfaces which, when the structural
elements had been made from cast-in-situ reinforced concrete, required preliminary
preparation (plastering, float-work, etc.).
As was already noted, we were unable in the design of the second AES phase to re-
strict the use of mass-produced and standardized reinforced-concrete structural
elements from USSR Minenergo catalogues.
Out of the total volume of precast concrete and reinforced concrete, 27,500 m3 (26
percent) were used for standard structural elements and 16,800 m3 (16 percent) for
standardized reinforced form panels, while the rest went for nonstandard elements.
In order to make it possible to produce these elements, we had to modify the exist-
ing equipment and construct some new. The total number of such elements exceeded
26,000; about 200 types of forms were required for their manufacture.
Such a number of standard sizes creates considerable difficulties in the production
of structural elements from precast reinforced concrete and in making structures
with them. Thus, during the development of a standardized design for power units
with RBMK reactors, it was necessary to find a possible way of making the build-
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ings correlate more exactly with the standard construction grid, even if it meant
altering the layout of the technological equipment or slightly increasing the
dimensions of the main building.
The use of nonstandard elements of precast reinforced concrete, however, made it
possible to reduce noticeably the labor expended directly on the construction site
and to increase the speed with which the buildings were erected.
The utilization of massive prefabricated cast-in-situ structural elements made with
the use of standardized reinforced form panels proved to be most effective.
Thus, during the construction of the first two phases of the power units at the
Chernobyl'skaya and Kurskaya AES's, the unit labor expenditures for the erection
of the wall structural elements of almost 1,000-mm thickness from cast-in-situ rein-
forced concrete reached 2-12.5 ban-days/kW. When using the same structural elements
made from prefabricated cast-in-situ reinforced concrete, the unit labor expenditure
amounted to only 1 man-day/kW (0.4 man-days/kW just for installation and about 0.6
man-days/kW for manufacturing under plant conditions and for assembly of the rein-
forced form blocks and mounting of the embedded parts at the construction site).
The use of prefabricated cast-in-situ structural elements has also made it possible
to reduce two-fold the expenditure of machine time on the installation of the
blocks, reinforcing rods, forms and the delivery of concrete to the structure.
All of this has made it possible to increase considerably the speed with which the
wall structures are erected. For example, the average monthly rate for erection
of these structural elements in the reactor units of the first phase amounted to
1.5 to 2 m and only reached 4 m in certain months. During the installation of the
third reactor unit the rate was 3.2 m, while in the first six months of 1980 it
rose to 7 m.
In the final analysis, the increase in the speed with which the wall structural
elements in the reactor compartments were erected provided a reduction in the total
duration of AES construction, since the construction work in building these compart-
ments is on the critical path of the combined construction network schedule.
Comparative data (in percentages) regarding the duration and labor expenditure of
these construction operations in the reactor compartment of the third (denominator)
and first (numerator) power units are presented below.
Duration of construction, months (percent)
Overall labor expenditure for construction operations
from the labor expended on the construction of the
third power unit
Including:
for erecting basic structures
for operating and servicing the construction
machinery and mechanisms
in ancillary manufacture, service and other facilities
5(240)/21(100)
180/100
134/100
171/100
228/100
We must agree that the reduction in the duration of construction within the period
indicated was obtained not only as a result of the application of new technological
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solutions,., ,A comparative analysis of the erection schedules for the first and sec-
ond power unitsof the first phase shows that even with the old design solutions
the duration of this stage Of the work was reduced by a factor of, 1.3 to 1.5 due
to an improvement in the organization of construction, accumulated experience and
stabilization of the collective.
Upon analysis of the labor, expenditures, it must be taken into consideration that
the number of cranes .and machines in the main building and on the platforms for
assembly of the structural elements was increased during the construction of the
third power unit, whereas the total labor expenditure for servicing the construction
machines was reduced considerably due to the sharp reduction in the duration of
the construction.
That the reduction in the duration of construction, was particularly effective can
be seen in the reduction ;of Labor expenditures in ancillary manufacture, services
and other facilities (by,a factor of 2.3).
The experience acquired by this time in the construction of AES's shows the practi-
cability of further improvement of prefabricated cast-in-situ structural elements
and the method of manufacturing and installing reinforced form panels and blocks
made from them.. In, particular, it has become possible to 4o away with pool welding
of the working fittings and thus eliminate seams between the panels in such lightly
reinforced, 'structural elements as the turbine boxes and condenser-purifiers as well
as in certain wall structural elements, in the deaerator stack,, the reactor compart-
ment and the liquid waste reservoir.,
Figure 3 shows a prefabricated cast.-in-situ reinforced, concrete wall structural
element made using reinforced form panels without battens. It is expected that
the labor expended in erecting such structural elements will decrease by another
20 to 25 percent in comparison with the method already mastered.
Of the intrinsic shortcomings in the design of the main building of AES's with RMBK-
type reactors, we must note the considerable overall dimensions of the building
and the difficulty in creating such a building with even the most powerful cranes
with long boom extensions, such as the BK-1000 and SKR-2200.
In the standardized designator AES's with RBMK-1500 reactors in which plans have
been made to divide the reactor compartments into several blocks with a common
machine room, it is necessary that we work together with the builders to develop
the placement and optimal selection of cranes.
It is also necessary to envision the feasibility of fitting out the construction
site with a sufficient number of concrete pumps with controlled concrete-directing
manipulators in order to free the .cranes from delivering conCrete mix to the struc-
tures. .
It is difficult to provide a reliable evaluation of the reduction in labor expended
on the installation operations before construction is completed on the third power
unit of the Chernobyl'skaya AES. According to preliminary data, it will be lower
than the figure for the construction of the first power unit by approximately 30
percent. In connection with this, we must mention first of all the constant work
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being done by specialists of the Yuzhteploenergomontazh trust On improving the
technique of assembling and installing the reactor as well as.on increasing the
amount of assembly of pipeline systems outside the structure.1
There is considerable potential for reducing the labor expenditures in the ventila-
tion systems and air ducts. In the new designs, over 80 percent of the air ducts
are of circular section, which makes it possible to make them with spiral seams,
using high-output equipment. We have not yet managed-, however, to solve the prob-
lem of obtaining high-output ventilation equipment Assembled into units and cham-
bers for AES's currently under construction.:
In addition to this, it must be noted that at the present time in the USSR
Minenergo system special enterprises are being built which will manufacture venti-
lation system elements as well as outfit and assemble the ventilation equipment.
In connection with the increased reliability of electric power supply systems for
domestic consumers, the redundancy of cable communications and the growth in the
level of automation of production processes, new AES designs provide for a consid-
erable increase in the amount of electric wiring. Since up to now it has not been
uncommon for panelboard hardware to arrive at the construction site with a low de-
gree of factory preparation and for this hardware to be finished during installa-
tion as a result of changes in the design, it is necessary to direct particular
attention in new AES designs to the improvement of design decisions and a reduction
in the labor expended during electric wiring operations. At the same time, we must
increase our demands on the electrical equipment industry in part to reduce the
overall dimensions of the equipment, to improve its reliability, completeness and
the degree of factory preparation.
1. For more details see the article by A. M. Usik, A. G. Lyubenko, Yu. Lozovskiy
and V. D. Deygraf: "Installation of the Steam-Generating Unit of the Third
Power Unit at the Chernobyl'skaya AES", published in this issue.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Konviz, V. S., "Design and Construction of the Kurskaya ancLChernobyl'skaya
AES 's," ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO,No 8, 1974.
2. Braude, V. M., Skhodkin, P. K., Konviz, V. S., and Kirillov, A. P., "Basic
Directions for Increasing the Efficiency of Construction," .ENERGETICHESKOYE
STROITEL'STVQ, No 8, 1974.
3. Konviz, V. S., and Semenov, V. P., "Reduction of Labor Expenditures and the
Duration of Construction During the Design of Atomic Electric Power Stations
with RBMK Reactors," ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITECSTVO, $6.11, 1977.
4. Lukov, I. P., "Organization of Construction at the ChernobYl'skaya AES,"
ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO, No 11, 1977.
COPYRIGHT: Energoizdat, "Energeticheskoye stroitel'stvo", 1981
9512
CSO: 1822/147
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Upc_62,1411.22.002:51;00,1.42
PARTICULARS OF STARTUP, ADJUSTMENT ON THIRD GENERATING UNIT OF CHERNOBYL AES
Moscow ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO in Russian No. 6, Jun 83 pp 50-54
[Article by Ye. M. Levin and M. G. Kremer'', engineers]
[Text] In contrast to the first phase of Chernobyl AES, a number of new sys-
tems have been incorporated in the design of the second phase.
For example, a bubbler pool has been included for steam condensation with a
break in the lines of the multiple forced circulation loop, and also for dump-
ing steam after the main safety valves.
All components of the multiple forced circulation,loop with the exception of
the bubbler separators, steam-waterlines and:fh&lipper part of the downcomer
lines are accommodated in a gas-ftght. box (Fig!: 1), The lower water lines are
accommodated in a box under the reactor.
Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of gas-tight box: 1, 8--gas-tight box (emergency
and non-emergency halves respectively); 2--downcomer lines; 3--collectors of
main circulating pumps; 4--distributing group collectors; 5--lower water line
compartment; 6--reactor; 7--safety valve; 9--main circulating pump; 10--main
circulating pump lines; 11--bypass valve; 12--check valve panel; 13--lower
water line check valve; 14--overflow tube; 15--surface type heat exchangers;
16--steam dump lines following main safety valves; 17--bubbler tank
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A sprinkler-cooling system consisting of three independent subsystems (two work-
ing and one reserve) is, provided for cooling the air of the gas-tight box en-
closures during normal operation, and for carrying off heat after an accident.
Each of the subsystems includes a Pump and a heat exchanger. The pump collects
water from the bubbler pool through a.heat exchanger, and feeds it to the collec-
tors of the sprinkler-cooling system, and also to the ventilator ejectors of
the gas-tight box.
A systen. is ,also provided for drawing off hydrogen from the upper part of the
bubbler pool; steam-distribution corridor, lower Tdater line box, gas-tight box
and the vapor-gas barrier.
Another distinguishing feature is the reactor aftercooling system that feeds
water into the reactor core when there is a break in lines of the multiple
forced circulation loop.
11
TT
Fig. 2. _Schematic diagram of reactor aftercooling system:
1--separator drum; 2--main circulating pump; 3--process
valve; 4--distributing group collector; 5--deaerator; 6--
electric feeder pump; 7--water tank; 8--bubbler pool;
9--pumps for cooling emergency half of reactor; 10--
clean .condensate tank; 11--pumps for cooling non-emergency
half of reactor
The reactor aftercooling system (Fig. 2) consists of two tank subsystems and
a pumping section. The tank subsystems in combination with the subsystem for
water supply by electric feeder pumps make up the main part of the reactor
aftercooling system, and supply the necessary amount of water to the emergency
half of the reactor during the initial period -- until the diesel generator
system is activated. The latter keeps the systems operating, supplying the
necessary amount of cooling water to the emergency and non-emergency halves
of the reactor.
-Each tank subsystem consists of six tanks with volume of 25 cu.. m each; filled
with water (14 cu. m) and nitrogen -(11 cu. m) under pressure of 10 MPa.
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The pump section of the reactor aftercooling system includes three groups of
PE-250-75 high-pressure pumps (two pumps and one heat exchanger in each group).
The pumps collect water from the bubbler pool through the heat exchanger and
feed it to the distributing groub collectors of the emergency half of the reac-
tor. Waw is supplied to the non-emergency half by three PE-250-75 pumps.
These cool the channels of this half through the distributing group collectors
with water from clean condensate tanks.
The second phase of the Chernobyl AES uses a structural member cooling system.
This system is made up of two D-320-70 pumps,. main pipelines and cooling`water
-pipe shields that keep the concrete surface at the required temperature. A
device is provided that removes air from the shields during initial filling?
with water, and simultaneously provides temperature compensation for water vol-
umes.
An altered packing supply system has been used in connection with use of the
TsVN-8 as the main circulating pump with end packing and low flowrates of seal-
ing water. On the first generating, unit, the water source for flushing and
water testing was used as this system.
Considerable configurational changes have been made in the system for collect-
ing, treating and returning water, which is located in the main building, con-
siderably reducing the volume of flushing lines in the tank section as compared
with the first generating unit.
The system of emergency steam dumping following the main safety valves has been
combined with the accident-localization system, considerably reducing the volume
of lines on the deaerator staging.
As a result of analysis of the design and experience in utilizing the_first
generating units, installation of flow-control diaphragms on the main steam
lines preceding the turbine has been eliminated. This in turn has eliminated
the necessity of water flushing.
Calculations done in the course of developing several versions of purging steam
lines with 600 mm diameter have shown that the steam flowrate through the
purged steam line should be 800 metric tons per hour for effective purging at
a pressure of 2 MPa in the separators. In the process'of calculating line-
by-line purging, specialists considered the possibility of misalignment of the
separators of one group due to tbe pressure difference in them caused by sepa-
rate line-by-line release of steam from each separator. According to calcu-
lations, a pressure differential of 0.005 MPa causes the reactor protection
' to operate.
The collective of the startup and adjustment brigade suggested purging the
steam lines with compressed air at pressure up to 3 MPa in the following manner.
-.Compressed air at high pressure (pr=200 MPa) is pumped from a compressor into
the. steam lines together with the separators half-filled with water, after which
the main steam gates are opened in the proper order, and the lines are purged
through a temporary line open to the atmosphere.
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Air purging' in combination with turbine startup in an arrangement of dumping
the Main condensate in'a burial ground shortens:the duration of startup and
adjustment work On the concluding stage. -(Since such purging is, done up to
physical startup of the reactor), and alsoreduces, water:losses before starting
the turbine, :and thereby improves water conditions thanks to an increase in
the duration of startup for dumping. However, for a number of reasons (rela-
tively complicated routing of these steam lines, lack of experience in air pur-
ging of steam lines and lack of criteria for quality evaluation, complexity
of ensuring: air=tightness of multiple farced'circulation loop and steam lines,
positive experience with steam purging, feasibility of bringing the reactor
tip t0'25% of the rated power for parallel purging of two steam lines), it was
decided to:purge-the live steam lines With steam of the reactor itself.
It should be noted that air-purging and steam-purging arrangements are almost
the same.
Considering a possible shortage of chemically desalinated water, as well as
the fact that no provision was made for increasing productivity of chemical
water purification in expanding Chernobyl AES, a clean condensate tank and a
liquid waste storage tank with total volume of 8000 cu. m were connected to
the third generating unit during startup and adjustment.
In operation of the system for makeup of clean condensate tank No 2 of the sec-
ond phase from the first, there remains the possibility of makeup from the
chemical water purification unit to clean condensate tank No 1 of the first
phase. The productivity of makeup from clean condensate tank No 1 may reach
250 cu. m per hour (according to hydraulic calculations) instead of 100
cu. m per hour from the chemical water purification unit.
There was also a change in the design routing of the chemically desalinated
water line (over external trestles with heated satellites). As in the first
generating units, this line was run inside the main building.
The 1.3 MPa steam line for startup and adjustment work was connected to a
jumper line between' the reduced steam line of the fast-action reducer of the
third and fourth generating units (the steam line from the reserve startup
boiler room was run differently from the plan, i. e. not over heat-line tres-
tles of the second phase, which are not part of the starting complex, but over
a technological trestle with consideration of the 1.3 MPa steam lines of the
first phase on this trestle). Thus, a solution was found for the problem of
supplying,steam for the needs of the fourth generating unit as well.
As a result of plan elaboration, technology was developed for startup and ad-
justment work on the third generating unit. The proposed duration for startup
and adjustment on this unit was longer than on the first two, which can be at-
tributed to the complexity of the systems being flushed and the configuration.
For example, inspection of large-diameter pipelines_of the multiple forced cir-
culation loOp_after flushing requires opening the suction and pressure gates
of the main circulating pump with diameter of 800 mm, and penetrating through
them into blind sections, whereas on the first pbase the inspection was done
from the collectors of these lines. According to rough calculations, it takes
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100 hours to open the gates, which involves hydraulic testing and sealing. The
duration of flushing the lines of the multiple forced circulation loop with
high-Speed flushing of Process valves is increased because of the branched
reactor aftercooling system with updated tank system. Since some of the lines
of the multiple forced circulation loop are accommodated in the gas-tight box,
it was decided to do away with installing temporary pipelines for dumping the
multiple forced circulation loop rinse water, and to do the dumping right into
the bubbler pool.
The water for high-speed rinsing ofthe process valves Was fed into the
distributing group Collector through lines for purging the dead-end Zone by
the pumps for cooling the non-emergency half of the reactor connected in a tem-
porary arrangement. The same pumps are used for preliminary hydraulic tests.
For hydraulic testing of lines for a pressure of more than 10 MPa, the regular
hydraulic testing unit in the reactor department is used, which has a heat ex-
changer for heating the water.
During startup and adjustment work in the reactor department, the gas-tight
box was pressurized before warming up the reactor. This is Mainly associated
with adjustment of the main safety valves. To verify work on arranging pas-
sages in the gas-tight box, maps of the location Of passages Were made on each
wall with schedules of completion of remaining construction and:' erection Work.
The following job sequence on the gas-tight box was determined:
visual inspection of all walls as construction and erection-jobs were done.,
as well'as checking with the use of vacuum pumps;
petting up a vacuum in the gas-tight box to a pressure of 100 mm water gage
by temporary connection of existing ventilation systems, and using a flame
tester to check for leaks from inside;
pumping air into the gas-tight box from a compressor station with elimination
of the flaws detected in this way, and with subsequent check on the pressure
drop in the box; a temporary line is connected through the system of water sup-
ply to the bubbler pool to feed air from the compressor station to the gas-
tight box.
It should be noted that inclusion of the bubbler pool in the technological ar-
rangement of the third generating unit extends the time for completing startup
and adjustment as compared with duration on the first generating unit.
With consideration of these changes, systems were set up for flushing and
purging lines and equipment. After development of standardized flushing sys-
tems for the Chernobyl, Smolensk and Kursk AEStsby the adjustment organizations
of Tsentroenergomontazh and Yuzhteploenergomontazh trusts, specialists of
Gidroproyekt Institute drew up a working plan for temporary pipelines based
.on the rough plans of the gas-tight box.
It Should be pointed out that development of such plans Is possible only in
line with the basic technology for startup Of the generating unit.
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i5.9k ?;5
'40.4
Fig. 3. System for pumping water out of lower compartments:
1--water-jet ejector; 2--pit for drainage tank box; 3--drain
pit of machine room basement; 4--waste line; 5--line for
filling the facility; 6--4k-90/55 pump; 7--air vent; 8--
tank with volume of 1 cu. m
To catty out work in the lower compartments of the generating unit, imprOve
tents were Made'in the system for pumping water from the floors (Fig. 3). A
distihttive feature of the system is the capability of working without an out-
side source of water power for the jet pumps 1. The plan of the facility pro-
vides for a tank connected to the fire-flow water system. Water is fed to the
jet pumps from the tank by 4k-90/55 pumps, and from there the working ahd,eject-
ing water is pressurized into the tank. The excess water is discharged through
the overflow line into the storm sewer. Ejectors of the ball'-oleaning system
are used as the jet pumps.
In the Machine room, there was no alteration of the main equipment for doing
startup and adjustment work. Some changes were made in the water-acid flushing
technology: hydrogen peroxide was used as the passivator instead of sodium
nitrite. In contrast tonitrite passivation, the use of peroxide does not re-
quire rinsing the condensate feed channel, and thanks to this there is a re-
duction in the consumption of chemically desalinated water on the concluding
stage of startup and adjustment.
It was proposed that the condensate feed channel be rinsed with industrial water
discharged by the condensate pumps of the first stage. Flow-control diaphragms
are not installed in the feed water lines during rinsing, and are installed
before acid rinsing preceding hydraulic inspection tests.
Considerable experience has been accumulated in heat engineering on the use
of regular equipment for acid rinsing of the condensate feed channel. On the
AES installation, recommendations of appropriate organizations are needed on
the use of regular equipment for acid rinsing of this channel. The use of the
condensate pumps of the second stage instead of acid rinse pumps will reduce
the volume of utilization of temporary lines and cut the cost of the work.
Changes were also made in the reagent service.
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For example, the regular equipment of one of the special chemical water puri-
fication systems was used to prepare citric acid and Trilon B. Tanks and pumps
of the reagent service of the first phase of the AES are used for storage and
transfer of hydrogen peroxide add ammonia. All deaerators of turbine units
No 5 and No 6 are connected into the system for acid rinsing the condensate
feed channel along with the main condensate channel following the condensate
pumps of the second stage. Connection of pipelines and equipment of turbine
unit No 6 into the acid rinsing system makes it possible to simplify the last
stage of startup and adjustment.
The reception facilities for dirty discharged water during the period of startup
of the generating unit are the burial ground and, as a reserve, the trap water
tanks.
These changes that were made in systems and equipment were confirmed by the
working plan for temporary pipelines, including supplementary sketches.
Startup and adjustment work on the third' generating unit was done in two inde-
pendent directions: in the machine room and in the reactor department. The
combination of jobs was dictated by joint hydraulic testing of the multiple
forced circulation loop and steam lines up to the main steam gates in the ma-
chine room, and rinsing of the drum separator feed lines by backflow using an
arrangement of water discharge during flushing of the machine room feed lines.
By the time of starting the first hydraulic tests in the ractor room, the
bubbler pool has been prepared for water reception, the facility for pumping
water from the floors on the -6 m level has been connected in the unit of
auxiliary reactor department systems, and the intermediate trap water tank with
regular pump has been put into operation. The pressure lines from the trap
water pump were connected through a temporary line to the industrial storm
sewer. The nipples for reception of trap water were capped off in compart-
ments that had not been turned over for operative use. To save on chemically
desalinated water in rinsing the lines of the reactor aftercooling system, pro-
cess channels, steam-water lines and downcomer lines, water being discharged
was fed to the bubbler pool or an intermediate trap water tank, and from there
to the facility for purifying the bubbler pool water, which was charged with
resin in accordance with the technical specifications of the plant. Connection
of the intermediate trap water tank to the facility for purification of bubbler
pool water was ineffective, as the discharge waters coming into this tank were
mixed with waters of the reactor room penetrating into the traps and containing
oil, salt and dirt, leading to disconnection of this facility. Following this
facility, the water followed the regular circuit into two water reserve tanks
for preventive maintenance with volume of 750 cu. m apiece, and three trap water
tanks of the same volume, the tanks for planned preventive maintenance and
trap water were interconnected by a temporary line. The water accumulating
in these tanks was used for rinsing to discharge. No makeup water was fed to
the "clean" systems because of the inadequate quality of water purification.
Thanks to the use of a system for cleaning discharged rinse water, work in the
reactor department was done without interruption. Rinsing of lines of the
reactor aftercooling system was done with consideration of the program for
testing the system. The temporary line for dumping water from the collectors
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of the reactor aftercooling system was actually dismantled during fuel charging,
which prolonged the time for completing hydraulic testing of the multiple forced
circulation loop. The main steam lines of the generating unit underwent hy-
draulic tests jointly with the multiple forced circulation loop. This pre-
cluded work on installing and removing high-pressure caps 600 mm in diameter
between the steam lines and the multiple forced circulation loop.
Hydraulic tests of the multiple forced circulation loop and auxiliary systems
were done by using regular equipment. The productivity of the pump station
for hydraulic testing of the third generating unit was increased by connection
of two pumps of the fourth generating unit. Heating of the main circulating
pumps was done by the pumps themselves rather than by an outside source of heat
in connection with the fact that its electrical part was prepared for hydraulic
testing. To reduce the volume of work involved in hydraulic testing and resto-
ration of circuits, all cavitating inserts are installed before rinsing. The
rinsing arrangement was put together on the basis of calculation of the setting
of cavitating diaphrgams for ensuring the capability of two-way flushing:
In the process of rinsing and adjustment of the structural member cooling system
some cases of pump stoppage were observed. This was caused by air getting into
them due to inefficiency of the system for removing air from the shields. In
this connection, a change was made in the arrangement for feeding the water
following the shields into the suction collector of the pumps through the tank,
allowing removal of air from this system.
During installation of the shields of the structural member cooling system they
were checked for tightness by compressed air, after which the makeup water was
removed, and insulation with facing was then installed on the shields.
We must note the necessity of ensuring tightness of the shield system, as it
is kept under continuous pressure.
Starting and adjustment work is especially complicated on the accident locali-
zation system. A combined schedule was used for checking the tightness of the
gas-tight box. This schedule was started after finishing the rinsing of the
multiple forced circulation loop and before fuel charging. It should be noted
that checking the tightness of the bubbler pool before beginning startup and
adjustment work on the multiple forced circulation loop is conducive to con-
siderable shortening of the startup and adjustment work on the generating unit.
Experience has shown that adjustment of the accident localization system must
be treated as a major technological operation with completion of startup and
adjustment work by the time of hot-rinsing the multiple forced circulation loop.
In connection with difficulties that come up in emptying and drying the bubbler
pool because of the lack of a drainage system for its compartments, a system
of ejector facilities was developed and introduced for removing water from the
bottom of the pool. As practice shows, emptying and inspection of the bubbler
pool requires a water receiving vessel with volume of up to 5000 cu. m that
can also be used as a tank for receiving low-salinity waters and operational
effluents from the machine room that have high iron content.
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A standardized arrangement using MKS-1000-350 pumps was developed for acid rins-
ing of the condensate feed channels. Experience shows that acid rinsing of
condensate feed channels shouldibe done no later than one month preceding start-
up of the generating unit.
The use of nonstandard equipment for acid rinsing of the condensate feed channel
and temporary lines, necessitates for its connection subsequent restitution of
the' condensate feed channel, trial running of feed pumps., completion Of con-
struction_work in the Compartments where the condensate, feed channel' circuits
ate-being restored, and' turning them over fox. :operational use. However, it'
was not possible to' take the, condensate' or feed pump in the standardized'ar-
rangement as the pump for acid rinsing, which would have considerably simpli-
fied.the system, because of lack Of recommendations on using the given pumps
for:theSe purposes. .Therefore an arrangement was worked out and used On the'
third generating unit of circulating hot water-(up to 90?C) through the con-
densate feed channel, calling for the use of condensate' pumps of the second
stage (TsN-1500-240), and connection Of temporary lines to the suction lines
of the electric feeder pumps (Fig. .4),
1
.ff 3
-6 5--
Fig. 4. Schematic ,diagram for rinsing the condensate feed
channel with hot water: 1, 2--deaerators for turbine units
No 6 and 5 respectively; 3--suction collector of electric
feeder pump; 4, 5--second-lift condensate lines of turbine
unit No 6 and 5 respectively; 6--condensate pump of turbine
unit No 6; 7--feed lines: I--water from clean condensate
tank; II--input of reagents; III--discharge to burial
ground; IV--inlet of ammonia; V--industrial water for dis-
placement of solution; ----temporary lines
Circulation through the loop was continued for 12 hours at a water temperature
of 75-80?C. The loop was charged with 500 kg of saponifying agent (0P-7). The
iron content in the loop before displacement of the solution was 7.1 mg per
liter, and after displacement was 5.7 mg/liter.
In connection with the fact that the machine room was ready for startup of the
generating unit four months before completion of work in the reactor department,
it was decided to restore the condensate feed channel circuit'and carry out,,
operational acid rinsing (Fig. 5). In accordance with recommendations of par-
:ticipants in a conference held at Chernobyl AES, studies were done on the con-
struction materials of the electric feeder pump (SNE-1650-75) to determine the
feasibility of using these pumps for acid rinsing with a 1% solution of citric
acid and.Trilon B. The results of the experiments showed that the structural
Materials of the electric feeder pumps have high chemical resistance.
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?
Fig. 5. Schematic diagram of acid rinsing of third gener-
ating unit: 1--drum separator feed units; 2, 3--deaerators
of turbine units 6 and 5 respectively; 4--feed pumps No 1-5;
5--gate open; 6--gate closed; 7, 8--low-pressure heaters for
turbine, units No 6 and 5 respectively; 9, 10--condensate
pumps of first stage for turbine units 6 and 5 respectively;
11, 12--condensate cleaner for turbine units No 6 and 5 re-
spectively; 13, 14--second-stage condensate pumps for tur-
bine units No 6 and 5 respectively; I--1.3 MPa steam for
heating; II--inlet of reagents; III--discharge to water cir-
culation line; IV--discharge of solution to burial ground;
V--discharge of condensate to planned preventive maintenance
tank; ----temporary lines
In the course of the studies, a technique was worked out for passivating the
condensate feed channel with a1% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Such passiva-
tion ensures formation of a stable oxide film under operating conditions, obvi-
ating the need for rinsing passivation products out of the condensate feed
channel before startup of the generating unit, and allows carrying out startup
operations with passivating solution in the condensate feed channel. This pas-
sivation technique had been accepted. However, in the course of further ex-
periments it was learned that the stable protective film in passivation with
hydrogen peroxide forms at pH?-9, i. e., ammonia must be added, which means that
further rinsing of passivating solution out of the condensate feed channel is
required before startup of the generating unit. On the whole, the use of this
passivation technique showed that a stable protective film is formed on the
metal surface.
The second-stage condensate pumps used for hot rinsing, and the-electric.feeder
pumps used for acid passivation operated in a stable manner. Spotchecking
? showed no changes associated with acid action on thetal. ?
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It should be noted that merely by using regular equipment in acid rinsing, we
can reduce the volume of utilization of temporary lines by nearly 15% in startup
and adjustment work in the machine room. However, in the case where acid rins-
ing is eliminated, the reduction in the mass of temporary lines as a consequence
of absence of the temporary arrangement for feeding reagents amounts fo 5% of
their total mass.
It is preferable to do acid rinsing on odd generating units of AES with RBMK
reactors, since they take longer to build than the even units. In all cases,
the content of iron oxide on the inside surface of the condensate feed channel
lines must be determined during installation and before startup of the gener-
ating unit. Experience in startup and adjustment work at Chernobyl AES shows
the advisability of acid rinsing of the condensate feed channel by regular
equipment, since this permits rinsing of the channel immediately before startup
of the generating unit.
The main steam lines were purged line by line with initial pressure of 2.5 MPa
in the separator drums. No misalignments of the separators were observed,
which shows that they had been properly reconfigured.
The generating unit was started up with the condensate feed channel in a closed
configuration. The condensate was discharged into the burial ground through
the condensate purifier bypass. Discharge into trap water tanks was provided
as a reserve. AES plans should provide for a vessel to receive operational
effluents with high iron content, since not all electric power plants with RBMK
reactors have burial grounds.
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that engineering preparation before doing
startup and adjustment work at Chernobyl AES enabled solution of nearly all
problems involved in the technological sequence of carrying out the final erec-
tion and construction work, and performance of this work at an accelerated
pace.
COPYRIGHT: Energoatomizdat, Energeticheskoye stroitel stvp, 083.
6610
CSO: 1822/331
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UDC 621.311.25:621.39
CHERNOBYLvSKAYA.AES THIRD PEASE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
Moscow ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO in Russian,No I, Jan 84 pp 19-23
[Article by Candidate of Technical Sciences V. S. Konviz and engineer L. V.
Golubkoy] '
[Text] Construction of the third unit, which includes two energy assemblies
with RBMK-1000 reactors, has begun on the site of the Chernobyl AES.
The main- constructions included in this unit (the main building, liquid and
solid fuel-waste chimp, diesel power station, nitrogen-oxygen station and so
on) are from a standardized design, which is also being realized
in construction'ofthe second unit of the Smolensk and of the third. unit -of-
the Kursk AES.
The industrial site ul the third unit of the Chernobyl AES is located along-
sidesthd-industrial sites of the two previous Units on the bank of existing
tooling pond. Two cooling towers with productivity of 100,000 m3/hr each,
which will operate in parallel with the cooling pond, are being constructed in
connection with an increase of the overall capacity of the AES.
The electric power of the energy assemblies of the third unit will be gener-
ated on a voltage of 750 kV, for which expansion of the ORU [open distributor]
of 750 kV of the second unit of the power plant is envisioned,.
The existing, but somewhat expanded construction base is being used for con-
struction of the new energy assemblies.
Since problems of design and construction of the Chernobyl and other AES with
RBMK-1000 reactors have been systematically illuminated in the literature
[1-4], main attention is being devoted in this article to the new engineering
solutions worked out in the standardized design of this type of third-genera-
tion AES.
The list of the main production equipment, volumetric-configuration and other
engineering solutions, developed during design and construction of the second
units of the Chernobyl and Kursk AES and of the first unit of the Smolensk
AES, was retained as a whole in the new standardized design.
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,(.t, (..;1 (vu 6')
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..71 14 ?(
i'n,11111;11 1:4, I
Layout of Main Building of Third Unit of Chernobyl AES
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VINO ISI1 1VIDHdO 1103
A- A
71,50
+150,00
37,90
32,70
5
33
3
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230011
ENCIFANNer
24,00
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KINO asa 1VIDI330 110,1
.-5
Figure 2. Cross-Section of Main Building of Third Unit of Chernobyl AES:
[Caption continued on following page]
40,7.3
0
-o
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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[Caption continued from preceding page]:
1--graphite stacking of reactor; 2-7--assembled steel sections for
reactor; 8--separator drum; 9--main circulating pump; 107-electric
motor of main circulating pump; 11--main shutoff valve2 and,13-7,
intake and delivery collectors; 14--group delivery tollector;, 15--
lower water suply lines; 16--steam-water supply lines; '17--riser.'
pipes; 18--loading-unloading machine; 19, 20?travelling cranes of
central room and spaces for main circulating pump; 21, 22-7-forcing _
and exhaust blowers; 23, 24--tank and heat exchanger for organized_
leaks; 25--scheduled repair and preventive maintenance tanks; 26--
check valves of delivery and intake collector Spaces;27--bypass
valve of accident localization system; 28, 29?air and water-epaces-
of bubbling pond; 30--turbounit; 31--steam superheater-separator;-
32?low-pressure heater; 33--first-rise Condensate pumps; 34--travel-
ling crane of machine room; 35--micromodule stacks
At the same time, the results of scientific research, developmentand design
work carried out during the past few years and the almost 10 years experience
in operation of energy assemblies with RBMK-1000 reactors are taken into ac-
count in this design.
The equipment and engineering systems of the two energy assemblies are located
In the combined main building. The reactor blocks (blocks A and B) are insu-
lated and block C is located between them (in which the auxiliary production
systems, repair shops and exhaust blowers with an installation for suppressing
the activity Of gas-aerosol discharges are located); the'machine room aod
_micromodule stack are common for the two energy assemblies (Figures 1 and 2).
-However, all the production systems, electrical engineering devitee:and con-
trol systems for each energy assembly are autonomous.. .
The volume of the micromodule stack in the third unit has:been'increased some-
what (compared to the second unit of the AES): the electrical engineering de-
vices, reserve control panels, centralized monitoring systems, cable spaces,
automatic water fire extinguishing units and blowers Are arranged in it.
The accident localization systems have been significantly modified-dwthenew
design. It became possible to simplify the design of the bubbling pond. as a
result of investigations of these systems, now completed, on largel-scele
stands of VTI [All-Union Twice Order of Labor Red Banner Heat Engineering
Institute] imeni F. E. Dzerzhinskiy and of full-scale research' conducted:
--during startup of the third energy assembly of the Chernobyl' AES and of the
first energy assembly of the Smolensk AES.
-'The design of the metal seals has been altered with regard to. the possibility
of more reliable checking of the tightness of the installation-Weid-seams
during construction and operation.
The emergency steam relief system from the main safety valves and the ..canfig-
uration of its pipelines have been optimized.
'More improved devices using minicomputers have beet used for functional-group
'control of the production systems.
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A new automation radiation monitoring system based on the AKRB-06 apparatus
was introduced in the energy assemblies of the second unit of the Chernobyl
AES. This system is convenient to operate and it is planned to expand its
functions in designs of new energy assemblies to increase the degree of auto-
mation and online data processing in the production radiation monitoring
systems, including the coolant activity monitoring system.
Automation of data processing and analysis in the radiation monitoring system
of aerosol discharges from the blower pipe is provided.
New devices for integrated technological shielding are used in the reactor
section and machine room systems. The layout of the internal energy supply
has been changed. Some block users of the second group of reliability (the
centralized monitoring system, firefighting pumps, some blower units of the
reactor section and so on) were connected to the reserve diesel generators in
the previously introduced energy assemblies, besides the safety system. Two
autonomous diesels with rating of 1,000 kW each are used in the new design to
supply energy to these users, which made it possible to simplify considerably
the electric supply layout of the safety systems and to increase its reliabil-
ity. A logical continuation of this idea is the structural separation of the
cable runs for the safety systems and the general block power supply systems.
A branched fire extinguishing system, which includes the following, has been
developed for AES with channel-type reactors:
outside fire extinguishers at the facilities of the industrial site;
internal fire extinguishers in the main building with cooling system for
the trusses and roof of the machine room;
automatic water-spray fire extinguishing in the cable rooms and trans-
former rooms.
The automatic fire extinguishing system for the cable rooms of the safety sys-
tems is related to the support safety systems. The active elements of this
system (pumps and starting valves) operate in three independent subsystems,
which are connected to three reliable power supply sources (diesel
generators).
The water supply sources for each subystem are three tanks with capacity of
150 m3 each, filled with water from the general plant firefighting system as
needed.
The blower systems of the main building, which are very branched and cumber-
some at AES with RBMK-1000 reactors, were considerably modified in the new
design. The type of these systems is selected as a function of the zone in
which the room is located, of the necessary degree of air purification, of the
category of reliability and so on.
To reduce the total loading of the blower systems, a cooling station has been
developed which will deliver cooled water td) the flow-through blower centers,
which makes it possible to deliver air with temperature not above 17?C to the
main building during hotter months.
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:-Moreover, it is planned to introduce in the turbine boxes a recirculating air
:cooling circuit, which will contribute both to a 4ignifidant decrease of air
discharges through the exhaust blowers and to more extensive pUrifidatidn of
it.
Ait7conditioner sections with VDN.hiih-delivery blowers have been. usedas the
main blower equipment of the flow-through ventilation Centers. These sections
are produced serially by the Kharkov All-Union Association Konditsioner.
SpeciaLattention was. devoted,intlevelopment of the new Standardized design to
improvement of structural.members,j The scientific research and caLcUlation-,
theoreticalwork, performed Up to the present, made it possible to develop
more progressive methods of calculating the complicated volumetric designs, Of
the reactor blocks for different types of power and temperature effects - and to
reduce appreciably the saturation of the concrete structures with
reinforcement.
Hinged joints were used in the more stressed frame structures of the main
building, which made it possible to reduce significantly the number of compli-
cated structural subassemblies without increasing the weight of the frame
columns.
Thdlistof-precast concrete articles has been reduced due to the use of
standardized ribbed reinforced panels as load-bearing elements of heavy pre-
cast-monolithic roof slabs.
The possibility of extensive use ,of reinforced molded panels wichoutweided
joints of the working reinforcement and accordingly without cover Plates has
been determined, which should provide a further reduction of the laboriousness
of manufacture and installation of these panels.
Some ordering of the volumetric-scheduling decisions made it possible to
reduce; the list of precast concrete elements in the stairwell-elevator blocks
and to use more extensively standard structures of Stair flights and shafts,
produced by plants of USSR Minenergo [Ministry of Power and Electrification].
Improvement of design solutions and also realization of a number of organiza-
tional and technical measures by construction.and installation organizations
during the past few years made it possible to achieve a significant reduction
of the laboriousness of construction and installation work in construction of
the second unit of the Chernobyl AES.
The specific labor expenditures (man-days/kW) in construction of the first and
second units of this electric power plant are presented below (in the numera-
tor and denominator, respectively):
In industrial construction (main production) 2.9/3.1
Including:
development of the territory, erection of the construc-
tion base, external supply lines and so on 0.48/0.2
erection of the main structures (those used to erect
the main building) 2.18(1.62)/1.7(1.2)
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construction of the circulating water supply system
In auxiliary production and service facilities
0.24/0.2
1.1/0.8
The rates of erection of the main structures were increased considerably.
Thus, whereas the average rate of construction of the first reactor block
(block A) in height was 1.7 m/month, it increased to 3.2 m/month in construc-
tion of the third energy unit.
A reduction of the length of construction of the main structures led to an
appreciable decrease.of the total labor exkenditures in auxiliary.production-
and service facilities. As can be seen from the data given above, the spe-
cific labor expenditures of this category were reduced by almost 30 percent in
construction of'the'second unit (compared to the first unit).
It should be expected that implementation of the new engineering decisions
adopted in the standardized design of third-generation AES with RBMK-1000
reactors will provide a further reduction of the laboriousness of construc-
tion and installation work.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
. Konviz, V. S., "Design arid Construction.of the Kursk and Chernobyl' AES,"
ENERGETICHESKOYE ,STROITEL'STVO, No 8,.1974.
2. Konviz, V. S. and. V. P. Semenov, "Reduction of Laboriousness and Length
of Construction in Design of Plants with RBMK Reactors,"
ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO, No 11, 1977. ?
3. Lukov, I. P., "Organization of Construction of the Chernobyl AES," ENER-
GETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO, No 11, 1977.
4. Konviz, V. S.,."The Second Unit of the Chernobyl AES," ENERGETICHESKOYE
STROITEL'STVO, No 4, 1981.
COPYRIGHT: Energoatomizdat, Energeticheskoye stroitelistvo, 1984
6521
CSO: 8144/0297,
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UDC 821.311.22.-002,51-57
EMERGENCY LOCALIZATION SYSTEM AT THIRD UNIT OF CHERNOBYL AES
?Mosolow ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO in Russian No.1-, Jan 84 pp 61-63
[Article by engineer Ye. P. Markov, engineer A. N. Yavorskiy,,candidate of
technical sciences B. V. Dyadyakin and engineer I. P..Aleksandrov]
[Text] The main functional designation of the emergency localization system
(SLA) at AES with RBMK-1000 reactors (see figure) is localization of the con-
sequences of rupture of pipelines of the multiple forced circulating circuit
(KMPTs): Besides this, the equipment and rooms of the emergency localization
system are used for reception and condensation of steam ejected into .the bub-
bling pond .(BB) through the main safety valves (GPK).upon an increase of
pressure in the.separator drums.
Based on the functional designation of the emergency localization system, the
adjustors had the following goals: to provide and check the design hermetic-
ity of the emergency localization rooms, to check the efficiency and to adjust
the production subsystems and equipment of the emergency localization and also
to check the efficiency of the steam relief system (ASP) after the main safety
valves.
The collective of the PO [Production Association] Soyuztekhenergo, together
with personnel of reactor shop No 2 and adjusting shop of the Chernobyl AES,
under the scientific supervision and with the direct participation of special-
ists of VTI [All-Union Twice Order of Labor Red Banner Heat Engineering Insti-
tute] imeni F. E. Dzerzhinskiy, conducted the starting-adjusting operations.
It should be noted that the main energy assembly of the second-generation AES
was the first assembly of the Smolensk AES. However, the third assembly at
the Chernobyl AES was started earlier than the first assembly at the Smolensk
AES, with regard to which the starting-adjusting operations had to be worked
out and additional monitoring and measuring devices had to be installed.
It was suggested that the emergency localization system be tested according to
the program methods compiled by VTI for the first energy assembly of the
Smolensk AES. However, these program mecnods were considerably revised and
refined in further development of the operating test programs. Moreover, it
became necessary in performing the starting adjusting operations .to make on-
line decisions of a number of problems, since there was no experience at that
time in startup of these systems.
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Besides the described operations, the starting-adjusting operations included
acceptance tests of the safety valves of the leak-proof box (PPB) and the
check valves of the lower water supply line (NKV) rooms.
Tests of the production subsystems and equipment of the emergency localization
system. The main task in tests of the safety valves of the leakproof box and
of the check valves of the lower water supply line rooms was to determine the
response pressure of the MPU-300-4.5 and MPU-600-0.2 membrane safety devices
and to compare the results to design requirements.
The response pressure for MPU-300-4.5 comprised 0.45 + 0.015 MPa after tests
and adjustment, which meets the requirements; it was equal to 0.017 + 0.001
MPa for the MPU-600-0.2, which was regarded as satisfactory upon agreement
with the main developer of the valves (SKB [Special Design Office] of VTI
imeni F. E. Dzerzhinskiy) and the Gidroproyekt Institute [All-Union Order of
Lenin Design Research and Scientific Research Institute imeni S. Ya. Zhukj.
The results of tests of nine MPU-600-0.2 showed that the response pressure of
these types of devices depends on the quality of manufacture of the shearing
elements; therefore, the remaining devices were installed without tests, but
with obligatory reduction of the dimensions of the indicated elements accord-
ing to the dimensions in the detail plans.
Uniform heat removal by distribution of the circulating cooling water flow
rate to each group of surface-type condensors (KPT) was provided according to
the design when testing and adjusting the KPT. Moreover, the following prob-
lems were solved: determination of the maximum capacity of the circulating
water condensors, estimation of the hydraulic pressure of the pipelines and of
the groups of surface type. condensors between the delivery and drain circulat-
ing water collectors 1,200 mm in diameter, distribution of the circulating
water flow rate through groups of condensors and equalization of it according
to design requirements.
The test results showed that the disbalance of the ?flow rates through groups
of surface type condensors comprises + 50 percent with completely open valves
in the circulating water system and the flow rate corresponds to the design
rate in the first of them. The circulating water distribution system is eas-
ily regulated for nine groups (from the second through the tenth groups) by
using the delivery valves (this regulation of flow rates through these groups
is quite permissible, since there are no surface type condensors in the cir-
culating water supply system in the normal operating mode of the energy unit.
The hydraulic resistance of the channel between the circulating water delivery
and drain collectors was determined during the tests only for the tenth group
of surface type condensors; it comprised 0.155 MPa, which is close to the cal-
culated value of 0.148 MPa.
The hydraulic characteristics of the sprinkler-cooling system, the character-
istics of the 'ejection coolers (EO), including discharge of drop moisture in
the air boxes of the ejection coolers, the cooling time of the bubbling pond
using the heat exchangers of the sprinkler cooling system and the efficiency
?of the ejection coolers during operation of thie energy unit were determined
during the tests.
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cone,' zoPa.
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FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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Diagram of Rooms of Emergency Localization System: 1, 10?leak-proof
boxes; 2--ejection coolers; 3--safety valves of leak-proof boxes; 4,
9--rooms of lower water supply lines; 5?check valve panels; 6--check
valves of lower water supply line rooms; 7--steam distributing channel;
8--surface type condensors; 11--hot water discharge pipelines fiom
steam distributing channel; 12--heat exchangers of sprinkler cooling
system; 13--bubbling pond sprinklers; l'--overflow *pipes 800 mm in
diameter; 15?pumps of sprinkler cooling system; 16, 18?air and water
tanks of bubbling pond; 17--water suction ejector from collectors 800
mm in diameter; 19--bubbling pond; 20, 21--Steam distributing pipes
280 and 400 mm in diameter, respectively; 22--bypass valves
(9)
Key:
1. Circulating water collectors
2. Steam discharge after main safety valves
3. Steam discharge after main safety valves
4. To condensors of water level recorders
5. Return of purified water
6. Filling of second floor
7. Emptying of second floor
8. Emptying of first floor
9. Discharge for purification
10. Sprinkler cooling system
11. SAOR
Tests of the sprinkler cooling system were conducted in three phases;
the first--determination of the hydraulic characteristics of the sprink-
ler cooling system, checking both the efficiency of the sprinkler nozzles of
the bubbling pond and the nozzles of the cooler and the non-heating of the
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drain pipelines of the ejection coolers and the absence of suction of air into
them, determination of the flow rates and volume of removal of drop moisture
by the air flow from the ejection cooler. Tests were conducted in the given
phase by using cold water and air with heated multiple forced circulation
circuit;
second (during tests of the steam discharge system after the main safety
valves)--determination of the cooling time of the bubbling pond by using the
heat exchangers of the sprinkler cooling system;
third--a check of the efficiency of the ejection cooler during operation
of the energy unit.
It was decided during starting-adjusting operations to replace the choke
washers by regulating valves 150 mm in diameter so that the hydraulic charac-
teristics of the subsystem of the sprinkler cooling system, which operates
from the first and third pumps, could be changed. This modification made it
possible to provide the design distribution of water flow rate of the sprink-
ler cooling system to the nozzles of the bubbling pond and ejection cooler for
the indicated subsystem.
It was also also decided during startup operations to install choke plates 52
mm in diameter in front Of the distributing collectors to reduce the water
flow rate of the sprinkler cooling system to the ejection cooler and to locate
slide valves at the air intake into each ejection cooler to change the ejec-
tion coefficient.
As measurement results showed, the discharge of drop moisture in all the in-
vestigated operating modes of the sprinkler cooling system was not more than
2 percent of the absolute moisture in the safety leak-proof box valves. At
the same time, the flow rate of the sprinkler pumps was reduced sharply due to
installation. of the choke plates. Therefore, the given design cannot be
recognized as feasible. Even more so since investigations of the ejection
cooler on stands performed by VTI in February-March 1982 established the value
of the maximum discharge of droplet water over the entire range of water and
air flow rates no higher than 0.45 g/m3; this value comprises 3.5 percent of
the absolute moisture content in the safety leak-proof box valves during test-
ing of the sprinkler cooling system.
The cooling time of the bubbling pond, using the heat exchangers of the
sprinkler cooling system, was determined during the final stage of tests of
the steam discharge system after the main safety valves. The bubbling pond
was heated with steam, which was discharged into the pond through the main
safety valve, opened for 4 minutes. Two pumps of the sprinkler cooling sys-
tem with total flow rate of 1,230 m3/hr were in operation during heating and
subsequent cooling. The bubbling pond was cooled to mean water temperature,
corresponding to its initial average temperature prior to heating. The cool-
ing time was 2 hours.
The main purpose of testing the steam discharge system after the main safety
valves was to check the efficiency of this system and of the storage capacity
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of the bubbling pond and also the efficiency and effectiveness of ,the vacuum
interrupt ejectors and water suction ejectors from the 'collectors 800 mm in
diameter.
In preparing the indicated System for testing, it was necessary to *prevent
formation of a vacuum in its pipelines after closing the Main safety valves
and to prevent the related suction of bubbling pond water into the pipelines
and collectors through the steam discharge nozzles submerged in?the water:"
This capability was .taken into account in design:of:the system, therefore,
four steam-air ejectors, the.woricingmediuM:of.which is .live steam, We0,pro-
vided to prevent formation of a deep vacuUm..
A utilization factor of the bubbling pond--the ratio of the amount of steam
required to heat the water of the bubbling Pond from .the mean initial .to the
mean final temperature, to the,amountof steam that provides heating of the
bubbling pond water from the mean initial to the.maximumtemperatnre,-measured
during heating of the bubbling pond was used as the index of nonuniform dis-
tribution of steam through the bubbling pond during checking Of its storage
capacity. The results of calculations showed that the:utilization factor of
the bubbling pond is still not high enough
The rooms of the emergency localization system were tested for tightness in
three phases. The metal. lining elements of the, sealing circuit were.
tested during the first phase for local hermeticity according to the require-
ments of the design and instructions of IK-GS-10 and also the program worked
out for these tests. Leaks in the sealing circuit were determined during the
second phase by the method of evacuation of the rooms of the emergency local-
ization system. Integrated tests of hermeticity were conducted during the
third phase by the method of blowing air to the rooms of the emergency local-
ization system. The actual leakage was determined in this case.
The rooms of the emergency localization system were injected with air twice.
The air in the room of the safety leak-proof box valves and the main water
supply lines was delivered from a standard compressor station. Five compres-
sors with maximum productivity of 1,200 m3/hr each were in operation. The
bubbling pond was filled with water on both floors to the nominal level during
the air injection.
The leakage from the main leak-proof box valves was calculated during the in-
jections of air by the pressure drop in it after delivery of air was stopped.
One can make the following main conclusions on the basis of analysis of the
design and the results of starting-adjusting tests.
1. The results of testing and adjusting the emergency localization system of
the third energy unit of the Chernobyl AES indicate its efficiency and con-
formity to design requirements.
2. Acceptance trials of the safety valves of the leakproof boxes and the
check valves of the rooms of the lower water supply lines showed that the
level of the response pressure of the valves is equal to the design level.
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3. The circulating water supply system of the surface type condensors per-
formed according to the design.
4. The results of testing the sprinkler cooling system indicate that it co-
responds to the requirements provided in the design on the whole. Modifica-
tions made during starting-adjusting operations made it possible to provide
design distribution of flow rates according to users of the sprinkler cooling
system. However, it should be noted that installation of choke plates 52 mm
in diameter on the delivery lines of sprinkler water to the ejection cooler
led to an increase of the resistance of the network for the pumps of the
sprinkler cooling system.
5. Tests of the ejection coolers showed their rather high efficiency: even
with a sharp decrease of water and air flow rates through the ejection cooler
? (due to installation of choke plates and slide valves), the ejection coolers
provide the temperature-moisture conditions in the leak-proof boxes, given by
the design, during operation of the two pumps of the sprinkler cooling system.
6. It was determined during tests of the steam discharge system after the
main safety valves.,that its hydraulic characteristics correspond to design
requirements.
COPYRIGHT: Energoatomizdat, Energeticheskoye stroitel'stvo, 1984
6521
CSO: 8144/0298
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'INTERVIEW WITH CHIEF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER AT CHERNOBYL AES;
Moscow ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO in Russian No 2 Feb 3k. pp 2-4,.
Linterview with Vladimir TimofeyeviCh Cora, chief engineer of the Chernobyl
AES construction administration by engineer G. N. Krashinu.date anclplace not.
specifieg
ffexI7 Vladimir Timofeyevich Gore, Chief engineer of
AES construction administration, answers the
questions of our editorial staff.
A'uestiog The documents of the 26th CPSU* Congress states"...TO.PUt into
operation the cape-Cities...at the Chernobyl AES..."-Scrin.answering.the
party's decisions the fourth "million-capacity" powerblock.was put into op-
eration in December of last year by the Chernobylatomiapower.station builders.
Thus Vladimir Timofeyevidh, the construction' of the second .phase of the AES
has teen successfully completed at theeleCtric- power station--anothertwo-po-
wer blocks with RBMK-1000?reactors. The ? total capacity of the _Chernobyl AES
is now 4000 megawatts, i.e., it is one of the most powerful atomic electric
power stations today. We have informed our readers in detail in 4 number of
issues aboutthe construction of the first phasevof:the,Chernobyl AES.- What
basically distingtishes the structure of the" latest, the fourth. power block,
from the preceding ones?
giaswei7 Well, of course, first' there is the experiencethebhas. been gained.
Thus, a careful analysis of the third power block has. allowed us to avoid
many mistakes and troubles in constructing the last power block of the second
phase-. It is well known, for example, that one of the, main problems salved
during the construction of the AES has been the timely-supply of structures
and. equipmentfor installation. The lessons of the first phase weretaken
into accounts during the construction of the fourth power block welled five
railroad and six motor vehicle access ? routes. The specific difficulties in
constructing this power block were caused by ,the more' compressed time periods:
as is well known, the standard time period for constructing the fourth power
block is 24 months; we have handled this job almost a Month sooner,
"Materialy XXVI S'yezda KPSS" gaterials on the 26th CPSU Congres27, Moscow,
Politizdat, 1981t p 223.
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Additionally, in connection with the establishment of GosatomnadzorLitate
atomic power inspectoratg, requirements for turning over AES power blocks
with absolutely no incompleted work left have grown sharply. I will cite as
evidence the opinion of the deputy Chairman of the commission for the power
start-up of the fourth power block, V. P. Kevrolev, which he stated in our
newspaper TRIBUNA ENERGET1KAt "systems which would not be finished by in-
stallation time are practically nonexistent. The basic indicator here is
high work quality at a high work tempo."
Finally, there is another factor which has distinguished (and complicated)
work on the fourth power block--thin is the concluding block of the second
phase of the AES. That is there was also a requirement to fulfill in those
same compressed time periods all of the additional work for the second phase:
widening the chemical agent and diesel fuel storehouses, the construction
with helium cylinder, etc.
guestiog.Aren'ttherealso'probably differences in the engineering solu-
tions characterizing the construction of the fourth power block and the en-
tire fecond phase of the AES? Deputy minister A. N. Semenov in his inter-
view, if you recall, said that the switch to precast solid structures proved
to be very effective.in,constructing thesecond stage of the Chernobyl AES...
5nswei7 Really, the basic construction decision in the first stage of build-
ing the main AES housing was the use of reinforced concrete poured in situ
and partially--precast concrete (mainly wall slabs). Many structural elements
made of poured in situ concrete were re-engineered to precast ones at the
suggestion of the builders while the construction was already in progress.
The plan for the second: phase of the AES called for constructing the main AES
housing in precast poUred in situ. wall and ceiling structures With a very
slight inclusion of pored in situ sections. Those parts of the housing where
the building lay-out.was.executed in a skeletal arrangement were made of pre-
cast reinforced concrete elements, whose greatest weight matched the maximum
hoisting capacity of the construction =lanes. This planning decision made it
possible todecrease labor expenditures to almost two-thirds of that of the
first phase
guestice Evidently, Vladimir Timofeyevich, this isn't the only effective
engineering solution realized at the construction site.
gnswee Of course. As yet another feature of the work on the main housing
of the second phase it is necessary to mention the wide use of cast concretes
and their transportation by concrete pumps which decreased labor expenditures
for 1981-1983 by more than 1100 man days. Polyethylene film waterproofing,
which covered an area of about 9500 square meters, was successfully introduced
on the main housing. This made it possible to cut labor expenditures in half
compared with using cold asphalt mastic and it also improved the working
*ENERGETICHESKOYE STROTTEL'STVO, No 5, 1980, pp 2-4.
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conditions of the laborers. The use of polymer coatings on industrial pipe
stacks, instead of coating them with stainless steel,, has permitted a savings
of about 60 tons of valuable metal and has realized an economic impact of more
than 75,000 rubles.
The use of combined wall and ceiling assembly blocks (reinforced concrete
together with thermal insulation and metallic Coating) of the hot bays has
made it possible to shorten the work periods by 30 days. The block assembly
of the hip roof metal structures, .with the help of a 10-640B crane, has per-
' Mitted a decrease by 1k days in turning over the reactor compartment central
room with graphite brickWork..
'There is yet another very interesting engineering solution-mounting a BK-1000
crane on the deaerator stack framework, 38 m high, to protect the work on
erecting the reactor compartment.
Our assemblers have also introduced a number of effective innovations on the
fourth power block. Thus, a four-flow method for building up the PVKgype of
'steam turbin27 uprights was used successfully, permitting a decrease in the
"critical journey" by 32 days. The' high-speed installation of steam separator
drums by using an intermediate girder mounted directly on the gantry of a
12-64O crane, has been accomplished. The Use of this method has made it poss-
ible to begin the installation of about 50 walls endwise 28 days ahead of sche-
dule., There has also been success in bringing about preliminary trsnsporta-
tion into the installation zone and in putting together in pre-installation'
condition the plans for the reactor and drum separators which has permitted a
speed-up in the reactor installation by 14 days.
guestiog But doesn't it seem to you that, in listing all of these numerous
differences of the second phase, we have not mentioned its main feature--the
obvious progress in the area of managing construction and organizing work on
the projects?
jilswee You probably have in mind the Complexes and sub-complexes which we
created. You are absolutely right. Although it May be that we here have al-
ready managed to become accustomed to this. Thus, three construction installa-
tion complexes were organized aimed at the more efficient management of con-
struction production in our administration. The first complex, including the
erection of the main housing, was in turn divided into two sub-complexestone
for the construction of the machine room and deaerator stack and the other for
the preparation of work on the reactor compartment and the VSR05Xpansion un-
knowg. The Second complex (auxiliary projects and hydraulic structures) also
consists of two sub-complexes 'with a sharp division of Projects under con-
struction. And, finally, the third complex is for the construction of housing
and social, cultural and service projects. Each complex is headed by its own
chief and each sub-complex by 6. chief technologist. Such a reorganization in
managing SMRgonstrUction and installation worg has permitted a clearer allo-
cation of the duties of managers' andthe -establishment of a strict personal
responsibility for each assigned work sector.
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The basic direction in the work of the US5onstruction administratiog of the
Chernobyl AES is the fulfillment of guidelines and the submission of a work
front to the sub-contracior organizations. It must be said that repeatedly,
even sometimes to the detriment of fulfilling the plan by our own forces, we
have stretched the guidelines to make it possible to develop work by special-
ized organizations. There was not one ease at our construction site where the
main sub-contractor organizations did not _fulfill the yearly PIA plans. We
see in this the guarantee of success.
Besides the reorganization mentioned, there was yet another one that was carr-
ied outs in 1982-1983, construction and installation administrations earlier
belonging to the sub-contractor trusts Mosspetsatomenergomontazhgloscow Spec-
ialized Power Installation Trusg and Yuzhenergomontazhgouthern Power Install-
ation Trusg which installed building structures at our project, were trans-
ferred into the forces of the Chernobyl AES US.
guestiog What did this transfer give to the construction project?
gnswei7 First of all, it made it possible to better coordinate our efforts
for the successful fulfillment of a full complex of operations on erecting
the main AES housing in precast, poured in situ structures. This, in turn,
can yield, in the long run, a significant economic impact. Thus, our calcu-
lations have, shown that only because of the more efficient use of work time
and the increase in the effectiveness of hoisting and welding equipment, it
has been possible to decrease labor expenditures by 4000 man days a year and
realize a yearly electric, power savings of 150,000 kilowatt hours with a sim-
ultaneous improvement in construction quality. -
gUestiog By the way, Vladimir Timofeyevich, we said earlier that today's
fourth power block-has demonstrated the high quality of construction work.
Nevertheless you just spoke about further improving quality. Isn't there a
contradiction here?
ffilswsg No, we are constantly working to increase SMR quality, especially
mindful of the specific nature of such critical structures as atomic electric
power stations. Unfortunately the reserves which are not being used by us
are still great.
guestiog I would like to dwell on this in more detail. Tell us about the
quality control structure at the construction site.
5nswei.7 Certainly. A technical inspectorate, the construction laboratory
of the Chernobyl AES USA. jointly with a designer's inspection group of the,
institute GidroproyektLA11-Union Planning, Surveying and Scientific Research
Instituteiieni S. Ya. Mug and the capital construction division of the
electric power station carry out quality control on the Chernobyl ABS con-
struction. Three groups make up the construction laboratory: a laboratory
control group which tests building materials and concrete; a concrete inspec-
tion group which controls the quality of laying and maintaining concrete; and
a group which performs entry quality control of building materials and struc-
tures. A technical inspection group conducts a technical examination and in-
spects the blocks before concreting. The technical inspectorate pays special
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attention to organizing work on inspecting the block structures being concreted.
An acceptance commission, which includes representatives of the technical in-
spectorate, management, the designer's inspectorate, and the construction sec-
tor, conducts the final inspection of the blocks being concreted. The accept-
ance commission in its work is guided by the "Statute on Acceptance Commiss-
ions," specially developed for construction, which was coordinated with the AES
management and the planning organization. This statute regulated the staff
and work procedures of acceptance commissions and the responsibility of con-
struction sectors when handing over Work and confirms the schedule of necessary
executive documentation.
The geotechnical laboratory post carries out the quality control of soil found-
ations, dams, emtankments, the installation of filtering material and subse-
quently formally accepts foundations for further work.
Additionally, the construction administration has developed a number of regu-
lations for the production and control of concrete, fitting, waterproofing,
roofing, and finishing work including the specific features of the technology
of the Chernobyl AES construction.
An over-all quality inspection is conducted by the commission with the partici-
pation of representatives of the customer, general designer, and general con-
tractor. However, as the over-all 2
inspections and uality checks by higher
organizations (the association Sozuzatomenergostroy A7
ll-Union Association of
Atomic Power Station Constructioni, USSR )tinenergo Ministry of Power and Elec-
trificaticg, and USSR Gosstroy demonstrate, during construction and installa-
tion work production there are violations, deviations, and defects leading to
a decrease in SMR quality and requiring additional labor expenditures for fin-
ishing the work, alterations, etc., i.e., that entire collection of means to
improve quality which I spoke about earlier, unfortunately, is still not work-
ing or is working with insufficient effectiveness. We have to work even more
in this area.
rquestiog What, in your view, are the main reasons for the slow improvement
In construction work quality?
gnswei7 One of these reasons is the insufficiently high quality of the plan.
All kinds of Changes and additions to the plans have simply overcome us, the
builders: time and again we receive additional plans for drilling, burning,
making openings, additional foundations, and insertions. And, of course, the
eternal disease of designers--the untimely presentation of technical document-
ation. This greatly restrains construction and installation work. Perhaps
you can tell me: how can one talk about the quality engineering preparation
of a project after this?
Luestiog And, in spite of this, your construction project has succeeded, as
is well known, in being among the leaders in the USSR Minenergo system in the
very plan of managing production engineering preparation. This is a very im-
portant question in today's power construction on the whole and atomic con-
struction in particular. How have you solved this during the AES construction?
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Linswei7 It must be said that great attention has been paid to production en-
gineering preparation since its very start. I would divide- this work into two
stages; the first is the preparation of work on the first power block which
was conducted blindly, because there was no MEL-engineering and technical per-
sonneg on the construction site at that time who had experience in construct-
ing an AES and, therefore, work management decisions had to be made is the
course of operations, i.e., while already in the process of constructing the
block; in the second stage?beginning with the second power block, the engin-
eering preparation is carried out single-mindedly up to the start of construc-
tion,--plans for locating hoisting devices, access motor vehicle and railroad
roads are developed and the priority isdetermined for laying engineering
underground communications, constructing base projects for construction and in-
stallation organizations, etc. I believe that a serious approach to solving
engineering preparation problems has also favorably affected the smoothness
.in introducing the power capacities at the Chernobyl AES: the first power
block was introduced in 1977, the second in 1979, the third in 1981, and the
fourth in 1983.
I am thoroughly convinced that engineering preparation ought to begin by deter-
mining the subject tasks and analyzing the provision of planning estimates for
these tasks. The lack of planning estimates for the planned year is the most
serious obstacle in organizing proper engineering preparation for the work in
the upcoming period. This circumstance does not make it possible to determine
with required accuracy work volumes both as to their cost and size which makes
it impossible to assign work volumes to those who will do the work and to com-
petently draw up a plan for the material and technical supply of construction.
Lauestiog The reasons you have listed which hinder engineering preparation
and, in the final analysis, the achievement of required work quality--these
are basically external factors which do not depend directly on the builders.
What is the construction administration itself doing to improve SHR quality?
gnsw47 We are already introducing measures influencing work quality. The
first phase of the combination of special building structures has been turned
over for operation, reinforced concrete form wallboards and corrugated floor
slabs are being produced and, in turn, the partition and insertion parts shop,
which will significantly increase the quality of the facing surfaces of con-
crete articles, has also been turned over. Provisions have been made to build
at our facility PTUfrocational and technical school7 training areas with
classes which offer practical instruction aimed at increasing worker skills.
SHE quality is the essential evaluation in the socialist obligations of the
builders when summing up results.
ffiuestiog Evidently the brigade form of labor organization, which has been
widely disseminated at your construction site, plays a large role in the
struggle to increase the quality of work and shorten its time periods.
Linswes7 Naturally. The labor of construction production pieceworkers is
inconcievable without the brigade form of organizing it. In the Chernobyl AES
US, 98.8 percent of the basic production pieceworkers are involved in a bri-
gade contract. Some 141 brigades have been organized of which 99 are all-round
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teams and 42 are specialized. In 1983, 51 teams used the brigade method and
they handled 11.5 million rubles of construction and installation work, or
45 percent of the total work volume carried out by their organizations.
Moreover, a lowering of the calculated production cost by 50,000 'rubles has
been achieved. The. output of one worker in the contract collectives amounted
to 13,714 rubles (with 11-i088 rublea for the construction administration as a
whole), which is 114.5 percent of the plan. In the future we will also extend
.this progressive form of labor during the construction of the-third phase of
the AES.?
iCluestiog What problems, Vladimir TiMofeyevich, will you have to solve dur-
ing the construction of the third phase Of the AES? What is the situation
today with the construction of the fifth and sixth power blocks? What is
hindering the pace?
5nswer7 I will start at once with the lait question. The answer will be
simple: unfortunately, the very same thing is hindering us again?the ill-
timed and incomplete delivery of technical documentation. Effectively, this
is the only thing. And since there is no full set of documentation--there is
no construction engineering preparation. As a result, we cannot, in a timely
fashion, order structures for the producer plants which in turn disturbs the
engineering and the schedule for fulfilling the construction work. For ex-
ample, the reactor compartment has already been built to the 12 meter mark
but, because of the absence of documentation on the ladder and elevator
blocks, we cannot assemble the flights of stairs which significantly compli-
cates builder access to the work areas. Or take this situation--the almost
finished deaerator stack is standing but.. .without floor slabs--up to now
there is no planning documentation on them.
At the present time the building cranes are being shifted from the main hous-
ing of the fourth power block to the site of the third phase, work has started
on erecting the reaCtor compartment and machine room and on constructing the
hydraulic structures and circulating water lines. Preparatory work has been
done for constructing the cooling tower. Of course, the main anticipated
element for ensuring the normal work of the construction subunits is a cir-
cular concrete road with approaches to the projects being constructed, the
installation of a railroad track and a transport dock is being completed.
Lcluestion7 Finally, Vladimir Timofeyevich, tell us something about the main
moving force of the construction project--about the moire of builders. What
is being done to build a stable construction collective? What kind of mood
is there on the project?
Linswei7 During the existence of our construction administration, a quite
qualified and harmonious collective of Chernobyl AES builders has been formed.
Without such a collective it would be impossible to build and turn over for
operation four "million capacity" power blocks in 12.5 years, and shorten the
time period for erecting two phases of the AES by six months. How are we
succeeding in stabilizing the collective? We are approaching this by various
paths. We are teaching construction professions to the workers while continu-
ing production, we are making it possible for our personnel to grow and
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increase their _skill, we are advancing the most gifted to leadership posi-
tions. For example, Yu. N. Matyeyev developed from construction superin,
tendant to chief of a complex at our construction site, and. now he is chief
construction engineer at the Rovenskaya AES. A. P. Selikhov passed through
all stages from foreman to chief technologist on the construction of the
main housing. Many other examples of such advancement can be cited.
A working atmosphere is being established at the construction site in which
the best business-like qualities are demonstrated both by the managers and the
ITR and by the worker builders and inStallers. We are concerned about improv-
ing living conditions with the aim of better strengthening the labor force.
In 13 years the beautiful and comfortable city of the atomic power station
builders?Pripyat?has arisen on the site of a wasteland. The administration
is constantly working on speeding up the pace of housing Construction.. Thus,
since the start of the AES construction, more than 540,000 square meters of
living space have been turned over to us and, in 1983, this figure was almost
67,000 square meters compared with a plan of 52,000, i.e., 128 percent, in-
cluding the construction of two apartment buildings for the construction ad-
ministration workers. In 1983, a 320-place kindergarten and nursery school
was handed over for use. The city has a beautiful "Energetik" Palace Of
Culture, a swimming pool, and an enclosed sports Complex for the builders.
Four eneral education schools with 5,700 students, a GPT0Lias and steam tur-
bine power plang, trade enterprises, the "Prometey" motion picture theater,
and a modern hospital complex have been built. In short, everything possible
is being done s?hat the atomic workers will live and work in a pleasant en-
vironment.
They, of course, respond with conscientious work. From this proceeds the
fine, business-like mood of the Chernobyl people toward the successful ful-
fillment of party and government decisions on constructing the projects of
the next and third phase of the Chernobyl AES within the designated time per-
iods and at a high level of quality. This is just as it was with the two
preceding ones.
COPYRIGHT' Energoatomizdat, Energeticheskoye stroitel'stvo, 1984
8524
CSO: 1822/250
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FOURTH CHERNOBYLSKAYA AES UNIT
Moscow EKONOMICHESKAYA GAZETA in Russian No 12, Mar 84 p 3
[Text] The CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers have con-
gratulated the builders, installers, operations workers, designers, machine-
builders, and all participants in erection of the fourth power unit of the
Chernobylskaya Nuclear Electric-Power Station imeni V.I. Lenin. The
Chernobylskaya AES is today one of the Soviet Union's largest nuclear power
stations. Since the moment that its first power unit started up, it has gen-
erated more than 82 billion kWh of electricity.
UDC 621.039.517
CHERNOBYLSKAYA AES EXPERIMENT IN TESTING 'RBMK-1000 REACTOR OPERATOR'S
KIBITZER' PROGRAM
[Synopsis of article from Moscow ATOMNYYE ELEKTRICHESKIYE STANTSII 1984 in
Russian 1984 (signed to press 18 May 84) by I.Ya. Yemel'yanov, M.M. Borodyanskiy,
A.I. Gorelov, 1.1. Desyatnikov, A.A. Kokorin, M.A. Lyutov, V.V. Postnikov, and
V.G. Nazaryan, pp 83-89]
[Text] The article presents a brief survey of existing methods and programs
used for optimizing energy release distribution in power reactor cores. An
algorithm, developed by the authors for ?selecting the movements of the control
rods is presented, which takes into consideration the various technological
limitations which apply to RBMK-1000 reactors. The algorithm was realized in
an SOPR [not further expanded] program, introduced at the Chernobylskaya AES.
Test results of the program are presented. The article shows the effective-
ness of using this program to efficiently regulate energy release distribution
in the RBMK-1000 reactor.
CHERNOBYL AES POWER GENERATION
London SWB in English 9 Nov 84 p 6
[Text] This station has generated 100,000 million kWh since its inception.
(Kiev in Ukrainian for abroad 1700 GMT 22 Aug 84)
COPYRIGHT: British Broadcasting Corporation 1984
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UDC 621.311.25:621.039:69.0
CONSTRUCTION PARAMETERS FOR CHERNOBYLSKAYA AES GIVEN
Moscow ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITELSTVO in Russian No 11, Nov 84 pp 2-6
[Article by V.M. Chernyshenko, engineer: "Basic Results of Construction on the
Chernobylskaya AES"]
[Note from Editorial Board] The selection published below is
one of a number of articles which throw light on the experi-
ence of constructing the second phase of the Chernobylskaya
AES, the basic structures of which were built according to a
standardized design.
[Text] In December of 1983, the fourth 1000-MW power block of the Chernobyl-
skaya AES was put into operation, and construction was completed on two phases
with an overall capacity of 4000 MW. Construction of the Chernobylskaya AES
was begun in the 1970's. Over 30 construction and installation subcontracting
organizations took part in the construction of this facility. They were headed
by the Chernobylskaya AES Construction Administration, which acted as general
contractor, numbering some 18 specialized construction and installation sec-
tions in its ranks, which worked only on the industrial construction.
While the power station was being built, the construction workers put more
than 573,400 m2 of housing, 11 children's institutions, amounting to 3,660
places, three schools, amounting to 4,052 places, seven canteens, amounting to
1,160 places?a 420-seat motion picture theater, an 800-seat club, and a num-
ber of other facilities designed for social, cultural and domestic purposes
into operation. In this connection, R669,000,000 of construction and instal-
lation work were completed, which includes R633,000,000 for theAES. The
overall labor outlays amounted to 13,800,000 man-days. Basic volumes for con-
struction work are shown in Table 1.
As has already been mentioned, there are.four power blocks in -.the makeup of the
first two phases-of:the Chernobylskaya AES. Each of the power blocks has a
capacity of 1000 MV. Each power block includes an RB-1000 [high-power pres-
sure tube] boiling thermal neutron reactor, and two K-300-65/3000 turbines
with T717-500-2UZ generators, which operate on saturated steam. The power sta-
tion has a single-loop heat circuit. Slightly enriched uranium dioxide is
used as fuel. -
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0.
Table 1.
rood cyroNyeAbome Years of cons tr...:c t
Type of Opeiation-
1771 I 1 m-r3 19.N I 1975 I 1976 1977 1978 1 1979
I 980
I 1981
iss:
nvuomme. me. 446 '
mm Noma' 816.0..INI mime
4 Plasm w000Come
....,
. Num= 14 3WJARKM
rifacosienniukcmommani cnocecom
eeTeNS
323
201
123
76
127
10.4
6.3
4.1
-.
--
i72
.-
--
--
..
7337
7337
3815
3522
.-
101
.45
56
17
115
3
6
55
53
12
3.3
7287
2304
1609
1295
4443
134
38
96
13
72
363
5.9
--
--
126
9
5996
2320
1733
1037
3176
205.2
54.4
150.8
13.8
81.8
299.6
9.6
--
,-
167.2
44.9
4611
2301
1508
793
2390
161.1
.47.1
114.8
15.2
113.7
352.9
sat
--
--
170.3
76.6
, 5.5
3365.3
2947.5
1741
1206.3
409
128.4
49.6
78:8
25.3
285.9
496.3
7.9
--
--
94.2
32.4
5
2938.3
1294.3
806.8
486
1642
131.4
31.2
100.2
19.2
330.2
592.2
7.6
3.2
22.4
38
3,4
6.6
5204.1:
1214,7
741.8
472.9
3713.4
108.1
63.7
114,3
18.6
260.4
592:4
9.5
4.7
52
41.9
6.1
7.7
9254.7
1201.1
778.5
422.6
80.53.6
214
.
86.4
127.6
16.7
247.1
692.3.
7.9
3.15
29.9
97.4
40.4
6.6
8229.9
1846.5
046.3
898.2
6383.4
. 259
100.7
158.3
13.9
247.7
619
12.5
12.1
"'" 21.4
91.3
59.9
7.3
.3338.6
2342.6
..
1421.5
921.1
1196
209.8
?
107
102.5
? 16.1
497.4
525,4
8:1
9 27
--
69.2
132.6
1.4
4453.
3210
1836.
1372.
i243,
215.
...83.
152.
:6.
' 386.
705.
'10,
S.
--
--
211.:
6.:
kAlitati il ne.:C36./C.1'011a,
ire. N4
Trloe anT.3e:
e dopmoro - ,
t VONOnnTmOVO
..rntwmal Nisaama. nit Mg
:rysarypn wt. Tire. 0 h
szipppm, rut mg288
errant memnzosommorund. TW- T
Nia.Axa 44eAertoa000mittmx nyTti nop.
42.34404 MUMmil. IM
ONAurmoosamme A000r N nnorsamm
rtec. m4
maaaAeNne samemsmas naCTocom.
Tor- m4
t-tolesso 4344.mrpos mi 4086664.66 (646-
6E1164 TUC. m4
unrial apasatypag. T Wie... T
Key:
a--Excavation and earth moving, m3
b--Including by dry method:
bl--excavation
b2--filling and backfilling
c--Concrete and ferroconcrete poured, 1000's m3
d--Including
e--Precast
f--Poured in situ
g--Bricklaying, 1000's m3
h--Plastering, 1000's m2
i--Painting, 1000's.m2
j--Steelwork installation, 1000's tons
k--Laying of standard guage rail lines, km
1--Asphalt roads and areas, 1000's m2
m--Completed rock filling, 1000's m3
n--Construction of rubble filters and drains, 1000's m3
o--Installation of fittings, 1000's tons
The second phase of the,Chernobylskaya AES differs considerably from the first
in its design solutions.
The second phase belongs to the second :generation of AES's equipped with 'SEMI:-
1000 reactors, which are more operationally reliable and safe, and, which are
also characterized by a higher level of industrialization in their construc-
tion and installation operations.
All the basic structures of the second phase are built according to a standard-
ized plan, in accordance with which two power blocks are installed in a single
main building. Here, all the power station's rooms are subdivided according
to their structural and technological features into reactor departments, a
42
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machine roam, a deaerator frame [etazherka] and a VSRO [reactor department
system auxiliary structures] block. .
The dump for,liquid and solichwastes, the diesel generator station, the nitro-
gen and pxygan station etc., were all built on a standardized plan.
The AES has a. circulating process water supply with a man-made cooling pond.
The layout plan,for the AES's industrial area is shown in the Figure:
Figure 1: Chernobylskaya AES Industrial Area
Key: 1--The municipal-type settlement of Pripyat
2--Rail line
3--Main buildings of the first and second phases
4--Feeder canal
5--Cooling pond
A--Third phase main building
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7--Offtake canal
8--Dismountable section of cooling pond dam
9-11--Outdoor switch gears for the AES's first,
respectively
12--Railroad station
Length of time (in days) taken for
ing for the different power blocks
second
the basic stages of work
is shown in Table 2.
and third phases,
on the
main build-
Operation
Number of Power Block
14 3.4 34 4-4
lets.iinthoe
Yerrairrio ttoromernol mairritaz-
Crpoineataum: 3
458 (V.71 /V111.72 r.)
121 (VIII.72/XII.72 r.)
458 (V.71/V1II.72 r.)
578 (11.73/1X.74 r.)
823 (V.76/3/111.78 r.:
64 (V.78/3/111.78 r.)
323 ,V.75iVII:
53 IV.73IVIII.78 :
669 (X11 72/X.74 r.)
321 (XII 76/X1.77 r.)
159 r.)
276 r
a so eraser= 12.5 pa
b .20 comer= 30.0 le
213 iX.74/V.75 r.)
85 (X1.77/11.78.)
148 (111.79/V.79 r.)
Mi .5211.33
c AO wasps ctetapanitokore
790 (V.75/3/1I.77 r.)
152 (1/.73/VII.75 r.)
94 (X.79/111.80 r.)
113 i.1.X.5;11 53 ro
311.38,
MORTON*. :4
garrp. uerrrommatore 3aRa
91 1X11.76/111. 77 r.)
(11.731111.75 r.)
26 (VI.80/VII.50 r.)
14 .11.33:711.83 r.
x0scrPrtwitt acusetunual
334 (X.76/1X.7? r.)
156 (111.77//1X.73 r.)
231 ,X11.79/X.30 r.)
234 XX. VI 1 . S3 :
,Certcruen?rms
a CAese peaKTOOR
76 (X.75iXII.76 r.) .
19 (111.71/1V.76 r.)
24 (X:1.79/VIII.S0 r.)
25 ,II:.33/IV.33 r.
nyCX0INASOLONION
*mann: 6 _
243 a11.76/3/11.7
44 (13,V111.77/27.1X.77 r.)
54 (IX.73/XII.79 r.)
34 (17.X11.73/21.XII.78 r.)
125 tX.79/V1.30 r.)
152 (3.V1.30/4.X11.30 r.)
x. s3
5.X.33
3/teprorsycs /
V. 1X.77
21 .X1!.7$
M.X11.th
8 non rein e. 13 arseSsaz
NICAOTT.AO foLLONSO SNO.A0 pato; II 311111NRITeae?OKORNIRIN.
Table 2.
Key: 1--Above ground
2--Poured-in-situ slab construction
3--Construction
a--Up to the 12.5-meter mark
b--Up to the 30-meter mark
c--To the roof of the central room
4--Installation:
a--of the central room roof
b--of the compartment structures
c--of the ventilation centers
d--of the reactor circuit
5--Start-up and trouble-shooting
6--Physical start-up
7--Power start-up
8--Note: Within the parentheses, numerator=start of operation, denom-
inator=completion of operation.
As Table 2 shows, the total length of time for construction of the first
phase of the AES, with a capacity of 2000 MV,amounted to 91 months from the
start of ground work, and 77 months from when the first Cubic meter of con-
crete was poured for the main building, and in this connection, the time-
gap between the time the 1st and 2nd power blocks were put into operation
was 13 months.
The total construction time for the 2nd phase (the 3rd and 4th power blocks),
from the pouring of the first cubic meter of concrete amounted to 68 months,
24 months having passed between the start-up of the power blocks of this
phase.
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The relative labor outlays (in man-days/kV) in the construction of the first
two phases (in the numerator and denominator, respectively) are shown below:
In the industrial construction (basic production)* 2.9/2.1
Including for:
development of the land, building construction center,
outside service lines, etc 0.48/0.2
construction of basic structures 2.18/1.7
construction of process water supply system 0.24/0.2
In secondary, auxiliary production and maintenance facilities 1.1/0.8
*V.S. Konviz and L.V. Golubkov, "Treeya Ochered' Chernobylskoy AES" [The Third
Phase of the Chernobylskaya AES], ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITELSTVO; No 1, 1984,
pp 19-22.
Actual labor outlays for construction work during construction of the 3rd
power block amounted to 1,925,744 man-days, with proportionate labor outlays
for the indicated operations amounting to 1.92 against 4.85 man-days/kV on
the 1st power block.
In addition, the construction and installation operations for the facilities
of the second phase were completed more intensively than for those of the
first, and with a considerable reduction in-relative labor outlays of const-
ruction workers. This is explained not only by the fact that the construc-
tion and installation workers were more experienced, and by the Stability of
the collective, but also by the use of a combination of planning decisions
directed at lowering the labor-intensiveness of construction and installation
operation, and raising the level of their industrialization, and also by the
realization of a number of organizational and technical measures by :he const-
ruction organizations.
In particular, in the design of the main building of the AES's second phase,
provision was made primarily for precast and precast-cast-in-situ structures,
and standardized columns, collar beams, roof slabs and exterior enclosure
walls were used. Walls thicker than 700 mm were made by the precast-cast-in-
Situ method from reinforced-form panels. The roof, the thickness Of which
was determined by the requirements for biological protection, was also made by
the precast-cast-in-situ method. It should be noted that similar solutions
allowed a considerable reduction in the labor intensiveness not only of the
concreting, but of the finishing operations. Widespread use of ferroconcrete
structures was possible during construction of the second phase thanks to
their prefabricated slab installation methods, and permitted an improvement in
the plan for mechanization of the work on the main building. It also permit-
ted wide introduction of specialization, and new, progressive methods of wage
payment methods etc.
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Work volumes (in 1000's m3) for the 1st and 2nd phases are shown below (in
the numerator and denominator, respectively)-:
Installation of precast concrete and ferroconcrete structures 44%102
Cast in situ concrete pouring 87/1_
Cast in situ ferroconcrete pouring 159/73.
Including:
in the foundation slabs 49/4
in the,walls and roofs 110/27.
It should be-moted,_that even though positive results were obtained .from the
solutions which were aimed at increasing the level of industrialization in ch-
installation of the structures for the builders, the labOr7intansiveness-icir
work like this is till high, and that is why the Planners need to -.solve the
problems associated with the reduction in 'quality of standard-sized structureE
and with the introduction of batten-free reinforced blocks. They also need cc
bring the need to punch and drill holes in places around the ferroconcrete
structures down to the minimum.
Thus, the precast ferroconcrete elements used in the staircase-elevator blocks
are very labor-intensive to install, and they also have an extensive parts
list. It was for this very reason that these blocks were installed very far
behind schedule during the construction of the reactor sections of the AES's
Second phase.
The schedules for fulfillment of the plan for construction and installation
operations, according to years and phases of construction, are given in Fig-
ure 2.
During cOnstruction of the AES's first phase, the construction work was car-
ried out in the two power blocks practically concurrently, and by start-up
time for the first, work on the second power block was well under way. This
allowed the second power block to be put into operation 13 months after the
first was started up. However, following the time when the 2nd power block
was put into operation, the workload for the collectives of the primary sub-
contracting organizations, those of the Yuzhteploenergomontazh [possibly
Southern Thermal Electric Power Plant Installation], the Yuzhenergomontazh
[possibly Southern Power Plant Installation], the Mbsspetsatomenergomontazh
[possibly Moscow Special Nuclear Power Plant Installation] Trusts and for
other of USSR Minenergo's specialized subdivisions was reduced, which led
to the necessity of drastically cutting back on the number of workers in
their collectives (Figure 3).
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78
75
72
69
66
53
60
57
51
48
w1465
42
39
.36
ss
(Ai0
27
14
If
18
15
12

6
.1
XII-1077
/111 II-83
A11-81
400
375
.150
545
3.10
.515
100
285
XII -78
2
II
104
100
96
92
88
84
80
76
72
255, 68
240 632 ( B ) 64
225! 60
2101 f1:56
195 3 52
180 e' Q7 48
z
185*
.1* ( C )"
154 40
135 36
120 32
105 28
90 24
75 20
60 16
4.5
12
30 a
1970
Ion
1974
1976 1978 1980
a)
4
1970
1972 1974 1976
b)
1978 1980
1982 root.,
Figure 2. Fulfillment of the plan for construction and installation work
by phase (a) and year (b) of construction:
Key: 1-3 and 1'-3'--planned and actual indicators for the first and
second phases of construction, respectively; 4--indicators for
. housing construction; 5, 6, 5' and 6'--planned and actual indicators
4ccording to general contractor and industrial construction.
(A)--Construction and installation work, in millions of rubles.
(B)--Operable living space, in 1000.'s m2.
(C)--Construction and installation work, in millions of rubles.
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39
66
61
60
57
S-
4,54
43
A2
gay
4sJso
2
uso
24
21
: IS
fY
12
3
1979 1972 1074
3.
0
0
6,
3'
1976 ? 1978 1980 1062 Years
figure 3 Fulfillment of work plan by subcontracting organizations.
Key: 1-5--Planned work completion, respectively: altogether, by the
following trusts: Spetsatomenergomontazh, Yuzhenergomontazh, and
by the Pripyat and Chernobyl Installation Administrations;
1'-5'--Work actually completed by the above.
The cause of the situation which has come about lies in the untimely start of
work in building the second phase of the AES. The development of SMR [con-
struction and installation operations] for this ,phase is characterized by the
following data, given in thousands of rubles (percent):
1976
4,000/2,649
(66.2)
1977
10,000/5,947
(59.5)
1978
.
17,100/8,397
(49.1)
1979
.'.
. ? . . . . . . . . . ...
41,500/26,824
(64.6)
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1980 78,080/62/114 (79.6)
1981 59,400/61,840 (104.1)
1982 44,750/38,223 (85.0
1983 40,970/53,784 (131.3)
Note:Planned indicators are given in the numerator, and actual indicators in
the denominator.
From these data, it follows that construction and installation work on the
second phase (main building) should have been started in mid-1974 rather than
in 1976. This would have allowed the 3rd and 4th power blocks to be put into
operation 18 months ahead of the-deadline, and with no reduction in :he pro.t-
uction rates for construction and installation work. It needs to be mentioned
here, that the construction workers had arranged their material and labor re-
sources for the fulfillment of thii task. The main reason for the delay in
construction of the 2nd:phase was the practically total re-working of the de-
sign for the first phase, the result of tfiich was the development of a stand-
ardized second-generation AES design.
The delays in the development of technical documentation for the 2nd phase led
to a reduction in the intensity with which the construction and installation
operations were carried out during the period from 1977 to 1979. In this ecn-
ttction, the proportion of labor outlays for construction of the second phase
showed an average increase of.,0.1yman-days per 1 kV.d.f installed capacity.
During the.erection of the main building of the 4th power block, structural
changes were made in the US [Construction Administration]. In particular,
operations which had previously been carried out by Yuzhenergomontazh and
Spetsatomenergomantazh, were handed over, for a number of reasons, to a gen-
eral contractor, which was to complete the work with its own personnel (Fiz-
'Lire 4).
The sharp increase in actual SMR plan fulfillment by the in-house work forces
of the US in 1982-1983 is explained, not only by the structural changes with-
in the US, but also, and this is the main reason, by the fact that maximum use
was made of existing mechanization equipment, by liquidation of the depart-
mental separateness which had hitherto exited, and by mobilization of all
reserves to achieve a unified goal.
At present, the average erection speed for reactor compartments A and .B of the
2nd phase (from the foundation slab to the mark for the beginning of reactor
circuit installation) has amounted, respectively, to 2.96 and 4.73 metersper
month, i.e., has increased 1.6-fold in comparison with the erection rate for
the reactor compartments of the 1st phase.
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.4000
$800
1500
(A) $400
e 3200
?
7. sox
th. 2800
E 2500
2400
31200
2000.
#800
#800
1
1400
1200 Ii
000
500
4011
440 r
200
0
1070
1972 f074 075 1978
-25,8
4
2
1
1080 raw o
Figure 4 Fulfillment of SMR plan by in-house workers of the US, and the
schedule for moving the work-force, by year:
1 and 1'--Planned and actual number of workers;
2--Actual amount of SMR completed.
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that the increased effectiveness of
methods for erecting accident-localization shafts is brought about by the
considerable unused reserve stemming from the reduced duration :andiabor
intensiveness of AES construction. The realization of solutions, developed
by Atomenergostroyproyekt, for installing builders' .structures (stroitel'nyye
konstruktsii] for accident-localization shafts, by the large block method, and
with high installation readiness, in construction of the 2ndpower block Of
the Smolenskaya AES, provides the justification for confirming that the -1.enzth
of time for completing similar jobs, (which has hitherto been completed in
276 da?), can be reduced 2-fold.
COPYRIGHT: Energoatomizdat, Energeticheskoye stroitel 'sty?, 1934
12659
CSO: 1822/122
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UDC 621.039.57
TESTING IMPROVED STEAM SEPARATORS IN THIRD ENERGY BLOCK OF CHERNOBYL AES
Moscow ATOMNAYA ENERGIYA in Russian Vol 57, No 6, Dec 84 (manuscript received
26 Mar 84) pp 382-385
[Article by 0.Yu. Novosel'skiy, V.B. Karasev, Ye.V. Sakovich, M.A. Lyutov, and
V.I. Anikov]
[Text] Improved separator drums (Figure 1), which differ from those installed
at the Leningrad AES and in the first units of the Kursk and Chernobyl AES [1]
by larger internal diameter (2,600 instead of 2,300 mm) and design of the
intravessel devices (VKU), were checked for the first time at the Chernobyl
AES with RBMK-1000 reactor. The characteristic features of the new design of
the intravessel devices include drain diffusers 1 at the base of the boxes 2,
sloping perforated plates 3 and "breathing" tubes 4 for bleeding of steam from
the interbox space 5 into the steam space 6. Moreover, the distance between
the submerged perforated plate 7 and the ceiling perforated panel 8 was
increased to improve the separator characteristics. An increase of the sepa-
rator drum diameter led to a decrease of the mean flow rate on the evaporation
surface by rki7.5 percent. The presence of drain diffusers makes it possible to
use water in the boxes in emergency and transition modes. The sloping perfo-
rated plate with cross-section of 12.5 percent equalizes the flow-rate field
on the drain from the boxes to the interbox space, which contributes to an
increase of the water reserve in the separator drum.
The positive experience of renovating the intravessel devices of the drum
separator 2;300 mm in diameter was taken into account in designing the drain
channel assembly of the submerged perforated plate (assembly A, Figure 1) [2],
the flange'9 is 170 mm high and the drain slit is not more than 55 mm high.
Stiffening ribs 10 with height of 100 mm and "live" cross-section of 18 per-
cent, supplied with openings, are located on the surface of the plate.
The submerged perforated plate of the improved separator is supplied with end
flanges 11, 485 mm high. The brackets 12 of the boxes have windows which con-
tribute to flow of the steam-water mixture along the separator drum and,
accordingly, to equalization of the load along its length. These solutions
were embedded in the design, when the separator drum 2,300 mm in diameter was
represented by a bottleneck in the circuit of the multiple forced circulation
of the RBMK-1000 reactor. The improved separator drum has four-row arrange-
ment of the pipe unions of the steam-water supply lines 13, the diameter of
which was increased to 100 mm.
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Figure 1. Transverse Section of Separator Drum of Third Energy
Block of Chernobyl AES
A new configuration of the main equipment was used in the third power block of
the Chernobyl AES. Specifically, the separated drums are rotated by 900 and
are installed parallel to the machiner room (Figure 2). Separation of the
steam lines was also changed with regard to the new configuration. Two col-
lectors 400 mm in diameter from adjacent separator drums to a single steam
line 600 mm in diameter, which goes to the turbine, are combined in the new
separation. Steam is bled from the collectors from the center of the separa-
tor drum, which contributes to more uniform distribution of the steam flow
rate through the steam-discharge pipe unions. A new system for measuring the
water level is also used. All the equalizing vessels are installed in the
serviced ("cold") room and vessels with partially heated central chamber,
developed by VTI imeni F. E. Dzerzhinskiy [All-Union Heat Engineering
Institute imeni F. E. Dzerzhinskiy], were used. The water level above the
submerged perforated plate is measured in each separator drum in three cross-
sections along the length--vessels with base of 630 mm and the total level at
the end is measured--vessels with base of 1,600 mm.
The level measuring system, which was included in the check of the correctness
of manufacturing installation of the compensating vessels, the correctness of
installation of the connecting and pulsed lines, air ducts and check of the
readings of the level meters for pressure drop of AP = 0, were adjusted and
checked during installation and development of rated capacity of the block.
The readings of the level meters upon variation of the level in the separator
drum in the range from -350 to +400 mm was checked by starting the power block
at water temperature of 20?C. During development of rated capacity, the scale
of the secondary instruments from -100 to +315 mm of the level meters with
base ?of 630 mm was replaced by a scale from -200 to +315 mm. Level "0" by the
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11
0
6 0 0 00
6171
Figure 2. Diagram of Arrangement of Separator Drums, Steam Lines,
Compensation Vessels and Steam Sampling Points:
1--steam lines for delivery of steam to machine room;
2--steam collectors; 3--steam-discharge pipe unions
of separator drum; 4--level meters with base of compen-
sating vessels of 630 mm, which measure water level above
submerged perforated plate; 5--end level meters with base
of compensating vessels of 1,600 mm; 6--steam sampling
lines from steam-discharge pipe unions; 7--steam-sampling
from steam line 600 mm in diameter; a, b and c--outer and
central steam-discharge pipe unions, respectively
Key:
1. Separator drum 2. Reactor
secondary instrument of these level meters corresponds to the mass level of
150 mm on the submerged perforated plate.
Steam samples from the steam lines and steam pipe unions were provided by the
diagram shown in Figure 2 to test the separators. The water samples were
taken from the housing of the separator drum and steam was taken from the
central pipe unions of each separator drum and also from the two outer pipe
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unions in separator drum BS 11. There are steam samples in the machine room
in front of the turbines by which one can determine its averaged moisture
content. However, the cooling system provided in the design of the block did
not provide an isokinetic sample before the turbine with thermal power greater
than 80 percent of rated value. The samples were taken after the turbine
condensor to determine the averaged moisture content of the steam at the out-
put from all the separator drums at power greater than 80 percent. The mois-
ture content was determined as the ratio of 24Na concentration in the con-
densate and water of the circuit by the method presented in [3].
Tests were conducted at a pressure of 7 MPa and at thermal power of 65, 83, 93
and 100 percent of rated value. Their goal was to determine the dependence of
the moisture content at the output from the separator drum on the mass level
at constant thermal power (steam productivity) of the block. .The tests were
begun from the nominal level, which was then raised in steps of 50 mm, until
the moisture content of the steam at the output did not exceed 0.1 percent or
until the top pressure takeoff of level meters with scale.of -200 to +315 mm
was flooded. The maximum height of the mass water level above its zeromark,
at which flooding of the top pressure takeoff of the level meter with scale of
-200 to +315 mm by the swollen layer begins, was determined by calculation
from the relations of [3] and it comprised 285 mm for rated power of the
block. Tests were also conducted at the -100 mm level by instruments with
scale of -200 to +315 mm, i.e., +50 mm above the submerged perforated plate.
, -
After reaching operating conditions (constant power, level in Separator drum,
pressure and flow rate), the isokinetic flow rates of the steam samples were
established, which were calculated by the measured steam flow rate in the
steam lines. The operating conditions were maintained for 30 min and the main
? parameters that characterize the operation of the separator drums were
'recorded during this time. The level in both pairs of separator drums was
increased simultaneously so that the averaged moisture content after-ali.four
could be. measured. The level was maintained by a level meter, installed in
the center of separator drum 11, in the pair of separator drums. 11. and 1.2,
.while the level was maintained by a level meter installed in the end of,separ-
ator drum 21, remote from the steam lines, in the other pair 21 and 22. Dur-
ing adjustment of the level measuring system, the readings of these level
meters were taken as the most reliable. It follows from comparison of the
readings (Figure 3) that they were in good agreement (remained in the grade of
:fit) both before and after adjustment of the sets of level meters in August
1982. Straight lines 1 and 2 in Figure 3 determine the boundaries Within
^ which the set of level meters with base of 630 mm remain in grade. -,Deviations
. of the level meter readings with base of compensating vessels of 636 and
1,600 mm at different reactor power did not exceed the absolute error deter-
? mined by the grade of fit.
It follows from Figure 4 that the moisture content of the steam in the cen-
tral pipe unions of all the separator drums up to level of 200 maiabovethe
rated level will not exceed 0.02 percent. It increases sharply at i,ievel of
250-270 mm. An exception is separator drum 12 (see curve 4 in Figure 4),
Which is apparently related to overestimation of the readings of the central
level meter of this separator drum. Similar results were found at power of
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4100
-100
- 200
7200 100. ii 'In Hun, mm
Figure 3. Comparison of Readings of Level Meters that Measure
Mass Water Level Above Submerged Perforated Plate at
Different Thermal Power of Reactor (MW):
0--2,100; 0-2,660; A.--2,960; 0 --3,200; ?3,350;
46-3,200 "
the. block Of 83 and 93 percent of rated value. However, a sharp increase of
moisture Content begins at higher values of the level in the separator drums
as power decreases. The moisture content of the steam before the turbines was
measured at thermal power of approximately 65 percent of rated value. The ? ?
measurement results are in agreement with measurements of the moisture con-
tent in the central pipe unions of the separator drums.
Data about the moisture content of steam at rated power, found`by measuring
the activity of 2'lla in samples taken after the turbine condensors (K5 and
K6); are presented in Figure 5 from readings of the central level meter of
Separator drum 11. The moisture content comprises less than 0.02 percent in
.the range of variation of the mass level above the submerged perforated plate
.from -100 to +200 mm. The averaged moisture content of the steam begins to .
'increase with an increase of the mass level above +200 mm and reaches 0.1 per-
cent at +255 mm.
It is easy to conclude from comparison of Figures 4 and 5 that the maximum
level that corresponds to moisture content of 0.1 percent from measurements in
the central pipe unions was higher than that for determination of the averaged
moisture content. An explanation of this disagreement may be the data of rasa-,
suring the moisture content in three pipe unions of separator drum 11, which
is the moisture distribution along its length (Figure 6). The moisture con-
tent of the steam in both the central and outer pipe unions\does not exceed
0.02-0.03 percent for level below 200 mm, although there is'a tendency toward
an increase of moisture content in pipe union a. The moisture content of the
steam in the outer pipe unions is higher at level above +200 mm than in the
central pipe union, and this difference reaches two orders of magnitude at
level of +250 to +260 mm. The cause of the increased moisture content of
steam along the edges of the separator drum at water level above +200 mm
55
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Figure 4. Dependence of Steam Moisture Content (1 - x) in Central
Steam-Discharge Pipe Unions of Separator Drums on Mass
Water Level Above Submerged Perforated Plate (according
to middle level meter) at Rated Thermal Power:
1-0 (BS 11); 2--V (BS 21); 3-0 (BS 22); 4-- (BS12);
-.--central level meter off scale; 4. --moisture content
less than 0.01 percent
Figure 5. Dependence of Averaged Moisture Content of Steam After
Separator Drums on Mass Water Level Above Submerged
Perforated Plate (from readings of middle level meter
BS 11) from results of sampling in turbine condensors
in rated thermal power of reactor: 0 and 0--condensor
K5 and K6, respectively
should not be related to the effect of nonuniform steam and water load along
its length, since its maximum occurs in the central part of the drum. The
moisture content of the steam near its edges does not exceed 0.02 percent at
operating value of mass water level in the separator drum and, accordingly,
does not make an appreciable contribution to the average moisture content of
56
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the steam before the turbine. The averaged moisture content at the output
equal to 0.1 percent, is reached at lower level than the moisture content in
the central pipe union, because of the increased moisturel content along the
edges of the separator drum at level greater than +200 mm from instruments
with scale from -200-to +315 mm.
Key:
410
go
.40
46
.0.4
0,2
gy
goe
0,08
0,04
a01
1
Iflutia .5171
Figure 6. Distribution of Steam Moisture Content in Steam-
Discharge Pipe Unions Along Length of Separator Drum
U. at Different Thermal Power Nt, MW, and at Mass
Water Level N', mm, above submerged perforated plate
(by middle level meier):
= 0, N .=2,9b0; 0--10 and 3,350; 7--140 and 3,200;
0-200 and 4200;---250 and 3,200;C7-260 and 3,200;
i--moisture content less than 0.01 percent; 1, 2 and 3--
cross-sections of separator drum 11 through steam-dis-
charge pipe unions a, b and c, respectively
1. Length of BS 11
According to test results, the rated mass level in the separator drum
increased by.100 mm (to mark +100 mm by level meters Of H200 to +315 mica),..
which increased the water reserve by 7 m3 at steam moisture, content less than
0.1 percent.
Thus, separator drums 2,600 mm in diameter have a reserve for maximum 'permis-
sible moisture content. Maintenance of the level above the submerged per-
forated plate by 100 mm above the planned level permits an increase of the
water reserve in the multiple forced circulation circuit by 28 m3 and does
not hinder an increase of the steam productivity of the block.
57
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Karasev, V. M. Nikitin, O. Yu. Novosellskiy and Ye. V. Sakovich,
"Operating Efficiency of Steam Separators in Power Blocks with-RBMK -
Reactors?" ATMONAYA ENERGIYA, Vol 53, No 2, 1982.
2. Novosel'skiy, 0 Y12-V B. Karasev, Ye. V. Sakovich et al.? "Experience
of Operation and Renovation of Separator Drums of First Block of Kursk
AES," in ATOMNYYE ELEKTRICHESKIYE STANTSII, No 3, Moscow, Izdatel'stvo
"Energiya", 1980.
3. Ageyev, A. G., V. B. Karasev, I. T. Serov and V. F. Titov, "Separatsion-
nyye ustroystva AES" [Separation Devices of Nuclear Power Plants], Moscow,
Energoizdat, 1982.
COPYRIGHT: Energoatamizdat, Atomnaya energiya, 1984
6521
CSO: 1861/144
58
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UDC 621.31.002.51.002.72,658.5
CHERNOBYLSKAYA AES' 4TH POWER BLOCK,CONSTRUCTION DISCUSSED
Moscow ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO in Russian No 12, Dec 84 pp 6-7
[Article by engineer V. P. Tokarenko: -Organizing and Carrying Out Installation
Operations on the 4th Power Block of the Chernobylskaya AES*", under the rubric
"To Make the Economy Economical"]
[Text] In December 1983, the 4th power block, equipped with an RBMK-1000 [high-
power pressure-tube] reactor, was put into operation at the Chernobylskaya AES,
thus increasing the power station's capacity to 4000 mw.
The 3rd and 4th power blocks are part of the AES's second phase. In contrast
to the reactor rooms of the first phase power blocks, the second phase has
had an SLA [emergency localization system] with a bubble-pond [basseyn-barbo-
ter], a hydrogen removal system, a gas activity suppression system, and other
auxiliary systems provided for its reactor rooms. The presence of these sys-
tems has required changes in the organization of the reactor plant installa-
tion operations.
It should be mentioned that the layout of the AES's first phase has permitted
assembled equipment to be delivered to the reactor room along three indepen-
dent rail lines. When the second phase was being constructed, equipmentcould
only be delivered along the transportation corridor's single rail line, thereby
requiring sequential delivery. Construction of transfer roads from the assem-
bly shop to the reactor room of the 3rd and then the 4th power blocks was re-
quired for delivery of the assembled reactor structures, (their mass having
reached spo tons). A special trestle was built on the 3rd power block for
this purpose. A modernized KP-640BM crane was used to install the reactor
for the 4th power block. This crane will also be used to install reactors,
during the construction of the 3rd and successive phases of the Chernobylskaya
AES
At the 4th power block, 39,310 tons of equipment, piping, facings, reactor
room metalwork, equipment for the deaerator frame, the 7th and 8th turbo-
*Final article in a series on the construction of the 2nd phase of the
Chernobylskaya AES. For the beginning, see ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITELISTVO,
No 11, 1984, pp 2-15.
59
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units, the three diesel generators at the diesel power plant and the separate
helium and electrolyzer units' outbuildings were installed by subdivisions
of the Yuzhteploenergomontazh [possibly Southern Thermal Electric Power Sta-
tion Installation] Trust. The overall cost of the construction and installa-
tion work done by the trust's organizations came to R26,600, and labor outlays
amounted to 695,000 man-days.
About 60 percent of the heat systems installation work was done during the
1983 start-up period, so, to make up for the shortage of workers in the trust's
Chernobyl and Pripyat installation administrations, part of the work was given
to some of its other subdivisions. During the peak period (from March to Oct-
ober), the maximum number of heating systems installers reached 1,750 persons.
The following documentation was developed as a result of the engineering and
technical preparation carried out by the trust's workers and installation
subdivisions:
a time-table-for the fundamental stages of installation, and work schedules
based on it (these were subsequently corrected, depending on the degree
of readiness of the construction unit);
an itemized list of work volumes assigned to each subdivision, within which
were labor outlays, the number of workers, deadlines for beginning and
completing operations, and the measures taken to accomplish them;
a time-table for carrying out start-up and adjustment operations;
a schedule for accomplishing work on setting in flow-metering devices,
pipe connections, and nipples for impulse Iines and KIP's [control and
test points];
a time-table for installing armature power lines;
a time-table, coordinated with allied organizations, for turning over
buildings to equipment installers and post-installation finishing workers;
a calculation table for joints, and their yearly welding rate;
a table from all centers and documents of the turnover of technical speci-
cifications;
a time-table for the delivery of equipment and piping for carrying out
chemical protection and thermal insulation work in accordance with the
Soyuzenergozashchita [possibly All-Unj.on Power Plant Protection Equipment
Installation] VO [All-Union Association].
A staff comprised of workers from the trust's various departments was organized
to see that the indicated time-tables were met, that the technical specifica-
tions were turned over, and also to gather information on the state of the
work done by the trust management. Twice a week the staff holds a meeting
60
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with the participation of supervisors from all the installation subdivisions.
Weak points in the thermal systems installation work are examined daily.
Twice a day since August 1983, a check has been made on the completion of
the operations which guarantee the carrying out of start-up and adjustment
work.
All the "peak" situations caused by worker shortages have been eliminated
by juggling available personnel. Thus., during August-October, work on instal-
lation of the 8th turbo-unit was held back while brigades of turbine instal-
lers and pipefitters from the machine department were transferred to work
on installing the diesel generator plant, and to eliminate the weak points
in the reactor room, which were determining the readiness of the KMPTs [not
further identified] and the GTsN [main circulation pump]. In November, bri-
gades from the reactor room were sent to the machine room.
The during which installation and start-up and adjustment operations on the
4th power block of the Chernobylskaya ABS were being carried out are shown
in the Table:
Chateau=
Operation
Hmm94714Pro6amm, Power Block Number
14 I , 24
34
4-4
1 Monroe urraanoroNcrepoted
exer pealmopl
) CAatia C.Xtbl no* mousey cep
rt
: 3aChlfticll cxem cepnewrinereor
I Commie Nem* 30111i AIM
rpaearroeoil NUMMI
! MONTS= 060076oNa3Iat peen.
Topton> npor75ancT44 N rP11114'
rwo4 maims
- Marra* eentoNonsgeaasx Ns-
ila.Noe (TX)
; Moseram erp5ortpoeculos Napo-
seitauidx Nommypunrawd (MX)
1 Temese41 Neerepue ammo-
cri me,ranaccoNceptiandl I pe-
arrapporo neorreaurree
l .11poorr11eexa? TIC
] flpoweima crud,. C.A0P it so-
goonyclataix TPAIMPOSPAOS
)(woman c6ourrea I'LLH
L reAponcrearrasee icmnu
a Topmast Wiesen rua
einem
22/IV-41V11 1975 r.
6/VII 1975 r.
8/V111-25/XI 1975 r.
25/XI 1975 r.
2?/XI?.25/XII 1975 r.
6/111-28/V 1976 r.
219/V-17/X11 1975 r.
17/XII 1976 r.-21/II 1977 r.
30/111-9/IV 1977 r.
9/1V-19/VI 1977r.
27/V-18/V/ 1977 r.
19/V1--4/V II 1977 r.
4-14/VII 1977 r.
14/VII-1/VIII 1977 r.
9/UC 1977 e.
16 2 23-30/IX 1977 r.
26 1 31/X-4/XI 1977 r.
25/IX 1977 r.
25/111-40/IV 1978 r.
(10/IV 1978 r.
10-27/IV 1978 r.
19/V 1978 r.
20/V-15/VI 1978 r.
15/V1-15/VIII 1978 r.
18/V1-15/V111 1978 r.
15/VIII-5/IX 19771 r.
23-27/1X 1978 r.
27/IX-6/X 1978 r.
20-28/X 1978 r.
25/X-1/XI 1978 r.
1-4/X1 1978 r.
17/XI--4/XII 1978 r.
18-17/XII 1973 r.
7* 3-19-21/XII 1978 r.
Ns 4-7-10/1 1979 r.
? 21/XU 1975 r.
10/V11-4/V111 1980 r.
4/VIII 19110 r.
7-22/VIII 1950 r.
5/IX 1980 r.
5/1X-5/X 1980 r.
12/X-14/XI 1980 r.
22/X--31/XII 1980 r.
21/1-23/11 1981 r.
23-25/111 1961 r.
29/111-23(IV 1991 r.
18-24/IV 1981 r.
10/1V-15/V 1951 r.
19-27/V 1981 r.
1-3/V1 1381 r.
5-6/XI 1981 r.
7* 5-3/XII 1951 r.
/A 8-10/X 1 1961 r
15/XII 1981 r.
7-24/111 1983 r.
1/13/ 1983 r.
4-26/1V 1983 r.
23/V 1983 r.
23/V-8/VII 1983 r
17/V11--30/V111 1983
25/V1!-14/IX 1983 r.
20/IX-4/X 1993 r.
6-8/X 1983 r.
9-16/X 1983 r.
22/X-5/XI 133.3 r.
22/X-7/XI 1383 r.
7-13/X1 1983 r.
25-26/X1 1983 r.
19-20/XII 1383 r.
Ns 7-21/X11 1983 r
/it 8 25-29/XII 1983
LI/XII 1953 r.
1 3arpma TOMINSI N
emasnyaea
) Peewees ;lemma 4 (6011.74-
KM naponeoeme
) Handling= Typoorpeneres
SS XOACICTOSI XOJZI
1 ateprortype (astern* )amp-
............? --..
Key: a--Installation of reactor circuit metal-work; b--Turnover of circuits
for serpentinite filling; c--Filling of circuits with serpentinite; d--Creat-
ing clean zone for graphite stacking; e--Installation of reactor space and
graphite stacking equipment; f--Installation of fuel channels; g--Instal-
lation of piping for steam water supply lines; h--Helium monitoring of density
of metal-work and reactor space; i--Blowing out of fuel channels; j--Back-
washing of SPiR [possibly Purge and Reactor Systems] and SAOR [emergency
reactor cooldown system] and water-lowering [vodoopusknyy] piping; k--"Cold"
GTsN [Main Circulating Pump] breaking-in run; 1--KMPTs hydraulic test;
61
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m--"Hot" main circulating pump run; n--Fuel charging, and beginning of
physical start-up; o--Reactor warm-up and blow-through of steam pipes;, p--Test
of turbo-units under no-load conditions; q--Power startup (taking [vzyatiye]
from the electric load).
As is evident from the.Table, because of the lack of experience on the part
of the construction and installation workers, completion times for the indi-
vidual operations on the first power block. were greatly protracted and, under-
standably, could not be used as an indicator during the erection of successive
power blocks. However, painstaking analysis of these time periods will elimin-
ate the causes for the lost time from here on. The second power block Was
constructed within a short period, and the length of time expended on the
individual operations On this power block have up to now not been successfully
reduced, either at the Chernobylskaya AES, or at other AES's equipped With
RBMK-1000 reactors. At the third power block, construction time for the reactor
shaft and the central room was Increased because of changes in the layout, and
defects in the transport and hoisting equipment diagram. When the 4th power
block was being constructed, the experience in doing installation work on,
the previous power block was taken into consideration, however, in .connection
with the poor quality of the construction work done at the 35,0-meter mark,
the preparation of the reactor circuits for serpentinite filling, the filling
operation itself, the turning over of the central room for installation of
the equipment for the reactor space, and completion of the graphite stacking
were all held up.
The air blow-through operation of the main steam conduit deserves special
attention. Thanks to the fact that it was done prior to the initiation of
the physical start-up, during the "hottest" time, five days were saved.
Labor outlays on the heat systems installation work on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
and 4th power blocks amounted, respectively, to 1,200,000, 680,000, 1,000,000
and 695,000 man-days.
In our opinion, in order to further reduce labor outlays and time spent in
heat systems installation work on subsequent power blocks, it is necessary
to:
cancel the installation allowances in KMPTs piping of 800- and 300-mm
diameters;
come to the point at which, in the manufacture of high-pressure piping,
plant tolerances for wall thickness variations, out-of-roundness etc., corres-
pond to the tolerances set forth in TU-34-42-388-78 for stainless steel pipe,
and in TU-34-42-387-78 for carbon steel pipe;
bring the size of batches of pipe from the plant up to the maximum
capable of being transported;
62
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deliver piping of less than 100-mm diameter in blocks; assembled suspension
members and supports for all piping, no matter what their size, should be
delivered in tied-down and spring-secured blocks, and plant batches of pipe,
hangers and supports should be delivered with a rustproof covering, leaving
the ends of the joint uncovered for 250 mm on the erection joint end;
produce blocks of grouped NVK [not further expanded] distribution headers
in the plants, with shut-off and safety fittings and plugs;
draw up designs for permanent power blocks, taking their volume into
account, as well as the possibility of their being used during construction
and installation operations, without having to be dismantled afterwards, which
will increase the efficiency with which the buildings are turned over for fin-
ishing work.
Moreover, the plant assignments for pipe batches have to be coordinated with
the installation workers.
Resolution of a number of organizational problems will, no doubt, also promote
increased labor productivity during the construction of successive power blocks.
In particular, the greatest possible number of temporary freight and passenger
elevators and refuse chutes, for the disposal of refuse and scrap metal, need
to be installed, the number of temporary ventilation passages need to be in-
creased while work is being done in the cental room and in the reactor and
turbine room cells, and construction, installation and special-purpose work
should not be carried out concurrently in the reactor room buildings or in
the turbine cells.
The experience of constructing the 3rd and 4th power blocks has shown that
erection of the reactor shaft is impossible without completing the construction
and technological section of the bubbler pond.
Presentation of the planning documents for these systems needs to be speeded
up, which will make it possible to order the piping and get to work sooner
on construction of the reactor shaft and the central room.
COPYRIGHT: Energoatomizdat, Energeticheskoye stroitel'stvo, 1984
12659
CSO: 1822/123
63
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UDC 621.31.002.51.002.72.621.039.5
PROGRESS REPORT: CHERNOBYLSKAYA AES' 4TH POWER BLOCK
Moscow ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO in Russian No 12, Dec 84 pp 8-11
[Article by engineers A. M. Usik, A. G. Lyubenko and V. D. Deygraf: "Installa-
tion of the Reactor Section Equipment")
[Text] A comparative analysis of the basic indicators for installation work
(equipment mass, and the labor-intensiveness and time spent in installation)
on the 2nd and 4th power blocks (see Table) shows that the introduction of
a number of new and complicated systemainto,the layout on the reactor section
has led to increased labor intensiveneti-ln,i* operations on the 4th power
block, and mainly in the reactor section.'
ii
.
..
6
B
Awes 000py.
Aossaus. r
Tiry
rm. mea.-amell.
us siossTant
?odarfilosassas
( D )
1
6.1
au
*2
14
421
dog
0 t
:01
4.-a:
124
A
.
i
o
Lo124
42
ao:
co?
t:1
?Xpummel*
,
2.
?wormy=
PelrePs
iiimuga 1
wmmusta
24
44
34530
30310
13 710
11 440
600
410
US
MIT
25/111 r.
WI I 1063 r.
I MTh
21/XU12212 r.
21/X11. 120 r.
Key: (A) Power block number; (B) Equipment mass, tons; (B1) Power block;
(B2) Reactor section; (C) labor outlays for equipment installation;
1000's of man-hours; (Cl) Power block; (C2) Reactor section;_ :(D)
Date; (D1) Reactor installation begun; (D2) Power start-up of reactor
In erecting the main building, only 3,925 tons of equipment, 1,476 tons. of
piping and 722 tons of industrial metal7work? have been installed, which by
the beginning of the 1983 start-up period amounted respectively to 35, 40.
and 45 percent of the overall work volume. In addition, the central room ?
of the reactor section was behind schedule in being-readied for installation
of the reactor. All this has engendered a search, for-methods by which to
reduce the amount of time spent on installation work:
64
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A number of progressive resolutions have been developed by specialists from
the Energomontazhproyekt [possibly All-Union State Power Plant Planning and
Installation] Institute and the Yuzhteploenergomontazh [possibly Southern
Thermal Electric Power Plant Installation] Trust, to insure that reactor sec-
tion equipment is ready in time for the start-up of the power block. Some of
these resolutions include: use of an existing shop (which was built for const-
ruction of the first phase), which is now being used for consolidated assembly
of the reactor's metalwork, organization of transport of the reactor's metal-
work and the steam separators to the 4th power block on the four BK-1000 crane
trolleys, and the pre-installation set-up of these metal structures in the
power block area etc.
The enumerated resolutions, along with several others, are examined below.
A
1(m)
?4
A
A-A 7
-.7t9
amalgam
0,5". reefirtni
4=ige. Jaelmodatog
,
10
Figure 1. Plan for consolidated assembly of reactor metalwork:
1--Separators; 2--KP-640BM gantry crane; 3--Trolley of BK-1000 tower
crane; 4--Consolidated assembly shop; 5--KP-640 gantry crane; 6--Biolo-
gical protection tank (Plan L); 7--Box girder; 8--Temporary biological
protection;- 9--Fourth power block; 10--Third power block
USING EXISTING SHOP FOR CONSOLIDATED ASSEMBLY OF REACTOR METALWORK (Figure 1).
Realization of this resolution has been made possible by means of transporting
the oversized equipment beneath the overhead trestle for the technological
piping. This:technical resolution was developed by Energomontazhproyekt and
Gidroproyekt [possibly All-Union Order of Lenin Planning and Survey, and
Scientific Research Institute of Hydrotechnical Construction imeni S. Ya.
Zhuk]. In order to construct a transport passage within the trestle, the
Gidroproyekt planners moved its supports and rerouted the technological piping
on the trestle. The special box-girder for supporting the piping and the
temporary biological protection system slabs was designed in the Energomontazh-
proyekt Institute. Implementation of the resolution here described made possi-
ble the consolidated assembly of the metalwork of the 4th power block reactor
to be done in an existing shop using the available KP-640 crane, and using
procedures which had been approved during construction of the previous power
blocks [1].
65
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ORGANIZING TRANSPORT OF REACTOR METALWORK AND STEAM SEPARATORS
An analysis of various methods for delivering the indicated equipment from
the consolidated assembly shop (the steam separators were temporarily stored
in the KP-640 crane work area) to the operational area of the new, modernized
KP-640BM crane, which was installed by the 4th power block, showed that the
,best method would be to move the equipment on the four BK-1000 crane carriages,
since using rails for transport is the least labor intensive, and takes the
shortest route. The positive experience gained in solving a similar transport
problem-On-the 3rd power block [21 played no small role in selecting this
method.
In order to make up for any potential non-productive losses of work time,
(such as had occurred when similar equipment was being moved in the 3rd power
block), work was done to determine the actual dimensions of the transport-
ation corridor along the entire equipment delivery route. While calculating
the passageway of the most oversized metalwork (plan L) through the transport
opening in the trestle, there was determined to be as great a hazard of damag-
ing the metalwork as the temporary biological protection slabs which were
hooked up to the trestle. In connection with this, it was decided to reduce
the size of the equipment which was to be transported, prior to its being
loaded onto the BK-1000 crane carriages. To take care of this in the equipment's
support assemblies, the two hydraulic jacks,which had been provided in the
transport plan for the automatic equalization of the loads acting on the four
BK-1000 crane trolleys, were removed. This decision made it possible not
to have to disconnect the technological piping from the trestle, or to remove
the .biological protection slab.
PREINSTALLATION ASSEMBLY OF THE REACTOR METALWORK AND THE STEAM SEPARATORS
In order to.rulesnit.probable work-time losses and toprevent_OlenvIrom-effec-
ting the length of time spent in installing the power block, a determination
was made of the operation of the operations which must be removed from the
critical route of the reactor's supply diagram, and which must be carried
out during the preparatory period. These are such operations as the del-
ivery of blocks of the reactor's metalwork and the steam separators from the
consolidated assembly shop to the main building of the 4th power block and
their preinstallation assembly into a temporary position in the operating
zone of the K12640EIM crane (Figure 2--picture not shown).
The indicated equipment was delivered in a sequence strictly complying with
the technological sequence of its installation. To test the tracks beneath
the trolleys and gantry of the KP-640BM crane at the calculated load, the
first thing delivered was the lower tank of the biological protection system
(plan L). Tests of the 21020/32-S1J-21-U1 travelling crane were conducted
earlier on the gantry of the KP-640BM crane by separately loading each trolley,
the load-carrying capacity of which is 320 tons, with a pre-measured load.
Then, all four steam separators, the cruciform support (plan C), the housing
(plan KZh) and the upper tank of the reactor's biological protection were
brought over. The lower plate.(plan OR) was brought over next to last, and
last, the reactor's upper plate (plan Ye.).
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The preinstallation assembly of the enumerated oversized and extremely heavy
equipment was accomplished in unfavorable conditions. The piece of ground
designated for the intermediate assembly of the equipment was located within
the operational area of the 2X320/32-SU-21-U1 travelling crane, which was
reduced in size as a result of the KP-640BM crane cantilever having been dis-
mantled. Moreover, important underground lines had been laid underneath this
section of ground, and considerable loads--over 1,600 kN [kilonewtons]--were
being transmitted from the heavy-weight equipment onto the ground directly
at each of the four of the equipment's points of rest.
The loads from the assembled equipment were transmitted through NSP-3 ferro-
concrete slabs, 3.5 X 1.5 meters in size. The number of these slabs was deter-
mined based on allowable pressure on the ground (0.3 MPa). Plans L and S, and
D and KZh, and all four steam separators were set up on four slabs. Plan
OR rested on the slabs which had been laid down beneath the tracks on the
route, of the crane trolleys through the intermediate supports placed there
for the transport trolleys. Plan G elements were used as braces. Plan Ye
was left on the BK-1000's four transport carriages, outside the operational
area of the KP-640BM crane.
In connection with the substantial amount of time taken up by the preinstal-
lation work, the following measures were provided forth the plan for trans-
porting the reactor's metalwork. They are designed to protect the interior
surfaces of the permanent equipment from snow, rain, dust, sand etc.: place-
ment of plasticized covers on the circuits which are welded into the reactor's
metalwork, aid placement of tight seals on all the steam separator's branch
pipes; and application of adhesive tape to the welded compensator edges which
are welded onto plans L, KZh and Ye.
In addition, special-purpose planking is to be installed to protect plans OR
and I, which are located within the operating area of the construction tower
cranes ,,from having construction parts accidently fall on them.
As a result Of the efforts which have been made, 100 percent readiness for
Installation has been achieved.
PREINSTALLATION PREPARATION OF PRIMARY CIRCUIT PIPING
On the 4th power block, as on those previously completed, there was an increase
in the amount of work done during the preparatory period in the TsPR [pre-
installation operations shop], and in the consolidated assembly areas, part-
icularly work on trimming extraneous materials left over from installation,
and treating ,the welded edges on the piping of the primary circulation loop,
i.e., the circulation and water-level-lowering piping of the KMPTs [multiple
forced circulation circuit], the diameters of which are, respectively, 800-
and 300-mm, and overall of which are 520 and 355 tons; on the piping of the
NVK [lower water lines] and the PVK [steam-water lines], which have overall
masses of 295 and 392 tons.
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During the consolidated assembly of blocks of 800-mm diameter piping, of the
114 joints in the area, 18 were welded and checked, and of the 34 untrimmed,
parts left over from installation, 24 were trimmed off and the welded edges
treated. Much more preinstallation work was done during consolidation of
the 300-mm diameter water-level-lowering piping: 432 of the 896 joints were
welded and checked on the site and all 420 untrimmed installation ends were
trimmed (and the welded edges treated).
During consolidated assembly of the lower water-supply lines and the steam-
water lines in the preinstallation operations shop, welding and checking were
done, respectively, on 3,322 (out of 8,305) and 7,090 (of 12,073) joints, and
1,661 and 715 installation tag ends were trimmed off.
During installation of the enumerated piping, from which the installation tips
had been trimmed, there arose no complications, and the quality of the piping's
installation remained high.
MODERNIZATION OF THE KP -640BM GANTRY CRANE
Installation of the reactor steelwork and the steam separators of the 4th
power block was done using a new, modernized KP-640BM crane. This is in con-
trast to the 3rd power block, where a stationary two-pole trestle was used
to carry out the installation work [2]. Initially, this crane was slated for
use on construction of the third phase of the Chernobylskaya AES, but then
its manufacture was speeded up so it could be used to install the equipment
for the 4th power block. While the modernizing design for the crane was being
drawn up, the experience from installing the reactor steelwork and the steam
separators of the 3rd power block of the Chernobylskaya AES, and other AES's
equipped with RBMK-1000 [high-power pressure-tube reactor] reactors was taken
into account. The modernization consisted of raising the height of the crane's
gantry by 1.5 meters (compared to the height of similar cranes used at the
Kurskaya and Smolenskaya AES's), installing a single travelling crane with
a load-lifting capacity of 640 tons on the gantry, instead of two cranes with
320-ton capacities, and fitting the gantry with additional structural elements
(supports, girders etc).
Increasing the height of the gantry permitted the completion of a substantial
amount of construction work in the central room (up to the 35.5-meter mark
of the overhead span), prior to starting installation of the reactor steelwork.
Installing a single travelling crane instead of two reduced the quantity of
metal used.in the KP-640BM crane by a great deal.
Subsecuently, when the reactor steelwork and the steam separators were being
transported to the main building, since the load from the 640-ton capacity
travelling crane was not transmitted to the gantry cantilevers, the latter's
braces were replaced with cable hangers, which permitted an increase in the
volume of construction work on erecting the enclosing parts of the reactor
room's structure [3].
In addition to the reactor steelwork, and the steam separators, the modernized
KP-640BM crane was also used to install some other equipment, and was used
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to install the structural elements of the hip roof over the central room.
On the whole, in a period of 36 days, this crane was used to install equipment
and structural elements with respective masses of 4,040 and 160 tons.
USE OF THE KP-640BM GANTRY CRANE TO ERECT THE ROOF OF THE CENTRAL ROOM
This crane was used for the large-block assembly of structural elements of
the roof at the suggestion of specialists from Energomontazhproyekt. The
oversized roof blocks were put into planned position by the 2X320/32-SU-21-U1
travelling crane, which was set on the KP-640BM gantry. Consolidated assembly
of the unwieldy roof blocks, which were-20X24X6 meters in size, was done in
the construction area, which was located near the main building of the power
block under construction. In all, four of these blocks were brought together
(the mass of a single one of which was 50 tons). Each of these massive blocks
was delivered by two BK-1000 tower cranes to the intermediate gantry, which
had been installed on the indicated travelling crane. The height of this was
mach that a roof block set on it was 100 mm higher than its design position.
Four jacks were used to lower the block. The four roof blocks were installed
in as many days. After that, the roof-covering slabs and the wall panels
were installed in 10 days.
As this construction work was being done, the same crane was being used for
some critical functions: to bring the lower water-supply lines to the reactor
shaft, and to install the steam separators.
Thanks to the use of the KP-640BM crane, the raising of the structural members
of the central room roof for the 4th power block took 14 days in all, just
as 27 days were required for this on the 2nd power block, and 35 on the third.
INSTALLATION OF THE LOWER WATER-SUPPLY LINE (NVKI PIPING
The procedure for installing the NVK piping in the 4th power block differed
considerably from that used in the 3rd power block, where it was brought into
position with a BK-1000 tower crane through the reactor shaft during the time
when there was no roof on the central room [2].
The most glaring fault in the piping delivery plan used in the 3rd power block
consisted in the combining of construction and installation operations, which
required the installation of protective decking, and the taking of additional
measures to protect the piping.
When the 4th power block equipment was being installed prior to the delivery
of the NVK piping to its assigned NVK position in the reactor shaft via BK-1000
crane, the grouped headers were installed. Stacks of the piping were delivered
to the indicated shaft by a KP-640BM crane which was attached to the main
building. The piping stacks were delivered to a point beneath the crane via
motor vehicle transport. The piping stacks were brought to the NVK positions
by a 5-ton-capacity erecting crane-jib which had been installed in the reactor
shaft on the plan L foundations, and by a double-chain hoist, each chain of
which had 5 tons' of load-hoisting capacity, and which had been placed by
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the passages in the NVK positions.
While the NVK piping was being installed, the plan :S metalwork and the gas
and drain pipes Were being assembled in the reactor shaft. Following this,
the plan OR and L metalwork was installed, and in thia.connection,.in order
to insure that the plan OR circuits were emplaced between the rows of NVK
pipe, guide pins [loviter] were installed.
It should be mentioned that,, along With the advantages of the above plan
for installing NVK-piping (the potential for mechanizing the delivery of
stacks of piping to points near those in the design, the reduction in the
volumes of manual labor, and the reduction of time spent in block-and-tackle
hoist- work), there are also shortcomings: construction work in the main
building has to be shut down, since when the KP-640BM crane is being attached
to the main building the two BK-1000 tower cranes have to be moved away;
when the roof covering slabs and the wall covering panels for the central
room are being installed, there is a good chance that the NVK piping will
be damaged; the work on delivering the NVK piping and the grouped headers
turns out to take place on the main route of the reactor installation network.
It also needs to be mentioned that welding the OR plan's lower compensator
and installing the piping onto the permanent supports and hangers is also
made more difficult.
INSTALLATION OF THE STEAM SEPARATORS
The procedure for installing these units in the 4th power block differs sub-
stantially from that used in the previous three power blocks, and at the
power blocks of the Kurskaya and Smolenskaya AES's [4].
The separators were installed with the help of a KP-640BM crane and two
installation trusses [montazhnaya ferma]: an intermediate truss, positioned
in the open space of the crane, and a connecting truss, positioned in the
opening between the crane and the separator room. The intermediate truss
was installed onto the horizontal struts of the gantry with a 2X320/32-SU-21-U1
gantry crane, and an attempt was made here to get them as close to the gantry
columns as possible, so that the gantry crane, as it was being attached to
the separator room, did not hinder the erection of the stair-elevator block
of the main building (Figure 3).
The connecting truss was installed with the aid of a BK-1000 tower crane,
and was then attached to the gantry crane with an intermediate truss, and
to the separator room with "installation girders.
At the same time, a KP-640BM crane brought two separators to the main building.
One of them was installed onto the intermediate truss, and the other was
attached with a sling to a hook with a load-hoisting capacity of 320 tons.
The first separator was moved along both trusses to the separator compartment,
and then the second separator was installed onto the intermediate truss, and
in like fashion brought to the separator compartment. This having been done,
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the intermediate truss was dismantled. Installation of the separators in the
second ronm was done in the same manner. The duration of the cycle for bring-
ing the two separators into their space, beginning with the approach of the
KP-640BM crane to the separator room, and ending with the dismantling of the
connecting truss, amounted to 38 hours.
Figure 3. Steam separator installation plan:
Key: 1--Separator rooms; 2--Support; 3--Intermediate truss; 4--Sep-
arators; 5--KP-640BM gantry crane; 6--Connecting truss
The described procedure for installing separators, in comparison with that
used earlier, reduces their delivery time, makes the installation operations
safer, and requires no re-attachment of hoist slings to the separators as
they are brought to the separator room.
After the steam separators were installed, the basic metalwork was installed
in the reactor shaft.
INSTALLATION OF RP (REACTOR ROOM] EQUIPMENT
The graphite stacking of the 4th power block reactor was installed using a
technique which was tried out on previous power blocks. However, a new instal-
lation technique was used to lay the 13th and 14th layers of graphite, and
it has turned out to be so efficient, that the entire plan for mechanizing
operations in the reactor room will evidently have to be reconsidered for
successive power blocks. Thanks to the use of this method, the work of assem-
bling the shield slabs and adapters is removed from the critical main network
route used for installing the reactor, and is carried out beforehand in the
TsPR [possibly central work area].
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In order to guarantee standardized coaxial alignment of the axes of the con-
necting pieces and Orifices in the shield slabs, the blocks are assembled
by using caliper-gauges. The assembled blocks are transported to the Central
room, lowered into the reactor room and are moved along on tracks to the instal-
lation\aite. After this is done, using.the simplest traction devices [prost-
eyshiye tyagi], and proceeding across the circuits of the upper: reactor
slabs, these blocks were first set above their design position, then the shield
plates were lowered into their design positions and the openings calibrated.
If 40 percent of the overall time spent ,to install the reactor. room equipment
at the previous power' blocks was used to lay in the upper graphite layers,
the shield plates and adapters, this time was reduced 2-fold at the 4th power
block.
FOUR-LINE FLOW-TYPE INSTALLATION OF PVK [STEAM-WATER LINES] UPPER CIRCUITS
AND PIPING
The four-line flow-type procedure for installing the upper circuits, realized
at the 3rd power block [2], was perfected at the 4th power block. As was
also done at the preceding power block, the upper PVK circuits and piping,
which include all the circuits of the entire semi-series [poluryad] (24 circuits),
were installed in blocks, by using existing block and tackle equipment. The
outstanding feature of the improved procedure is the development and imple-
mentation of organizational measures (an efficient cyclic schedule for carry-
ing out installation operations on each of the four production lines, socialist
competition between departments etc), which permitted strict observation of
production discipline and checking of completed work volumes.
Installation was carried out by two shops of the Chernobyl Installation Admin-
istration of the Yuzhteploenergomontazh Trust--the reactor and the pipeline
shops. Two brigades worked simultaneously as part of each shop, one brigade
per production line. Work was done during three shifts. The collective from
the pipeline shop began to install the circuits of the 17th series, and the
collective from the reactor shop worked on the 34th. Work was carried out in
two directions from each of these series--toward the center of the reactor,
and toward its periphery. Both production lines worked toward the center
of the reactor at the same time. The length of time taken in the installation
of the PVK's upper circuits and piping was done in a record short time--50
working days.
In conclusion, it should be mentioned, that, thanks to the introduction of
progressive resolutions, the installation of the technological equipment of
the 4th power block took 9.5 months in all.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Usik, A. M., Lyubenko, A. G., Berezanskiy, K. S., Tokarenko, V. P., Koren-
skiy, V. S., Mikitayev, V. G., Brik, A. P. and Zhil'chenko, N. I., "The
Installation of Steam-Generating Units at the First Power Block of the
Chernobylskaya AES", ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO, No 2, 1978, p 3.
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. Usik, A. M., Lyubenko, A. G., Lozovski, Yu. K., et al., "The Installation
of Steam-Generating Units at the Third Power Block of the Chernobylskaya
AES", ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO, No 4, 1981, pp 10-15.
3. Yefimenko, V. T., "Use of 'Reserves", ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO, No-2,
1983, pp 9-12
4. Preobrazhenskaya,'M. G., Sozdanskiy, I. V. and Rubinshteyn; Yu. M.,
"Installation of Steam Separators at the Smolenskaya and KuiskaYa AES'
With a KP-640 Gantry Crane%:ENERGETICHESKOYE STROITEL'STVO, No 9, 1982,
pp 8=9. .
COPYRIGHT: Energoatomizdat, Energeticheskoye stroitel'stvo, 1984
12659
CSO: 1822/123
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CHERNOBYLSKAYA AES STATUS
Moscow SOTSIALISTICHESKAYA INDUSTRIYA in Russian 26 Feb 85 p 1
[Article by Zh. Tkachenko]
[Text] Kiev--The personnel at the Chernobylskaya AES exploit modern tech-
nology with confidence. Four 1 million kilowatt power units are exceeding
design indicators, which in no small way was helped by the high proficiency
of the engineers who operate the equipment. The personnel's high proficiency
has allowed them to produce more than 80 million kilowatt-hours above their
plan since the first of the year. They have been able to exploit even the
freezing weather. Since the air and water temperature in these months was
lower than normal, the specialists decided to decrease the volume of liquid
which cools the reactor. In this way they decreased the energy demand for
driving the powerful pumps and other internal needs. Such a savings during
the severe winter was no small thing.
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CHERNOBYL AES REPLACES BOILER
Moscow SOTSIALISTICHESKAYA INDUSTRIYA in Russian 3 Apr 85 p 2
[Article by our own correspondent Zh. Tkachenko]
? [Text] Kiev--Over 50,000 tons of equivalent fuel have been saved last year in
the Pripyat city of power workers due to the foresight of the collective at
the Chernobyl AES. ? As soon as the plant reached design capacity, the boiler
was closed down in the city. Heat and hot water are supplied regularly to the
apartments. The new engineer idea was included in the plans and for this
reason the heating utilities were laid during the construction period. Such
a plan was economic and farsighted. The heat which the AES can produce will
be enough to provide the city's comfort, considering its development up to
the year 1990. ?
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FIRE PREVENTION SHORTCOMINGS AT ELECTRIC POWER STATIONS
Alma-Ata KAZAKHSTANSKAYA PRAVDA in Russian 1 Apr 82 p 4
[Article by R. Nurseitov, chief of the department ?of the State Fire Inspection
Administration of the Kazakh SSR Ministry of Internal Affairs: "Order--A Bar-
rier to Fire: Problems of Fire Prevention at Power Industry Facilities"]
[Text] At electric power stations, which are the heart of industry's supply
of electricity, the development of power units that are safe from a fire
point of view and protective means and measures, which prevent fires from
happening, are of utmost importance. In connection with this, new standards
have been created and the existing standards are being reexamined. A great
deal of attention is being given to the problem of safety equipment for
fighting fires at these key facilities.
There are several ways to reduce the threat of fire. This includes the selec-
tion and rating of electrical shielding, the appropriate execution and place-
ment of the power units themselves, the use of fireproof coverings, and the
adoption of effective alarm systems and firefighting methods.
It is necessary to discuss this because fire prevention requirements are still
being violated during the designing, installation and operation of power units.
For example, a great deal of the designing work in the Kazakh SSR for the con-
struction of new and the modernization and expansion of existing electric
power stations is done by the Central Asian Department of the VNIPIenergoprom
Institute [All-Union Scientific-Research and Design Institute of the Power
Industry]. In the designs that they do there are frequent digressions from
the existing fire prevention requirements.
There are serious violations of norms in the designs for the construction of
the Ekibastuzskaya GRES, which were done by the Novosibirsk branch of the
Teploelektroproyekt VGPI [thermal electric power station designing branch of
the All-Union State Design Institute]; there are also serious problems in the
design for the construction of the Southern Kazakhstanskaya GRES, which was
done by the same organization.
In several cases the designers stipulate the use of construction materials
that are inexpensive, but which from a fire point of view are more dangerous.
Errors are committed in the estimates for the distance of evacuation routes
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and in determining the amount of water required for extinguishing a fire.
Provision is not always made for the installation of automatic units for
detecting and extinguishing fires.
This is essentially the consequence of the poor organization of technical
training of specialists and delays in informing them of changes and additions
to the existing norms. Of course, there are also instances of an irresponsi-
ble attitude of the specialists toward the work that they are doing and of
poor management over the quality of designs.
Of considerable importance is how the fire prevention regime is observed at
the facilities. In this regard the Dzhambulskaya GRES can serve as an
example. But sometimes one can see facilities where the surrounding terri-
tory and facilities are cluttered with trash, where the equipment has mal-
functioned, and where labor discipline is poor. It is easy to understand
that it is at such facilities where most often fires occur.
There have been quite a few violations of fire prevention practices at the
construction site of the Ekibastuzskaya GRES (the general contractor is the
Ekibastuzenergostroy Trust [Ekibastuz electric power station construction
trust]). It is no accident that in 1981 alone there were several fires at
these power stations; one of the fires cost the state 60,000 rubles. All the
same the needed regime is being maintained at a low level.
Frequently there are a large number of omissions and unfinished work on fire
prevention features at power facilities that have been submitted for handover
to the customer. Often this can be explained by the fact that the builders,
in beginning to erect a facility according to an incomplete design, do not
have an opportunity to order the needed materials and equipment on a timely
basis. Thus even at the moment of construction a significant flaw is built
into the facility, which forces them at a later time to take additional
measures on the fire prevention aspects.
It is these kinds of shortcomings that are evident in the Tentekskaya TETs in
Karagandinskaya Oblast, where several facilities and the fuel oil storage site
were not equipped with automatic fire extinguishing systems.
Of course, the problem here was not just in the omissions of the designers and
builders, but in the fact that the TETs administration was not duly concerned
about fire prevention and accepted serious shortcomings.
Fire prevention consists of several elements. Importance is attached to the
creation of the most favorable conditions for the workers of this crucial
service. However, the necessary concern is not always shown for the people
and their working conditions. For example, the administration of the
Karagandinskaya GRES-2 and TETs-3 is not meeting the contract obligations to
provide the fire department with technical means and spare parts for the fire
fighting trucks, equipment, furniture and other inventory for the buildings
of the fire stations. The administration is not providing the workers with
housing, space in the children's institutions, and other benefits on a level
equal to those available to the workers at the power stations.
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At other power facilities problems having to do with the repair and mainte-
nance of automatic fire extinguishing systems and alarm systems have not been
resolved. In some cases the enterprises do not have direct telephone communi-
cations with their fire fighting subelements.
In improving all of these concerns an important role is played by the fire-
technical commissions, which are called upon to conduct regular inspections
of the shops, sectors and facilities on the whole, to compile plans for the
implementation of their recommendations, and to ensure that they are carried
out. However, it must be admitted that at many facilities such commissions
exist only on paper and are engaged in this type of work very little.
The same can be said of the volunteer fire fighting organizations. At some
power enterprises the volunteers are forgotten and no provisions are made to
involve them in the regular training programs designed to raise ?the level of
?their readiness.
In protecting socialist property the fire fighting service plays a central
role. But it will not be able to carry out its role to the fullest extent
if the managers of the enterprises and construction and design organizations
fail to attach equal importance to the condition of the fire prevention
safety programs. Without this joint responsibility it is difficult to
achieve good results.
8927
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EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ON WATERS OF RIVERS, SEAS
Moscow TEPLOENERGETIKA in Russian No 12, Dec 83 pp 2-3
[Article by A. M. Petros'yants, chairman of the USSR State Committee for
Utilization of Atomic Energy: "On Effects of AES on the Waters of Rivers and
Seas"]
[Text] Protection of the environment requires establishing strict and con-
stant control of coastal waters near the locations ofAES4S. That is why the
CEMA Permanent Commission for Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (PK SEV Atomenergo)
has included in the work plan of observations, the inspection and organization
of systematic control over concentration of radionuclides in the aqueous medi-
um. Thus, the thematically classified work plan of the CEMA Permanent Com-
mission for Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy includes systematic study and
analysis of radioactivity of the waters of the Baltic Sea and the rivers
flowing into it and also of the Danube River.
The USSR is collaborating in this manner on a multilateral basis with the
Polish People's Republic, the German Democratic Republic, the People's Repub-
lic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian People's Republic, the Czechoslovak Socialist
Republic and the Socialist Republic of Romania and on a bilateral basis with
Finland.
In 1978, within the framework of the CEMA Permanent Commission for Peaceful
Uses of Atomic Energy and with participation of all interested countries, a
special international scientific expedition was organized to inspect the
radioactivity of Danube's waters and its bottom deposits on the entire length.
Over a period of several months, it has conducted a thorough study and all
necessary analyses. As a result of this expedition's work, a report was
prepared on the basis of materials of the study which was examined at a spe-
cial seminar of CEMA member-countries, and was later submitted for consider-
ation and confirmation at a regular meeting of the CEMA Permanent Commission
for Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy.
The materials of the report have shown that on Danube's entire length (a dis-
stance of 1,869 km from its mouth) no sectors were found where the permissible
content of radionuclides of fragmentational or activational origin was ex-
ceeded; the levels of radioactive contamination of Danube's waters are low.
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The further one gets from the mouth, one notices a certain increase of natural
radionuclides: potassium-40, lead-214 and bismuth-214, which is explained by
the features of the mineralogical and chemical content of the coastal soil.
The beta-radioactivity, obtained by evaporation of 1 to 3 1 of water, amounted
to an average of 2.75.10-12 and 4.93.10-12 curie/1, i.e. it was extremely low.
By 1978. the CEMA member-countries, which are adjacent to the Danube River, had
AES 's in operation only in Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria (two water-cooled power
reactors [VVER]-440 each). Therefore, the CEMA Permanent Commission for
Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy decided to repeat the inspection of Danube during
the 1985 navigation season, since by that time five units of the Kozloduy AES
(Bulgaria) would presumably be in operation as well as four nnits-of the
(Bogunitse) ABS and three units of the (Dukovany) AES (Czechoslovakia) and
three units of the Paksh ABS (Hungary).
The study of radioactivity Of waters in the Baltic Sea area is also of special
significance for CEMA member-countries, since the Bruno Leichner AES (GDR) is
located in the coastal area of the Baltic and the Leningrad ABS (USSR) and the
Loviisa ABS (Finland) in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. In connection
with the great capacity of theAES.'s, these studies are of special importance
for the unconditional ensurance of radioactive safety of the population who
live in the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. The studies of the content of
radionuclides by the CEMA Permanent Commission for Peaceful Uses of Atomic
Energy were conducted not only. in the waters of gulfs but in the mouths of
rivers fl6wing into the Baltic Seas and in the waters of the Baltic Sea itself.
Of no lesser importance are the studies of distribution of radionuclides in
bottom deposits and the appraisal of radionuclides entering them from the
water phase for determining their distribution ratio. Studies of the content
of radionuclides in hydrobionts [gidrobionity],'with the compilation of the
balance Of radionuclides-in the Baltid Sea are also necessary.
The following organizations are actively participating in conducting this
interesting and important scientific research work:
from the USSR--the Radium Institute of the State Committee for Utilization of
Atomic Energy [GKAE] (Leningrad City), the Biophysics Institute of the USSR
Ministry of Health [MZ], the Experimental Meteorology Institute of the State
Committee for Hydrometeorology and other scientific centers;
from the GDR--the State Administration for Atomic Safety and Protection from
Radiation (GUABZI,.Berlin) and the scientific physics centers enlisted by it;
from the Polish People's Republic [PNR]--the Central Laboratory of Radiation
Protection and the Institute of Meteorology and Water Economy (the maritime
department); and
from the Republic of Finland--the Institute of Radiation Safety (Helsinki City)
and the the Loviisa ABS. Moreover, the USSR State Committee for Utilization of
Atomic Energy and Finland's Ministry of Trade and Industry have concluded a
special bilateral agreement and have confirmed a plan for scientific and
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technical cooperation in conducting systematic joint studies on the content
of strontium-90, cesium-137 and other radionuclides in the waters of the Baltic
Sea,proper, its gulfs and in the waters of rivers flowing into the Baltic Sea
from.the territory of the Soviet Union as well as from the territory of Finland.
An analysis of the radiation situation in the Baltic is very important not
only in itself, i.e. in determining the effects of operation of AES's located
along 'the coast of the Baltic Sea, but also in forecasting the consequences
of further development of atomic energy in the Baltic Sea zone. To do this it
is necessary to study the accumulation and the influence of radiactive admix-
tures in the Baltic Sea as in a unified water system. Conducting such work
in the water area of the open Baltic Sea and along the coastal zones', i.e. the
territorial waters of the Baltic, requires direct participation and combined
efforts of partner-countries in the given geographic region, i.e. the USSR,
the GDR, the Polish People's Republic and Finland.
The work conducted jointly by participating countries is also of significance
for the methodical ensurance of studies of the radioactive situation in the
water systems within a country, which is under the influence of fuel cycle
enterprises.
In 1979 and 1980, scientific organizations of the Soviet Union and the Repub-
lic of Finland conducted studies of radioactivity of surface waters of the
Baltic Sea proper. In conducting this work, precise distribution of stages,
purposes, the time and places of work were defined, i.e. precise places for
selecting samples for analysis.
The values of concentration of radioactive substances in surface waters of the
Baltic Sea are given in Table 1. From the table it is evident that during the
year, since the previous year when samples were selected, the values of con-
centration of strontium-9,0 and cesium-137 have practically no increased.
Table 1. Concentration of Strontium-90 and Cesium-137 in the Surface Waters
of the Baltic Sea Proper in 1979-80
(1)
Hessmaireas
1979 r.
1900r. ?
(2) (3)
Ram cntopa aped
(4)
Kosuerirpsarts. 6041
NISr (5) mc$
Ana gAb)pa
(7)
(8)
Kostuarrpaarta. 5a/144
(9) sac,
PSI.
PH
HPfi
PH
PH
14Pfi
HPfi
PH
PH
PH
HP5
nPror
18/ VII
21/V11
191 VII
23/ VU
mfVfl
25/ VII
271V11
19.0t4.0
M.00:0
19.0t4.0
22.0t4.0
?
MAt4.0
19.0t4.0
22.0t4.0
.13.0t2.0
M.010.0
11.00.0
M.0t2.0
.?
MX*2.0
M.0t2.0
M412.0
PH Parmesan IDICTICUT (CC:P); ? HOCTIITyt Pa AH1110101411011
28/VI
29! VI
6/VIII
29/VI
9/ Vii
9/VII
25/V11
1/V11
2/V11
2/VII
14/ VIII
6030fISCHOCTI14 (0MHARIUM). ( 10 )
M.0t4.0
22.00.0
26
M.Ot4.0
20.0t4.0
M ?
23.0t4.0
29.00.0
M.010.0
V
11.0t2.0
14.0t2.0
20 ?
13,0?2.0
14.0?2.0
? 17
21
14,00.0
14.0?2.0
17.00.0
12
Key:
. Executor
.
Sample. selection date
3. Concentration, Bk/m3
4. Strontium-90
[Key continued on following page]
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5.
Cesium-137
8.
StrOntiUm-90
6.
Sample selection date
9.
Cesium-137
7.
Concentration, Bk/m3
10.
Footnote: PM -Radium Institute
(USSR); R Pg -Radiation Safety
Institute (Finland)
Table 2 gives data on the concentration of strontium-90 and cesium-137 in the
waters of rivers which flow into the Baltic Sea from the Soviet Union (Neva,
Luga, Narva, Pirita, Daugava, Venta, Barta, Dane, Neman and Pregol, i.e. the
rivers flowing into the Gulf of Finland from Leningrad Oblast, Estonia and
Latvia) and the Republic of Finland (the rivers Kumiyoki, Kokemaenyoki,
Ouluyoki, Kemiyoki and Tornioneyoki).
From Table 2 it is also quite evident that during the 1970,-80 period no notice-
able changes were observed in the values of concentrations of strontium-90 and
cesium-137. The small reduction in concentrations of strontium-90 and
cesium-137 based on the 1980 data can be explained only by the reduction in
the global fallout from the atmosphere.
Table 2. Concentration of Strontium-90 and Cesium-137 in the Waters of Rivers
Flowing Into the Baltic Sea From the Territories of Finland and the
USSR
Key:
(1)
Pekii
(2)
nepuoa. or6tva
apa6bi
(3) KainemPausa.
1979 r. 1980 r.
16)"Sr '"Cs(7)
(47s, k 57c.
(8) (10.)
K10311arlaka -"CPeAllail
KommilemMorm
Orsykms
Kmiliolui ?
TopturataitoKit
(9) c re9PwroPIIN
3a Map'.
marl. aarye7
muM5p.
To rate (11)
? ?
? 0
? ?
4,04ARHARM
28
16
10
11
4.5
1.8
5.6
5.2
' 8.2
28
21
17
II
II
4.3
2.7
5.7
5.6
4.5
(13)
Hem (14)
Ara
Haiwa
nnvm
Anram
Bettra
Sapra
Astir
Hehlat4
naKFCML
(12) C Teppirroptni
H10/1b -aarycr
? ?
? ?
?
? ?
? ?
? ?
? ?
? ?
? ?
CCCP
27.0j5.0
27.0?4.0
24.0?5.0
12.0?3.0
24,0+5,0
13.0?3.0
I0.0?2.0
I0.0?2.0
I2.0?3.0
16.0?4,0
2.0141.0
2.0?1.0
2.0?I.0
2.0?I.0
2.0?1.0
1.0?0.5
1.0?0.5
1.0?0.5
1.0?0.5
20.0?4.0
I3.0?4.0
21,0?4.0
11.0?3.0
20.0?4.0
15.0?3.0
7.0?2.0
7.0?2.0
10.0?2,0
II.0?3.0
1,5?1.0
1.5?1.0
I.5?1.0
I.5?1,0
1.5?1.0
0.5?0.5
0.5?0.5
0.5?0.5
0.5?0.5
0.50,5
1. Rivers
2. Sample selection period
3. Concentration, Bk/m3
4. Strontium-90
5. Cesium-137
6. Strontium-90
7. Cesium-137
8. Kumiyoki, Kokemaenyoki, Ouluyoki,
Kemiyoki, Tornioneyoki
9. From Finland's:territory
10. Average for March, May, August
and October
11. Ditto
12. From USSR's territory .
113. Neva, Luga, Narva, Pirita,
Daugava, Venta, Barta, Dane,
Neman, Pregol-
14. July-August
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From Table 3 it is very well evident that the values of concentrations of
strontium-90 and cesium-137 in the deep waters of the open Baltic Sea prac-
tically do not change.
Table 3. Concentration of Strontium-90 and Cesium-137 in the Deep Waters
of the Open Baltic Sea During the 1979-80 Period
(i)
RwroupoloPa
1979 r.
(3)
C"63Pa
IMO r.
2fointeffrpatuot, 5K/WIAaTa
4)Konuetrrpatuoi. acists
t5) "r
(6)arCs
7) ?ssr
23/VII
22.0?4.0
15.0?2.0
9/VII
20.04?I.0
14.0j2.0
23/VII
I9.0?4.0
I3.0?3.0
9/VII
19,0?4,0
I7.0?3.0
27/VII
22.0?4.0
15.0?2.0
2/VII
21.0?4.0
I7.0?3.0
27/V11
19.0?4.0
15.0+2.0
27/VII
22,0?4.0
I3.0?2.0
2/VII
21.0?4,0
18.0?3.0
2/VII
22.0?4.0
14.0?2.0
2/VII
22.0?4.0
18.0?3.0
I/VII
23.0*4,0
14.0?2.0
1/VII
I9.0?4.0
18.0?3.0
Key:
1..
Sample selection date
5.
Strontium-90
2.
Concentration, Bk/m3
6.
Cesium-137
3.
Sample selectiOn date
7.
Strontium-90
4.
Concentration, Bk/m3
8.
Cesium-137
As already noted, the work on studying and observing the condition of the
aqueous medium in the Danube River and in the water area of the open Baltic
Sea as well as in rivers which flow into it will be continued systematically
and regularly. The development of atomic energy requires extensive and
systematic collection of statistical data for the unequivocal determination
of the extent of risk and correspondingly of the degree of safety for the
population and the environment from the effects of operating atomic electric
power stations.
COPYRIGHT: Energoatomizdat, Teploenergetika , 1983
?9817
CSO: 1822/112
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RADIATION SAFETY MEASURES FOR AES EXAMINED
Moscow EKONOMICHESKOYE SOTRUDNICHESTVO STRAN-CHLENOV SEV in Russian No 3,
Mar 84 pp 47-49
[Article by Alejandro Bilbao Alfonso and Wilhelm Stregober, members of the
CEMA Secretariat: "Insuring the Radiation Safety of AES"]
[Text] An increasingly significant position is being given to nuclear power in
satisfying the fuel andpower needs of the CEMA.member nations. Contributing
to this is the successful resolution of those problems set forth by the Com-
prehensive Program for the creation of the scientific-technical, production
and organizational prerequisites for the accelerated growth and effective in-
troduction of nuclear power into the economy on an industrial scale through
the efforts of the fraternal nations.
As a result of the activity within the framework of the Permanent CEMA Commis-
sion for' Cooperation ,in the Area of the Utilization of Nuclear Power for Peace-
ful Goals and the Permanent CEMA Commission for Cooperation in the Area of Elec-
tric-Power with regard to the questions of scientific-technical cooperation
as well as those questions associated with design and construction and instal-
lation work and the operation of nuclear power plants, conditions have been
created for the integrated development of nuclear power programs. They are
based on a coordinated determination of the scale of AES construction, on the
standardization of reactor units and on specialization and cooperation in the
production of equipment for AES's in the CEMA member nations. Plans have been
made to bring their total output up to approximately 100,000 MW in the next
decade. Attention is being devoted to the utilization of nuclear power for
heat-supply, the requirements of these nations for nuclear sources of heat are
being determined and an evaluation of individual outputs is being made.
Many years of experience in the operation of nuclear power installations, pri-
marily AES's, have confirmed their high reliability and safety for the environ-
ment and demonstrated their economic and ecological advantages in comparison
with thermal fossil-fuel electric power plants.
In the development of the nuclear power industry in the CEMA member nations,
an important place is occupied by cooperation in the area of insuring radiation
safety. This is being accomplished according to the Overall Expanded Program
for Cooperation Among the CEMA member nations for 1981-1985 in the Area of the
Protection and Improvement of the Environment and the Associated Efficient Use
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of Natural Resources. The chief goals in this are the development of stan-
dardization and methods documentation for use in the CEMA member nations, the
efficient utilization and mutual exchange of the results of studies and the
development of unified approaches in the drafting of standardization documen-
tation with respect to insuring radiation safety. Cooperation makes it pos-
sible to efficiently utilize the scientific-technical potential available in
these countries. It also has a positive influence on equalizing the levels
of knowledge and improving the quality of the work being done.
In insuring the radiation safety of nuclear power plants, primary attention
is being devoted to engineering and technical measures for preventing emer-
gency situations. This is the chief factor precluding the possibility of a
worsening of the radiation situation at an AES and in the environment. More-
over, monitoring measures, including technological and dosimetric monitoring
at AES's and the monitoring of the popula0on and the environment, are also
important.
Based on the increasing significance of the protection of the environment and
the further development of joint studies on insuring radiation safety on a mul-
tilateral basis, the Permanent CEMA Commission for Cooperation in the Area of
the Utilization of Nuclear Power for Peaceful Goals established the following
directions for further cooperation at its 43rd session (December 1982).
1. The Development of Standardized Technical Documentation Regarding Safety
Measures at AES's
In connection with the growth in the number of AES's and the rise in their unit
outputs as well as the increasing closeness of nuclear power plants to regions
of high population density, the question arises regarding a further reduction
in the levels of radiation through increasingly stringent standards and re-
quirements directed at improving the level of safety at operational and plan-
ned nuclear power plants. Serving this goal are the Health Regulations for
the Design and Operation of Nuclear Power Plants which have been approved in
the USSR and which contain requirements with regard to all aspects of safety
for AES personnel and the population. These regulations can be made to be the
basis for the development of domestic standards in the CEMA member nations that
take into consideration the national characteristics of each of these countries.
The regulations give a dosage quota for AES's which is equal to 5 percent of
the maximum dose for an individual on the boundary of the health and safety
zone and thus determine the maximum allowable emission of radioactive aerosols
and gases that give radiation doses comparable to radiation doses from natural
sources of radiation. Experience gained in the operation of commercially pro-
duced AES's with VVER-440 reactors in Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, the USSR
and the CSSR that had generated more than 100 reactor-years of electric power
by 1983 testifies to the safe radiation situation within these AES's and to
the reliable guarantee of radiation safety for the service personnel. For ex-
ample, in summing up the data on the levels of radiation received by the per-
sonnel in these AES's, it is shown that the individual average annual doses
do not exceed 0.1 to 1.5 reins per year. The individual dose of external radi-
ation received by the overwhelming majority of personnel does not exceed 20
percent of the maximum allowable yearly dose (5 rems). Studies confirm the
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fact that personnel receive individual radiation doses mainly during the load-
ing and unloading of nuclear fuel and during the accompanying maintenance oper-
ations ln the main equipment in the first circuit of the AES. According to
operational data, from 60 to 85 percent of the annual dosage is attributable
to the reloading of fuel and the maintenance operations. Based upon the re-
quirement to reduce the personnel's radiation to the minimum level possible
within the framework of multilateral cooperation, tasks have been established
regarding the development of requirements and measures for further reducing
the dosage of those personnel who are engaged in reloading and maintenance op-
erations. This pertains first of all to the improvement of lay-out and assem-
bly designs for the production areas of the reactor installation with its di-
vision into "free" and "restricted" zones that will localize radioactive con-
tamination within the limits of the restricted zones. It will also be neces-
sary to divide the complex of work areas for the efficient pre-maintenance sde-
contamination and repair of equipment, to apply protective and technical meas-
ures and devices and to improve the personnel's qualifications.
2. Improving the Organization and Methods of Dosimetric and Radiometric Monitor-
ing at AES's and in the Environment
An important position in this cooperation is devoted to modern methods of ra-
diation monitoring at AES's. Coordinated programs for this monitoring and re-
quirements for the systems for carrying it out have been developed. A great
deal of attention is being given to the creation and application of systems
for monitoring the environment of the AES through the utilization of automated
devices, remote measuring equipment and computers. The application of remote
measuring equipment insures continuous observation of radiation parameters in
the atmosphere surrounding the AES. In the event of the uncontrolled release
of radiation, remote measurements make it possible to take urgent measures
among the population living in the vicinity of the AES.
When connected to automated monitoring systems, a computer serves to store and
gradually process data in its normal operating mode as well as to quickly con-
vert this information into a form that is immediately suitable for implementing
measures to protect the population. The systems of radiation monitoring along
with the information functions should in the future encompass all possible fac-
tors involving the effects of radiation and should have control functions. The
development of computer technology and the appearance of inexpensive micropro-
cessors and microcomputers make it possible to solve the problem of radiation
monitoring at AES's in a new fashion and to take the next qualitative step in
the creation and improvement of these systems.
3. The Study of the Radiation Consequences of Possible Emergency Situations
at AES's
A nuclear power station is a technically complex installation where, despite
the high demands for reliability placed upon the equipment, individual mal-
functions and failures of the equipment are possible which could lead to emer-
gencies with radiation consequences. For this reason, an important direction
in this multilateral cooperation is the timely study of such emergency situa-
tions, primarily the analysis of the initial events and the paths by which the
consequences of emergencies develop, particularly within the AES. In connec-
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tion with this, the CEMA member nations have adopted the Classification of Emer-
gency Situations at AES's, on the basis of which joint studies have been con-
ducted on assessing the limits of propagation and the effects of radioactive
substances for various classifications of accidents. The calculations show
that in the case of the maximum calculated accident, the doses of radiation
received by the population at the boundary of the health and safety zone at
a radius of 2 to 3 km will not exceed the maximum allowable values established
.by the standards. Only in the case of a hypothetical accident could the ne-
cessity of implementing measures to protect the population arise. Since the
guarantee of radiation safety should be preventive in nature, this cooperation
in the future will also be directed toward the organization of a defense for
the environment in the event of an accident at an AES. In this case, it has
been taken into consideration that for an effective defense it is necessary
to have coordinated and detailed preliminary planning of all protective meas-
ures, constant readiness to implement them, the corresponding outfitting of
territorial agencies and AES personnel, the guarantee of communications and
the means to interpret the radiation situation and an accounting of the mete-
? orological conditions. In an effort to accomplish this, general principles
have been developed for preparing and implementing measures to protect the
population in emergency situations at AES's in the CEMA member nations..
4. Summarizing the Experience Gained in the Utilization of Individual Protec-
tive Equipment for AES Personnel
In the overall system of measures for insuring the radiation safety of AES per-
sonnel, an important role is played by the utilization of individual protective
equipment (SIZ) when carrying out all operations associated with the probabili-
ty of radionuclides making their way to the surface of the skin or being ab-
sorbed into the body. In connection with the fact that the development and
standardization of individual protective gear are included among the important
areas for cooperation, health and hygiene requirements for such gear have been
drawn up and agreed to for utilization among the CEMA member nations. As early
as the design and construction stages of an AES, attention should be devoted
to an efficient solution to questions regarding the individual protection of
personnel during maintenance operations. It must be taken into consideration
that a great many additional personnel are enlisted in maintenance operations.
In this case, the individual protective gear, namely sealed suits, equipment
to protect the respiratory system, special clothing and footgear, gear for pro-
tecting the hands, eyes and head and combination individual protective gear,
should insure working conditions that would not lead to the appearance of un-
favorable changes in the bodies of the personnel. Considering the fact that
nuclear power is finding greater and greater application in the CEMA member
nations, the task of developing requirements for further improvement in the
standardization and optimizing of the individual protective gear for personnel
at AES's under various operating conditions lies within the framework of mul-
tilateral cooperation. Such requirements will insure the proper approach to
the development, assessment and application of individual protective gear in
an effort to improve its reliability and to insure safe working conditions for
AES personnel and those who work with radioactive substances in other sectors
of industry.
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5. The Study of the Radiation Situation in Areas Where AES's Are Located
Experience in the operation of AES's with VVER-440 reactors in the CEMA member
nations testifies to the reliable guarantee of radiation safety for the popu-
lation and the environment.. The radiation output from radioactive gas emission
at such AES's amounts to approximately 3-5 Ci/day (less than 1 percent of the
maximum allowable emission) for each power unit. This points to the fact of
the sufficiently high hermetic nature of the technological equipment in the
first coolant circuit and of the good operation of the filters used to trap
the radioactive gases. With such a low level of emission of radionuclides into
the environment, the impact of these AES's on the environment is practically
nonexistent and the density of radioactive fallout, the concentration of radio-
active aerosols and their radionuclide components in the area where the AES
is situated correspond to global levels. Experience in the operation of AES's
also shows that the annual radioactive liquid wastes with unbalanced water from
AES's are negligible. They do not exceed the maximum allowable design values
and have practically no effect upon the environment. The continuation of the
study of the radiation situation in areas where AES's are situated and the ex-
change of experience among the CEMA member nations will make it possible to
refine the methods used to calculate the radiation dosages, the methods for
determining low concentrations of radionuclides and their distribution for es-
tablishing technically based standards for the values of emissions and wastes
from AES's.
6. The Investigation of the Radioactivity of Water Systems [Baltic Sea, Danube
River] Which Are of International Significance
Over the course of several years, the CEMA member nations have been studying
the radiation situation for the above-named international water systems. It
must be mentioned that one of the specific natural characteristics of the Bal-
tic Sea is its high biological productivity. In accordance with a program of
research by the Baltic member nations of CEMA in 1976-1980, it was revealed
that a hygienic assessment of the radiation situation in the areas of the Bal-
tic Sea under investigation makes it possible to consider the situation safe.
It has been established that the pollution of the sea is primarily the result
of radioactive fallout from the atmosphere. Further research will make it pos-
sible to establish the maximum allowable control concentrations for the most
significant radionuclides in this water region which would determine the cri-
teria of safety for both the population and the flora and fauna in the basin.
A study of the radiation situation in the Danube River in 1977-1980 establish-
ed the fact that the levels of radioactivity were in close accordance with the
values of radioactivity inherent in flowing surface basins and were basically
dictated by natural radioactive substances and partially by radionuclides of
global origin. The effective equivalent dosage of internal radiation for the
population when using the water and eating the fish from the Danube amounts
to approximately 2 percent of the radiation quota apportioned for the effects
of liquid AES wastes as established by USSR hygiene legislation. The calcu-
lations of the Danube population's external level of radiation amounts to only
4 percent of the total dosage. The continuation of the study of the radiation
situation on the Danube will make it possible to assess according to an agree-
upon method the annual doses received by the population due to radioactive pol-
lution of the water.
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7. Collation of the Methods and Instruments Used for Dosimetric and Radiometric
Monitoring
The methods for measuring the dosage of chronic and accidental radiation in the
combined fields of neutron and gamma radiation and for measuring the dosage of
beta radiation have been collated within the framework of multilateral cooper-
ation. This collation has as its goal the further development of dosimetric
systems and the guarantee of comparability of measurement results and the work-
ing out of unified methods of dosimetric and radiation monitoring in the CEMA
member nations. The studies that have been conducted have initiated coopera-
tion within the CEMA framework in the area of the creation of unified standard-
ization and technical documentation regarding the means and methods of radia-
tion monitoring, the improvement of the methods and instruments and the genera-
tion of recommendations for the application of the best of them in the frater-
nal nations.
The intensification and expansion of multilateral cooperation among the CEMA
member nations in the area of insuring the radiation safety of AES's with re-
spect to these directions is a prerequisite for the broad application of nu-
clear power in our countries.
COPYRIGHT: Sovet Ekonomicheskoy Vzaimopomoshchi Sekretariat Moskva, 1984
9512
CSO: 1822/381
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BOOK: EXAMINATION OF AES SAFETY REGULATIONS
Moscow SOBRANIYE POSTANOVLENIY PRAVITELSTVA SSSR in Russian No 20, 1984
pp 355-364
[Authorization of decree and Article 107 from booklet: "Collection of Decrees
of the USSR Government," "Examination of Safety Regulations in Nuclear Power
Plants," Izdatel'stvo "Yuridicheskaya literatura," Moscow, 24 pages]
[Text] Article 107--Authorization of a Decree of the USSR State Committee for
Safety in the Atomic Power Industry
The USSR Council of Ministers resolves:
To approve the accompanying Resolution of the State Committee for Safety in
the Atomic Power Industry.
Chairman,
USSR Council of Ministers
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Tikhonov
Moscow, the Kremlin, 4 May 1984, No 409
Authorized by decree of the
USSR Council of Ministers
as of 4 May 1984, No 409
Superintendent of Affairs,
USSR Council of Ministers
Mikhail Sergeyevich Smirtyukov
RESOLUTION
OF THE USSR STATE COMMITTEE FOR SAFETY IN THE ATOMIC POWER INDUSTRY -
1. Gosatomenergonadzor [State Committee for Safety in the Atomic Power Indus-
try] is an all-union agency of governmental administration.
Gosatomenergonadzor carries out its work in the national economy in supervising
safety practices in nuclear power production facilities, including nuclear
power plants of any designation (nuclear power plants, nuclear central heating
and power plants, nuclear heat supply stations, etc.), experimental and research
and development nuclear reactors, and in the area of nuclear safety, and also
of nuclear power plants on ships and other floating equipment.
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The entirety of Gosatomenergonadzor's work regarding problems within its
competence must he directed toward safeguarding the interests of the state,
preventing accidents at nuclear power facilities, which accidents entail the
escape of radioactive products or ionizing radiation above the standards set
for normal operation. It also sees to the detection and analysis of the causes
of these accidents and takes the necessary preventive measures. Finally, it
sees to the improvement of the operational reliability and safety of all the
nuclear power production facility equipment under its control.
Gosatomenergonadzor bears the responsibility for organizing and carrying out
systematic and effective official supervision of safe working practices in
the nuclear power industry.
2. Gosatomenergonadzor's main tasks are:
official supervision of the observance by all ministries, departments,
enterprises, organizations, institutions and officials of established rules,
standards and instructions for nuclear and technical safety in the planning,
erection and operation of nuclear power facilities, in the designing and manu-
facture of equipment for these facilities, and in the storage and transport
of nuclear fuel and radioactive wastes at the indicated facilities;
monitoring the development by ministries and departments, based on the
recluirempnts of scientific and technical progress, of standardizing technical
specifications to insure the safe operation of nuclear power facilities;
to monitor the quality of equipment manufacture for all nuclear power
facilities, and the carrying out, in the established sequence, of special
technical receipt of basic nuclear power station equipment, including equipment
manufactured cooperatively at the enterprises of member-countries of SEV
(Council for Mutual Economic Aid] and the Socialist Federated Republic of
Yugoslavia, for nuclear power stations erected in the USSR and abroad with
the technical assistance of the Soviet Union;
the monitoring, according to an established sequence, of the quality of
the construction of nuclear power facilities, and of the installation of equip-
ment at these facilities;
monitoring the carrying out of measures for accident prevention at nuclear
power facilities, and preparing enterprises for the elimination of these acci-
dents;
monitoring the accounting of nuclear fissionable materials at nuclear
power production facilities.
3. Gosatomenergonadzor carries out its official supervisory duties directly,
and through regional agencies formed by it in an established order (administra-
tions of districts and inspectorates), and carries out acceptance of equipment
for nuclear power stations in SEV member-nations and in the Socialist Feder-
ated Republic of Yugoslavia, through specialists which it has sent abroad.
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Gosatomenergonadzor is comprised of Gosatomenergonadzor and its regional agen-
cies.
4. Gosatomenergonadzor is guided in its endeavors by the laws of the USSR,
by the other resolutions of the USSR Supreme Soviet and its Presidium, by
the derrees and regulations of the USSR Council of Ministers, by this decree
and other formal standardizing documents relating to its scope, and by the
recommendations of interdepartmental technical councils, and it insures correct
application of the operative legislation in subdepartmental organizations.
G6satomenereonadzor disseminates the practice of applying the legislation
of safety in the nuclear power industry and develops proposals for its improve-
ment, and submits them in an established sequence for the examination of the
USSR Council of Ministers.
5. In accordance with the tasks entrusted to it, Gosatomenergonadzor:
a) in interaction with the USSR State Committee for Science and Tech-
nology and the USSR State Committee for Atomic Energy Use, coordinates the
scientific research conducted by the ministries and departments which is
directed at validating the requirements for safety at nuclear power production
facilities, and validating the effectiveness of designs used to insure the
safety of these facilities. Here, the scientific guidance for the research
Into the safety of nuclear power production facilities is provided by the
Institute for Nuclear Power imeni I. V. Kurchatov;
b) examines and approves the list of rules and standards for safety and
the plans for their development with the appropriate ministries and depart-
ments;
c) with the appropriate ministries and departments, it supervises the
development of safety rules and standards which are applicable during the
planning, erection and operation of nuclear power production facilities, and
during the design, manufacture, installation and repair of equipment under
the control of these facilities, and approves them in an established order;
d) supervises the development of sectoral standardizing and technical
documents on nuclear power industry safety, including operating instructions
for nuclear power producing facilities;
e) makes decisions on plans for state and sectoral standards having to
do with problems of safety in nuclear power;
f) checks on the observation and analyses the effectiveness of regulations
and norms for nuclear power safety:
during the planning, erection, operation and taking nuclear power
facilities out of operation;
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during the designing, manufacture, installation and repair of equipment,
instruments and products which are under Committee control;
during the transportation and storage of nuclear fuel and radioactive
wastes at facilities under Committee control;
g) monitors the observance of planning, design specification and tech-
nological documentation requirements, and of regulations, norms and instructions
during construction of nuclear power facilities, and during the manufacture,
storage, installation, testing, operation and repair of equipment, instruments
and products for these facilities;
h) monitors the carrying out of measures to eliminate design and opera-
tional flaws and to improve the safety of nuclear power plants and improve
the quality of the manufacture, installation and repair of equipment, instru-
ments and products for these units;
i) examines proposals of ministries and departments on the submission
of rules for planning nuclear power facilities and designing their equipment
to enterprises and organizations within their jurisdiction, adopts the approp-
rate resolutions and also grants the enterprises and organizations the right
to manufacture, install and repair equipment for nuclear power facilities,
when the necessary conditions for completing the indicated work exist;
j) registers nuclear power facilities and grants permission to operate
them when positive decisions are forthcoming from other official supervisory
agencies during the month following presentation of the required materials
(permission is subject to reapproval after five years and following every
case of accident);
k) registers nuclear power facilities' pressurized equipment and piping,
and gives permission for their operation and checks to see that they are cor-
rectly and promptly given their technical inspections by enterprises and organ-
izations;
1) examines the following, which have been submitted by the ministries
and departments for approval:
detail designs for reactor plants for nuclear power stations, ships
and other floating equipment and experimental and research nuclear reactors;
data which substantiate the selection of construction sites for nuclear
power plants, experimental, and research and development nuclear reactors,
also plans for the erection of nuclear power facilities, in the sphere of
coordinating them with safety rules and standards;
m) examines and approves the following lists, submitted by ministries
and departments:
lists of enterprises and organizations under the Committee's control;
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lists of equipment, instruments and products which are subject to
special technical acceptance;
n) establishes the sequence and volume of operations for checking equipment
and systems for nuclear power facilities and for the special technical accep-
tance operations carried out by the Committee.
6. In order to accomplish the tasks set before it, and to fulfill the duties
entrusted to it, Gosatomenergonadzor has been granted the right to:
a) to conduct, at any time, checks of all facilities in its jurisdiction
concerning problems included in the Committee's sphere of competence;
b) to bring in, in coordination with the corresponding ministries and
departments, their enterprises, organizations and specialists, to conduct
checks and investigations and give their expert opinions, and to be paid out
of the specialists' expense accounts, estimated by the Committee;_
c) to introduce proposals into the ministries and departments, and to
present the directors of enterprises and organizations under the Committee's
control with nuclear power safety regulations and norms which are obligatory
for the implementation of the instructions to eliminate detected violations,
and also to give the reasons and conditions leading to these violations;
d) to give, to officials of enterprises and organizations controlled
by the Committee, instructions for the elimination of deviations from design
solutions, violations of design or technological documents, and regulations,
norms and instructions during the construction and operation of these facili-
ties, and during the manufacture, storage, installation, testing, operation
and repair of equipment, instruments and products controlled by the Committee;
e) to give, to officials of enterprises and organizations controlled
by the Committee, instructions which are obligatory to put a stop to work
which is conducted in violation of nu-clear power engineering safety regula-
tions, norms and instructions, and to seal up said work place or equipment;
f) to prohibit enterprises and organizations from shipping Committee-
controlled eauipment in such cases where safety regulations and norms are
not being observed, and where there are deviations from planning, design
and/or technological documentation;
g) to take appropriate measures, to the extent of shutting down nuclear
power production facilities should safety regulations and norms go unobserved,
and for deviations from specifications, or design and technological documents;
h) to bring, according to an established sequence, officials to administra-
tive liability for violating nuclear power engineering safety regulations,
norms or instructions;
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i) to suggest to directors of ministries, departments, enterprises and
oreanizations that, according to an established sequence, persons be relieved
from their positions, or deprived, for a period of up to one year, of the
right of technical leadership of operations, who:
systematically violate the regulations and norms for safety in nuclear
power facilities or the requirements of other standardizing documents;
willingly do work, or allow equipment and facilities to be put into
operation which has been shut down on the-instructions of etiencies Of tbe
Committee;
who have not taken training or passed an established sequence of exam-
inations on nuclear power production safety regulations and norms;
j) to give heed to problems which are part of the sphere of competence
of the Committee, and to listen to reports and information from representatives
of ministries and departments, and from directors of enterprises and organiz-
ations;
k) to participate in technical inquiries,which.are conducted according
to an established sequence, and which look into the circumstances and causes
of accidents at nuclear power production facilities and, for each problem
which relates to the Committee's sphere of competency, to carry out the obli-
gatory solutions based on the findings of the inquiries;
1) in the appropriate instances, to hand over materials to investigative
agencies to make the guilty parties criminally responsible;
m) should ministries, departments, enterprises or organizations have
the need, to call for check tests of equipment and materials, check
analyses of the working environment, and technical examination of equipment,
instruments and products;
n) to receive information from enterprises and organizations on the state
of safety at nuclear power engineering facilities, on operational indicators,
and on the causes of equipment breakdowns, and to receive, from directors
of enterprises, organizations and facilities, and from other officials--explan-
ations of problems relating to the Committee's sphere of influence, and scien-
tific and technical reports and information by existing forms of reporting,
technical specifications for facilities under the control of the Committee,
and technical processes, all of which are necessary for purposes of familiar-
ization;
o) to check, within subordinate enterprises and organizations, on the
observance of the established order for allowing workers to work, on their
certification, and on checks of their skill-levels, and on whether they have
appropriate documents;
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p)., to take part in checking the knowledge level, regarding safety regula-
tions and norms; of supervisors and engineering and technical workers of sub-
ordinate facilities, and to make spot checks of these personnel regarding
such knowledge;
q) to determine, in accordance with interested ministries and departments,
the necessary additional scientific research, experimental design and planning
operations, which are meant to improve the safety of nuclear power facilities,
and for including them in the plans of corresponding organizations according
to an established order, and also to conclude agreements with scientific re-
search, designing and planning organizations of the ministries and departments
about carrying out these operations.
The rights stipulated in the above paragraph are granted to Gosatomenergonadzor
agency officials to the extent determined by the Committee Chairman.
7. Gosatomenergonadzor is headed by a chairman appointed by the USSR Supreme
Soviet, and between sessions, by the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium, with
subsequent presentation to the USSR Supreme Soviet for confirmation. The
Gosatomenergonadzor chairman has deputies, appointed by the USSR Council of
Ministers.
The Gosatomenergonadzor chairman bears personal responsibility for thecarrying
out of the tasks and obligations entrusted to Gosatonenergonadzor, and he
establishes the degree of responsibility for the Chairman's deputies and the
directors of the structural subdivisions of the Committee's central apparatus,
in the leadership in the Committee's individual spheres of activity and for
the work of the organizations of the Gosatomenergonadzor system.
When carrying out his duties, the Gosatomenergonadzor chairman enjoys the
rights of a USSR minister.
8. The Gosatomenergonadzor board is made up of the Gosatomenergonadzor chairman,
who is chairman of the board, deputies to the Gosatomenergonadzor chairman,
according to position, and also other leading Gosatomenergonadzor workers.
The Committee's board members are approved by the USSR Council of Ministers.
At its regularly Convened meetings, the Gosatomenergonadzor board looks into
the problems of improving state supervision of safety in nuclear power produc-
tiOn, and other fundamental topics of the Committee's activity, discusses -
questions of the practical leadership of organizations within its jurisdiction,
checks on .the implementation of resolutions, the selection and utilization
of labor forces, plans for critical documents brought into the higher agencies,
as well as the Committee's decrees, orders and instructions, and hears reports
from the supervisors of the structural -subdivisions of the Committee's central
apparatus and organizations within its jurisdiction; it hears out each question
within the sphere of its competence, and hears reports and information from.
ministerial and departmental representatives, supervisors of subordinate
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enterprises, scientific research, planning and designing and other organiza-
tions and plant-manufacturers of equipment used in nuclear power production
facilities.
9. Gosatomenergonadzor issues orders and instructions, and produces directives
which are indispensable for the performance of the duties of the subdivisions
of the Committee's central apparatus, and the Gosatomenergonadzor system organ-
izations.
? Within the bounds of its competence, Gosatomenergonadzor issues decrees which
are indispensable in the performance of the corresponding ministries, depart-
ments, enterprises and organizations.
In necessary cases, Gosatomenergonadzor issues decrees conjointly or in accord
with other interested miniltries and departments.
10. Gosatomenergonadzor implements measures for international cooperation
in the field of safety in nuclear power production, and maintains, in established
order, communications with the International Atomic Energy Agency and with
State Committees for Safety in the Nuclear Power Industry of SEV [Council
for Mutual Economic Assistance] member-nations and other countries, conducts
negotiations, develops and presents proposals for scientific and technical
exchange, and presents plans for agreements with foreign countries on questions
which belong to the Committee's sphere of competence, and also sends
the appropriate specialists abroad.
11. A scientific and technical council has been formed within.:Gosatomenergo-
nadzor to examine questions included in the area of the Committee's compe-
tence, and also gives expert advice in the examination.of.construction
for:muclear power production facilities and for analysis.of the results of
their operation.
-
The personal make-up of the indicated councils and positions on them are auth-
orized by the USSR Council of Ministers.
12. The structure and number of workers comprising the central Gosatomenergo-
nadzor apparatus are authorized by the USSR Council of Ministers.
The regular time-table of the central Gosatomenergonadzor apparatus is author-
ized by the Committee chairman.
13. Gosatomenergonadzor sets up, reorganizes and liquidates regional agencies
within its set limits for numbers of workers and budgetary allocations, auth-
orizes positions on these agencies, and organizes a network of non-staff
inspectors, who work in positions authorized for them by the Committee.
Gosatomenergonadzor works in close contact with other state supervisory
agencies.
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14. Gosatomenergonadzor issues an information bulletin (a free publication)
which deals with problems of safety in nuclear power production, accident
prevention, improving the monitoring operations of subordinate agencies, and
deals also with the most important achievements of science and technology,
and of leading experience in these fields.
15. The enterprises and organizations which are under Gosatomenergonadzor
control, in order to create normal working conditions for Committee inspections,
are obligated to provide the inspectors with:
a) the necessary documents (specifications, blueprints, instructions
for operation, and for storage of output, All-Union State Standards and other
information materials);
b) accurate monitoring and testing instruments and tools, personnel
to conduct the tests and operations associated with the carrying out of super-
visory functions, and the necessary data from laboratory analyses;
c) the necessary special clothing, special footwear, and other personal
protection equipment;
d) utility rooms, clerical services, intercity telephone and telegraph
communication and transport; _
e) a family-size living area from the housing facilities of the enterprise
or the organization, and, in the absence of living area, this should be provided
from other sources, in accordance with the executive committees of the local
Councils of People's Deputies;
,all.forms of soeial welfare, cultural and medical services on a level
with the corresponding-category of:workers of the enterprise or organization;
.g) the necessary scientific and technical information and literature
on the usual terms.
16. Gosatomenergonadzor and its regional agencies possess the seal with the
image of the State Emblem and its designation.
12659
CSO: 1822/118
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NUCLEAR STATION SAFETY
London SWB in English 15 Feb 85 p 7
[Text] There has never been a breakdown causing the danger of a radio-
activity leak at Soviet nuclear stations. A modern 1,000 MW reactor is
encased in special concrete 1 m thick. Each reactor is provided with
virtually perfect automatic protection which takes into account a 0.00001
percent chance of a breakdown. The gas discharges are kept in special
reservoirs until the, radioisotopes have completely disintegrated. Liquid
and solid waste is put into well-isolated underground storage. There is
constant monitoring of radioactivity within a radius of 40-50 km from nuclear
stations. (Moscow in French for the Maghreb 2030 GMT 5 Feb 85)
COPYRIGHT: British Broadcasting Corporation 1985]
CSO: 1812/166
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SAFETY PROCEDURES OUTLINED FOR GORKIY AST
PM071606 Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA in Russian 6 Aug 85 Second Edition p 4
(Article by correspondent V. Khrustov under the rubric "We Tell of
Komsomol Construction Projects": "Nuclear Boiler House")
[Text] We city, folk are so used to numerous municipal conveniences that
we sometimes do not think about how much the hot water for a bath or the
warmth from central heating radiators, for example, cost the municipal
services." But these things are not cheap. For example, in order to heat
a city with a population of 300,000 for a year, it is necessary to burn
500,000-600,000 metric tons of fuel oil in its boiler houses. In many
cities natural gas is chiefly used for these purposes.
What could replace organic fuel? Scientists and specialists are unanimous
here: nuclear fuel.
As is known, nuclear power is occupying an increasingly important place in
the country's fuel and energy balance. Aes's are also called upon to
play an important role in resolving the USSR's Energy Program. Today the
peaceful atom gives us electricity and desalinates sea water. And
tomorrow it will heat large cities.
The first "nuclear boiler house" or, as specialists officially call it,
nuclear heat supply station (AST), is being constructed near Gorkiy.
I recently visited that shock Komsomol constructive project.
"The warmth and work of our hearts will give people heat"--the construction
site greets you with this slogan. This is a busy time there now: Basic
work is being carried out on the main block--the safety housing
[strakhovochnyy korpus] is being installed in the reactor hall.
"This is an important component of the comprehensive system to ensure the
population's safety, with the station being in the immediate vicinity of
the city," Yevgeniy Nikitich Kozel, chief engineer of the Gorkiy AST,
explained. "Whereas a conventional AES is located 25-40 km from the city
which it will supply with electricity, this is inadmissible for AST's:
The heat losses in the main heating system are too great, and their
construction and servicing are costly."
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There are a number of special features in the design of the Gorkiy AST's
nuclear plant which make it possible to ensure its reliable operation and
safety for the city folk (and, of course, the service personnel). The
reactor vessel is housed (after the principle of the Russian matreshka
doll) within a hermetic metal safety housing, which ensures reliable
conservation of the core in any accident, even including the depressurization
frazgermetizatsiya] of the reactor vessel. The three-circuit layout for
heating the mains [setevaya] water totally rules out any possibility of
a leakage of radioactive products into the heating systems, as the pressure
in the second circuit is lower than in the mains circuit. In addition,
the energy intensity [energonapryazhennost] of the core in an AST is
several times less than in conventional reactors of the water-moderated
water-cooled type used in AES's.
The Gorkiy AST is being constructed 8 km from the city. The residential
districts of Kuznechikha and Verkhniye Pechory--the chief housing construc-
tion site in Gorkiy--are being developed precisely on that side. It is
the upland part of the city, with a population of 300,000 people, that
the "nuclear boiler house" will supply with heat. Its commissioning at
full capacity will make it possible to close down approximately 300 low-
power boiler houses burning organic fuel. This will provide a saving of
the order of 700,000 metric tons of ideal fuel a year.
A crucial operation--the installation of the heat exchangers of the second
and third circuits and the tanks of the emergency reactor shut-down cooling
system?has been entrusted to the team of communist labor headed by
A. Terin. It employs 24 people, chiefly reserve servicemen. They work
to one job schedule. Yuriy Sharagin recently joined the collective. The
former tankman quickly mastered the specialty and is now a fourth-grade
installation worker. Senior Seaman (Reserve) Petr Kuzmichei and many
others are doing shock work to install the safety housing.
And the operatives are learning while construction is taking place. Let
this not seem strange. People with the necessary education and experience
themselves learn and teach their colleagues everything that has to be
tackled in the near future. There is nothing surprising in this, for the
Gorkiy AST is the first "nuclear boiler house" in the country.
Engineer-operator Aleksey Kudryavtsev is one of those who will keep an
eye on the work of the peaceful atom and monitor the special chemical
water treatment system. Despite his youth--he isonly 27--he is a quite
experienced specialist: After graduating from Gorkiy Polytehnic he worked
for 4 years in a planning organization. Thirty-year-old Valentin
Maslennikov is also a graduate of Gorkiy Polytechnic. He is now senior
engineer in charge of a unit at the Gorkiy AST.
In a little while the "nuclear boiler house" will supply heat to the houses
of the people of Gorkiy. This will be followed by the commissioning of the
Voronezh AST. It is also planned to construct similar stations in a
number of cities in the European part of the country. In the near future
the peaceful atom, which today presents us with electricity, will also
give our cities heat.
CSO: 1822/323
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BOOR ON AES RADIATION SAFETY TO BE PUBLISHED
Moscow TEPLOENERGETIRA in Russian No 12, Dec 85 p 59
[Excerpt] Energoatomizdat is offering for your attention a book to be
published in 1986.
"Radiation Safety and Protection for AES's: Collection of Articles," No
10; Doctor of Technical Sciences Yu. A. Yegorov, general editor; Moscow,
Energoatomizdat, 1986 (IV); 10 pp: illustration on cover; 50 kopeks.
The bases of the physico-technical processes which occur in the process
systems of AES's and which affect the formation of sources of radiation and
radioactive wastes are presented. The results are discussed of analytical
and experimental research on the radiation situation in and around existing
domestic AES's. Much attention is given to problems of controlling the-
radiation state of the "AES-environment" system and to new methodological
and instrument developments.
"Radiation Safety and Protection for AES's: Collection of Articles," No
11; Doctor of Technical Sciences Yu. A. Yegorov, general editor; Moscow,
Energoatomizdat, 1986 (IV); 10 pp: illustration on cover; 50 kopeks.
The physico-chemical processes which occur in the process systems of AES's
and which affect the formation of the sources of radiation and radioactive
wastes are discussed. The results are given of analytical and experimental
research conducted in 1983-1984 an the radiation situation at AES's.
Special attention is given to new methodological and instrument
developments.
This book is for engineers, technicians and scientific workers specializing
in AES radiation safety.
COPYRIGHT: "Teploenergetika", Energoatomizdat, 1985
12595
CSO: 1822/125
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USSR
SOVIETS LINK CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT TO ARMS CONTROL
LD291347 Moscow World Service in English 1310 GMT 29 Apr 86
[Yuriy Solton commentary]
[Text] It has been announced in Moscow that an accident took place at the nuclear power
plant in Chernobyl, the Ukraine. Here's what our commentator Yuriy Solton writes:
One of the station's nuclear reactors was damaged and a special government commission
of enquiry was set up to investigate the causes of the accident. The consequences of
the accident are being dealt with and aid is being given to those who were injured.
The accident is the first in more than 30 years of the operation of nuclear power plants
in the USSR. This fact shows that they are highly reliable but however carefully
nuclear power plants may be planned to protect the people and the environment it is
impossible to foresee everything. There is always a degree of risk involved in using
nuclear raw materials. According to THE NEW YORK TIMES for instance, in 1985 alone the
United States Administration had to close down six nuclear power plants because they
threatened the safety of the population.
The consequences of a major accident at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, in 1979 are
still felt in the United States today. That accident was caused by the criminal neglect
of the plant's owners for the basic safety, measures which resulted in a discharge of
radioactive substances into the atmosphere and a great deal of damage to the health of
local residents. Many of them are still suffering from exposure related diseases.
Accidents and leaks of radioactive substances have also taken place id Britain and
other countries, All these accidents took place at nuclear power plants using the power
of the atom for peaceful purposes. One can easily imagine the amount of damage that
may be caused by an accident at a military factory. Nuclear factories manufacture war-
heads whose yields are hundreds of times greater than that of the Ainerican atom bomb
that devastated Hiroshima in 1945. An accident involving a military nuclear factory
or a nuclear missile on combat duty would have terrible consequences, and indeed there
have been quite a few occasions when American missiles were on the brink of such an
accident.
The power of the atom can bring enormous benefits and indeed it is bringing them, but
the same power put into warheads is capable of wiping out all life on earth. The only
way to remove that grim prospect is to abolish all nuclear weapons once and for all.
The Soviet Union is proposing that this be done by the turn of the century and that is
a realistic task if a responsible approach is adopted to it.
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MOSCOW CRITICIZES U.S. REPORTS OF CHERNOBYL INCIDENT
LD301343 Moscow World Service in English 1310 GMT 30 Apr 86
[Text] As you heard in our broadcasts there was an accident at an atomic power station
in the USSR at Chernobyl, 130 km north of Kiev. Parts of the structure of one of four
units was destroyed and the reactor damaged, which caused some leakage of radioactive
substances. Two persons died in the accident. The residents of the community next to
the power station and another three communities in the area have been evacuated. Here
is what Viktor Ilichev writes in this connection:
The causes of the breakdown are being are fully investivated by a special commission of
leading scientists and experts led by Deputy Prime Minister Boris Scherbina. Emergency
measures have been taken to eliminate the consequences of the breakdown. The other
three units of the power statipn have been stopped. They were not damaged. The
radiation situation at the power station and around it has been stabilized.
There have been reports in the press of a number of Eurpean countries that the level
of radioactivity is returning to normal and gives no ground for concern. However, the
propaganda machine in the West, in the first place the United States, has gone into
high gear. The American mass media, as if on an order -- it is still more likely that
there has been an order -- have started spreading rumors in connection with the break-
down at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station, the first such accident in the USSR in
more than 30 years.
There is an impression that they are interested not in truthful information about the
accident -- we've repeatedly heard them claiming that they are -- but in spreading
falsehoods as confirmed facts. They have still another aim, to call into question the
reliability of Soviet nuclear power engineering and of Soviet science and technology
in general although it has stood the test of time.
This, in turn, is being .done to tone down criticism in the United States itself of lax
security at a great number of nuclear power stations, where radioactive leads more
than once seriously affected People and the environment. Against this background the
reliable performance of nuclear power stations in the USSR serves asa strong argument
in favor of building more. power stations
True, exploration of the unknown is always coupled with risk, be if nuclear research
or space flights -- even on board a.repeatedly tested craft. Progress Cannot be
stopped but the question is what objectives does it serve? Does it serve peace and
the progress of humanity or war and death? The upsurge of anti-Soviet propaganda in
the United States still adds another aspect: The American media have been speaking
and writing about the accident at the Soviet nuclear power station 100 times more
than about the systematic nuclear explosions in Nevada. Even schoolchildren understand
that the future of humanity today is jeopardized not by the development of nuclear
Power engineering but by the buildup of nuclear' weapons; not by. the construction of
more atomic power stations but by the production of ever more nuclear warheads.
Experts say that the nuclear charges stockpiled to date can destroy life on this
planet many times over. This is the reason why the Soviet Union has been calling for
eliminating nuclear weapons step by step by the end of this century.
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DUBININ: NO NEED FOR FOREIGN ASSISTANCE AT CHERNOBYL
Dubinin Informs UN Delegates
LD011728 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1638 GMT 1 May 86
[Text] New York, I May (TASS) Yuriy Dubinin, the USSR's permanent representative at
the United Nations, has expressed gratitude to the chairman of the 40th session of the
General Assembly and to the delegations of the session who have expressed their sympathy
to the Soviet Government and people in connection with the accident at the Chernobyl
atomic power station. Speaking at today's plenary sitting of the session, he informed
delegates about the accident that occurred and about the measures for overcoming its
consequences. Radioactivity on the territory of the AES [Atomic Emission Spectioscopy]
and in the power station settlement has fallen by 1. 5-2 times, he announced. Measure-
ments carried out by specialists using monitoring apparatus show that there is no chain
fission reaction in the nuclear fuel, and that the reactor is in a smothered
[zaglushennyy] state. Specialized subunits equipped with the necessary modern techno-
logy and effective means have been called in to carry out work in cleaning contaminated
areas in the adjacent locality, which is now under way. Assistance is still being rend-
ered to the victims, who do not include foreign citizens.
No appeals have come in to competent Soviet organizations from foreign citizens in the
Soviet Union (in particular, specialists or tourists) in connection with the accident.
The Soviet Union has enough material at its disposal, and scientific and technical
capabilities [vozmozhnosti] for the work on eliminating the consequences of the accident.
There is no need for the assistance of other states at the present stage.
The USSR's permanent representative at the United Nations rejected the rumor being
spread by some agencies in the West that allegedly thousands of people were killed in
the accident. In fact: 2 people were killed, a total of 197 people were hospitalized,
49 of whom left the hospital after tests [Obsledovaniye]. The work,of enterprises,
kolkhozes, sovkhozes, and establishments is proceeding as normal:
Yu. Dubinin reported that today he visited the UN secretary general and informed him
about the state of affairs concerning the elimination of the consequences of the acci-
dent at the Chernobyl nuclear power station.
[MoscowWorld Service in English at 2000 GMT on 1 May adds the following:
"The condition of the air and the quality of the drinking water in Kiev and the region
are not alarming.
"After the meeting with the Soviet representative, the United Nations Secretary General
Perez de Cuellar expressed satisfaction with the fact that the situation at the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant was under control."]
Perez de Cuellar Informed
LD011759 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1710 GMT I May 86
[Text] New York, I May (TASS) -- After a meeting with the USSR's permanent UN re-
presentative, UN Secretary General J. Perez de Cuellar expressed satisfaction with the
fact that the situation at the Chernobyl atomic power station is under control.
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According to his official spokesman, Perez de Cuellar noted that the Soviet Government
has informed a number of European states about the accident and the steps taken to
eliminate its consequences so that the governments of countries that might be affected
can take the necessary measures to ensure the health of the population and protection
of the environment. The UN secretary general, his spokesman also pointed out, is main-
taining contact with Yuriy Dubinin, the USSR's permanent UN representative, and has
expressed sympathy and readiness to provide assistance, if necessary. He is also in
constant touch with Hans Blix, director general of the International Atomic Energy
Agency.
?;?
Ukrainian Envoy 'updates UN
LD0I1424' Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1403 GMT 1 May 86
[Text] New York, 1 May (MSS) Speaking at a plenary session of the UN General
'Assembly 40th session, which has resumed, Gennadiy UdOvenko, the permanent representa-
tive of, the Ukrainian SSR At the United Nations Organization, expressed gratitude to
J. Perez de Cuellar, UN secretary general, and the delegates who expressed sympathy
in connection with the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. At the same
time, he rejected the sensationalized reporting in the Western press, especially in
the United States, of this disaster and the consequences connected with it.
Thus, fOr example, the Ukrainian SSR representative stated, rumors are being circulated
that, AS A result of the disaster, thousands of people had been killed. In actual fact,
two people were killed during the disaster, 197 were sent to the hospital, 49 of whom -
were discharged following medical tests.
According to the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, the speaker stressed, the
radiation situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power station and in the adjacent area is
improving. The: state of the air basin in the remaining part of Kiev Oblast and the
city of Kiev is-not:cauaing coneern. The quality of drinking water and of water in
rivers and-reservoits:is in:keepingWith ,standards. Constant observation of the state
of the environment ia'being implemented.' Enterprises, collective and state farms,
and institutions are functioning normally.
The representative of the Ukrainian SSR noted that the Soviet side had officially
informed the IAEA about the accident and the measures that have been adopted.
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DEVELOPMENTS ON CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT REPORTED
European Envoys Briefed
LD011130 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1112 GMT I May 86
[Text] Moscow, I May (TASS)--The ambassadors of Britain, Finland, the Nether-
lands, and the charges d'affaires of France and Austria were received at the
USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 30 April-1 May.
On behalf of the Soviet Government Anatoliy Kovalev, first deputy minister of
foreign affairs, briefed them regarding the state of affairs in eliminating
the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station.
Gennadiy Yagodin, USSR minister of higher and secondary education, and
Andronik Petrosyants, chairman of the USSR State Committee for Utilization of
Atomic Energy, took part in the conversations.
Departing Travelers Checked
LD011813 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 1600 GMT 1 May 86
[Text] Diplomatic sources in Moscow have now disclosed that Soviet authorities
are demanding that all foreigners who leave the country go through a health
check before their departure. If they do not agree to the health check, they
must confirm in writing that they will not demand any compensation from the
Soviet authorities. -
Kvitsinskiy Comments on Accident
DW020922 Hamburg BILD in German 2 May 86 p 3
[Interview with Yuliy Kvitsinskiy, Soviet ambassador to Bonn; name of inter-
viewer, date, and place not given]
[Text] It was 48 hours after the catastrophe .that Moscow finally admitted,'
that anything had happened.. A question to Soviet Ambassador Yuliy Kvitsinskiy:
Why the dangerous delay?
Kvitsinskiy: The cause of the accident must be thoroughly investigated first
before information is given.
BILD: What is the latest information?
Kvitsinskiy: The building of one of the four reactOrs, was damaged by an
explosion on 26 April. The three others have been turned off, but they are
intact. In the direct vicinity, an increase in radioactivity has been
recorded, somewhat above the normal level.
BILD: How many victims are there?
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r Mt or r itAAL, u3r_.
Kvitsinskiy: Two people have died. Some 197 were brought to hospitals and
49 have been released.
BILD: Is the reactor burning?
Kvitsinskiy: I do not know whether there has been a fire. The situation is
under control.
Update on
Aftermath
AU011852 Paris AFP in English 1840 GMT I May 86
[Excerpts] Moscow, May 1 (AFP)? The Soviet Union Thursday
said that 18 people of the 197 hospitalized following the Cher-
nobyl nuclear plant disaster were in serious condition, but it
claimed that the situation was under control and radiation dimin-
ishing. Moscow left the official death *toll of two announced
Wednesday unchanged, despite Western skepticism and renewed
reports alleging at least 20 deaths.
The Soviet Ambassador to the United Nations in New York,
Yu riy Dubinin said the situation "appears to be under control."
In Jerusalem, an Israeli radio ham said he had received informa-
tion from a Soviet radio ham near the plant who said that 20 to
25 people had died and 300 were injured. The Israeli, David Ben
Passat, told Agence France-Presse that the Soviet amateur radio
operator, living at 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the plant, had
? reported that the area had been evacuated within a 40 kilometer
(25 mile) radius. The messages, broadcast overnight Wednesday,
were in very good English but the sender refused to disclose his
identity, Mr. Passat said.
Meanwhile, a light to moderate north-northeast wind was push-
ing fallout from Chernobyl toward southern and Western Eur-
ope, according to official French weather reports. Radioactivity
rose in southeastern France, in northern Yugoslavia, in north-
eastern Romania- and Italy, according to official reports from
each of the countries. Levels were reported as above normal but
not dangerous.
In Poland, as in the Soviet Union, radioactive levels were not
given. Polish officials said the levels were decreasing constantly
Thursday, but preventive measures, including administering
iodine to children under 16 and a ban on fresh milk, remained in
force.
In London, the Foreign Office said it was repatriating young
children and pregnant women among the British diplomatic
corps stationed in Moscow and Poland.
At London-Heathrow airport, an Aeroflot plane which British
airport officials said had probably gone through the radioactive
cloud, was inspected for an hour before passengers were allowed
to disembark, but the Geiger counter measured no unusual
! radioactive levels.
Later Thursday, 101 Britons evacuated from Minsk and Kiev,
the largest city near the plant 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of
Chernobyl, were to arrive in London and would be tested for
radioactivity.
West Germany, which has some 250 technicians in Ukraine and
its neighboring northern state, Bielorussia, has recalled its citi-
zens. They began leaving Wednesday.
In Moscow, where officials stressed that no foreigners were
among the injured, authorities tried to reassure Western diplo-
mats and press about the accident. But several embassies, notably
that of Japan. Italy and Sweden, told their nationals not to
consume tap water or milk, and to carefully wash vegetables.
Milk gets contaminated if cows eat grass with radioactive parti-
cles on it.
A senior official gave an explanation of the accident that left
several Western experts skeptical. He said that an electrical
breakdown prevented the cooling systems from working. An
accumulation of hydrogen then caused the explosion, which the
technicians managed to contain in a single rod of nuclear fuel ?
the part of the explanation that raised Westerners' eyebrows.
Report of 50 Killed
LD011216 Paris Domestic Service in French 1100 GMT I May 86
[Excerpts] Eyes were turned above all to Moscow this morning. Moscow, where
the big parade proceeded normally on Red Square 6 days after the catastrophe
at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. Correspondent Ulysee Gosset reports:
[Gosset] I think this parade was in a way an agreeable interlude in the
middle of an unprecedented crisis for the Soviet leaders and for Mikhail
Gorbachev.
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[Announcer] One further word, Ulysee Gosset: Do you have the
feeling that the population, notably in Moscow, are worried after
this accident?
(Gosset] Well, I walked around the streets of Moscow this
morning after the parade and I was able to see that there were
absolutely traditional scenes being enacted for May Day.
Having said that, as far as information is concerned, we have also
been able to meet French students who have returned from Kiev
where they were pursuing their studies, and also teachers. Their
testimonies are reassuring as far as they themselves are con-
cerned ? they are all well, their families may be reassured. But
on the situation there, it has been learned that according to Soviet
sources, there are reported to be several tens of deaths, notably
the entire team that was working in the core of the reactor. That
is to say, about 50 people are reported to have been killed during
the meltdown of the nuclear core.
As a result of this testimony we have also learned that an entire
section of Kiev hospital is reported to have been transformed into
a sterile zone to receive people who have reportedly been sub-
jected to radiation. This is how one can sum things up at 1300
today.
Aid Requested for Victims
NC011031 Paris AFP in EnilisH 1025 GMT 1 May 86
[Text] Stockholm, May 1 (AFP)--The Soviet Embassy here has approached a
Stockholm hospital that specialises in radiation burns, to treat victims of
the Chernobyl Soviet nuclear disaster, a Swedish medical source said Thursday.
The source, who requested anonymity, said the Karolinska Hospital had made it
known to the Soviet Embassy, through the Swedhealth organization, that it
was prepared to treat victims of Saturday's Ukrainian power plant accident.
A Soviet Embassy official then made an approach to the hospital, the source
added. Karolinska Hospital officials refused to comment on the reports. The
hospital is Sweden's biggest and organizes the annual Nobel medicine prize.
Denial on Request for Aid
NC011126 Paris AFP in English 1122 GMT 1 May 86
[Text] Stockholm, May 1 (AFP)--Activity in the damaged Chernobyl reactor has
fallen, and "clearance work is under way," according to Soviet Ambassador
Boris Pankin quoted by the Swedish Foreign Ministry here Thursday. Radio-
active emission at the site had diminished, and none of the nuclear reactors
were operating, he added at the ministry Wednesday.
A senior Soviet Embassy official told the ministry Thursday the Soviet Union
had the necessary knowledge and techniques to control the situation, and did
not need outside aid for work at the site, a spokesman added.
A Swedish Ministry spokesman said Moscow had not made any official request
for the admission of burn victims to a Stockholm hospital, or for other medi-
cal aid. Earlier, a medical source said that the Karolinska' Hospital, which
has a special radiation burns unit, had been approached by the Russians after
offering to help treat people affected at Chernobyl.
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IAEA Receives Report
AU011656 Paris AFP in English 1647 GMT 1
[Text] Vienna, May 1 (AFP)? The reactor of the Soviet Union's
disabled Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Ukraine has been shut
down and the chain reaction of nuclear fusion has been halted,
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) here said
, Thursday. Quoting a communique from the Soviet mission to the
United Nations here, the IAEA also said that "the release of
radioactive substances is decreasing (and the) level of radioactiv-
ity has dropped" in Chernobyl.
An IAEA spokesman said the report "could mean ? but not
necessarily ? that the nuclear accident at Chernobyl is under
control," adding that "supplementary data" wis needed to tell if
this were the case. He said that the Soviet Union, which made
its first report of the accident to the IAEA on Monday, had never
mentioned a fire at the plant, and that the IAEA did not know
what had caused the accident. The Soviet Union, although one
of the 112 IAEA members, is not obliged to report its nuclear
accidents to the U.N. agency.
May 86
The Soviet communique also said that "specialized units contin-
ued cleaning up polluted areas" around the plant, and that a
Ukrainian government report noted no unusual pollution levels
in the atmosphere in Kiev, the Soviet Union's third biggest city,
which is 133 kilometers (83 miles) south of Chernobyl. "The
quality of drinking water, of rivers and reservoirs is. within the
norms," in Kiev, the communique said, adding that "factories,
collective and state farms and institutions" are functioning nor-
mally. The environment around the plant was "permanently
monitored," the communique said.
The Soviet communique also attacked what it called "rumors
diffused by some Western news agencies" about the accident
having caused "thousands of deaths", and reiterated the official
statement that "two people died and 197 were hurt, of which 49
have already left the hospital after undergoing medical tests".
Analysis of Satellite Pictures
LD011754 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 1600 GMT I May 86
[Text] Just a moment ago we received new information from another recent
analysis of the satellite pictures. One picture before and one after the
accident have been compared and the Satellitbild [Satellite Pictures] company
in Kiruna has established that the two warm points that were found in the
picture from yesterday were also there earlier, but they were shown consid-
erably more faintly. In other words, this further confirms the information
according to which there are two reactors involved in the accident. This
cannot, however, be said with absolute certainty.
New satellite pictures taken this morning are at the moment being analyzed at
Satellitbild in Kiruna. The result of this analysis is expected to be ready
in a few hours; it may give further information on the size of the nuclear
accident.
Rumors Abound in Kiev
AU011531 Paris AFP in English 0956 GMT 1 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 1 (AFP)--Two French university lecturers, who returned
here Thursday from Kiev said that they had witnessed quarrels breaking out
in the city as some people tried to stop others talking about the "Chernobyl
tragedy" in case they started a panic. But while the general situation there
was calm, there was unease amongst foreign university students. They said
public transport buses in a terminus near their lodgings had been requi-
sitioned on Saturday, and there had been heavy military traffic on the
outskirts of Kiev on Monday night.
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The two teachers from Paris, who did not want to be named, said
that rumours spreading in Kiev, 130 kms (82miles) south of
Chernobyl, said that according to unconfirmed reports, there had
been an explosion in the nuclear plant on Friday night killing the
staff of 50 on duty at the time. Other reports said there had been
from 200-300 deaths in the immediate vicinity of the plant, they
said. The official Soviet account is that the accident happened on
Saturday, killing two people and causing the hospitalisation of
under 200.
The teachers said that officials of the Kiev University military
faculty told students there had been an "accident" but "it was
not serious."
In West Germany, a daily newspaper in the western town of
Bergisch Gladbach on Thursday quoted one of a party of 100
German tourists who flew from Moscow to Kiev last Saturday as
saying they suddenly saw "a black cloud in a bright blue" sky
from the aircraft at around 3:00 p.m. Herbert Hopf, who is
retired, said that the Aeroflot plane was at a height of about 3,000
meters (10,000 feet) when he saw the cloud, "shaped like a
Christmas tree, or the tip of a ragged mountain range."
Hans kierdorf, also in the party, said that on arriving at the
airport "it was like night, with the sky torn by lightning.?We
heard several explosions."
Kiev Festivities Reported
LD020457 [Editorial Report] Kiev. Domestic Service in
Ukrainian at 0215 GMT on 2 May broadcasts a 7-minute report
on May Day celebrations in Kiev. The announcer says that May
Day was marked by a festive mood in the Ukrainian SSR. The
main street of Kiev, the Kreshcatik, he says was the scene of the
celebrations. Party and World War II veterans, labor and cul-
tural front-rankers, members of the Ukrainian SSR Supreme
Soviet and the republican Council of Ministers, heads of min-
istries and departments, deputies to the USSR and Ukrainian
SSR Supreme Soviets, and officers of the Armed Forces
attended, the announcer says, as well as consular personnel for
the socialist countries.
The residents and visitors to Kiev, the announcer says, greeted
comrades Shcherbitskiy, Yelchenko, Kachalovskiy, Kachura,
Lyashko, Mozgovoy, Sologub, Titarenko, Shevchenko, (Ivashko),
Kolomiyets, (Kravtsov), Masol, Mukha, and Pogrebnyak, leaders
of the Ukrainian SSR Communist Party and Government.
The May Day demonstration, the announcer reports, opened at
1000 a.m. local time and was led by columns of party and labor
veterans, and labor front-rankers. Students brought up the rear.
The slogans carried by those marching endorsed CPSU domestic
and foreign policy and stressed the USSR's love of peace.
The announcer praises the wares produced by leading Kiev
collectives, some of which he says were on display, and its cultural
and sporting achievements. The announcer closes by saying that
over 120,000 people took part in the celebrations along the
Kreshchatic.
'TV Report on Celebrations
LD011731 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1430 GMT 1 May 86
[From the "Vremya" newscast]
[Excerpt] The winners of the pre-May Day competition--the workers of the
Darnitsa,. Sovetskiy and Leningradskiy rayons of Kiev--were greeted by Comrade
Shcherbitskiy, member of the CPSU Central Committee Politburo and first secre-
tary of the Ukrainian Communist Party Central Committee, and other leaders of
the republic.
[Screen caption identifies location as Kiev. Video shows a mass demonstra-
tion by columns of workers passing through the streets of Kiev on a bright,
sunny day. Shcherbitskiy and others are shown in medium shot on the review-
ing platform. Shcherbitskiy is shown standing in the middle of six unidenti-
fied people. Close-up shows Shcherbitskiy waving to the passing demonstra-
tors. Further pictures of the procession highlight banners, flowers, and
dancers in costumes.]
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Comparisons of Soviet Update
Moscow TASS in English at 1137 on 1 May carries a report on efforts to.contain
the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. The TASS English version
has been compared with the,TASS.International Service Russian version published
in the 1 May Soviet Union DAILY REPORT, page R 1, revealing the following
variation:
Paragraph one, line three; reads in the TASS English version:- technical
measures. ? The radioactivity on the territory of the nuclear power station
and the nuclear power station's settlement dropped 1.5-2 times. (changing
numbers)
Moscow PRAVDA in Russian on '2 May in its First Edition on page 2 also carries
a report on the efforts.to contain the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power
station. This report, entitled "From the USSR Council of Ministers," was
also compared with the TASS International Service in Russian version revealing
that the TASS International Service version and the PRAVDA version are identical.
WESTERN REACTION TO CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT CONSIDERED
TASS Denounces 'Apocalyptic Pictures'
LD031713 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1620 GMT 3 May 86
[Text] Moscow, 3 May (TASS) TASS Political Observer Sergey Kulik writes:
In other times and under different systems of ethics, gentlemen getting themselves into
a situation similar to the one in which many Western political figures now find them-
selves after describing "horrors" and "catastrophic consequences" of the accident at
Chernobyl AES would have shot themselves inthe head in order to save their honor or
avoid dishonor. In our times, one might throw oneself from the window of a skyscraper.
But there have as yet been no reports from any Western capital of. suicides for the sake
of preserving political honor. Evidently, those who over the past few days have been
asserting that "Chernobyl has been turned into a dead ghost town," that the radiation
level in the zone where the station is "is 2000 times higher than during the Hiroshima
atonic bomb explosion," and that "an entire huge agricultural area in the heart of the
Ukraine, its land and waters, has become a danger to man for an indeterminate lengthy
period, have nothing to save. [quotation marks as received]
On 2 May Nikolay Ryzhkov, member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, chair-
-man of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, and Yegor Ligachev, member of the CPSU
Cental Committee Politburo, secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, visited the area
of the Chernobyl atomic station. T6gether with leaders of the Central Committee of the
Communist.Party of the Ukraine and of the government of the Ukranian SSR, they examined
the measures being taken to eliminate the seat of the accident at the fourth power unit
of the AES, and the normalization of the situation in the area. During their meeting
with the people, the discussion dealt with the organization of the daily life of the
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rvii vrrikAAL UM vivid
workers, trade, medical services, and the world of school and preschool institutions.
All this is very far from the apocalyptic pictures taken by dishonest politicians from
Hollywood films and transferred by them with malicious intent to the. Soviet land....
[TASS ellipses]
In the West, the accident in Chernobyl has not only been turned into a sensation --
shameless anti-Soviets and anti-communists have used it for their dirty political
goals. In the beginning, gullible Westerners were being persuaded that not two people,
which is the true number, but a minimum of 2,000 were killed at the AES. This was done
to prove that "the USSR never tells the truth." Then, on the "evidence" of a single
photograph of a building with:a hole in the roof, they endeavored to prove to the aver-
age American and West European that "the greatest .disaster in the history of the mas-
tering of atomic energy" had happened in Chernobyl, Which allegedly proves the
bakcwardness of the USSR."
After this, the United States ahd England began demonstratively to recall their tour-
ists who were in Kiev, 130,km away from the place of the accident, reviling Moscow
for an alleged "coverup of data abouthighradioactivity" and, at the same time, making
much of their own human concerned.
Of:course, for those who send bombers to drop a fatal load on Libyan towns, arm the
"contras" in Nicaragua and the dushmans in Afghanistan, pay hired murderers in
Angola, there is nothing left to do but engage in self-advertisement when talk turns
to humanism.
In order to divert the world public from its own actions, which threaten the whole
world; 'not to. allow the Europeans time to think about how 15,000 U.S. nuclear warheads
!situated in old, overpopulated Europe, are threatening them; or about how the accident
of the U.S. submarine like the one that ran aground into the cliffs of Gibraltar the
other day may turn out for the Mediterranean; in Washington they have also organized
an anti-Soviet pandemonium around what has happened at an, atomic power station. .
The White House and its sidekicks need this rumpus to cast aspersions on the Soviet
Union and its peaceful initiatives, and to place .in doubt the very possibility of hold-
ing talks and reaching an agreement with the USSR. It is not for nothing that M.
Thatcher intends, clearly at.Washington's directions, to attempt to insert into the
text of the communique at the conference of the leaders of .the seven major capitalist
countries in Tokyo a statement on "the Russians' urge to surround everything with exces-
sive secrecy." As the British FINANCIAL TIMES newspaper admits, this statement gives
the West an opportunity to continue to "take an attitude of mistrust. toward the Soviet
Union's pledges in the field of verifying, the observance of any agreement on Arms con-
trol."
In demanding "some more news" and "some More facts" from Chernobyl, the politicking .
politicians who have lost their sense of shame,and.conscience, await only bad news and
-bad "facts," And it is doubtful if they will be sobered by reports that the situation
in the area of the atomic station is getting bad( to normal. .
Washington Encourages 'Hysteria'
LD041446 Moscow TASS in English 1129 GMT 4 May 86
[Text] Prague May 4 TASS -- The breakdown at the Chernobyl power station immediately
riveted universal attention In, the world, RUDE PRAVO writes today. Words of sympathy
are being addressed to the Soviet Government. positively appraised are the energetic
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actions of the members of local government bodies and the courageous efforts by Soviet
specialists and rescue servides to ltiaalize the radioactive contamination source which
sprang up as a result of the breakdown.
Underlying the extraordinary event is the misfortune that befell people. It is from
this fact that a stand of the international public should have been formed. One cannot
but see that immediately after the TASS announcement of the breakdown at the Chernobyl
atomic power station, the event because a springboard for unworthy speculations and for
the piling up of lies and accusations.
High-ranking officials in Washington are-using the breakdown, the first one in the his-
tory of the Soviet nuclear power industry, for a political blackmail against the USSR,
and are seeking to blow it up into a political problem in international relations. In
so doing they in Washington display a surprising forgetfulness to the effect that
nothing of the kind had ostensibly happened in the United States.
"The leading circles of some NATO countries, and first of all those of the United States
and Britain, are seeking to drum up a veritable hysteria around the breakdown. The
hysterical campaign is centering of anti-communism, anti-Sovietism and on endeavours to
strain international relations and to accuse the USSR and the entire socialist world at
any cost. We are witnessing obvious attempts at driving a wedge between the USSR and
other countries, neighbouring European ones, in the first place". [quotation marks as
received]
This is, finally, also an obvious attempt to divert attention from the main issues of
our times which the Soviet Union brings up in the international arena, including pro-
posals on ending any nuclear tests, and on banning chemical weapons, not to mention the
set of proposals concerning nuclear and conventional arms.
The rapid progress of science and technology brings with it not only successes but also
material losses as well as loss of life. Not a single sector of human endeavour is an
exception in this respect. Mankind has to pay for every advance. The study of outer
space does not do without victims either. One can recall the 25th, seemingly perfectly
rehearsed, launch of the American spaceplane.
This also applies to researchers in the field of the atomic power industry. There can
be no exception in this field, although extraordinary and costly measures are taken to
ensure people's safety. Man's endeavours to master all forces of nature cannot be
regarded as finished.
The friends of the Soviet Union are standing at these moments by its side with full
understanding. They are full of indestructible belief in Soviet science which does its
best to make the natural environment serve man, and to make the atom -- the source of
tremendous destructive and creative power -- serve only peace. This is the main thing
which stands behind the resolute efforts of the Soviet people. This is the reply to the
question that is behind the hysteria launched by certain circles of the capitalist world
around the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power station.
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Western Media Reports 'Unscrupulous'
LD0412.59 Moscow-Domestic Service in Russian 0930 GMT 4 May.86
[Igor Charikov commentary]
[Text] As for the issue of the anti-Soviet hullabaloo abroad in connection with the
accident at the Chernobyl AES, I have in front of me a TASS dispatch from London; it
cites the opinions of two of today's British newspapers on one and the same theme. THE
OBSERVER newspaper reports, in particular, that on 31 March of this year -- that is just
over a month ago -- a serious-incident occurred.rat_theDungeness atomic-power station. in
Kent County. The technical details Of this incident are described but they are not what
is important. An explosion occurred and was followed by a leak of gas. contaminated. by
radioactive substances. However, the appropriate British Offices chose to surround
what had happened with a thick veil of silence, and supplied some information only after
persistent questions. Andther,British newspaper, THE GUARDIAN, writes today [as heard;
THE GUARDIAN is not published on Sundays] that the accident at Dungeness is far from
being the only one in Britain. A major disaster, which claimed 13 lives and also
-maimed over 260 people, occurred just over a quarter of a century ago at the Sellafield
plant. After this accident, the-scale of which, as in the first instance, the authori-
ties tried to hide by all possible means, the electric power station was renamed. One
would think that definite steps were taken to ensure greater safety at this station,
but all the same, in the course of the first 3 months of this year alone, nuclear
alarms have already sounded there four times.
In reporting the information with which I have acquainted you, comrades,. the two res-
pectable British newspapers put the issue of accidents at atomic power stations of the
following plane: Unfortunately, such accidents do happen. Not one enterprise that
processes nuclear fuel into electrical energy is 100-percent insured against them. This
is the opinion of all scientists and engineers. Of course, there are accidents which
are insignificant and those which lead to serious consequences.
However, must one whip up sensationalism around every incident and. deliberately.exag-
gerate its scale? I don't think so. - After all, one can't assist in the efficient
elimination of the consequences [of nuclear accidents] with either newspaper hullabaloo
or sensational radio and television reports. On the contrary, this diverts the atten-
tion of the broad public from the essence of the problem. and creates an unhealthy bally-
hoo which may be exploited -- and; as we see with the example of .the accident at the.
Chernobyl AES, for unsightly, provocative aims.
In this instance, an attempt is being made to evoke ill-disposed and, if it can be man-
aged, openly hostile feelings toward the Soviet Union. By the way, in the United
States itself more than 20,000 various incidents and defects have occurred at atomic
electrical power stations over the last 7 years. Comrades, I am convinced you will
agree with me; Far be it from us to gloat over the number of casualties in every-indi-
,vidual incident. We won't begin relating to the Americans worse or in a less benevo-
lent fashion just because somewhere. -- let's say, in the State of Pennsylvania -.- a
major explosion has occurred. I cannot recall a single instance where our press, tele-
vision, or radio has whipped up nervousness, fear, or other similar emotions. And
against this background the;diligerice of the Western mass information media in this.
regard seems not only absurd but also unscrupulous.
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While our program has been on the air, I have been brought a dispatch with an account
of an article in the Czechoslovak newspaper RUDE PRAVO. .I .shall read some excerpts
from it; quote: One cannot fail to see that immediately after the TASS announcement of
the accident at the Chernobyl AES, this event became a springboard for unworthy,specu-
lation and for piles of lies and accusations, unquote. This is What the newspaper
RUDE PRAVO thinks. The rapid progress of science and technology, the newspaper goes
on to write, brings with it not only successes, but also sacrifices; material and
human'.. No area of-human activity is an exception, the article says, and it concludes:
At this time, the: rienda of the Soviet Union stand at its side with full unclerstand7
- ing';:they are full.of -unshakeable faith- in Soviet. science, Which is doing all- toensure
that the environment-, serves man, and that the atom - that source of vast destructive:
and creative power,- serves only peace.
YELTSIN ADDRESSES EIGHTH CONGRESS OF GERMAN COMMUNIST PARTY
Assails Media on Chernobyl
LD021830 Moscow TASS in English 1818 GMT 2 May 86
[Text] Hamburg May 2 TASS -- Boris Yeltsin, alternate'meMber'of the Political Bureau -Of
the CPSU Central Committee and first secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the CPSU,
who is heading a' CPSU' today addressed the 8th -congress of the German
Communist-Patty.'
.In describing the decisions defining the course towards the accerlated social and
ieconomic development of the USSR,, advanced at the 27th CPSU Congress, Yeltsin stressed--
that peace was necessary for the implementation of the programme.
,The situation remained.tense, he said. -It was no accidentthat it Was giving rise to
A3articu1atconcern-amongthe population in the Federal Republic of Germany. Two world-:
.wars started on German-soil.
'It was well ,known whgre:the policy of the unrestricted armS race and sabre-rattling was
.leading to,:he pointed out.: Europe should never again become an arena of wars. It was
the duty of the Europeans, all and everyone, to prevent that.
Profoundly Mindful'of our responsibility for the survival of mankind, and of the need -
for urgent- actions, we have offered a programme of ridding the world of nuclear wedpdns
by the-turn of the century," the head of the CPSU delegation said.
"We stand for deep cuts in conventional armaments as Well. On behalf of the CPSU:-
leaderShip, we declare here: The Soviet Union is prepared to implement this programme:
wholly and -till the end, point by point."
"We demonstratad'our good will to the entire world by introducing a Unilateral mora-
torium on nuclear weapons testing.. But our proposals did not find a proper response
from the other side."
The Soviet proposals for turning Europe into a zone free from chemical weapons also
were rejected, he said. The reason was clear since the United States was now working
on binary weapons.
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The implementation of the U.S. programme was threatening to turn the world's densely-
populated areas into a potential theatre of a deVastating chemical war. Europe's
civilian population would be the chief victim. "Our ideological opponents," Yeltsin
pointed out, "do not miss a single opportunity to launch yet one more campaign against
the USSR. Here is the latest example. The bourgeois propaganda media are concocting
many hoaxes around the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power plant.
One cannot but be indignant at the brazen lie about thousands of dead in West German
newspapers, for instance, in today's BILD. On the purpose of all that is to step up
even more the anti-Soviet hysteria in the hope of driving a wedge in the Soviet Union's
relations with other countries.
I can state with responsibility that the government is doing everything to eliminate
the consequences of the breakdown and, in implementing the energy programme, to con-
tinue using the atom for the peaceful purposes in the interests of man."
The United States wanted to.turn Western Europe into its "dual hostage" -- both nuclear
and chemical, Yeltsin said. "As far as the Pershing-two and long-range cruise missiles
are concerned, the United States is clearly engaged in an unfair play in a bid to divert
a retaliatory strike from its own territory at the expense of the population of its
allies, including the FRG.
This is a direct deception of the peoples of Western Europe. You and we cannot place
.the destinies of peace in the hands of American imperialism and the FRG Government
.obediently following in its wake."
;Yeltsin recalled the recent proposal by Mikhail Gorbachev, general secretary of the
'CPSU Central Committee, to start reducing conventional armaments and tactical nuclear
weapons over the entire territory of Europe -- from the Atlantic to the Urals --
under international verification.
"The implementation of our proposals," Yeltsin said, "Presupposes the reciprocal
wish of the other side to act likewise. So far, we see no wish of this kind in
Washington, nor in several European capitals, including Bonn.
"We regard the FRG as an important political partner. But one should understand
that partnership presupposes a loyal, peace-loving policy with regard to each
other. But Bonn's political course is deviating ever further from this policy.
And this hinders the development of our relations which could be rather fruitful
under other circumstances."
The head of the CPSU delegation expressed confidence that it was possible to
achieve progress and a turn in international affairs. "Wars are intrinsically
alien to socialism. It is not by the force of arms, but by the force of
example that socialism is proving and will prove its advantages over the society
built on the exploitation of man by man."
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Hamburg TV Interview
DW041756 Hamburg ARD Television Network in German 2030 GMT 2 May 86
[Interview with Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin, first secretary of the Moscow city
party committee, by editor Barbara Friederichs in Hamburg on 2 May--recorded in
Russian with superimposed German translation]
[Text] [Yeltsin] The reactor was shut down immediately following the accident,
as were the three neighboring reactors. The chain reaction has stopped. That
is credible and reliable information. However, there still is radioactivity,
because there still are products of half life in that zone. It still is a
dangerous zone, and men are not allowed to go there. Measures are being taken
to prevent the escape of radioactivity into the atmosphere. Bags of sand, lead,
and boron are being dropped from helicopters so as to create an impervious dome
over the zone of the accident. Radioactivity has substantially decreased. How-
ever, it still amounts to 200 roentgen per hour.
[Friederichs] Men, animals, foodstuffs, water, and the soil are in jeopardy.
[Yeltsin] We immediately evacuated the people of four locations in a radius of
about 30 km, as you said correctly, to prevent the people there from being
exposed to radioactivity. Certain water reservoirs in Chernobyl itself natu-
rally are contaminated. However, the rivers are not contaminated. The zone
with enhanced radioactivity, which has been blocked off, continues to be
inaccessible to human beings even though the level of radioactivity has
decreased. Nonetheless, people are not admitted to the zone unprotected.
AFP Interview
AU050950 Paris AFP in English 0948 GMT 5 May 86
[Text] Hamburg, West Germany, May 5 (AFP)--Radioactive leaks from Chernobyl
have been plugged by sacks of sand, lead and boron, thrown on the damaged plant
from helicopters, a top Soviet official said Monday.
Boris Yeltsin, secretary-general of the Communist Party for the Moscow region,
told AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE that "an air-tight seal covers the plant and is pre-
venting all radioactive leak into the air."
Mr Yeltsin first revealed details of the operation in an interview with West
German television Friday night. He is in Hamburg for a conference of the West
German Communist Party.
"Special radio-controlled vehicles are currently carrying measures and are
taking photos inside" the plant, he said.
"Within the plant, the fire is totally extinguished. The radioactive cloud
above the plant is dissipating little by little and its level of radioactivity
is now harmless to man," he said.
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He said that a recent statement pointing to "human error" a the cause of the accident
was "only one hypotheses among others, which should not be considered conclusive at
this state."
"The cause of the accident can only be known precisely when specialists enter the
reactor," he said.
4--
Mr, Yeltsin also said that SOlet Prime Minister Nikolay Ryzhkov and Igor Ligachev,
who is considered by Western Analysts to be an unofficial deputy leader', Were "Still
,
in
"They are talking to the 49,000 people, form four areas, who were evacuated from the
contaminated zone, in a radius of 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the-reactor, who have
been housed in nearby towns and villages."
'Mf Yeltsin said he was unable to say when the evacuees could return.- "We have had
experience in this type of incident, either in peacetime or wartime," he said
,He ruled out suggestions that houses in thearea would have to be destroyed and topsoil
.removed.
' "The houses, like the soil, are intact, and will be especially treated withspeclal
chemicals," he said.
Later, ."when the situatuibn Will have returned to normal, we will tackle :the question
of whether it is possible to recultivate this land," he said.
"Special Army units, specially trained in decontamination, have been mobilised," and "
were being helped in the clear-Up by some of the evacuees, he said
Yeltsin also reiterated criticism of western -coverage of the accident,-'saying it
featured "slanderous tolls" whose "aim is clear and precise."
It contrasted, he said with the Soviet Government's "will to inform the West about-the
accident, even when it was not obliged to, under any specific agreement:" -
"There, was no delay in transmitting information," he said. "From the very first
Minute, the authorities were alerted. As soon as information on the catastrophe was.
collated, Western countries were immediately alerted."
Moscow informed the West about the accident after Sweden announced that it had
detected fallout from the stricken plant.
The Chernobyl evacuees have been lodged in houses, not tents, and have running Water
and heating, he said.
In a reference to several precautionary measures adopted in Western countries in
reaction to fallout from the plant, he said the Chernobyl evacuees "drink milk and eat
vegetables, they do not walk around with umbrellas, and if. they bathe their ,children
every day, it's just what they did before.
"It is regrettable that certain Western parents are only doing that now,
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FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS ON CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT REPORTED
Arbatov Comments
BK041326 London BBC World Service in English 1110 GMT 4 May 86
[Interview With.Georgiy Arbatov, USSR Central Committee member and director of the USA
and Canada Institute, on international phone-in program "Its Your World", moderated by
correspondent Sue McGregor; Arbatov answers questions from "radio studio in Moscow"
live]
[Text] [Question by Robert Fundering from Holland] Well, last week we have seen that
the Soviet Union has very reluctantly given very few facts about the accident in
Chernobyl both to its own people and to the outside world; and with the rise to power
of Mr Gorbachev much has been said and written in the Soviet Union about openness, the
Russian word is glasnost. Now if this openness does not mean that the Soviet Union ,
gives information like about theaccident which happened In Chernobyl both to the
Soviet people and the rest of the people in the world, then ni3i question is: What does
openness mean?
.[Sue McGregor]
Dr Arbatov?
[Arbatov] Well this was quite a speed', not simply a question. I would say that, yob
know, Tam not sure what was expected from up. From the first moment, the catastrophe,
which everybody must understand what it means,: For many thousand grades temperature,
,radioactivity. Really, you have to thinkabout people, to save people. 'There you do
inot know the dimensions. There you do not know yet the causes and the, Americans do not
'know, because, for instance of catastrophe,...calamity,:wfth Challenger or some
other things. .It is a very well-known situation. So we said what we did know and our
first and major concern at this moment was not to think about, you know, how to please
American Government or some other government, but how really 'to deal with this
extremely dangerous situation, and we did it. And as it goes now, we give the inform,-
tion we think is essential and we have it; and we have invited, as you heard today,
Dr Hans Blix from (Magathe) from the international nuclear power agency from Vienna.
He will be here And everything. will be available to him. I will remind you only one
fact, that the United States has given report to this agency in Vienna after the
Three Mile Island accident 3 months after it happened. So you see, what we really got
to know, it is the extend of hate against the Soviet Union was nourished in many
Western governments. This hate has grown in a hate campaign immediately.
[McGregor] Dr Arbatov, if I may go back to Mr Fundering, I think what, Mr Fundering,
you had in mind, .and perhaps you could confirm this, was the time gap between the
accident happening and the Soviet Union admitting it had happened, is that right?
[Fundering] yes. Especially because there was radiation involved and other countries
isuffered as well.
![Arbatov] Other countries did not suffer. It was really bad accident and information
should' be given and was given. Not maybe as qUiCk as some People wanted. Maybe there,
:were some technical delays, I do not know. I tell you again that our major attention
was there where the danger was the greatest and really if you have not to believe the
psychological warfare type of propaganda that the radiation level has risen to
tremendous, you know, levels. [sentence as heard] It was comparable to one -- maybe
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less, maybe more, I do not know --to one explosion in the atmosphere of the nuclear
bomb. So how come, how do you live with tens of thousands of thousands of nuclear
weapons in Europe and in all over the world with NATO strategy to use them first and
do not protest it.
And now you had an accident, it is a bad accident and it is worst catastrophe. Yes it
was. But you have really to be seen about it and look at the major things and I think
what it really has shown to the world [is] how vulnerable contemporary human
civilization is in technological sense.
[McGregor] I think Mr Fundering is trying to get a word in there, Dr Arbatov.
[Fundering] Yes, I just want to say one thing -- that this incident and the reaction
direction has been depicted as a hatred to the Soviet Union. But, I mean the measures
taken, like for example in Tolaud, which is a country friendly to the Soviet Union,
where people are advised not to drink milk and where children have been given iodine
I mean, this is no hatred. 'These are serious measures.
[Arbatov] Their concerns are our concerns. Nobody knows very good about the dangers,
and of course one has to be prudent and we understand it very good. We have sent, by
the way, today and yesterday, to Poland and to remaining neighboring countries our
specialists, very highly ranked, with all the equipment to really to learn about it.
But we know that Poland and Hungary and all other countries are not under danger just as
much as our people in Kiev and other regions. They were not evacuated. Only Britain
suddenly recalled its students and made a big show after it was a (?masquerade) with
all the things. Of course, nobody has found anything. I think Britain has to really
recall maybe your tourists from Las Vegas. They are under much greater radiation from
nuclear tests by America.
[McGregor] We have not heard that that yet had to happen Dr Arbatov, but I will thank
Mr Fundering for his question and move now to a caller inBasingstoke inHampshire here in
England, James McIntosh. Mr McIntosh, your question.
[McIntosh] Good day, sir. As a Scotchman, I am phoning in my question, in no hate
against the Russian people, but as a father of six children, we have been hearing these
reports. The question I would like to ask, though, is why has your government not
produced any radiation figures in view of when the Americans and the British had their
radiation overspilled, there were figures produced immediately to people. .But is seems
your government whether the knowledge was (?blocked) coming though your central govern-
ment or what, they don't see them for about 4 of 5 days? As a father of six children,
in the future, is your government allowed to go ahead and overspill this stuff all over
Europe. So there is no hate in my question. It is for humanity I am asking. Atomic
energy as a fuel of the future can [word indistinct.] from the world's natural resources
will be used up. I might ask my question about those radiation figures, why? All great
things can be knocked dawn to how and why.
[Arbatov] You know...
[McGregor] All right, Mr McIntosh, your question was why have radiation figures not
been published?
[Arbatov] Yes, I am not sure that they were not published. I know that we have given
;bulletins to Dr Hans Blix and he made press releases and maybe you are asking for
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somethings which we just don't know. I don't think our science can give the radiation
figures in Scotland, or in Wales, or in northern Norway.
[McGregor] But they must be able to give them in Kiev.
[Arbatov] And they have it. In Kiev, in Kiev, it is normal.
There is no abnormality in it. At the place of the accident it is very high and people
are not allowed to go there and there are precautions taken. So I think, all of it,
you have to understand that radiation -- at what point and where -- it is a highly
technical subject. I am not a specialist in this, but I know for sure that our nuclear
energy agency is in constant contact with international nuclear energy agency and they
are coming tomorrow to Moscow, and so you will have all the information. You just, I
think each government -- we cannot see, for instance, that there will be come radiation
in Japan or somewhere else.. We had this radiation in our country when the Chinese had
made their nuclear test in atmosphere and the British, and the Americans, etc., and
even from underground testing. It is here, we cannot say how the radiation has risen
in -Scotland.
[McGregor] Dr Arbatov, what people of the West find difficult to understand is why
people in the Soviet Union haven't been told what the radiation figures are, let alone
people of the West.
[Arbatov] The people in Kiev, people in othe places are being given all the information
where it is really important. At the same time, if you make a sensation out of it and
create panic, this [is] what I meant under hate, if you look at what was broadcast to
Soviet Union, to Poland, to Romania by Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, infamous
broadcasting station financed by Central Intelligence Agency of United States. It was
really a psychological warfare to create panic, to create suspicion, to disrupt the
whole life, to destabilize the whole normal life of the country we did not want to
participate ...
[McGregor] Mr McIntosh, are you satisfied with that answer?
[McIntosh] It's the standard Russian answer I'm getting. As I say, the answer I was
expecting was that the Russians come clean of the whole thing saying a, we made a
mistake. Why couldn't they call in an international team of scientists? But they're
keeping everything close to their chests and I saw it as a standard Russian government
answer as far as I'm concerned. There's still a lot to be opened up in the future of
when the figures will be released because the Soviet Government will do these things.
and realize they make a mistake and then it takes a week or two and a month. Like the
plane that was shot down by the Russians, it took about 4 to 6 weeks before they finally
decided to open up.
[McGregor] Thank you Mr McIntosh for your question. We will now move to Manchester,
here in England, and to George Kuwalakiy, who is on the line. Mr, Kuwalskiy.
[Kuwalskiy] Hello, good day to you sir. I would like to follow up on the first caller.
In your opinion, would the Government of the Soviet Union contemplate compensations to
the neighbors, Poland in particular, since it was most seriously affected by this
nuclear disaster at Chernobyl for loss of agricultural, dairy, meat products, and
exports, and also for the extra medical supplies it had to distribute to the children?
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[Arbatov] You don't have to really to worry about that. I am sure we will compensate
reports for all of the things they, they themselves, we help them anyway. [sentence
as heard]
[Duwalskiy] Yes.
[Arbatov] They are desperate situations and it will be done here. But you also have
not to believe everything you hear. It has not yet been established what happened in
the harvest, what the real loss was, and many people here think. I have discussed it
with a couple of 'specialists today, that exactly, it won't be of any significance,
even much closer to the place of accident and Poland or Romania.
[McGregor] Will you be revealing figures to Dr Blix and his colleagues from the
International Atomic Energy Agency?
[Arbatov] Well, they Will have 'all the relevant information. Otherwise we wouldn't
invite them:
[McGregor] As you know, the Soviet Union signed an agreement allowing inspection of
nuclear installations by the IAEA.
[Arbatov] Of course, of course, yes, yes, yes, and we were, by the way -- all the
time we had h perfect record in complying with this agreement as also with other
agreements; and as far as the accident, it is a very sad occasion, but we have in the
world 151 accidents of power stations, including some in Britain, some in the United
States and in other countries. It is (?sort of thing) I hope it will.-- now we will
learn from this very sad and tragic situation some additional things which will help
to make it safer everywhere in the world.
[McGregor] Mr Kuwalskiy, would you like to come back?
[Kuwalskiy] Yes, I would just like to ask your guest why doesn't the Soviet Union
build those power stations somewhere near Moscow? Why do they have to build those
power stations at the borders of other countries?
[Arbatov] Do you think it is an intention to harm the other countries. Yes, I can
tell you that there is a big nuclear station near Leningrad, which is second largest
city in Soviet Union, and the third nuclear station was actually very close to Moscow
in Obinsk. Simply, you don't have the correct information. We are not discrimi-
nating anyway, we are against any sort of nuclear danger, including this. And you
know, thus again I return to this. This was a lesson of how technologically vulnerable
the contemporary human civilization is. This is only one of the examples. We had
Bhopal, where not two, but thousands of people died and 100,000 suffered. We had
acid rains, we have even air transportation and the ultimate danger of nuclear war.,
And this has to be thought about and I think it calls for international cooperation,
which we are for, and also for diminishing the (?more risk) in it.
'[McGregor] Dr Arbatov, I think what many listeners listening to you now will wish to
know is: Will the openness that Mr Gorbachev's referred to lead eventually to the
Soviet Union sharing with the rest of the world its findings on what exactly
happened at Chernobyl?
[Arbatov] Of course, it will. Of course, it will. I again remind you that it took
for the United States 3 months to give the report to Vienna, to send the report on
Three Mile Island calamity; and they invited, by the way, one representative, who
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was American, from Vienna -- no not anybody, not any foreigner still to look for it.
We invited already the chairman, the director of this agency with some other people,
that we'll give them and will have the report as soon as possible and will (?direct)
? ourselves and give also to others. I think it is very important to know all these
things where it is a knowledge and information which has to be shared. Of course,
all of us are vulnerable to such accidents and we need to know the experience of
others and we understand it in this way. And I think would there be a little bit
more of goodwill and sympathy even to this really very bad accident we had, it would
make us much easier to do it as quick as possible. We will do it anyway.
[McGregor] I will thank Mr Kuwalskiy for his question and say to you, Dr Arbatov,
you are aware of course that Sir Geoffrey Howe said today in Tokyo we mustn't turn
the human tragedy of Chernobyl into a propaganda football.
[Arbatov]
he -- not
danger of
[McGregor]
[Arbatov]
Yes, yes, it's yery good that he had said it and he had reasons to say. So
only we in Moscow --'even he felt it, your foreign minister, that there is a
turning everything in an anti-Soviet propaganda campaign.
Thank you.
...shouldn't be dealt in this way.
[McGregor] We will now move to a questioner in Frankfurt, in West Germany.
Mr John Vargedin. Hello.
[Vargedin] Hell, good afternoon sir.
[Arbatov] Good afternoon.
[Vargedin] Sir, recent events
it not possible for the Soviet
energy ?resources, to turn away
the plutonium you need?
have highlighted the dangers of nuclear technology. Is
Union, which is the richest land on earth in terms of
from this technology or, pardon me, don't you have all
[Arbatov] Now, you see, I think that actually I know this and I have sympathy with
this ideas how to make world safer from any danger of technology. But we have -- even
you know whether we developed coal as major source of technology, where the lot of
accidents in coal pits and then in steam stations when the steam stations exploded etc.
[sentence as heard] So, it is a very sad truth that each step forward and technological
progress bears with it some risks and we understand that all other resources are finite.
All others we have, maybe more of them than West Germany has, but even this will be
finite. And, therefore, we feel up till now, we feel obliged, like many European
?
countries, to build this nuclear station. What is the task: to make it as safe as
possible. But lain not in a position either to defend it or not, I really don't feel
myself to be a great specialist in energy programs.
[McGregor] Mr Vargedin.
[Vargedin] I would to like inform, I mean, I would like
after all they are selling gas to West Europe. That is,
do they have to have atom plants in their country? They
Western Europe.
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to tell the gentleman that
they have surplus energy. Why
are selling gas to
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[Arbatov] You know, from far away, it looks a little bit different. We have gas and
this gas is 3,000 km from Moscow. You have to get it in a very difficult situation.
Therefore, it cannot serve in all parts of the country. You have to build very
expensive pipelines and stations which bring it to high pressure, (?transport it as)
gas, etc, etc.
[McGregor] But what you are saying, Dr Arbatov, is as far as you're aware, the
Soviet Union is not intending to be deflected from its reliance for at least part of
its energy on nuclear power.
[Arbatov] I think we want that because of the accident, like you; because of many
accidents and air traffic you don't stop using airplane. and to rely on air traffic. I
think we won't do it, we will make, of course, and all the world will make, I think,
very serious studies here, and serious conclusion, and I.think there is.a lot of room
for making it safer. But I don't thinkwecan just stop in this direction developments;
the day will come when all the oil reserves, even in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates,
will be used out and we will have to rely on fusion mainly. Of cOurse, the present
technology is still very primitive, but the world will have to look for it.
[McGregor] Well, thank you Mr Vargedin from Frankfurt for your question, and you
mentioned the Middle East. Dr Arbatov, we now have a question which homes in on a
particular area there -- from Calais in France. Mr Andrei Fusyan, is on the line.
Hello Mr Fusyan.
[Fusyan] Yes.
[McGregor] Your question, please, to Dr Arbatov.
[Fusyan] I would like to ask Mr Arbatov why does the Soviet Union support Libya when
it is so much responsible for instability in the West.
[Arbatov] Who is responsible? Libya or Soviet Union?
[Fusyan] I mean the Soviet Union is helping Libya and the Colonel al-Qadhdhafits regime
to carry on when it is responsible for so many attacks upon us in the West.
[McGregor] I think he was referring to Libya, Dr Arbatov.
[Arbatov] Yes, I understand. You know it is -- nobody has proven that Libya [changes
thought] United States try to demonize Al-Qadhdhafi and demonize Libya and they used
one target after another in doing this. But nobody has given proof; at least the proof
which were given by America were drafted only by Mrs Thatcher. Nobody else. Even the
president of France, Mr Fusyan, hasn't trusted it. So I think the question is wrongly
put. You have to prove it first that Libya is destabilizing the world and then asking
questions why are we supporting Libya.
[Fusyan] Mr Arbatov, I have heard that a young policewoman in London was shot on the
Libyan Embassy. It seems to me proof enough of the fact that the Libyans are involved
in terrorism [words indistinct].
[Arbatov] Well, you know this is also not a proof. You know there are a lot of
Americans who commit crimes here and there, and West Germans, they have got Red
Brigade, and then there are fascist and neofascist organizations. You cannot, because
of it, put a blame on the whole nations. I would say it would be most horrible approach
to any problem. Guilt by association.
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[McGregor] Dr Arbatov, are you saying that there is no proof as far as you are con-
cerned that Libya is connected with terrorism and that Col al-Qadhdhafi is?
[Arbatov] Yes, of course not. We think we are as much against terrorism as the West
is and we actually proposed cooperation in this field, specifying especially air and
land and sea traffic, and there can also be other areas. But you have to look from our
point of view. For instance, United States is the major villain in this sense in
supporting terrorism all over the world. What are contras? In our opinion, they are
terrorists over whom United States will lose any control in very short time. They are
providing now Stingers to Savimbi and to contras in Afghanistan. They will be on
Bazaars in Peshawar to be bought and then they will in half a year shoot down British or
French or American or Soviet civilian airplanes. So who is really guilty of this thing.
You have to look at real causes. I think the whole situation in Middle East is breed-
ing instability, is breeding despair, is breeding terrorism.
[McGregor] Dr Arbatov, you said you wish for international cooperation.
[Arbatov] And traffic in armaments is also breeding this.
[McGregor] _Can I ask for your comments, please, on -- you will have heard it on the
BBC World Service news -- that PRAVDA today saying that it does not feel that terrorism
should be top of the agenda at the Tokyo economic summit.
[Arbatov] Well, you know, because it is not about terrorism. In fact it is about what
President Reagan means on terrorism. He is tremendously selective about terrorism in
all his sympathies and antipathies. You know for him Pinochet is not a terrorist, he
is not a dictator. He is one of his pet dictators. But we look at it differently, and
most of the world looks differently. So we are not what PRAVDA meant today, it was not
against terrorism. Against terrorism, we are ready to participate and to discuss it.
It is a problem of whole humanity. By the way, it is stressed even by this accident.
Can you imagine an explosion at a nuclear power plant. What this can mean? It can
become often object of terrorism.
[McGregor] Thank you Mr Fusyan for your question from Calais in France. We now have a
caller who is in Leningrad in the Soviet Union, Aleksandr Benedictov. Hello, Mr
Benedictov. Your question please to Dr Arbatov.
[Benedictov] Good afternoon Dr Arbatov.
[Dr Arbatov] Good afternoon.
[Benedictov] My question is if is is necessary for an ordinary Soviet citizen to lean
to speak English first in order to put question to such high-ranking Soviet officials or
politicians.
[Arbatov] Oh yes; please phone me any day even in Russian. We can have this talk in
ordinary Russian. I will give my telephone number if you need it. It is now in
directories.
[McGregor] For that conversation, I think the point Mr Benedictov was making was that
conversation would not be heard by other Soviet citizens about us.
[Arbatov] Why? I speak a lot on Soviet TV and Mr Benedictov, if he listens to it, he
must know it and he must have seen me more than once.
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[Benedictov] Dr Arbatov, please, are you certainly planning to take part in similart
phone-in program of this (?type) that could be seen in the-SovietUnion.-
[Arbatov] Excuse me, repeat.
[Benedictov] So other Soviet citizens may take part in it.
[Arbatov] Well, you ask whether there are possibly such programs in Soviet Union. But,
you must -- really I do not know have you a TV at home? There were before the party
congress, I think -.7. three times a week for instance, led by Dr,(Vazinyanskiy) were
the ministers who sat around the roundtable, members of the cabinet;, and there were
six or seven telephones here: Justeverybody has seen it:and they were just in real.
time, not pretaped or something asking questions. Sometimes very difficult questions,
but they answered them.
[McGregor] But Dr Arbatov, as I: understand it, the questions are not, in those circum-
stances put directly by members-of the public. They are read out by announcers.
[Arbatov] No, they are given to the girl, the ..receiver, and she, and somebody. goes
from there. There it is on TV, nota broadcast. In broadcasting, I. think wehave'also
similar things, but lam not sure, about it. I tell you in TV, in TV you cannot just
put in. You also sort out, excuse me, the question. It is also not, direct and.not
open to all telephone calls. It would not be possible:
[McGregor] But Mr Benedictov is speaking directly to you Mr Arbatov.
[Arbatov] Yes, he is speaking directly to me. He can do it anyway. He could do it on
many occasions in our TV programs.
[McGregor] Mr Benedictov,,would you like to ask another question directly from
Mr Arbatov?
[Benedictov] I have never seen for all my life such high-ranking politician. as
Mr Arbatov is on the. Soviet television taking part in similar program as this-one.,
[Arbatov] Well, I' did not take part in such programs as this on our-TV. But people
much higher than I, deputy chairmen of Council of Ministers, of chairmen of Council of
Ministers, vice premiers and members of cabinet, took part in them and-there were, a lot
of them.
[McGregor] Thank you for putting your question, Mr Benedictov in Leningrad. We will
move on now to another caller and he is here in England-, in Manchester, Mr Mike-Hopkins.
[Hopkins] Good afternoon, Dr Arbatov.
[Arbatov] Good afternoon.
[Hopkins] Mine is a simple question in a sense, yet very difficult I suspect. The
question is: Why do you think successive U.S. Administrations have rejected the re-
peated Soviet peace initiatives (?that have) been 'made?
[Arbatov] I have great suspicion that-it is just because the-American-Administration
has something else in mind. We are for arms control, for disarmament. They are just
now in the midst of a massive military buildup. They do not want to stop it. They
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have plans to have military superiority over us. There are also vested interests inte-
grated in this process and I think this is the whole story; and the policy of the
United States is just, you know, what we call neoglobalism and they call it as trying
to assert their rights to be the upper judge, to be over international law, over inter-
national organizations, to punish all nations like Nicaragua, Libya, or Angola, or
Soviet Union, whoever you want. And this is just no way to live in a nuclear age;
[McGregor] .Mr Hopkins?
[Hopkins] Yes, I mean, Dr Arbatov's analyses fit my own reading of the situation. What
concerns me really is (?why) the United States does seem to have thiS stance? How is
the Soviet Union, through its policy, going to be able to change the U.S. policy such
that they do start talking seriously about the major issues that do face us?
[Arbatov] You know, Mr Hopkins, here is the really serious problem. We tried by all
means which are available. First of our examples. We did not explode, for instance,
nuclear weapons or any nuclear devices since August last year. But first our, you know,
persuasion. And also, but we understand very good. We can do quite a bit in this in
persuading American public, if not American President, American politicians, to change
their policy. But here everybody has to do it. We cannot do it alone and this accident
also in Chernobyl has shown, you know, that if something happens which is even not as
much a one single nuclear explosion, and people from Tokyo to Sweden become concerned.
And here it goes about nuclear war. So everybody has to be concerned. You can not be a
passive bystander and I hope that you Mr Hopkins and everybody else will take part in
trying, in this effort to try to persuade the American Government really to go in for
peaceful policy.
[McGregor] Dr Arbatov, as you will be aware a major stumbling block to the USSR's ,
peace initiatives being accepted by the Americans is that Americans feel that verifica-
tion is a problem; and how can they now accept your assurances of verification after
the Chernobyl accident and the long period of silence?
[Arbatov] Well, this is just what we are protesting here, because we feel that this
Chernobyl accident was taken as a pretext to avoid any serious talks on arms control
and disarmament. And this is not right, not correct because at the arms control nego-
tiations all the verification procedures are being negotiated about and they they are
absolutely necessary for an agreement, and so it is a pretext for, pretext to mislead
people to lead them away from really serious goal, from a goal to avoid a catastrophe
which will be millions time worse than Chernobyl -- you know, from nuclear war -- and
we consider it to be necessary. And we see such, you know, maneuvering around this,
and this is what.makes us really very tad 'about theWhole handling of this situation
:by Western governments and Western press.. I think Mr Howe was very correct on it but
I do not See many other manifestations of such common sense. I hope they will come.
By the way, people will also receive all the information about Chernobyl. Yow.are very
quick to-make conclusions. This just shows is if some people were already ready, just
looking for a Pretext, for something to happen just to discredit Soviet Union,. to dis-
rupt any amount of credibility of Soviet Union and to make it a bad part, look like a
bad part.
[MacGregor] So you think, Dr Arbatov, that by implication the visit of Blix and his
colleagues from' the International Atomic Energy Agency will be just the beginning of
allowing people from 'Outside in to look at Soviet installations?
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[Arbatov] Well, you know, you know there are some things which are not shown by
Western companies, for instance, [that] are being considered as commercial secret
theirs, and they have commercial reasons I don't think we have such reasons with our
equipment to other countries of this kind, we build in other countries, and there are
no secrets here and all of it will be, will own the relevant information which is -
really relevant, will be published. [sentence as heard] I,,by the way, know for sure
I have got most credible information I have that read all out information was correct--
that two people lost their lives during the accident, that around 20 peopleare'in cri-
tical situation, that many more people than before me were left away from the hospital
and now, I think, in the first days about 40 of them and 40 more now. ,But, of course,
this is serious, but this is how it looks. Ihia is how the accident really is and not
thousands or hundreds of thousands as was depicted by Western media..
[McGregor] Have you got information about when the accident happened exactly?
[Arbatov], Well, it must be, I'don't know. Is there -- would I known that you are in-
terested I would have brought this information. But it must be on late Saturday or
Sunday. In the night between Saturday and Sunday., somewhere there,- as far as I under-
stand. I promise you for our next meeting to bring you, by minutes andaeconds, cor-
rect information. -
[McGregor] And how many worker's were there in the plant, do you know that in word -
indistinct]
[Arbatov] I don't know, there were few workers in the plant; of course, you .know, it is
highly automatized. Work in the -- especially in the evening shift there are only
people who controlled what the readings have on different pieces of equipment
[McGregor] But as we learned from Mr (Bozios), it seemed 49,0,00 people approximately
have been evacuated.
[Arbatov] Yes?because we were verycautioup, so we evacuated- them.frolivseveraI miles
around for just in case some radioactive fallout, though there was no-explosion there,.
It was a fire. There was such fire at Britain, there were. such fires in the-United
States, this was worse, I think, but there was no chain reaction, no explosion.. So,--
the danger was for those in,immediate vicinity who got really serious-radiation and
those who suffered radiation, and they are in hospital,: ' As far as people In different
villages and small towns, maybe 10 or 12 km from this -- (?a perfect) measures of pre-
caution, because there can be radioactive fallout and we don't- want to-have it make
any risk with these people. But Kiev again, which is less-than 100 miles from,Chernobyl,
is in full order.
[McGregor] But earlier you said, Dr Arbatov, you didn't know what the. radiation
levels were; now you are saying people suffered serious through radiation.
[Arbatov] We had radiation, you knowagain,you:asked about it )LikeAt:Asia constant:
figure. It depends on the place. The radiation figure is different. At the reac-
tors-there was very high radiation, 100 M6ters from it was- very-high radiation.
The km from it was a danger not Of radiation but of radioactive- fallout-of this debris,
of vapor, or what has risen to high' above and then -could fall -out, Andlurther, -
let us say, 100 km from it there was no danger at all. It depends also on'theAirection
of the wind, of course.
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[McGregor] Thank you. We moved quite away from Mr Hopkins' question but I thank him
for that and we move now to Greenwich here in England not far from London and to David
Perkin, and he has a question for you, Dr Arbatov.
[Perkins] Hello, first of all I would like to say that I do not like to indulge in some
of the very one-sided questions that often gets from the West. But nevertheless there
is something very close to my heart which I think the Soviet Union must face, and that
is their frequently brutal treatment of artists whose only real crime is to express
their own talent. Now I would like to bring in one example here -- that is of a poet,
(Irina Ratistinkaya), whose paems had just been recently published in this country.
And for her we had a reading here in London at the poetry study. Now she has been in
prison for 3 years now in a 7-year sentence and the charge for her on which she was
sentenced was merely the writing and distribution over her book.
[Arbatov] No, it is impossible. It is just impossible. I know. You have very un-
dependable sources.
[McGregor] I wonder if I Can: interrupt because there is a story about this poet in
today's OBSERVER Dr Arbatov. (Irina Ratinsinskaya), 32 years 'old, who is in a labor
camp in Maldovia serving 12 years for alleged anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda.
[Arbatov] - This is different. This is not distributing... [changes thought] and how
many years?
[McGregor] Twelve,
[Arbatov] Twelve years, this must have been a very serious crime. I even do not 're-
member: I think it is not given for a such crimes such high sentence. But I am not
sure about this. .I will look after it. You know, what can I tell you. I hear this
name for the first time. We can-speak,about human rights.' I have a lot to say about
Northern Ireland, for instance. Or your ghettos, or your strikers who fought with
police yesterday must' have been striken against Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch, or something
else-. I think we should look after all of it. It is very important right Of every
person, the fate of every person.. -But again it should.not be made a subject of.propa-
ganda, unsustained by anyevidenCe,-'when. people just say 'what they have, heard and :by
hearsay just to create., just. t. spoil' the atmosphere. I do-not know about this given
case. I will ask about it, about (Ratinsinskaya).
[McGregor] She has been taken up by Amnesty International as one of its prisoners on
-conscience.
[Arbatov] Well,' your Amnesty International was wrong on
not absolutely irrefutable sources.
[McGregor] Will her case be brought before officials in
Helsinki agreement is being disaussed.again currently?
many occasions and they have
Bonn where of course that
[Arbatov] Well, Helsinki agreement does not. provide for such cases. -She can appeal.
She has her right to. appeal, just like in your country, there is court procedure herd,
professional Procedure which is openi.to everybody who is accused by something and she
. Will get attention in court and all organizations which provide...
[McGregor, interrupting] And there, Dr Arbatov, I am, afraid time has caught up with
us and I thank you, Dr Georgiy Arbatov for joining us today on "It Is Your' World."
It has been the most illuminating discussion. From all of us here to all of you,
good-bye.
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Ryzhkov, Ligachev Visit Area
PM041330 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 4 May 86 First Edition p 2
[Text] On 2 May, Nikilay Ivanovich Ryzhkov, meMber of the CPSU Central Committee
Politburo and chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers; and Yegor Kuzmich Ligachev,
member of the CPSU Central Committee Politburo and secretary of the Central Committee,
visited the Chernobyl AES area.
They_acquainted-themselveSwith. the situation in the area of the nuclear power station,
and with the participation of A governmental commission and, of leaders of the
Ukrainian-Communist Party Central Committee and the Ukrainian. SSR Government, party and
soviet bodies of Kiev oblast and.the.town of Chernobyl.. They also examined the mea-
sures being adopted to eliminate the locus. of the accident ?[ochag avarii] at the fourth
power-set of. the AES, to normalize-the.situation in the adjacent area, and to render
assistance to the local population:.
It was noted that work on overcoming the accident, and clearing its consequences is being
carried out in An organized manner, using the necessary Means.. Decisions have been
adopted'on'additional measures to speed up the work that is.underWay.
Comrades Ryzhkov And Ligachev visited populated points where they met working people
who had been tempbrarily evacuated from the AES area and interested themselves in the
organization of their way of life, trade and medical service, job-placement, and the
work of schools and preschool children's establishments..
Comrade Shcherbitskiy, member of. the CPSU Central Committee Politburo and, first secre-
tary of the Ukrainian Communist Patty Central Commitee; Comrade Shcherbina, chairman
of the government commission, and deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers;
Comrade Lyashko, chairman of the Ukrainian SSR Council of Ministers; and Comrade
Revenko, first secretary of the. Kiev Obkom, also took part in the trip.
Decontamination Under Way
LD030020 Moscow World Service in English 2100 'GMT 2 May 86
[Text] Reports from the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the
recent accident, say the level of radioactivity has, lessened considerably. There is no
fission reaction and the reacter is choked up. Decontamination of the polluted areas
adjoining the power plant is under way. The Chernobyl power plant is situated 130 km
north Of Kiev,* the capital,of the Ukraine. All offices and economic. facilities in the
city and around it are functioning normally. The condition of the atmosphere and the
quality of.drinking Water give no reason for concern. .
TV. Shows Extent of Damage
LD041811 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1700 GMT 4 May 86 '
[From the "Vremya" newscast]
[Text] Here you can See the area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power station. The
-shots are being taken from a helicopter. [Video shows aerial panorama with buildings
and trees: that'still appear to bear leaves. The buildings are too far away to see in
great detail.' The pilot of the helicopter is shown not to be wearing a mask of any
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kind] This is the actual station building. As you can see, there is no vast destruc-
tion about which the ranks of the Western mass media have not stopped talking. Only the
power set is damaged. All the ,production sites and neighboring buildings as well as
the supports for electric power lines are intact. [Camera pans from left to right of
station building of which -the roof on the right of shot has been blown off'. Other
buildings-and,pylons.are intact and power lines can be seen-stretching between pylongs]
Special units equipped with modern and.effective equipment' Ate-carrying out work to
clean the polluted areas adjacent to the territory of the station. [Video shows fur-
ther shots of terrain with trees and bridge. Vehicles can be seen crossing the bridge]
This is the power engineers'- settlement the surrounding area. According to the
latest statistics, the radioactivity on the'territory of the power station and in the
settlement has,.dropped by-between one:and a half and two times. . [Video'of further
aerial view of-wooded- area with road running Alongside neatest to camera.' -vehicle
resembling a minibus--can be seen driving along, the--road.- Apartment blocks can be seen
on the other side of the wood. The camera crosses- the wooded area to-give closer View
of the housing. Single sOall vehilce can be seen driving across a square among the
apartment blocks. No people' oranimals Are shown]
MATVEYEVIIITB.WEST'S STANCE ON ARMS TALKS., CHERNOBYL
PM051619 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 6 May 86 Morning Edition p 4
[Political Observer V,. Matveyev_article_Onder the !Notes Apropos" rubric: 'Decency
Is Not Their Rule"]
[Text] Official circles in Washington and London, which, are to blame for the fact that
the question Of the complete cessation of nuclear weapon tests is not being resolved,
are these days acting in the unseemly role of instigators of an anti-Soviet ballyhoo in
connection with the accident at the Chernobyl AES [Atomic Power Station].
This is no mere coincidence. At the very time when, to a propaganda. fanfare,
Washington was announcing the President's decision to set up a special group to "study
-the incident at the Soviet AES," it became known that a device had malfunctioned
during the undergrounddetonation of a p.s. nuclear weapon in Nevada on 10 April, The
radiation had gotten put of control. British nuclear 'weapons are also detonated there.
Our country has confirmed its readiness to return at any moment to A joint moratorium
with the United States with the provision that the latter does ,not conduct nuclear
tests. Even now, after an 8-month break in nuclear tests in our country, the Soviet
Government is in no hurry to resume tests, despite what is happening in Nevada.
Technical progress in the peaceful, civil sphere is not always smooth or even. All
incidents along that path serve- as a lesson to enable them to be avoidedjn-the future.
Mankind has mastered the most complex processes on this path and is undoubtedly capable
of also ensuring the safe development of peaceful atomic energy for people's good.
This is what, has to be worked at, and not only on the national scale but also on the
broad International plane by the collective efforts of states and governments.
But is thatalsbthe aim guiding the aforementioned circles An the West?
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"We are stepping up the pressure"... That, according to a WASHINGTON POST report on 3
May, is how a White House staffer characterized U.S. official circles' approach to
what happened at the Chernobyl AES.
Pressure, coercion, and strong-arm methods... People remain true to form in the centers
of power across the ocean. What kind of decency or norms oi morality can there be with
peoplewhohavethntheir conscience the course of "improving" an already monstrous weapon,
which they continue to test contrary to the world community's demands! The "pressure"
which the aforementioned White House staffer spoke of is yet another fact demonstrating
the ease and cynicism with which official Washington resorts to the methods of
"psychological warfare." They claim that they lack "information" even though they
must be aware that it takes a certain amount of time [neobkhodimo khotya by .
minimalnoye vremya] to clarify the facts of what happened. They claim that they are
trying to "give assistance" but in fact they are whipping up sentiments hostile to the
USSR.
Nor does the conduct of the British Government, which ostentatiously recalled a group
of tourists and students from the Soviet Union, look any better. If official London
is really so concerned it should turn its gaze toward Nevada and to Las Vegas, which is
just a few dozen kilometers from the site of the U.S. nuclear explosions! . There can
be no doubt that the world public will draw the appropriate conclusions from this
unseemly campaign launched by those who would like to make political gain of the most
disgraceful kind, since it is a question here of aims and schemes that have nothing to
do with concern for the fate of our planet. Such actions, such tactics deserve
nothing more than the most resolute castigation.
YELTSIN GIVES FRG TV FURTHER DETAILS ON CHERNOBYL
DW051816 Mainz ZDF Television Network in German 1700 GMT 5 May 86
[Report on interview with Boris Yeltsin, candidate member of the CPSU Politburo,
by unidentified correspondent; date and place not given]
[Text] How tight is Chernobyl now? What about safety there? How much radio-
activity continues to escape from there?
Yeltsin said there is no longer any nuclear reaction. However, there is certain
residue in the immediate environment of the reactor. Every hour some 100 roentgen
of radioactive radiation is still emitted into the environment of the spot of the
accident, he said.
The radiation that normally exists in nature amounts to 10 microroentgen per hour.
Yeltsin continues to state that measures are being taken to decontaminate the soil
in a surrounding area of 20-30 km. Life is proceeding normally outside of that zone.
The peasants are cultivating their fields; they are not taking any pills.
Asked what happened to the inhabitants of the area directly surrounding Chernobyl,
Yeltsin said: All people have been evacuated from that area. Special military units
have begun to decontaminate the earth with special equipment. They are gradually
approaching the reactor building and, very slowly, the inhabitants will be able to
return to that area as well.
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FRENCH PAPER CITED ON ANTI-SOVIETISM OVER CHERNOBYL
PM031907 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 4 May 86 First Edition p 5
[TASS report: "Article in L'HUMANITE"]
[Text] The French newspaper L'HUMANITE has sharply criticized the anti-Soviet campaign
stirred up by the French mass media in connection with the accident at Chernobyl nuclear
power station. The incident at Chernobyl has evoked irrepressible joy among anti-
Soviets, the newspaper observes. For them the accident has been a real godsend. For
3 days now the press organs have been vying with each other in describing the "horrors"
which are occurring in the Soviet Union. The newspapers, trying to outdo each other,
are expatiating on the Soviet Union's "technical backwardness," and on the "barbarity
of the system." At the same tine, objective French specialists are totally overturning
these fabrications. The West is sending up a hue and cry about the "inadequacy of the
information" which is forthcoming from the Soviet Union regarding the incident.
However, even the most detailed information will not satisfy the press "figures."
They preach not the cult of facts but are filled with fierce hatred for socialism.
Thus, taking advantage of the occasion, LIBERATION has cast doubt on the whole spectrum
of the Soviet Union's proposals on reducing nuclear arms.
FURTHER REPORTAGE ON CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT
PRAVDA Reports Details
PM052051 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 6 May 86 First Edition p 6
[Special correspondents V. Gubarev and M. Odinets report: "The Station and Around It;
Our Special Correspondents Report From the Region of the Chernobyl AES"]
[Text] Pripyat looks strange and unusual from the helicopter. Snow-white multistory
buildings, broad avenues, parks, stadiums, and playgrounds alongside kindergartens and
stores... Just a few days ago 25,000 power workers, building workers, chemical industry
workers, and river workers lived and worked here. But now the city is empty. There
is not a single person on the streets and no lights in the windows at night. And only
occasionally does a special truck appear on the streets -- the radiation monitoring
service... Sometimes the quiet of the riverside settlement is broken by the noise of
engines -- the next shift being taken to the Atomic Emission Spectroscopy [AES]:.
Three AES reactor units need supervision, and specialists are monitoring the station's
reactors, which have now been shut down [v rezhim konservatsii].
But the fourth reactor unit...
An explosion blew the roof off the reactor, structures collapsed over it, and a fire
broke out. This happened at night...
At the alarm signal from the fourth power unit Lieutenants B. Pravik and V. Kibenok,
chiefs of the AES fire crews, quickly roused their firefighters. After the explosion
the roof of the machine hall had caught fire, and they focused their efforts on putting
out the fire. They fought the fire at a height of 30 meters [ego sbivali na vysote v
tridtsat metrov]. The firefighters' boots stuck in the bitumen melted by the high
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temperature,andlit was difficult to breathe because of the smoke and heat but the
courageous heroes fought bravely: Major Leonid Telyatoikoy, who efficiently organized
work to put out the fire, set an:example of selflessness and of fulfillment of his
official 'duty. Specialists will later note that the firefighters' feat considerably
limited the scale of the damage.'
Nevertheless, What happened is something that. has always been most feared by physicists:
The reactor's armor-plated 'core- was exposed. Some radioactivity was released upward
and then a fire began inside. Furthermore, it was particularly difficult to extinguish
it because neither water nor chemical means could be used -- the high temperature would
instantly vaporize them and send them into the atmosphere. A complex and unusually
difficult situation had been created.
Let us note 'straightaway that to the honor of the thousands of people; who work at the
AES and live alongside it there was no panic, although there, were some scaremongers.
However, the disaster United people so much that they quicklTestablished order them-
selves.
As is Well 'known, some foreign agencies and all manner of radio stations tried to
instill panicby reporting the deaths of thousands_ of people, a nuclear explosion,
and the general irradiation of virtually all the. European part of the country and
neighboring countries-. And it is here. that those reports are being receivedwith
surprise, to put it mildly.. What can be more shameful than reveling in the disaster
that has occurred-1 '
In actual fact measures to ensure the population's safety and monitor events were
taken Very quickly.
Near the confluence of the Uzh River and the Pripyat River stands the one-story
Chernobyl Meteorological Station building. Eight times a day six of its staffers
check the air, analyze soil moisture, and observe cloud movements... Early that
Saturday morning station chief,Z.F. Kordyk herself took down the instrument readings.
One apparatus showed increased radioactivity. A sense of alarm gripped Zinaida
Fedorovna: Something has gone wrong at the AES, she thought, as she sent the regular
telegram with the meter readings to the republic's hydrometeorological center.
But by that time the evacuation of the Chernobyl AES settlement had already begun. It
was being conducted in a strict and well-organized way, under the guidance of soviet
and Party organizations. Suffice it to say that it took just 4 hours to assemble the
population of the power station settlement and ship them out. When they learned in
Kiev about the disaster on the Pripyat, many people went to their enterprises to offer
their assistance even though it was a Saturday. Dozens of drivers from Motor Vehicle
Transport Station [ATP] 09124 lined up outside the enterprise before the start of work.
After it was announced that work involving the transportation of the population out of
the Chernobyl AES zone had to be done, it was proposed that those drivers who did not
want to or could not go should take a step forward. Not one of them moved. They took
80 vehicles into the settlement and worked unceasingly. V. Brovarnyy, a Communist and
holder of the Order of Labor Glory, Komsomol member B. Levanda, and driver S. Drozduyk,
who has submitted his application to join the party'-- all of them drivers of Kiev
motor vehicle transport organizations -- have earned the gratitude of the AES settle-
ment's population. The tireless work of M. Sapiton, chief of the Pripyat ATP 31015,
merits all respect.
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Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from the area of the AES within a short
space of time. They Were transported to rayons neighboring Chernobylskiy Rayon, where
accommodation, dbmeetic and trade services, and medical services were arranged for
them. G. Goncharuk, a secretary of Ivankovskiy Party Raykom, told us that the evacuees
had met everywhere with concern and. heartfelt sympathy. In the village of Blidcha,'
Anastasiya Yakovlevna Leshchenko, a pensioner with a family of 5, took in 10 people
from Chernobyl. I. Kovalenko, a member of the "Radyanska Dkraina"'Kolkhoz from this
same village, gave shelter to seven people. The residents of.Ivankovskiy Rayon are
sharing everything with their neighbors, helping them to get- through a difficult time.
The villages of Borodyanskiy Rayon accepted more than 5,000 Chernobyl evacuees. Every-
where the people have been accommodated solicitously and have been provided with essen-
tials. The allocation principle is thus: The collective of a Chernobylskiy Rayon farm
is being housed in its entirety in a Borodyanskiy. Rayon farm. For example, the
"Komsomolets Polesya" Kolkhoz has been temporarily accommodated on the "Zarya" Kolkoz
in the village of ZagaltsY. The Chernobyl residents have been received compassionately
by the "Maydanovka" Sovkhoz, the "Peremoga" Kolkhoz, and all the remaining farms.
People are being allocated accommodation in the apartments of village soviet deputies.
These latter are fixing up the children in schools; the children of the new arrivals
are being taught in the first shift, while the local schoolchildren are attending the
second shift. The evacuees are assisting the local residents with the farm work.
sMoreover, Borodyanskiy Rayon is carrying out its corn and flax sowing without falling
behind schedule; the farmstead workers have made up the slight lag that had occurred,
and now the stockraisers here are ahead of schedule compared to this time last year.
Kiev's doctors responded solicitously to the misfortune which has occurred in the
Chernobyl region. On that last Saturday in April many of them were at their own city
hospitals and polyclinics in order to offer their personal assistance to the casual-
ties. Doctors at the city's Oktyabrskaya Hospital N. Putseva, L. Dubinskaya, and
L. Sirotinskaya effectively and swiftly established their own section at the site of
the calamity.
The medical workers of the 25th hospital
left Kiev regardless [v chem byli], with
I will be back soon." We have been told
A. Novikov, doctor's assistants, deserve
Chernobyl territory...
deserve to be spoken well of. Many of them
time only to say: "Tell my family and friends
that V. Melnik, a doctor, and V. Kiselev and
the kindest words for their selfless labor on
Despite all the complexity of the situation prevailing in connection with the accident
at the fourth power unit in the AES settlement and the nearby villages, order prevailed
throughout and continues to prevail. This has been maintained above all by the
population itself and the Komsomol volunteers. Traffic movement along the roads has
also proceeded and continues to proceed in a strict and organized way. V. kucherenko
and A. Stelmakh, workers in the AES settlement's militia department, have been .
operating efficiently and promptly in the difficult situation. The republic Ministry
of Internal Affairs has rated highly the courage and bravery of ,staffers in the
POlesskiy, Chernobylskiy, and Ivankovskiy Rayon militia departments.
Work to neutralize [po likvidatsii] the accident is now continuing at the AES. Shifts
headed by Brois Baranov, Vladimir Ignatenko, Nikolay Bekeehko, and Gennadiy Dik are
working on the cooling and shutting down of reactor units one, two, and three [dlya
obespecheniya paskholazhivaniya blokoV Nos 1, 2, 3 i ikh konservatsii]; and also on
liquidating the consequences of the accident-at.reactor unit No four. The shift
responsible for thermal and underground infrastructures [smena.teplovykh i-Oodzemnykh
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kommunkatsiy] and its chief, Nikolay Primak, are working in the most difficult
conditions. True courage and heroism is being shown by Vladimir Kozlikin and Vladimir
Ivanchik, fitters from the fitters shop, and Nikolay Gritsenko, senior foreman in the
electrical shop in charge of restoring the electrical supply circuit.
It is now the second week since the accident. The situation remains complex. The
main thing, however, is that the situation is being monitored [kontrolirovatsya] not
only near the AES but in neighboring regions. The level of radiation has decreased.
Careful monitoring [kontrol] of the environment is being carried out in Kiev, Chernigov,
and other major cities and smaller settlements. Additional measures to eliminate the
effects of the accident have been taken.
Council of Ministers Statement
LD051555 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1527 GMT 5 May 86'
[Text] From the USSR Council of Ministers: A ,complex of measures for removing the
consequences of the accident continued to be implemented it the Chernobyl AES on 4 May.
Decontamination of the. territory around the fourth set of the AES is being carried out.
The discharge of radioactive substances continues to decrease. Work has been set in
motion to erect dykes along the Pripet River near the AES in order to prevent the
possibility of its being polluted.
The radiation situation on the territories of the Ukraine and Belorussia is-stabilizing,
with a trend toward improvement. Necessary health and hygiene, and treatment and
preventitive measures are being carried out in' these areas. The population that has
been evacuated from a 30-km zone around the AES is being temporarily provided with work
at other enterprises, construction sites, kolkhozes, and sovkhozes.
IAEA Director Arrives in Moscow
LD051407 Moscow TASS in English 1359 GMT 5.May 86
[Text] Moscow May 5 TASS Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) Hans Blix arrived today in Moscow at the Soviet Government's invitation.
He was met at the airport by Deputy Chairman of the USSR State Committee for the
Utilisation of Atomic Energy B.A. Semenov, other officials.
Kovalev Meets With IAEA Director
LD061037 Moscow TASS in English 1019 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 6 TASS Kovalev, a first deputy foreign minister of the USSR,
received in the Soviet Foreign Ministry today Hans Blix, director,general of the
International Atomic Energy Agency-(IAEA).
Taking part in the conversation, which was, of a businesslike nature, also weriL.V._
Konstantinov of the USSR, a deputy ciirector-general of the IAEA, Morris Rosen' of the
United States, director of the Nuclear Safety Department of the IAEA, and V.F.
Petiovskiy, a member of the Soviet Foreign Ministry's Collegium.
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U.S. Radiology Expert Arrives
PM051409 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 6 May 86 Morning Edition p 2
[Text] In connection with the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power station,
expressions of sympathy and offers of help addressed to the Soviet Government are
being received, from foreign governments, various organizations, private companies,
and individual citizens. .
TASS is authorized to announce that the Soviet Government expresses its genuine
gratitude to all who have expressed their sympathy, their due understanding of whay
happened, and have offered their assistance and help. At the present time, the main
demands arising in eliminating the.consequences of the accident are being satisfied
by our own capabilities. Naturally, when assistance offered with good intentions may
turn out to be useful,, it sill be accepted with gratitude. In particular, the famous
U.S. specialist on radiology, Dr R. Gale has already arrived in the Soviet Union for
consultations. The general director of the International Atomic Energy. Agency (IAEA)
H. Blix is arriving in Moscow at the invitation of the Soviet Government.
It must be regretted, however, that against this broad background of sympathy and
understanding, certain circles are attempting to use what has happened for unseemly
political purposes. Rumors and fabrications running counter to the elementary norms
of morality have been put into propaganda circulation.. For example, fables are being
put out about thousands killed, panic among the population, and so forth. The people
.engaged in this are chiefly those who cannot accept the very spirit of trust and
detente/and for,whom the whipping up of enmity between peoples is 'a customary affair.
Every normal person knows that gloating at other people's misfortunes is an unseemly
business. .
As far as the Chernobyl accident is concerned, work is continuing at the station and in
the surrounding area to put right its consequences and to give aid to those who
suffered.
The operational staff at the station are reliably monitoring the condition of the three
other reactor.:installations, which have been shut down, and the reactor cooling systems.
Cleanup Work Continuing
LD051729 Moscow World Service in English 1310 GMT 5 May 86'
[From the "News and Views" program]
[Excerpts] We start the issue with a report about the situation in the area of the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant where an accident with one nuclear reactor occurred
several days ago.
Work continues on the site of the plant, situated 130 km north of Kiev, to eliminate
the consequences of the ?accident. The Soviet national television network carried a
report from the area. The sequences were shot from a helicopter. One could clearly
see that the plant building was only slightly damaged. Only one of the plant's four
generator units had been affected. All the production buildings and the settlements
of the plant workers, along with other residents who have been evacuated, as well as the
power transmission lines, are intact. Traffic continues along a nearby highway.
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Specialized units are clearing the polluted sites next to the plant's territory, On -
2 May a tour of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant area Was made bythe Soviet Prime
Minister Nikolay Ryzhkov and a Central Committee.secretarynf the Communist.Party, ?
Aegor Ligachev. It was noted that the,work to remove the consequenceanfthe accident,
is well organized. A decision was taken on additional measures to:speed up the-work.
According to the latest data the level:of_radiation.at the power-plant aad.near:it has
dropped from one-third to one-half of what it was.
The Soviet Government has been getting from abroad, from.various organizations, private
companies and individuals, expressions of sympathy. and offers of help.
The Soviet Government has informed a-number of neighboring European states and inter-
national organizations of the:scale-of. the accident and of the work.to:remoVe its
aftereffects. Specialists, including Western ones, speak positively about the actions
-taken by the Soviet salvage services to localize the Source of radioactive contami,
.nation. People understand that this is a misfortune, the first of its kind in the
entire more than 30-year-old record of operation of nuclear power plants in the Soviet
Union.
Yes indeed, tales about the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are spread by
those who do not accept the very spirit. of trust and easing of tension, who regard
inciting enmity among the nations as something routine.
TV Interviews Kievans
1D051917 [Editorial Report] Moscow Television Service in Russian at 1700 GMT on 5 May
' 1986 in its "Vremya" newscast carries a report by Mikhail Krutov and unidentified
special correspondents on life during and following the Chernobyl incident.
The "Vremya" anchorman begins by saying: "Our special correspondents report from areas
in the Ukraine and in Belorussia situated near Chernobyl.
"In the south of Gomel Oblast between the Dnepr and Pripet Rivera, basic. field work has
been' completed and potato planting is now under way on the last hectares," A video re-
port from a state farm on front-ranking sovkhoz shows potato planting operations, As
video shows cows grazing, the announcer continues; "The task is' being set to produce
great quantities of milk at this very time."
K.video report follows from Vatutin Sovkhoz, 40 km north of Kiev in Uzhgorodskiy Rayon,
which supplies Kiev with milk and vegetables,' "On the farm, on the plantations., and in
the fields, just everywhere today- we saw, normal working, .The farm is going along in its
normal labor rhythm'. The only thing unusual is perhaps the radioactivity and chemical
monitoring stations. They are constantly monitoring the environment and all the produce
that is being dispatched to the consumers. And so far there has been nothing in excess
of the permitted norms registered,"-- says the correspondent; as video shows peOple
picking what looks like spring onions, then a man with a Geiger,counter checking.boxes
-of spring onions.
The report continues with a video interview, of the farm director who says that everyone
is working in shock fashion and diSpatching lots of vegetables to Kiev: He continues:
"Everyone understands the-needto-work very,well right now in order4oi eVeryone'at his
work place to show models of shock labor. 'The point is that of course we all understand
that the accident that took place atChernobyl-AES has caused losses to the'state, and
so our task now is to make up for these losses." -
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Aleksandr Krutov then begins his video report from the streets of Kiev; where people are
shown comporting themselves in the usual way;
"Our television crew came to Kiev this morning early. We have called during the day at
many places, enterprises, and institutes. We have traveled on buses and on the Kiev
subway. Those in charge of the Velogonka Mira Bicycle race invited us to look at the
course. The Velogonka Mira bike race Opens tomorrow, as you know; and goes on in Kiev
for 4 days. The four stages will be held here. "We have talked to many people. Well,
what impression have we recieved? The mood I would say is calm and normal, What is
more, let us ask the people here themselves. Excuse me. We have a question for you.
We are from the "Vremya" program. How was your day at work today?"
A young man says, "I had a good day at work. We just got on with our work."
Krutov asks what the young man thinks about Western rumors of panic in Kiev. He replies
that all is calm and "there is no panic." A woman in the background agrees that all is
calm and people are at work as usual.
Krutov stops another passerby saying: "Excuse me please. Can I ask you a question.
-Voices in the West are going on and on interminably about panic in Kiev, in your oblast
here."
The man replies: "You know there is probably no panic, but we are worried about it
too."
'Kutov,next stops a young couple with a young child in a stroller. The woman gays that
she works lft aAtindergarten. Krutov Asks her: "Tell me please, What sort of mood are
you in?" .
The woman "Awonderful mood, We like* Kiev very much, We are not from around
here actually. We are having a walk around and looking at the squares. We are just
passing through and we really like Kiev."
Krutov goes onto interview a group of bus drivers on the street:
.[Krutov] I am from the "Vremya" program. How was your first day back atwork after the
holiday?
.[Bus -driver] ?Well, we all had to work over the holiday to -evacuate people from the area
around :Pripet and. Chernobyl. We worked on transporting people out, on evacuating them.
. In particular .we drove people to the BoTodyarkWy.itayon. The organization of the transport
was, you could .gay, well Organized. It has to be said that the general management of
our transport was not even disrupted.
[Krutov] You are a bus driver?
[Bus driver] Yes I am. I am chief of a (?bus convoy). And yes'indeed, everything was
well organized in our area.. The drivers showed great patriotism with regard to the
local,population. What was it like on site? Well there was no panic. All was very
.well organized,
-[Krutov] The Western mass media say there were thoudands killed there.
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[Another bus driver] No, that is completely not so. Utterly wrong. As a driver I took
part literally from the first days of the evacuation of people from the town of Pripet.
And that is completely all wrong. All was very organized at a very high level and all
the drivers understood perfectly well the task they faced. And all was done at the
highest standard to get all the people out.
The first driver then concludes by saying we must all campaign for peace and disarma-
ment and stop arms from going into space.
Kiev Student Gives Assurances
LD022123 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1700 GMT 2 May 86
[Report by correspondent A. Guretskiy with remarks by Kiev student K. Amadou, identi-
fied by caption -- date and place not given; recorded]
[Text] Spring and the May holidays add their usual concerns to this busy international
rail line, giving people a good reception and creating the best possible conditions
for their journey. As we know, there are five all-union tourist itineraries which run
through the border town of Brest and its hero-fortress. [Video shows the railway sta-
tion at Brest; view of the outside of the building; station platforms and tracks]
A train has arrived from Kiev. Its passengers include a group of students from Mali
who are completing their studies at the faculty of internatonal relations and inter-
national law at the University of Kiev. They are on vacation until 6 May and they have
decided to make a trip to Berlin. [video shows more scenes in the station; passers-by
in city streets]
[Amadou] We live in Kiev and feel nothing. People here are living normally and there
is nothing dreadful. We are leaving now but will be back soon. All the things they
are saying are lies, that is what I think. [video shows students speaking to '
Guretskiy out-of-doors]
Tourists Complain at Evacuation
LD021921 Moscow Television Service Service in Russian 1430 GMT 2 May 86
[From the "Vremya" newscast; interviewed tourists speak in English with superimposed
Russian translation throughout]
[Text] The Western mass information media are spreading slanderous fabrications con-
cerning the accident at the Chernobyl AES.
[Correspondent] I had a meeting with British tourists outside the Rossiya Hotel during
the festive merrymaking. Jim Tweedle, a railway dispatcher from Glasgow, and Ian Smith,
a Devon businessman, were on a tour around our country, that was organized by the.
Thomson Holidays tourist company. They say that their group, which comprised 17 per-
sons, visited Leningrad. Then they visited Novosibirsk and Irkutsk and spent several
days at Baykal.
[Jim Tweedle] We had a very fine and pleasant trip, a trip that none of us will forget.
Everything was wonderful until we were brought back to Moscow yesterday.
[Correspondent] I asked them the reason for their unexpected return.
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[Ian Smith] Suddenly an official representative of Thomson Holidays told us that an
atomic explosion has allegedly taken place in the Soviet Union. The city of Kiev has
been evacuated. Many people have died and thousands have been injured. We were also
told that our lives are in danger and that we must immediately leave Moscow.
[Correspondent] That is not true. The situation in Kiev is normal. People there are
also celebrating May Day, just as they are in Moscow.
[Ian Smith] I do not know exactly, but we have been told that special aircraft have
been flown here from Britain in order to urgently evacuate British citizens from
Moscow and Leningrad.
[Correspondent] What is your view of this?
.[Ji Tweedle] . I am very grieved. We all are very grieved that we have to leave Moscow.
Thousands of Muscovites have nbw come out into the streets and are celebrating May Day.
We can see that there.is no danger, as attempts have been made- to make us believe.
[Ian Smith] I also asked the Thomson Holiday representatives about this but they were
unable to give me a sensible explanation. One gains the impression that it is only
Thomson Holidays that is suddenly so concerned and has been exaggerating all this.
[Correspondent] T see, it is a provocation.
'Ian Smith] I am convinced of it.
[Correspondent] The fact that the order to urgently leave our country is dictated by
no means out of concern for their health was understood too by many Of these foreign
tourists, students, and postgraduates who have been urgently dispatched to
Sheremetyevo. However, efforts were made to convince them otherwise. [video shows
clothes being measured for radioactivity at entrance to aircraft]
.There you see how clothes are being demonstratively measured for radioactivity at the
entrance to the British aircraft. We were not allowed to take pictures in the air-
craft itself. Those who insisted on giving interviews to Soviet television were, of
course, allowed to leave the aircraft, but they had to emerge without their shoes on.
The fact is that they had been insistently requested to take off their own clothes,
and in their place they had been given these suits, thereby creating, by their ap-
pearance alone, a sensation when incidentally they descend the aircraft steps in
London.
[Unidentified interviewee] I had been studying Slavonic languages in Minsl.
[correspondent] Why are you leaving?
[Unidentified interviewee] Our embassy has insisted on it, indeed insisted very etti
[Second unidentified-interviewee] I have been studying in Kiev. I believe that the
accident is being used by the Western press for unseemly ends. All this has very
quickly been transformed into plain political propaganda. We are regretful and very
ashamed in front of our Soviet friends. I like your country, which I have already
visited on five occasions, and I do not want these events to be used to worsen
East-West relations. ,
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[Third unidentified interviewee] I was also engaged in research work in Kiev. I
objected sharply to the departure. I would like to be in Kiev. Our Soviet friends
would not have allowed a threat to our health to be created, or, incidentally, a
threat to the health of their children. The children would have been taken away
from Kiev if there had been the slightest danger. This is an example of how Western
propaganda functions. It was reported that 2,000 people were killed at the AES --
2,000 and not 2 as was actually the case. [video shows another young lady being inter-
viewed, but an official, presumably British, holds up his indicate that the interviews
are at an end]
[Correspondent] As you see, we did not manage to finish our talk, although we were
outside the British aircraft.
Foreigners Bemoan Departure
LD022042 Mowcow in English to breat Britain and Ireland 1900 GMT 2 May 86
[Identity of speakers not given]
[Text] Now as you may have heard in the news, the Soviet Union has already officially
denied rumors spread by some Western news agencies about the aftermath of the accident
at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, but even despite these denials the authorities
in some Western countries have obliged their citizens -- tourists, students and
teachers to leave the Soviet Union. We now bring you the recording of interviews
with some of these citizens:
[Begin recording] [first woman] I wanted to stay until the lastmoment. The whole,
thing is very, very sad. I had difficulty making the decision whether or leave ,or to
stay. These two were very...
[First man, interrupting] I have been studying at a language institute in Minsk,
the town of Minsk in Belorussia.
[Reporter] And now you are just in a short time leaving us, yes?
[First man] Yes, we are leaving for England.
[Reporter] What is the reason?
[First map] The reason is that our embassy have asked us to come out.
.[Second woman] I come from Kiev where I was also on a language course. It was, I feel
it was exploited by the Western press.
[Reporter] Why?
[Second woman] Well, because it because it became very quickly a political propaganda
and we are all very sad to leave. I am ashamed what is done to our Soviet friends,' be-
cause they have done, you know the utmost to welcome us. I have a great respect for
this country, I have been five times in the Soviet Union. I hope this is not going to
jeopardize the relationship between East and West.
[Third woman] I didn't want to leave Kiev at all in the first place, I wish I was there
now, and I voted very strongly against leaving. I believe that our Soviet hosts are
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very concerned about our health and I know that you love your children very much and
that if there was any danger to health the children would have been evaucated from Kiev.,
I know that some Western sources apparently indicated that 2,000 people had died in the
accident, which we know was...
[Reporter, interrupting] They were Soviets.
[Third woman] Soviets, and there were 2, not 2,000.
[Fourth woman] Because the information from the West was very distressing, but I just
don't know where the truth.
'[sentence as heard] [end recording]
Muscovites 'View Western Reaction
LD031755 Moscow Television SerVice in Russian 1700 GMT 3 May 86
[G. Sedov report from the iNremya" newcast; persons interviewed in Moscow street identi-
fied from captions]
[Text] Moscow. A usual picture of the capital's streets on nonworking days. Today
there are more pedestrians on the streets that vehicles. People are not hurrying any-
where, they are enjoying the spring air and the sunshine; they are sharing impressions
and discussing the news. One such item of news is the events at the Chernobyl AES
and the feeling of bitterness brought about by the unseemly row created by Western pro-
paganda in this connection.
[F.A. Shvets] Of course the reaction is surprising. There was the recent case of the
Challenger spacecraft: what grief was felt by our people. Well, the reaction of the
United States and its Western allies in connection with the accident at the Chernobyl
atomic power station is no doubt what one would expect: When politicians proceed from
the position of the worse things are the better they are, then no doubt it would be
foolish to expect anything else from them.
[Pensioner A.G. Gaplyuk] Well, an accident, a misfortune, but not on the scale for them
to whip up and provoke there. As for the foreigners, yesterday on television we saw
that they also expressed the opinion of our Soviet people, they also understand that
this is a provocation, that this is being whipped up in order to aggravate relations.
[Military officer V.I. Borodach] In general the inperialists always want to find any
grounds for distorting even facts in their own interests with the object of subsequently
justifying their drive into space, of taking nuclear weapons out there, and of justify-
ing precisely that new level in their desire for nuclear arms -- the new aspect regard-
ing space is what I have in mind. And that is all.
Kiev Radiation Level 'Low'
AU021551 Paris AFP in English 1542 GMT 2 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 2 (AFP) According to counts taken Wednesday, radioactivity levels
were low in Kiev, the Soviet Union's third largest city and the closest to the disabled
Chernobyl nuclear plant, Western experts said here Friday, quoting data relayed to for-
eign envoys by Soviet officials.
The experts said the level for the Ukrainian provincial capital of 80 micro-roentgens
per hour reported by Soviet Atomic Energy Minister Andronik Petrosyants was "weak".
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They note, however, that favorable winds had blown most possible fallout away from Kiev,
which is 133 kilometere (83 miles) from Chernobyl.
The British and Finnish ambassadors and the French and Austrian charges d'affaires here
were summoned to the Foreign Ministry Wednesday evening, and the Dutch ambassador on
Thursday.
Petrosyants: 'Severe Blow'
AU021621 Paris AFP in English 1617 GMT 2-May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 2 (AFP) -- The Soviet Union's nuclear energy chief, speaking to
Western diplomats, has implicitly acknowledged that last weekend's accident at the
Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Ukraine was the worst civilian nuclear mishap
in history, reliable sources said here Friday.
Andronik Petrosyants, president of the Atomic Energy Ministry, Was quoted by the sources
as having said the accident was a "severe blow to the peaceful exploitation of nuclear
energy, not only in the USSR, but in the world"
Mr. Petrosyants was one of three Soviet officials who briefed three ambassadors and two
charges d'affaires at the Soviet Foreign Ministry Wednesday Thursday.
He confirmed that, a meltdown had taken place in the core of the Chernobyl reactor,
and said a "protection zone' 30 km (20 miles) in radius had been set up around the '
plant.
Reassuring the diplomats of the safety of their citizens in the USSR, Mr. Petrosyants
also expressed satisfaction that Soviet experts had managed to control the graphite fire
in the plant without foreign assistance, the sources said.
KIEV PAPER OUTLINES CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS AT CHERNOBYL
LD040508 Kiev LITERATURNA UKRAINA in Ukrainian 27 Mar 86 p 1
[Pripyat resident Lyubov Kovalevska article: "The Decisions of the 27th Congress
Being Put Into Action -- It Is No Private Matter"]
[Excerpts] Outlining on the basis of comprehensive substantiation the strategy for
its economic policy, the 27th CPSU Congress also worked out specific, real steps for
the move to an economy with a higher level of organization and efficiency, comprehen-
sive development of productive forces, mature socialist relations, and a well-organized
system of management; it pointed to ways of implementing this strategy, the main one of
which is'reconstruction of the national economy on the basis of scientific-technical
'progress.
The nuclear power industry is developing particularly rapidly in the Ukraine: In 1984,
the capacity of the Chernobyl AES was already 4 million kw; moreover, bringing' the.
power sets up to design capacity was being carried out ahead of schedule Aprychomu
vvedennya enerhoblokiv na proyektnu potuzhnist zdiysnyuvaloSya ranishe ustanovlennoho
stoku]. All this enabled the Chernobyl AES to rank among the most progressive and
.
powerful nuclear power stations in the USSR and to make a great contribution to the
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power supply in the entire southwestern area of the country. Apart from this, since
September 1980, power from the Chernobyl AES has been supplied to CERA member-countries.
Since the station was commissioned, nearly 150,000 million kwh of electricity have been
generated.
Work on increasing capacities at the Chernobyl AES is continuing. Work is under way
on construction of the third phase, containing the fifth and sixth power sets, which
should be put into operation in 1986 and 1988. With the commissioning of these power
sets, the station's capacity will reach 6 million kw and it will become the most
powerful in the world.
Over the 15 years of construction at the Chernobyl AES, a builders collective has been
formed. It ,includes highly qualified workers who have been through formal training in
,building power projects in various parts of the country and gained great experience
during the construction of .the 4 million-kw power sets. During this work, quite a lot
of new and progressive factors have emerged. A strong body of technical engineering
workers has been formed. The successes of the builders, assembly workers, technicians,
and designers have been rewarded with high-level government awards.
Now, against the background of these achievements, the delay in construction of the
fifth power set is particularly noticeable. The plans and specifications for building
and assembly work in 1985 have not been fulfilled. Is this slump a coincidence? Of
course not, but it is not enough to give such a simple answer either. Let us not
assume the task of making a profound analysis of the conditions and consequences of
the collective's work, but dwell instead on the main factors, which are characteristic
of many construction sites in the country.
The building site should be an uninterrupted production line of work on the basis of
the strictest adherence to correct building techniques. This is precisely what is
lacking. The problems of the first set were passed onto the second, from the second
to the third and so on, but together with this, they expanded, "became overgrown"
with a huge humber of unsolved problems.
At first these problems were discussed with interest, with firm self-confidence, then
they aroused indignation and later, desperation was also added to this: "How long,
they said, are we going to go on talking about one and the same thing, and what is the
use of all this talking?..."
As for the fifth set.., the time allocated for its construction was reduced from 3
years to 2 and building work began in 1985 with minimal supplies. Added to this
change in work schedule and also tightening up of plans which were already tight, it
turned out [i ushchilnennya vlasnykh i bez toho napruzhennykh planiv] that no one was
ready -- not the designers, the suppliers, nor the builders themselves, whose
resources are naturally not infinite. But the directing bodies, sometimes even for
objective reasons, without increasing the strength of the building organization,
hasten to impose an unrealistic program, which is not backed up by resources and this
then leads to disorganization of building work and often to the collapse of the plan.
The late release of design and costing documentation by the "S. Ya. Zhuk" Gidroproyekt
Institute did not allow effective planning of distribution of orders for prefabricated
reinforced concrete and metal structures. The main bulk, let us say, of the latter
were ordered in the fourth quarter and this led, in turn, to a disruption in supplies.
The consequence of this was then lack of rhythm in the work of teams and stoppages.
It was a vicious circle. The structures only reached assembly organizations in
October-November, but the subdivisions were by then unable to do anything with them.
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The low quality of the design and costing documentation, which unfortunately is a
common phenomenon, caused additional labor costs and called for reworking and great
material and moral efforts. ?
Lack of organization weakened not only discipline, but also the responsibility of each
and everyone for the overall result of work. The impossibility, or even unwillingness,
of technical engineering workers to organize the teams' work lowered the level of
exactingness. "Fatigue" started to be felt, wear and tear of equipment, machinery and
mechanisms, lack of tools, instruments, and so on. In a word, all the shortcomings
in the building process, which are unfortunately typical, became acute and apparent.
There is yet another problem, a considerably more serious one. Due to the unscrupu-
lousness of the factory-producer, the customer cannot rid himself of defective material
and of disruptions in supply. ? Thus, in 1.985, 45,500. cubic meters of prefabricated.
reinforced concrete were ordered, 3,200 were missing, and out of the 42,300 cubic
meters received, 6,000 were faulty. Thus the reinforced concrete is there, but it
cannot be assembled.
I do not wish to suggest that the factory-producers do not have problems of their own
and complications, nor do I'want to pose as a teacher. All the same, I consider it
to be an abnormal situation when contract obligations are-constantIy violated. In the
"forefront" here is the "Dneprenergostroyprom" Association, which last year under-
supplied by 800 cubic meters of water-cooling tower structures, the "Severenergo-
.stroyprom" Association, which failed to supply more than 150 cubic meters of wall
panels for the machine hall and the "Lvovenergostroyprom" Association, which did not
supply more than 300 cubic meters of concrete slabs and pumping channels.
Equally "helpful" to the builders of the Chernobyl AES last year were the suppliers
of metal structures, who undersupplied by 2,358 tons, and what was delivered was
largely faulty. This included 326-tons of fissure sealant for the nuclear fuel waste
depository, which arrived in a defective state from the Volzhskiy-metal works. The '
same works was partially responsible for defects in the manufacture of girders for
the machine hall. The Kashira Metal Works sent nearly 220 tons of faulty columns for
its assembly.
The technical inspectorate (the department which monitors quality of supply and work)
has accumulated mountains of documents for designating the value of additional labor
costs and deducting this from the value of shoddy structures. And spoilage has to be
paid for, and paid for over decades.
Citing these facts, I would.like to draw attention to the inadmissibility of defects In
the construction of nuclear power stations and power projects in general, where the ?
strength of every structure must conform to a certain standard. Every cubic meter of
reinforced concrete must be 4 guarantee of reliability, and thus of safety. The main
factor governing everyone involved in the construction of power projects must be, above
all, his conscience. I am convinced that any person with a conscience finds defects
unacceptable, because this is degrading to him.:
It is offensive and insulting to the worker to have to correct mistakes made by-others,
because this shows, above all, a lack of respect for him. An absurd situation arises:
The structure has arrived, but it is of no use for assembly, and there will be no other.
Just how much self-control, sharp wittedness, strength, and nervous energy is required
from the builder to finally put a structure like this in order?
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Among the shoddy producers one frequently encounters the Pridneprovskiy Works of the
uSoyuzatomenergostroypromu Association which is the main supplier of farraginous
ferro?concrete for the Chernobyl AES. As to contractual discipline, it does not stand
up to any criticism. Out of the ordered 11,500 cubic meters last year only 10,300
cubic meters were received, nearly 1,000 cubic meters of which were parts of the frame
of the main premises. However, no changes for the better have occurred in the current
year: During the January?February period the shortfall amounted to 500 cubic meters.
The uSoyuzatomenergostroypiomn Association has not only failed to make good last year's
shortfall amounting to 3,200 cubic meters, but during the 2 months this year added to it
another 2,000 cubic meters out of the 12,300 cubic meters supplied, 5,000 cubic meters
arrived in a dismantled state.
A similar situation prevails where metal structures are concerned: The shortfall
amounts to 2;436 tons. If we are to look for the concrete culprits, then we have to
name the Kiev Works of Experimental Structures (744 tons), the already familiar
Volzhskiy Works (698 tons),. the Kurakhovskiy Works (477 tons) and the Donetsk Works
(182 tons).
The building of the social?cultural sector is being slowed down by the
Novovoronezhskiy Works: Out of the 530 cubic meters of farraginous ferro?concrete
ordered it underdelivered 380 tons, over a half!
FOREIGN MINISTRY HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHERNOBYL
Officials Comment
LD062143 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1755 GMT 6 May 86
[Press conference at USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 6 May
on accident at Chernobyl AES, moderated by Yu. Gremitsikh,
with B.Y. Shcherbina, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of
Ministers and chairman of the government commission; AB.
Kovalev, first deputy minister of foreign affairs of the USSR;
A.M. Petrosyants, chairman of the USSR State Committee for
Utilization of Atomic Energy; Y.S. Sedunov, first deputy
chairman of the USSR State Committee for Hydrometeorology
and Environmental Control; Y.I. Vorobyev, first deputy USSR
minister of health; Yemelyanov, corresponding member of the
USSR Academy of Sciences and deputy director of the Scientific
Research and Design Institute of Power Engineering ?
recorded] '
[Text] [Kovalev] What happened in Chernobyl is a calamity
[bedal, but lessons can be drawn not only from achievements but
also from tragedies. We are not the first to suffer from an
accident at a nuclear power station. Similar cases have occurred
in other countries too. What happened in Chernobyl confirms
again how cautious one must be in dealing with nuclear energy.
In this case, we are dealing with the peaceful use of nuclear
energy, with a controlled nuclear unit. But the energy of the atom
is also the basis for nuclear weapons; it is specially intended for
massive strikes, for destruction. If it were to be put into use, it
would be uncontrollable.
147
In the statement issued by the leaders of the seven developed
countries at their conference in Tokyo, they touched upon the
subject of nuclear safety. As well as making statements, which
are of an objective and generally positive nature, they are direct-
ing a reproach at us regarding the information we are presenting.
This reproach is totally unacceptable. As soon as any reliable
data appeared, they were immediately reported. As soon as the
facts became clear at the site, about the real state of affairs, we
started to report, and we report nearly every day. We do not
indulge in guesswork. We rely on the facts and data provided by
the best specialists and instruments.
Our authoritative and competent representatives present at the
press conference will talk about this.
I would also like to note in passing, not by way of reproach but
for the same of truthfulness, that 'when an accident took place in
the United States in 1979, the U.S. side did not sort out the causes
of what had happened at once by any means. It submitted
information to the U.S. Senate after 10 days and to the IAEA
after almost 2 months. Our approach, the Soviet approach, lies
in ensuring that the information is responsible, objective, trust-
worthy, balanced, or to put it in one word ? honest.
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[Shcherbina] Comrades, ladies and gentlemen. We have come
from the place around which passions are raging today. You
know about what has happened at Chernobyl from the reports of
the Council of Ministers and from TASS. What did happen
there?
On April 26th, at 0123, during a planned shut-down of the set
[blokl and at a power level of 200 megawatts thermal, there was
an accident at the fourth set of Chernobyl AES with partial
destruction of the core of the reactor and an escape of fission
fragments outside the limits of the station. The criticality of the
reactor was lost at this time. In connection with what has taken
place, the Council of Ministers formed a government commission
to take steps to make good the accident and to find out the reasons
for what happened. The commission includes eminent scientists,
leaders, and specialists from ministries and departments. Liter-
ally in a few hours the members of the commission were in the
locality [na mestel
Everyone naturally is interested in why this happened. Only
scientific and engineering investigation can answer this. Prelimi-
nary results now make it possible to conjecture that the most
probable thing is that there was an accident in the reactor.
Taking into account that the design and structural solutions
correspond fully to the norms of both our country and generally
accepted international practice, and that the quality of the
manufacture, the installation and acceptance of equipment was
properly checked, the cause of the accident could be the con-
sequence of the coincidence of several exceptionally unlikely and
therefore unforeseen failures. The activity of the staff on duty is
also being analyzed carefully.
Hurry and haste in drawing conclusions in any matter, not just
this one, are inappropriate. The commission has not completed
its investigations. Its report has not been submitted. It is not all
simple in a matter such as this. Time is needed, and a careful
account. There must be no mistake, we cannot err. The price of
such a conclusion is too high. I think that the majority will
understand us, and for those who are programmed for prejudice
and ill will ? for those it is all the same, one stereotype. White
is black. They invented raging fires, thousands of victims, total
destruction of the station. Now, when it is known that the entire
station is intact except for the fourth set, it is simply exaggerating
lzhivopisat] to say that it is now a wasteland without people. I can
report that today there are 150 people on duty at the sets, on duty
round-the-clock. Incidentally, work is also under way in the lower
zone of the fourth reactor.
They have reached it. Shielding [zashchita] is being constructed
from various materials ? sand, clay, boron, metals, lead ? in
order to curtial radioactive escape over the core: its upper part
is already covered with more than 4,000 metric tons of these
protective materials. As a result of the measures that have been
adopted, the radiation situation in the Chernobyl area is normal-
izing; over the past 24 hours the level has come down even
further. According to the results of systematic monitoring of the
radioactive contamination of places on the territory of the
Ukraine, Belorussia, and Moldavia, the radiation level has not
exceeded radiation safety norms established by the IAEA and
the USSR Ministry of Health. An increased level of radiation
has been noted on the territory immediately adjacent to the
148
accident site, where the maximum radiation level has now
reached 10-15 milliroentgen per hour. According to data com-
piled for 5 May, the level of radiation in these areas [as heard]
has fallen two- to threefold, including in the power workers'
settlement. The highest radiation?there was observed on 27
April. Water facilities and the Kiev reservoir are being monitored
regularly. The concentration of radioactive substances here also
presents no danger.
As a result of the accident at the station, 2 persons died and over
100 people received radiation damage [radiatsionnoye pora-
zheniye]. During the night of 26-27 April they were all taken to
Moscow and given essential medical assistance; that assistance
continues to be given. Some of them are in a serious condition. I
want to mention with satisfaction that Professor Gale and Profes-
sor Tarasaki, who have arrived from the United States, are
helping Moscow specialists.
In order to ensure the safety of residents in areas adjoining the
station, the entire population of the danger area was evacuated.
Verification was carried out in a very precise and well-organized
manner. As regards the moving of people from the 30-km zone,
the population is being given essential assistance ? medical,
material, and job placement in the new places where they have
settled.
A decision has been adopted on raising the rates of pay [tarifnykh
stavok) for workers in these areas. Provision of aid to families in
need ? clothing and other daily requirements ? is being given
free of charge.
In the areas of Ukraine and Belorussia, which have not been
evacuated, work is proceeding in agriculture, at enterprises, and
at all organizations. Those to whom has fallen the difficult job of
dealing with the accident, carrying out decontamination work,
and returning the areas to normal life, are conducting themselves
in a courageous and well-organized way.
Naturally, the question arises: Can it be that some people are
trying to use the Chernobyl situation to strengthen their future
position in the arms race and to distract the attention of the
people from vitally important issues, from the issues of the threat
of nuclear war and the program put forward by the USSR for
the total destruction of nuclear weapons by 2000? We should
think hard about this. Banning all nuclear tests would be an
important step on the road to the attainment of this aim. In
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev's recent reply to a message from
the leaders of six states, the Soviet Union's readiness was stressed
for the conclusion of the relevant agreements. Without in any
way belittling the seriousness of what has happened at the
Chernobyl station, we stand against political speculation and the
desire to undermine the positive international interest in Soviet
peace initiatives.
[Gremitskikh] I'll begin the written questions. Correspondents
from the newspaper MLADEN FRONT of the CSSR, the Jap-
anese newspaper YOMIURI, the ASSOCIATED PRESS
agency, and many others ask: What is meant by the reactor being
in a shot-down condition? Many journalists are interested in
whether the emission of radioactive substances has stopped. Over
to Comrade Yemelyanov, corresponding member of the Acad-
emy of Sciences.
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[Yemelyanov] The reactor being in a shut-down condition means
that the chain-reaction fission has been stopped. This happened
automatically in the damage-control shielding when the reactor
was at a mimimal power level ? which you were told about ?
of 200 megawatts. The reactor is still in that condition. Thus,
naturally, there are now no emissions of radioactivity connected
with the chain-reaction fission. There are none; there is only
emission of radioactivity through radioactive fission fragments
which accumulated in the process of the present work and which
became partially unsealed.
[Gremitskikh] Michael Davidov, correspondent from the U.S.
newspaper PEOPLE'S DAILY WORLD asks: What are rayon
leaders doing, what measures have they taken, to reduce to a
minimum the effect of this accident? How quickly was work
organized to clear it up, and what was done with regard to
medical aid?
[Shcherbina] When the radiation situation became dangerous,
buses with escorts were sent to every house and to every doorway,
with the result that from 1400 on the 27th to 1620, everyone was
taken out of the town. There remained only an insignificant
proportion of the necessary workers to service and maintain the
viability of the town itself? municipal workers, communications
workers, and certain others. As for the provision of medical aid,
the commission adopted measures to mobilize medical workers,
first and foremost from Ukrainian organizations in the town and
oblast of Kiev. In those places where people had been evacuated,
additional medical points were organized, medical services were
organized, the collection of blood, and the provision of iodine
preparations for the population. This is exactly what happened.
[Gremitskikh] Another group of questions which have come in
from the GDR Magazine NEUE BERLNER ILLUSTRIERTE,
the ASSOCIATED PRESS agency, a number of Japanese jour-
nalists, the television companies CBS of the United States, ARD
of the FRG, the NOVOSTI press agency, and others deals with
the nature of the radiation injuries and the methods of treating
the victims. Comrade Vorobyev has agreed to answer these
questions.
[Vorobyev] The press, the Western press, is reporting the most
varied figures for injuries and deaths among our Soviet people.
They cite figures of up to several thousands contaminated. I say
again that only two were people killed. One of these died from
heat burns: the burns covered 80 percent of his body, but in
spite of all the measures that were taken, he died. These burns
were absolutely huge. And the other person died from injuries
incurred from things falling on him. Those are the two people
who died [pogibli] in the first 24 hours after the accident. A mere
204 people were taken to hospital after being diagnosed with
radiation sickness ? 204 people, that is with varying degrees of
contamination with [word indistinct] radiation. There are three
groups of contamination: slight, medium, and severe. Of these
204 people, 18 people were diagnosed as having a severe degree
of contamination. All 204 were taken immediately [svoe-
vremenno] to the very best, qualified clinics in the Soviet Union,
and they are being given every possible kind of help ? including
using bone marrow. All types of antibiotics are being used,
everything possible which exists at the present time is at our
disposal for giving help.
149
I must say there has also been a question about whether the
Soviet Union accepted help from foreign states. I would like to
point out with satisfaction that Professor Gale from the United
States has arrived in the Soviet Union and is giveng consultative
help. He is a great expert in the field of bone marrow transplan-
tation. We hope that Professor Gale, apart from his own exper-
ience, will be able to give other help to the victims, including a
number of medicines.
A second well-known scientist, immunologist Professor Terasaki,
arrived from the United States on 5 May, also to give consulative
help in treating the victims.
[Unidentified journalist] NEPSZABADSAG, Hungary. I would
like to ask: What consequences have there been in neighboring
countries from the accident; for example, with us in Hungary?
[Gremitskikh] Similar questions are also asked by journalists of
the ASSOCIATED PRESS agency, Danish television, and sev-
eral other journalists. They are interested in the opinion of Soviet
specialists on the question: Is there any kind of danger to the
population of other countries as a result of the accident at the
Chernobyl AES? Evidently this is one for Comrade Sedunov.
[Sedunov] The following can be said about this: In our opinion,
there was no direct threat to the population either of our areas
which are far enough away from the site of emission, or of foreign
countries.
Certainly, the relevant services registered a rise in the natural
background radiation. This is also noted by our radiation service.
Because of the meteorological conditions in the first few days
after the accident, such a result did take place successively in a
northern direction, then in a northwestern direction, then west-
ward, then southward, and this gave rise to a situation where
signs of enhanced radiation coming in waves were noticed succes-
sively in various foreign countries.
Up to I May, for example, an enhanced level of radiation was
noted in the Polish People's Republic. After 2 May this enhanced
level was noted in the territory of Romania. We consider that his
emission was shortlived; it was insignificant, not high. The raising
of the level in the areas contiguous to the bordering territory
shows that in comparison with the background the rise was about
fivefold. That is, here the average background radiation amounts
to about 100 milliroentgens an hour.
[Gremitskikh] A large group of questions deal with the problem
of the safety of Soviet nuclear power stations. This is asked by
Japanese journalists, from YOMIURI in particular, the cor-
respondent of Finnish television, and many others.
[Petrosyants] The scientific and technical standard of work con-
nected with nuclear power engineering in the Soviet Union, the
plans for nuclear power stations and atomic reactors are at a very
good technical level. In addition, for a number of individual units
and items, they are superior to foreign ones.
Yes, an accident happened. A large accident, an unusual one, one
out of the ordinary. But it must not be forgotten that in the Soviet
Union there are 41 atomic power units. They have been working
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now for 30 years, or even a bit more. Incidentally, conventional,
classical power engineering has been in use in the world for about
130-140 years. So nuclear power is a young technology. In spite
of this, it has nevertheless managed to become reliable and
confident, and it works like this quite within the norms of safety
and reliability.
The accident at Chernobyl AES confirms yet again that indeed
there might be individual instances leading to such unpleasant
consequences. But to assert, or to think, or to declare that nuclear
power in the Soviet Union is worse than that abroad is incorrect,
to say the least.
But this is technology. The technology is young, the technology
is very critical [ostraya], very complex, and, I would say, in a
number of questions it is problematic.
To speak of foreign countries, I will give you some examples. In
Britain, at Windscale, in October 1957, there was an accident at
an industrial gas graphite reactor for the production of plutonium
? plutonium for nuclear arms. The accident happened as a result
of an uncontrolled fission of energy. The reactor core overheated
and the graphite caught fire.
The fire at the reactor lasted more than 2 days. There was an
emission of radioactive fission products into the environment.
Incidentally, there was a large quantity of radioactive iodine, as
has been reported here, in the active core among other things.
And it must be noted that the radioactive cloud from this
phenomenon, from this accident, was detected in both the FRG
and Norway.
A second example: In Idaho, United States, on 3 January 1961,
an accident happened at the boiling water reactor SE-1. The level
of radioactivity increased as a result of a sudden withdrawal of
a regulating rod which, incidently, happened during the main-
tenance procedure. This was the fault of the personnel. And this
increase in radioactivity caused a sharp increase in power and,
again, considerable melting of the core. An emission of active
materials into the reactor hall and the environment took place.
And, by the way, the accident caused the death of personnel at
the station. One more example which you know well: At the
Three Mile Island nuclear power station in the United States in
1979. A major accident happened there, and the world was
agitated. And one can give a number of additional examples. This
is new technology and science which, unfortunately, also in some
cases requires sacrifices.
[Gremitskikh] STERN magazine correspondent (Frederics), and
(Nicholas Danilow), correspondent of the U.S. NEWS AND
WORLD .REPORT magazine, ask first: What was the highest
level of radiation recorded in the USSR on 26 April in Chernobyl,
Kiev, Gomel, Minsk, and Moscow? And second: What was the
maximum radioactivity in a radius of 30 km from Chernobyl
AES, and what is the radioactivity in this region now? I think
Comrade Sedunov, yes? Please!
[Sedunov] Esteemed comrades. As .far as the concrete maximum
radiation levels connected with the 26 April accident are con-
cerned, first of all I would like to say that in Moscow no change
in the natural background radiation level has taken place. In
Chernobyl the level rose to 15 milliroentgen an hour. And as the
deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers has said already, it
has currently dropped threefold. In Kiev, the level at the moment
of emission was at.the natural background, levellna mrovne fona]
and only 3 days ago, apparently because -of,the southerly wind
direction, the level there changed substantially and is now 0.2
milliroentgen an hour. In Minsk, there was no substantial
increase over the natural background level. In ,Gomel, the sit-
uation is approximateley similar to the situation in Kiev.
[Gremitskikh] AP, STERN magazine, and Japanese journalists
ask: How do Soviet experts view the problem of using nuclear
energy in light of the Chernobyl AES accident?. Is not the
conclusion that the scale of using it should be reduced?
[Shcherbina] Nuclear power production will continue to develop
? and develop throughout the world at a high rate. In the Basic
Guidelines for the development of the country's national econ-
omy approved by the 27th party. congress -- many of you, of
course, have read these materials,? we are required to put into
use in this 5-year plan period power capacities of the order. of 40
millions [as heard] at nuclear power stations which means that
nuclear power production industry will not be stopped. Nuclear
power production will develop, and it is necessary to undertake
all the new measures, probably, additional, some new additional
scientific ideas and designs will appear, in order to provide more
reliability so that no chance happening puts these reactors into
an emergency situation.
[Gremitskikh] And here is a question to the press section of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Correspondent (Martin) of the
GLOBE AND MAIL asks: In 1979, during a similar accident
in the United States, correspondents had an opportunity to visit
the scene of the accident. Why do you not organize a similar trip
now? If you have nothing to conceal about the accident, why do
you keep it a secret?
On behalf of the press department of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, I can tell you that we will consider the possibility, of
organizing such trip. And, of course, you must understand that
if the trip does take place, the group will not be too large.
150
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Further Remarks
LD061838 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1440 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] A news conference for Soviet and foreign journalists was
held in Moscow today at the USSR Foreign Ministry press center
in connection with the accident at Chernobyl nuclear power
station. Comrade Kovalev, USSR first deputy foreign minister,
addressed those assembled. He said in part:
[Begin Kovalev recording] As you know, reports are being pub-
lished regularly on behalf of the USSR Council of Ministers; they
contain reliable information. A few days ago the Chernobyl
nuclear power station,region was visited by Nikolay Ivanovich
Ryzhkov, member of the CPSU Central Committee Politburo,
chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, and Yegor Kuz-
mich Ligachev, member of the CPSU Central Com'mittee Polit-
buro, secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. With the
participation of the governmental commission, the leadership of
the Communist Party and the government of the Ukraine, and
local leaders, they reviewed measures being taken to eliminate
the consequences of the accident and for helping the population.
Today, at this press conference, in addition to data which has
already been published, we wish to present to you information
first hand, as they say. Before handing over to Boris Yev-
dokimovich Shcherbina ? as has already been announced, he is
also. chairman of the governmental commission in connection
with the accident at Chernobyl nuclear power station ? I would
like to draw your attention to two or three general aspects.
The USSR 'expresses sincere gratitude to the governments, public
organizations, and individual citizens who manifested or
expressed sympathy in connection with what happened at Cher-
nobyl nuclear power station. We accept with gratitude the help
that is offered with good intentions, and which might prove
useful. On the other hand, the conjectures and fables which are
being heaped up around the Chernobyl accident, and which
pollute the information environment, have a perfectly obvious
and at the same time political and hostile underlying cause ? an
underlying cause which is hostile to the USSR and to our people.
Of course, what happened in Chernobyl is a calamity [beda], but
lessons can be drawn not only from achievements but also from
tragedies. We are not-the first to suffer from an accident at a
nuclear power station. Similar cases have occurred in other
countries, too. What happened in Chernobyl confirms once again
how cautious one must be in dealing with nuclear energy. In this
case we are dealing with the peaceful use of nuclear energy, with
a controlled nuclear unit: But the energy of the atom is also the
basis for nuclear weapons; it is specially intended for massive
strikes, for destruction. If it were to be put into use, it would be
uncontrollable.
In the statement issued by the Tokyo conference of leaders of the
seven developed countries, they touched upon the subject of
nuclear safety. Making statements, which on the surface appear
to be of an objective and generally positive nature, they direct
reproach at us regarding the information we are presenting. This
reproach is totally unacceptable. As soon as any reliable data
appeared, they were immediately reported. As soon as the facts
became clear at the site, about the real state of affairs, we started
151
to report, and we report nearly every day. We do not indulge in
guesswork. We rely on the facts and data provided by the best
specialists and instruments.
I should also like to note in passing, not by way of reproach but
for the sake of truthfulness, that when an accident took place in
the United States in 1979, the U.S. side did not immediately
identify the causes of what had happened. It submitted informa-
tion to the U.S. Senate after 10 days and to the IAEA ? the
International Atomic Energy Agency ?after almost 2 months.
Our approach, the Soviet approach, lies in ensuring that the
information is responsible, objective, trustworthy, balanced, or
to put it in one word ? honest. The experience of the last few
days has revealed something very unsightly, and that is that this
latest hysteria is being organized and directed from one center
? the United States ? and obviously in accordance with the
same old scenario.
It is not at all a matter of the accident at the nuclear power
station; it concerns something completely different. Certain mili-
taristic circles feel that they are on shaky ground. It is shaky
because world public opinion is decisively calling for an end to
nuclear tests and for eliminating nuclear weaponry altogether.
That is, it is calling for precisely that which the Soviet Union is
putting forward. Such are, to put it plainly, the real motive forces
behind the stream of lies being issued forth, the forgeries and
garbled facts. All this is being done by those who would like to
destroy international trust and now allow a return to detente, to
complicate international cooperation in every possible way.
The lessons to be drawn from what has happened confirm again
and again the main conclusion: Governments and peoples, all
mankind, have no right to forget what terrible danger lies in
nuclear weaponry. This is why it is so important to multiply the
efforts of all countries and peoples for an immediate cessation of
all nuclear tests and to embark finally upon reduction, and then
total elimination, of nuclear weaponry. This is precisely the aim
of the Soviet initiatives put forward by Mikhail Sergeyevich
Gorbachev, general secretary of the CPSU Central Committee,
in the statement of 15 January this year, and confirmed and
developed from the rostrum of the 27th CPSU Congress. [end
recording]
Comrade Shcherbina, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of
Ministers, chairman of the governmental commission, then
spoke.
[Begin Shcherbina recording] You know about what happened at
Chernobyl from the Council of Ministers and TASS reports. Just
what happened there?
On 26 April at 0123, during a planned shut-down of the set [blolc]
and at a power level of 200 megawatts thermal, there was an
accident at the fourth set of Chernobyl nuclear power station,
with partial destruction of the operational area of the reactor and
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an escape of fission fragments outside the limits of the station.
The criticality of the reactor was lost at this time.
In connection with what happened, the Council of Ministers
formed a government commission to take measures to make good
the accident and to discover the reasons for what happened. The
commisison includes eminent scientists, leaders, specialists from
ministries and departments. Literally in a few hours, the mem-
bers of the commission were in the locality [na meste) and
chemical protection units arrived there with additional protection
forces.
Taking circumstances into account, the scientists and specialists
worked out specific measures and began to put them into prac-
tice. The necessary amount of various equipment, helicopters,
and material were deployed to the Chernobyl area. Accident
repair work is now being carried out at the station. The fist,
second, and third sets have been put on standby. After what took
place, they were all operating. Round-the-clock monitoring of
their status and activity [deyatelnost] is being carried out. The
third set, situated next to the damaged set, of course requires
careful technical examination before start-up. As for the first two
sets they are ready to produce power at any time.
Everyone, of course, is interested in why this happened. Only
scientific and engineering investigation can give the answer to
this. Preliminary results make it possible today to conjecture that
most probably there was a chemical explosion in the reactor.
Taking into account that the design and structural solutions
correspond fully to the norms of both our country and generally
accepted international practice, and that the quality and the
(?administration) of the installation and receipt of equipment was
properly checked, the cause of the accident would be the con-
sequence of the coincidence of several exceptionally unlikely, and
therefore unforeseen, failures. The activity of the staff on duty is
also being analyzed carefully.
The accident in Chernobyl has stressed once again that the
problem of safety is very important for everyone. Hurry and haste
in any matter, let alone this, are not compatible. When it is known
that the whole station is intact except for the fourth set, it is
simply exaggeration to say that is is now a wasteland without
people. I can report that today there are 150 people on duty at
the sets, on duty round-the-clock. Work is also under way,
furthermore, in the lower zone of the fourth reactor. A barrier
[Zashcital is being constructed from various materials ? sand,
clay, boron, metal, lead ? in order to curtail radioactive escape
over the operatoinal area: Its upper part is already covered with
more than 4,000 metric tons of these protective materials.
As a result of the measures that have been adopted, the radiation
situation in the Chernobyl area is normalizing; over the past 24
hours the level has come down even further. According to the
results of systematic monitoring of the radioactive contamination
of places on the territory of the Ukraine, Belorussia, and Mol-
davia, the level of radiation has not exceeded the nqrm of
radiation safety established by the IAEA and the USSR Minis-
try of Health. According to data compiled for 5 May the level of
radiation in these areas has fallen two- to threefold, including in
the power workers' settlement. The highest radiation there was
observed on 27 April. Regular monitoring of water facilities and
the Kiev reservoir is under way. The concentration of radioactive
substances here also presents no danger.
As a result of the accident at the station, two pesons died and
over 100 people received radiation damage [radiatsionnoye
porazheniye]. During the early hours of 27 April they were all
taken to Moscow, where essential medical assistance was given
them; that assistance continues to be given. Some of them are in
serious condition. I want to mention with satisfaction that Profes-
sor. Gale and Professor Tarasaki, who have arrived from the
United States, are helping Moscow specialists.
For the purpose of ensuring the safety of residents in areas
adjoining the station, the whole population of the danger area
was evacuated. Verification was carried out in a very precise and
well-organized manner. As regards the moving of people from
the 30-kilometer zone, the population is being given essential
assistance ? medical, material, and job placement in the new
places where they have settled.
In those areas of Ukraine and Belorussia which have not been
evacuated, work is proceeding in agriculture, at enterprises, and
at all organizations. Those to whom has fallen the tough job of
dealing with the accident, carrying out decontamination work,
and returning the areas to normal life are conducting themselves
in a courageous and well-organized manner. I wholly share the
fully understandable unease over the consequences of the acci-
dent, and! value highly the expressions of sympathy offered us.
At the same time, we are bound to remark ? and here I am
endorsing what has been said by Comrade Kovalev ? that in the
West, and this includes some government circles, attempts are
being made to use Chernobyl to undermine trust and cooperation.
The most common complaint by far has been the reproach that
we have not been prompt enough with information. But let us be
realistic. Literally a few hours after it happened came the gov-
ernment decision to set up a commission. More than half the
members of the commission were at that time in different parts
of the Soviet Union, thousands of kilometers apart. And yet we
arrived there and got down to work on the same day. We certainly
had one or two things to sort out, to sort out in depth, to get to
the bottom of what had happened. Immediate assessments had
to be made, and we were on the spot where this had happened: It
was not as though we were viewing the situation from afar.
Therefore, when it was reported to the government on 28 April,
governments of other countries were given all possible informa-
tion at that time about what had happened. Therefore, govern-
ment announcements have been published almost every day and,
as has been said, IAEA Director General Mr Blix, has now
arrived in the country. We have nothing to hide. All work will be
carried out to give the final conclusions, and in keeping with our
being a member of the IAEA,, all the necessary information
connected with this will be submitted according to the established
I procedures.
Today, one can convince oneself yet again how various informa-
tion organs try to misinform the public. Western propagandists,
as it were, strive to give the impression that they cover this matter
objectively, but in essence they are blacktning the USSR,
crudely ignoring the information provided by the Soviet side.
Attempts to make use of the Chernobyl nuclear power station
152
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accident for selfish political aims fundamentally contradict the
interests of cooperation in the matter of resolving the urgent
problems facing mankind in the use of nuclear energy. Naturally,
the question arises, can it be that some people are trying to use
the Chernobyl situation to strengthen their future position in the
arms race and to distract the attention of the people from vitally
important questions ? from the questions of the threat of nuclear
war, from programs put forward by the USSR for the total
elimination of nuclear weapons by the year 2000. [end recording]
The participants in the press conference replied to many ques-
tions from journalists.
Kovalev on Danger of Nuclear Energy
LD061329 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1242 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Moscow, 6 May (TASS) ? The entire course of events in
connection with the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power
station and the measures to eliminate its consequences emphasize
with a new and special strength the quality of the Soviet political
and state system ? its sense of responsibility, a respqnsibility for
the life and health both of Soviet people and also of foreign
citizens present in our country -- stated ? Anatoliy Kovalev,
USSR first deputy minister of foreign affairs, at a press con-
ference which took place here today for Soviet and foreign
journalists.
Of course, he continued, what happened at Chernobyl is a
misfortune. But lessons are drawn not just from achievements,
but from tragedies, too. We were not the first to suffer from an
accident at an atomic power station. Similar incidents have taken
place in other countries, too. What happened in Chernobyl
confirms once again the caution that has to be shown in handling
nuclear energy. In this case, the representative of the USSR
Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed, it is a question of the
peaceful use of atomic energy, of a controlled nuclear unit. But
the energy of the atom has also been incorporated in nuclear
weapons, it is specially destined for a mass strike, for destruction.
Once it has been set in motion it becomes uncontrolled.
The lessons of what has happened, the USSR first deputy min-
ister of foreign affairs said, confirm again and again the main
conclusion: Governments, peoples, all of mankind has no right
to forget the terrible danger that is inherent in nuclear weapons.
That is why it is so important to multiply the efforts of all
countries and peoples for the urgent halting of all nuclear tests
and for ultimately embarking upon the reduction of nuclear
weapons, going so far as its complete elimination. The Soviet
initiatives, which were put forward by Mikhail Gorbachev, gen-
eral secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, in his statement
of 15 January of this year and which were confirmed and
developed from the platform of the 27th CPSU Congress are
directed toward precisely this. And precisely these goals are
served, too, by the proposals and deep and wide international
Monitoring, including on-site inspection.
Media Reaction to Conference Noted
LD071023 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 0230 GMT 7 May 86
[From the "International Diary" program
[Text] The attention of the foreign mass media has been attracted
by the press conference held in Moscow on issues connected with
the accident at the Chernobyl AES. The progressive press notes
that the press conference was a logical continuation of the policy
of providing the public with a wide range of information on this
event. It supplemented the reports regularly published in the
USSR and contained detailed, reliable information.
Citing the speech made at the press conference by Comrade
Kovalev, USSR first deputy minister of foreign affairs, REU-
TER picks out his words expressing the USSR's sincere gratitude
to governments, public organizations, and individual citizens who
have expressed their sympathy about the accident.
In the commentaries one's attention is drawn to the speaker's
words to the effect that on the other hand the political backdrop
to the event, obviously hostile to the Soviet Union, contains
conjecture and fabrications which dominate this event. This
latest hysteria is organized and directed from one center, from
the United States, according to the same old scenario, BTA
reports, quoting the press conference. And it is not about the AES
presented by Oleg Brinov]
accident at all. Some militarist circles feel that under pressure
from world public opinion the ground is shaking beneath their
feet. This is because world public opinion is decisively demanding
an end to nuclear tests and the elimination of nuclear weapons
? a position supported by the Soviet Union. This, ADN points
out, is the real motive force behind the torrents of lies covering
the pages of some of the Western press.
News agencies draw attention to Comrade Kovalev's view that
the lessons of what has happened yet again support the fun-
damental conclusion that governments, peoples, and all mankind
have no right to forget how terrible is the threat inherent in
nuclear weapons. This is why it is so important to intensify the
efforts of all countries and peoples toward an immediate end to
all nuclear tests, and ultimately to embark upon reducing and
then totally eliminating nuclear weapons. The USSR first deputy
minister of foreign affairs said that this is the aim of the Soviet
initiatives proposed in the 15 January statement made by
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev and confirmed and developed
from the 27th CPSU Congress platform.
153
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PRAVDA'S ZHUKOV ON U.S. REACTION TO CHERNOBYL
PM061436 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 6 May 86 First Edition p 4
[Article by PRAVDA Political Observer Yuriy Zhukov: "Accidentally Dropping the
Mask. Who Is Fueling the Anti?Soviet Ballyhoo and Why"]
[Text] In recent months the world public has been viewing the
current U.S. Administration's blatantly provocative foreign
policy escapades with understandable concern. The United
States leaps at any excuse to heat up further an already tense
situation, sow distrust and discord among the peoples, and poison
the political climate.
And the purpose of it all is to divert attention from the criminal,
aggressive actions of the United States, like the reeent bombing
of Libya and the undeclared wars against Afghanistan, Angola,
and Nicaragua, to justify the intensification of the arms race, the
continuation of nuclear tests, and the refusal to accept the Soviet
peace initiatives.
The other day the escalation of these provocative actions reached
a new peak. The U.S. state apparatus and the news media which
do its bidding put out some fabrications about the consequences
of the accident at the Chernobyl AES. These fabrications are at
odds with fundamental moral norms. The purpose of the new
anti-Soviet campaign is to further fuel distrust of and enmity
toward the Soviet Union. Everyone knows that vigorous steps
were immediately taken to eliminate the consequences of the
Chernobyl accident and to aid the victims. As required, the
Soviet Union informed the leaders of many countries of what had
happened at Chernobyl. The USSR representative at the United
Nations, addressing a plenary session of the General Assembly,
talked about the work being done to eliminate the consequences
of the accident.
UN Secretary General Perez de Cuellar expressed satisfaction
that the situation at the Chernobyl AES was under control. Many
governments, organizations, and private citizens in various coun-
tries offered the USSR words of sympathy and the Soviet Gov-
ernment expressed sincere gratitude for them. The vigorous,
selfless actions of Soviet bodies and specialists have won the
respect of those who appreciate the significance of these actions.
It was only senior figures in Washington and in the capitals of
some other NATO states who immediately latched on to the news
of the Chernobyl accident in order to exploit it for their own
hostile political ends. The fueling of hysteria and panic began.
Cock-and-bull stories were concocted about "thousands of dead"
and about the possibility of the population of Western Europe
and, in all likelihood, the United States being affected by radio-
activity. Prompted by Washington's special propaganda services,
the West European gutter press started concocting fabrications,
each one more awful than the one before. Expert panic-mongers
began the forced evacuation of Western students, specialists, and
tourists from the USSR, even if they were in Siberia.
Soviet citizens were able to see on television angry, protesting
tourists literally being herded onto aircraft that had been spe-
cially sent to collect them, made to change into clothes provided
by the authorities, and subjected to special checks which invari-
ably showed, as one might have expected, that they had not been
affected by any radiation while in the USSR.
The organizers of the new campaign of provocation are stepping
up the pressure on the U.S. NATO allies, demanding that they
stop buying foodstuffs from the socialist countries and prohibit
their citizens from going there.
There is more in the same vein. Washington has been at pains to
undermine trust in the Soviet proposals aimed at eliminating
nuclear weapons. Again it has put forward the false thesis that
there can be no agreement with the USSR on this since effective
verification [kontrol] of observance of agreements would be
impossible because U.S. reconnaissance satellites and other
facilities set up for observation purposes failed to register... the?
Chernobyl accident, THE NEW YORK TIMES wrote. (Pen-
tagon spokesman R. Sims said that Washington learned of the
accident from a Soviet Government communique, although, as
he put it, "our reconnaissance operation is splendid." A
statement by U.S. Vice President Bush himself was in the same
vein.) Finally, it got to the point where the Chernobyl accident
came under special scrutiny at the meeting of the heads of the
, seven major capitalist powers in.Tokyo ? the U.S. side used the
topic in order somehow to play down the friction between the
allies as a result of increasing contradictions in the economic
sphere and the U.S. aggression against Libya.
154
But the dense cloud of dust whipped up by certain Western
politicians and propagandists has begun to settle. On the evening
of I May U.S. and West European television companies were
forced to show pictures received from Kiev and Minsk, which up
to that point had been described as cities allegedly affected by
the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident. Stunned Americans
, saw the festive mass demonstration taking place there.
CBS reported: "People in Moscow are dumbfounded, wonder-
ing why there is so much fuss about this in the West." Another
company ? ABC ? reported that "the Soviet authorities are
still allowing Western tourists to visit Kiev, which is 80 miles
from the scene of the nuclear accident," although the U.S.
Administration is telling people to refrain from making trips
there and to the USSR in general.'
THE NEW YORK TIMES published a report from Warsaw that
a radiation specialist who had been rushed in from the United
States carried out measurements in the U.S. Embassy living
quarters and in U.S. diplomats' apartments and was forced to
state that he had "found nothing untoward." And so on and so
forth...
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The sensation grew. The French television company TF-1 said
that Western news media (they alone?!), "endeavoring to present
their own version of the 'news,' were helping to fuel anti-
Sovietism in the West." U.S. reporters dashed for clarification
to the special interdepartmental group set up on instructions from
the U.S. President "to examine questions connected with the
accident at the Chernobyl AES." L. Thomas, administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency, was thrown to the wolves
and found himself in a difficult situation. He was forced to state
that "this incident poses no threat to the health of Americans."
And later he had to admit, albeit with reservations, that the
"casualty figures reported by the Soviet side may (0 be true."
Having received clarification which basically demolished the
version fed to them by the administration, the U.S. journalists
angrily told Thomas that the U.S. Government had "drawn
irresponsible conclusions" in its assessment of the Chernobyl
accident. Suddenly realizing his mistake, the agency administra-
tor rejected the journalists' assessment, but once something has
been said it cannot be unsaid.
White House and State Department spokesmen had to heat up
the unappetizing broth of Washington lies again and again,
reiterating old fabrications which had already been exposed. In
that way the "chronic liars," as late U.S. President Roosevelt
called these experts at dirty work, began to lose their masks.
The ballyhoo over the events in Chernobyl had an effect that
Washington had not bargained for: It made Americans look
around and ask themselves ? but what is the situation here, at
U.S. nuclear power stations? There emerged a truly alarming
picture which the authorities had carefully concealed. The first
to sound the alarm was Senator Glenn. He made available a
confidential, unpublished report by the Congress General
Accounting Office showing that from 1971 through 1984 there
were 151 accidents at nuclear power stations in 14 countries, the
term accident signifying, according to Glenn, a "significant
discharge of radioactive material or cases of radioactivity affect-
ing people" and a "considerable deterioration of safety systems."
Many of these accidents occurred in the United States, but they
chose to keep quiet about them, stating that U.S. equipment
precludes the possibility of such "incidents."
But even this information paled beside a report circulated by the
U.S. "Public Citizen" organization whose authors, as has already
been reported in PRAVDA, demonstrated that there have been
around 20,000 "incidents and faults" since 1979 at U.S. nuclear
power stations alone, and the number is rapidly growing.
So the unsavory ballyhoo kicked up by Washington over the
accident at the Soviet nuclear power station has rebounded on
the organizers of this disgraceful campaign. Soviet people do not
gloat over failures and accidents at U.S. nuclear power stations.
They appreciate that the development of nuclear energy is com-
paratively new, difficult, unexplored territory. It requires busi-
nesslike cooperation among scientists, specialists, and engineers
in all countries.
It is high time those who in their blind anti-Sovietism and
anticommunism are quick to use any excuse to speculate on
someone else's misfortune realized that in a civilized society such
unsavory escapades can only arouse the condemnation they
deserve.
ZHOLKVER: U.S. PUBLICITY DISTRACTS FROM DISARMAMENT
LD061934 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1800 GMT 6 May 86
[Commentary by Political Observer Aleksandr Zholkver]
[Text] The newspapers, radio, and television in a number of
Western countries, primarily in the USA, are continuing a noisy
campaign concerning the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear
power station.
I will point out first of all that accidents at nuclear power stations,
unfortunately, occur not too rarely and happen in many coun-
tries. Thus, for example, according to data that were disclosed in
the U.S. Congress recently, between 1971 and 1984 151 acci-
dents took place at nuclear power stations in 14 countries.
Incidentally, the greatest number of dangerous incidents was
recorded last year in the United States itself, where socalled
major faults were recorded at one in 10 nuclear power stations.
At the end of March, a serious incident took place at a British
nuclear power station in Kent. But this became known only in an
incidental publication in the London paper the OBSERVER last
155
Sunday. Another British paper, THE GUARDIAN, remarked in
this connection that this accident is far from being the only one
that has occurred at British nuclear fuel processing plants; in
particular, THE GUARDIAN recalled that as a result of the
catastrophe at the Sellafield nuclear plant, 13 people died.
Bearing in mind that nuclear power engineering is still a little
known and difficult thing, it would seem that such accidents
should not arouse delight in the misfortune of others. Nor should
it in this case. Current statements by certain high-ranking Amer-
ican officials, however paradoxical it may seem, are full of
undisguised feelings of malevolence. The desire to avoid a
response to the demand of world opinion to support Soviet
proposals on nuclear disarmament comes through fairly
transparently. That is why anti-Soviet hysteria is going full steam
ahead here, and people in the West are being scared by "radio-
active winds from the Soviet Union."
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True, those who understand a little bit about these things do not
support the panic-mongers. Thomas, a director of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, for example, acknowledged
that reports from the European countries indicate a low level of
radiation, and that there is no threat to the health of Americans.
Incidentally, if one is talking about a threat, not just to
Americans but to all mankind, then, as noted at the press
conference in Moscow today, it is linked above all with the
nuclear arms race. The reason for this most dangerous race is
sufficiently well known. It is Washington's refusal to accept the
Soviet proposals on nuclear disarmament, and, first and fore-
most, ending nuclear weapons tests.
So I cannot but agree with the West Berlin paper DIE WAHR
HEIT when it writes: Those who are now attacking the disaster
at Chernobyl AES and at the same time saying nothing about
the catastrophic consequences of the military use of nuclear
power are just hypocrites.
WEST SAID TO MAKE FALSE REPORTS, HIDE OWN INCIDENTS
LD052326 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1830 GMT 5 May 86
[Announcer?read report from "The World Today" program presented by Farid Seyful?
Mulyukov]
[Text] The attention of overseas mass media has been attracted
by the TASS report in connection with the accident at the
Chernobyl atomic power station. In essence, the commentaries
amount to this: that work to get rid of the consequences of this
accident and to give assistance to its victims continues at the
station itself and in the surrounding locality. Neither has it
escaped foreign observers that the Soviet Government expressed
sincere gratitude to all those who expressed their sympathy and
understanding of what has happened and who offered assistance
and cooparation. Certain circles in the West, however, continue
to gloat over someone else's misfortune, which is in itself an
unworthy thing to do.
The screaming headlines that have appeared on the front pages
of bourgeois U.S., British, and other Western newspapers are
intended to deceive public opinion and not to report actual facts,
the Portuguese DIARIO writes today. Thoroughly false asser-
tions about the number of accident victims have been dictated by
a clear intention to play up to reactionary forces in their dirty
game directed against Soviet society and its achievements. Com-
pletely groundless, too, are the statements made by some western
figures about the lack of sufficient information from the Soviet
Government, the Portuguese newspaper continues. Reports from
Moscow have given an extremely clear picture of the accident
itself and the measures being taken to eliminate its consequences,
DIARIO notes.
I would like to draw your attention to yet another aspect of the
noisy campaign in the West. The accident at the Chernobyl AES
is deliberately being blown up in Washington, London, and other
Western capitals, but, at the same time, they are deliberately
keeping quiet about similar incidents in their own countries. Last
year, the greatest number of dangerous incidents took place at
atomic power stations in the United States since the major
accident at the Three Mile Island atomic power station near
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1979. This was the conclusion
reached by Markey, a member of the House of Representatives
of the U.S. Congress, on the basis of an analysis of the annual
report of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which was pre-
sented to Congress. The report stresses that major incidents or
faults were recorded at one-tenth of all atomic power stations in
the United States last year. Even if one takes into account the
fact that the federal authorities are inclined to play down the
seriousness of accidents that take place at atomic power stations,
the data that have been given are evidence of violations of safety
techniques and give rise to alarm, Markey stressed.
156
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UK REACTION TO CHERNOBYL TERMED 'SENSATIONALISM'
PM061456 Moscow LITERATURNAYA GAZETA in Russian 7 May 86 p 9
[APN and LITERATURNAYA GAZETA correspondent Viktor Orlik dispatch under the rubric
"How Anti?Sovietism Is Produced": "For the Sake of Sensationalise]
[Text] London ? It is quite possible that some of the British
students who flew into London from Kiev and Minsk at the
request of their government following the Chernobyl AES acci-
dent may have heaved a sigh of relief on their return home.
According to a report by THE GUARDIAN, however, many of
them are indignant at being sent home. They suspect that the
Western mass news media exaggerated the danger caused by the
accident. They accuse the Western press of wishing to gain
political advantage from events in Chernobyl.
Indeed, the false, biased, and totally unfounded reports which
flooded the local newspapers cannot be described as anything but
an attempt to take advantage of other people's misfortunes. They
started by citing data obtained via a U.S. spy satellite to the effect
that many thousands of people had died, that an explosion had
allegedly occurred at a second reactor, and that there was an
increasing leak of radioactive elements into the atmosphere and
a deadly danger threatening the USSR's neighbors to the west
and northwest. Later, when none of this was confirmed, they were
forced to admit reluctantly that these data were "incorrect" and
to retract the reports.
The Chernobyl accident caused mainly a flood of speculation
instead of sympathy for the victims among the local press and
right-wing political circles. The mass news media, blowing up the
consequences of the accident beyond the limits of credibility,
attempted to discredit the Soviet program for the utilization of
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, to generate political mis-
trust in the USSR as a partner in nuclear disarmament talks, to
divert the world public's attention from the aggressive U.S.
policy, and to reduce the intensity of anti-American feelings in
Europe and the world. The desire to cause economic damage to
the USSR and the socialist countries exporting certain foodstuffs
to West Europe was by no means their least consideration. It is
easy to understand that this pushes up the prices of commodities
produced by Western corporations. According to newspaper
reports, grain, livestock, and sugar prices have already shot up in
the market.
As regards the radiation which was used to frighten residents in
Scandinavian countries, according to the FINANCIAL TIMES,
Gunnar Bengtsson, director of the Swedish National Radiation
Protection Institute, has declared that the level of radiation there
now is not at all dangerous to people's health.
Official announcements and reports presented to Western repre-
sentatives in Moscow and other countries contained all the
necessary information about the occurrence. But the Western
mass news media needed sensational, "terrifying" news. This is
why they resorted to the tested method of concocting it, sacrific-
ing objectivity for the sake of traditional and vulgar anti-
Sovietism.
'POLITICAL EXPEDIENCE' BEHIND WEST'S REACTION
LD961451 Moscow in English to North America 2300 GMT 5 May 86
[Commentary by Vladimir Pozner]
[Text] This past Sunday two American friends of mine who have
Soviet wives told me about the frantic calls they have been getting
from home. Their mothers, it seemed, were almost basket cases.
They'd been getting all this news ? and I put that word in quotes
? about the Chernobyl atomic power station accident, and they
were convinced of several things. First that the radiation was
worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined, second that at
least 25,000 people were already dead, third that the whole
European territory of the USSR was contaminated, but that all
of this, even the fact of the accident itself, was being hidden from
the Soviet people.
But frankly I wasn't surprised, (?yet) only because on Friday
night, 30 April, [as heard] just before I left Moscow for Leningrad
I received four calls in a row from the U.S., three from TV
stations in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and California and one
from the NEW YORK POST. The questions they asked were
like: Is it true that 20,000 have died, why is Kiev being evac-
uated? As they asked these and siniilar questions, I asked myself
do I perchance detect a note of glee, a, shall we say, tonal rubbing
of hands?
157
Well, to make a long story short, the U.S. reaction ? better said,
a significant portion of that reaction ? to the Chernobyl acci-
dent, has led me to the following thoughts:
Number one, prior to the partial test ban of 1963 (?the) United
States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union tested nuclear weap-
ons in the atmosphere; and after the signing of that treaty,
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nuclear weapons continued to be tested in the atmosphere by
France and China. Now, some of those tests had high yields and
yet nobody except a few peaceniks were screaming about radio-
active fallout in the United States. Why? Well, because the
policy was pro-testing, and I sincerely hope everyone realizes how
far removed the Chernobyl accident is from testing in the atmo-
sphere. So the question I ask is: What has changed? And the
answer is: Nothing, because the ho-hum attitude of the media to
atmospheric tests then and the eye-popping, hair-raising
approach to Chernobyl now, are both the result of political
expedience.
Number two, official Soviet sources have thus far given the
casualty list as 2 dead and 18 in critical condition. The state of
affairs has been on national TV every day, as well as the subject
of newspaper reports. According to the United States media, the
number of dead is supposed to be upward of 20,000, a mere
10,000 times more than the official Soviet figure. They also say
that people here know nothing about the 'accident because the
Soviet media are saying nothing about it, a disaster more terrible
than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. So I ask myself a
second question: How can a self-styled free press, that supposedly
prides itself on its integrity, first create rumors and then present
them as information to its audience without even the slightest
concern for truth or responsibility? And again I get the same
answer: Political expedience. For to make things, anything at all,
look worse in the Soviet Union than they really are is politically
expedient.
And that brings me to number three. A sincere desire to render
aid has been voiced by many individuals and organizations
around the world. Needless to say, we are grateful for them.
Others however have seen fit to exploit the Chernobyl accident
to promote their political interests. Let it be said that accidents
at atomic power plants have happened before. Can anyone guar-
antee they won't occur in the future? Far from being an occasion
to point fingers, (?they) should serve as rallying points where
international combined efforts (?can) lead to major advances in
dealing with what will ultimately be humankind's boon or bane,
the (?harnessed) but never harmless atom.
CHERNOBYL 'CLOUD OF LIES' OVER U.S., W. EUROPE
LD061543 Moscow World Service in English
[Commentator Aleksandr Putko analysis]
[Text]Throughout the past few days we've all been following with
understandable attention the regular government reports about
the elimination of the consequences of the accident at the Cher-
nobyl nuclear power plant that's situated 130 km north of the
city of Kiev, capital of the sovereign Republic of the Ukraine.
Here's an analysis from our commentator Alelcsandr Putko. He
writes: ,
This is the second week since the accident, which occurred at
night. Structural damage was caused and the reactor was also
damaged. Some radiation escaped. A fire began and it has been
unusually difficult to put it out, since water and the chemicals
fire fighters usually resort to would have instantly evaporated
because of the extreme heat and would have escaped into the
atmosphere. All this has been reported in the mass media. On
television screens we could see eports from the site of the
accident and from nearby areas. People involved in the events
described how assistance was given to the casualties, how well-
organized and panic-free was the evacuation of the residents of
the power plant's community and nearby communities, what the
situation is like in the neighboring localities.
Misfortune is misfortune. Of course it makes all normal people
sorry. All the people correspondents have been talking to have
spoken about the problems that have to be solved when the many
thousands of the evacuees have to be resettled in safe areas. Some
people told correspondents bitterly that the Western propaganda
media have been using this accident in order to further aggravate
the situation, to poison the political climate. Well indeed, a cloud
of lies is floating now over the United States and the West
European countries. A stream of dirty inventions has been dis-
charged into the atmosphere of international relations. But
1410 GMT 6 May 86
158
silence is being kept on many things. The Western press tries to
omit the fact that energetic measures have been taken in the
Soviet Union to cope with the consequences of the accident, and,
as could be expected, the Soviet Government has informed the
leaders of many countries about the accident. The Soviet ambas-
sador to the United Nations described in a speech at a plenary
meeting of the General Assembly how the aftereffects of the
accident are being removed. The United Nations Secretary.
General Perez de Cuellar has expressed satisfaction over the fact
that the situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is under
control.
And yet much is being written in Western newspapers about a
panic that allegedly hit Kiev, about the failure of the crops in the
Ukraine. All this is being done in order to divert the attention of
people from the aggressive actions of the United States ? for
instance, the recent bombings of Libya ? from the continued
arms race. But now lets return to the events at the Chernobyl
plant. According to the latest reports the situation there is still
complex. Yet the main thing is that the situation is under control.
Engineers and workers are busy cooling and shutting down the
other reactors. The level of radiation is falling off. It is being
thoroughly monitored everywhere in the nearby areas. Field
work, also under such control, is well in progress.
A report has just been shown on television from a large vegetable
-farm near Kiev. And this is what the manager of the farm said:
The manager of the farm said that all the workers on the farm
are toiling hard and that the farm has just sent another batch of
vegetables to Kiev. The vegetables have been checked for radio-
activity. No increased radiation was found. The work to ,
eliminate the consequences of the accident continues.
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IZVESTIYA REPORTS ON CHERNOBYL AREA EVACUATION
Situation 'Under Control'
PM071004 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 7 May 86 Morning Edition p 6
[A. Illesh report: "The Situation Is Under Control. IZVESTIYA's Special
Correspondent Reports From the Chernobyl AES Area"]
[Text] Kiev Oblast ? It has already been reported that an
accident occurred at the Chernobyl AES near Kiev. A fire broke
out inside the AES building, in the No 4 reactor unit. It was a
matter of exceptional complexity to extinguish the flames ? the
fire could not be controlled by either water or chemicals. The
high temperature would have instantaneously transformed
everything in the fire zone into steam.
Our reportage will cover matters that are evident today and the
measures being taken to eliminate the consequences of the occur-
rence. In order to do this we will have to turn back to the night
of 26 April. Let us recreate the sequence of events with the help
of IZVESTIYA's Kiev correspondents N. Baklanov and S.
Tsikora.
It was 0127 hours. The duty crew of the No 2 Military Fire
Fighting Unit, on duty at the power station at that time, heard a
roar. Duty crew chief Lieutenant V. Pravik automatically
recorded the time. The very next instant the fire fighting unit's
premises echoed the howling of the siren ? the duty crew chief
had sounded the alarm. But the firemen had themselves realized
a second earlier that their help would be needed and were already
on the move, putting on their protective clothing while running
in the direction of their vehicles.
The controller-switchboard operator immediately contacted the
fire fighting unit in the city of Pripyat and then the central fire
fighting control unit of the Fire Protection Administration under
the Kiev Oblispolkom's Main Administration for Internal
Affairs. The fire fighting services were operating at the highest
precedence for calling out subunits ? precedence three. This
priority demanded that reserves would also be placed on standby
at the fire fighting units. All off-duty staffers were immediately
placed on alert. At that time Lieutenant Colonel I. Kotsyura,
deputy chief of the Fire Protection Administration, chiefs of
departments, and other officials left Kiev by car in the direction
of the AES. The situation at the power station was extremely
complicated ? the roof of the machinery hall was on fire. The
first task was therefore clear. The main point was to extinguish
the flames.
The fire had to be fought at a height of 30 meters. This was not
just a matter of working at height. The firemen had to make
incredible efforts to advance step by step toward the fire; the
bitumen on the road surface was melting in the infernal heat, and
boots became heavier by the minute, getting caught in the Molten
mass, and turning "leaden" because of the resin that was sticking
to them. Unit chief Major Telyatnikov headed the work up
above.... Disregarding the danger, he and the firemen fought the
flames until the threat of the fire spreading further had disap-
peared. And that was the main point. After all, AES reactor units
Nos 1, 2, and 3 were right next door.
The militia operated precisely and selflessly in the complex
situation. A conference of the Pripyat City Internal Affairs
Department was held at 0215 hours. All traffic not involved in
dealing with the accident and helping the victims had to be
stopped in the city. The second item on the agenda was the
maintenance of the strictest order in the city. Finally it was
necessary to close all approach roads to the AES to all vehicles
that were not needed at the time.
Militia staffers from Polessk were the first to arrive at the City
Internal Affairs Department by 0400 hours to help. They were
followed by staffers from the Chernobylskiy and Ivankovskiy
Rayon Internal Affairs Departments (they are the neighboring
rayons). All forces were drafted to organize traffic check points,
close off roads, cordon off areas, and form groups to control
traffic in the city and patrol important installations.
Staffers on duty at the traffic check points found themselves
under exceptional circumstances. The greatest danger was, of
course, there ? close to the accident site, two steps away from
the burning building. At the same time, however, special vehicles
were rushing there, and their flow had to be regulated. During
the first day, State Automobile Inspectorate staffers from Prip-
yat had to remain on duty for 10-12 hours. Special mention must
be made of Junior Lieutenant of Militia V. Vishnevskiy, a state
automobile inspector, and Petty Officer of Militia M. Matyukha
and Senior Sergeant V. Denisenko, inspectors from the highway
patrol service. Order was imposed on the roads.
The fire was extinguished. But the work that remained to be done
was no less complex and responsible, demanding, on the one
hand, tact and understanding and, on the other hand, particular
speed of execution. We are talking about the evacuation of
people. And the militia coped well with this most important work.
The entire city of Pripyat was divided into five sectors (each one
of them covering one residential neighborhood), and five evac-
uation groups were set up corresponding to each sector. They
were headed by senior officers from the City Internal Affairs
Department and the Ukrainian MVD. G. V. Berdov, republic
deputy minister of internal affairs, arrived in Pripyat 26 April,
followed by Major General A.I. Borovik, chief of the political
section, on the 27th. They did not return to Kiev until 4 May,
when all the most complex operations had been finally completed.
"Our staffers," G. Berdov said, "acted selflessly under all the
complex circumstances and displayed staunchness. In my view,
a major role in the organization of work was played by the party
groups and organizations headed by A. Borovik...." Let me add
that Berdov himself displayed equal courage.
159
The main burden of all the difficulties connected with evacuation
work was borne by precinct inspectors in the city of Pripyat. The
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speed and precision of the evacuation itself depended largely on
them. Lists were drawn up through the night and for half of the
next day, staffers were assigned duties depending on the number
of homes and doorways, transportation needs were calculated.
Buses were allocated to each sector and were given precise routes.
"The evacuation was announced at 1400 hours," A. Borovik told
us. "At 1350 hours, one of our, staffers called at each doorway,
visiting every apartment and warning people, repeating what had
only just been announced on the radio. No assembly points were
set up in order to avoid commotion and panic, and we achieved
what we wanted."
The result speaks for itself: In the space of 2 hours virtually
the city's entire population ? around 40,000 people ? was
evacuated on 1,100 buses. State Motor Vehicle Inspection
Administration staffers arranged for this enormous convoy to run
smoothly and without holdups. The few people who were not
evacuated with all the inhabitants of their apartment block or'
yard went to the police. They were quickly taken to evacuation
points and were given seats ? if available ? on the buses, which
arrived on time.
The city emptied... But the apartments with personal effects,
stores, institutes ? in short, everything ? were not abandoned.
Immediately after the evacuation the guard service went into
action. The republic's MVD leadership particularly notes the
actions of the deputy chief of Pripyat City Internal Affairs
Department, Militia Capital Stelmakh, and Lieutenant Colonel
Kovalenko, whose wife was in the hospital and who had three
small children at home. He raced off to see them for just a few
minutes and then rushed back to work...
The people from the danger area were finally evacuated. The line
? a 30 km ring around the AES ? was closed tight. The only
people inside it were those who were eliminating the conse-
quences of the accident or working on the three remaining AES
reactor units. Militia workers organized a registration service
and an address department for lost persons. And today any
person can find his family within a matter of minutes.
There is no population in the danger zone. How can those who
have left the zone find out about their health? People's concern
is natural... This is the seventh night in succession when the lights
have been burning all night on every floor at the Ukrainian
s Ministry of Health. This was one of the first places where the
news about the misfortune at the Chernobyl AES arrived. V.
Kozlyuk, chief of the Main Administration for the Provision of
Medical and Preventive Aid to the Population, spoke about it.
"The Health Ministry duty officer called me early in the morn-
ing. Fortunately, I live near the ministry. And I got there, to the
necessary communication channels, quickly. The information I
had managed to obtain forced me to make decisions quickly and
responsibly. A few minutes later 'first aid' vehicles were rushing
to Chernobyl from all subunits in Kiev and the oblast's central
rayon hospitals...
"Only a few hours had passed but in the areas around the AES
there were enough physicians both to carry out checks on people
who were near the station and to give medical aid to the casual-
ties.
160
"In the first and most alarming and tense days I worked at
Polesye. A specialized aid center was organized there on the basis
of the rayon hospital. All the patients who,were in the hospital
for treatment showed surprising understanding of the situation
and the utmost tact and nobility. Those whose ailments were not
too serious asked to be discharged. They gave up their places to
particularly serious casualties of the AES accident. Of course,
those who were discharged early were not left without medical
aid.
"The physicians in the Chernobyl area worked round the clock
without a break. By the end of the first day everyone with the
slightest, even theoretical, sign of radiation sickness was hospital-
ized at Polesye and Ivankov hospitals. These hospitals were
tasked with carrying out the preliminary examination role. If the
patients still showed signs of sickness they were immediately
moved to the Kiev Radiological and Oncological Research Insti-
tute clinic.
"Today all those who were in the AES zone are undergoing a full
medical examination, including blood tests. These examinations
may be carried out several times.
"We will act in such a way as to reveal any discrepancies," V.
Kozlyuk reported. "This most important preventive measure
must be our insurance against any problems in the future."
Yesterday specialists appeared on Kiev television. The necessary
knowledge makes it possible to prevent the emergence of any
improbable rumors. Here is what G. Revenko, first secretary of
Kiev CPSU Obkom, said:
"Now, as you know, the evacuation zone has been increased from
15 km to 30 km. We have evacuated all people from that area.
But we have not acted in this way because any of the evacuees
are threatened by a specific danger. No. The zone has been
expanded as an extra justifiable precaution in this instance. We
are perfectly well aware that it is ultimately a question of our
people's health. And there can be no two opinions about how to
act in this matter.
"Yes, in Kiev Oblast we have encountered an unprecedented
disaster. But the phones are ringing at the party obkom: People
, are prepared to go where and when they are needed, are offering
their help, and are ready to tackle any job...
"There is enough work. The evacuees are being accommodated
in four of the oblast's rayons (in dozens and dozens of settle-
ments), and these people must be supplied with food and clothing
as soon as possible and have provision for their children's
.schooling and hospitals for the elderly. What would I like to note?
The state is shouldering all the 'concern for the evacuees. As is
the population, of course. Even though they are sometimes
cramped, they are saying: You can stay with us. They are offering
all sorts of help.
"Difficult work has been done and even more complex work lies
ahead," the obkom secretary said. "People do not just move with
their belongings, they take their livestock and poultry. Who
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would leave their dog behind? And we have to preserve every-
thing and help everyone! The state is allocating funds for this.
Items will be issued free to those who need them. Money will be
issued on the basis of registers. The Oblast Potrebsoyuz and trade
organizations are offering credit without prior payment. The
oblast consumer services department is supplying the population
with clothing...
"The oblast party organization sees its prime tasks as being to
give all possible effective aid to the work of the government
commission, to prevent panic, and, of course, to continue to
handle the fulfillment of national economic plans. Nobody has
withdrawn or is withdrawing these matters from our jurisdiction.
Agricultural products continue to arrive uninterruptedly in vast
Kiev ? the city must be fed. The quality of the produce is
checked twice. So there is no and should be no concern about
what is being sold in the stores. The oblast's plants are producing
output... Life goes on!"
...Accident teams ? dozens of people whose work can, without
any exaggeration, be compared with a feat ? are currently
working at the AES. The situation, specialists say, is difficult but
wholly controllable. And that is the main thing.
TASS Updates Status of Cleanup
LDO 6 2026 Moscow TASS in English 2009 GMT
["Chernobyl Station ? Report" ? TASS Headline)
[Text] Kiev Region May 7 TASS -- By TASS special correspon-
dents Vladimir Itkin and Lev Chernenko reporting from the
Chernobyl nuclear power station area:
The workers' collective at the Chernobyl nuclear power station
(NPS) is united like a family in grief. With the reactors inoper-
ative, it is now not the station giving energy to people, but the
people giving their energy to the NPS.
It is not easy to combat the consequences of the accident.
Although the reactors have been shut down, they are being
maintained in the required mode, and necessary operations are
being carried out. Electric power specialists are continuing their
work at the station. Their health is being constantly monitored
by physicians.
Gennadiy Karyaka, deputy secretary of the Chernobyl NPS
party committee, told the correspondents that the people acted
with courage during the accident, and there were no deserters.
None refused work, and everyone performed his duty.
The township of Pripyat was evacuated immediately after the
accident. The families of the station personnel are now settling
down in new places.
The demand for kindergarters and creches has been fully met.
Schools and medical institutions are working at near-full capac-
ity.
Transport workers are particularly busy at the moment. They are
accompanied by radiation control operators at the major
crossroads. Among the convoys of vehicles there are many lorries
carrying animals. Cattle and horses are being evacuated from the
accident area. Domestic animals have not been left behind.
Summer pens have already been built in the farms to accommo-
date the cattle. The evacuated live-stock farmers will tend their
animals.
District radio regularly broadcasts reports on the current evac-
uation and radiation situation, the progress of field-work and
milk yield.
6 May 86
We haven't observed a single instance of panic or refusal to do
what one was asked.
All necessary things have been supplied to shops. Farmers are
considering harvest prospects: spring is a special time for peas-
ants. Every person who happened to be inside the 30-kilometer
zone around the NPS has been subjected to special decontamina-
tion treatment. According to official medical information, there,
are no health risks for the absolute majority of the evacuees.
Although the situation remains disquieting, there are no grounds
for unwarranted scepticism. High-pace work is under way to
eliminate the consequences of the accident and deactivate the
contaminated areas.
Grigoriy Revenko, first secretary of the Kiev regional committee
of the Communist Party of the Ukraine, said to the TASS
correspondents that the entire republic, the entire country were
taking part in the effort to eliminate the consequences of the
accident.
The work of doctors should be specially mentioned. Together
with other specialists they should monitor everything: the state
of crops, soil, water and air. Nothing is brought into shops
without being checked first.
Vegetables supplied to the towns are checked twice: on the field ?
and in shops. All roads in the region are constantly washed.
Hundreds of special vehicles were assigned to do the job. Drivers,
shop and consumer service personnel are doing a great? deal,of
work on these days.
Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, is living a calm, confident and
full-blooded life. All enterprises are operating. The main
thoroughfare, Kreshchatik, is crowded. In the evening, as always,
its theatres and concert halls are filled with people. The peace
cycling race started in Kiev yesterday.
161
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Life 'Normal' in Kiev
LD060734 Moscow TASS in English 0722 GMT
[Text] Moscow May 6 TASS ? Life is normal in the Ukraine's
Kiev region, the newspaper KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA
says today. The story deals with the urgent measures taken to
eliminate the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant.
It took less than three hours to evacuate the inhabitants from the
township of the nuclear power, plant and several neighbour
populated localities, the newspaper stresses. The necessary medi-
cal aid has been timely given to people who got into the accident.
Four districts of the Kiev region have hosted the eyacuees, who
were accorded a hospitable welcome everywhere. Grigoriy
Revenko, first secretary of the Kiev regional committee of the
CPSU, told the correspondents about the amazing examples of
friendly consideration, of how the inhabitants of villages offered
to share their homes with the evacuees.
6 May 86
The life of temporarily evacuated people is speedily returning to
normal. While on the first day after the arrival, 50 percent of
evacuee children went to school, now nine in each ten evacuated
children are attendig classes. Material aid is offered to those who
need it, often on an unrepayable basis. The supply with foods,
clothing and everything necessary has been efficiently ensured.
Medical men are busy examining all the arrivals.
The state of the soil and crops is under permanent control.
Drinking water is in good condition. If there is even the slightest
doubt about the quality of foods, they are not put up for sale. The
economy of the region functions, as always, efficiently.
The test has once again shown the generosity and spiritual wealth
of the Soviet people, their indomitable courage, the newspaper
says.
CHERNOBYL STAFF PREPARING TO RETURN TO WORK
LD061431 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1300 GMT 6 May 86
[Report by special correspondent Vladimir
Chernobyl AES"]
[Text] [Sokolov] I am conducting this report from the Lesnaya
Polyana sanatorium. The AES personnel who immediately after
the accident fought against its aftereffects are here; they are now
preparing to return there. (Gennadiy Alekseyevich Koryaka),
deputy secretary of the AES party committee, explains.
[(Koryaka p the staff will rest here for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks
there will be replacements. Some of the staff will be going on
shift, and those who have been working will come here to recover
[dlya ustanovlyeniya sill
[Sokolov] Are there employees on duty now?
[(Koryaka)] Fifty to sixty people are on duty around the clock.
The staff has protective means the whole time; the station will be
provided with complete protection.
[Sokolov] (Antoliy Nikolayevich Ved), the head of a shop, adds:
[(Ved)] People are now working in two shifts.
[Sokolov] What are the tasks of these shifts which are currently
(?on site)?
162
Sokolov "from the region of the
[(Ved)] The task of the shifts now is to provide control and
measurement instruments for running the systems which still
remain in operation and overall monitoring of the situation in the
sets. All three sets have been shut down, but certain systems
remain in operation.
[Sokolov] Are you also preparing to return there?
[(Ved)] Of course. They've let me have a little rest, because I've
had 4 days and nights without sleep. After my rest, of course I'm
going back.
[Sokolov] The people ? and there are more than 150 of them
here?are surprisingly calm and ielf-confident. They only begin
to get excited when the talk turns to the fabrications of foreign
propaganda about the accident and the supposed victims and
panic. (Anatoliy Konstantinovich Ponomarev), a foreman, has
this to say:
[(Ponomarev)] No, there was no panic. The evacuation was
announced. It was reported over the radio that buses would be
brought to every entrance, and in half an hour ? in 15 minutes
? people emerged from the entrances carrying their things.
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[Sokolov] The deputy secretary of the AES party committee adds
the following details;
[(Koryaka)] Some 1,100 buses were brought into the town. A bus
was brought up to virtually every entrance. In Pripyat there is no
population at the present time; it has been completely evacuated.
Pumps are working there to provide water for the town. The
electricity has not yet been switched off. Personnel go there
periodically. Work is now being prepared to carry out radioactive
decontamination. Our staff is travelling out in order to organize
this radioactive decontamination.
[Sokolov] In conclusion, an understandable question for the chief
doctor of the sanatorium, (Vitally Alekseyevich Melnichenko).
How are the people who are under careful observation by the
doctors, people who were in the area of the accident and who are
now preparing once again to work at the station?
[(Melnichenko)J The people here in the sanatorium are quite
capable of starting work. They are completely healthy people.
THIRD PERSON DIES FROM DISASTER; OTHERS TREATED
LD081020 Belgrade TANJUG DOmestic Service in Serbo-Croatian 0934 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Moscow, 8 May (TANJUG)--Another Soviet citizen, a victim of radio-
activity released after the disaster in Chernobyl, died in a Kiev hospital this
morning. According to official sources, this is the third victim of the
Chernobyl disaster.
All the others affected by radiation, about 200 of them, have been transferred
to Moscow hospitals. According to official reports issued today, bone marrow
transplant operations were carried out on six patients yesterday. They were
said to be among the most seriously affected. Bone marrow was donated by the
patients' parents.
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS REPORTS ON WORK AT CHERNOBYL
'Work Continues'
PM081020 Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA in Russian 8 May 86 Second Edition p 3
["From the USSR Council of Ministers"--KRASNAYA ZVEZDA headline]
[Text] Work to eliminate the consequences of the accident has continued at the
Chernobyl AES over the last 24 hours. As a result of the measures that are being
taken the radiation situation is continuing to improve. Work to decontaminate
the terrain in the region of the AES, where the radiation level has fallen sub-
stantially, is beginning [razvertyvayetsya]. The banking up of river banks is
being completed with a view to preventing radioactive substances from being
washed into the Pripyat River.
The radiation level of the territory beyond the zone directly adjoining the
station is somewhat higher than the natural background level, but it does not
pose a danger to people's health.
163
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TASS Details Actions
LD071937 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1835 GMT 7 May 86 ,
[Text] Kiev, 7 May (TASS) ? Special correspondents Vladimir
ltkin and Lev Chernenko report from the area of the accident at
Chernobyl AES.
At present a veritable battle between humans and the elements
Istikhiyaj is in progress in the area of the AES. The battle is one
of a systematic nature, backed up by the calculations of the
scientists and specialists, and made incarnate in human courage.
Having read dozens of so-called "reports" by the Western mass
media, in which the disaster which occurred at Chernobyl was
transformed from a human tragedy into a problem of political
blackmail against the USSR, a desire arose to say, speaking from
the very site, near Kiev: "Stop! Let's get to the bottom of this!"
From the moment of the breakdown, hundreds of people fought
the fire courageously and selflessly, with all their strength.
Getting stuck in the molten bitumen, their faces black with ash,
they saved their comrades, and they saved the station. Neither
these people, nor the most senior Soviet scientists, who arrived a
few hours later with members of the government commission,
could then know what the causes of the breakdown were, nor
what its consequences were. Time was needed to investigate what
had happened.
Several hours later, the situation at the station was already being
monitored. But it was still early, and simply impossible to speak
of the extent of the accident.
During the very first minutes of the accident, Vladimir Voloshko,
chairman of the Executive Committee of the Pripyat Soviet of
People's Deputies, was by the fourth block. He has worked at the
station for a long time. He is described as a good, knowledgeable
specialist. It was he who took charge of the local operational
headquarters set up in the atomic specialists' town.
Having learned that the London DAILY MIRROR reported that
2,000 people had supposedly perished at the station, Voloshko
said indignantly: It's a lie. It was, after all, the night shift and
the time for the planned shutdown of the block. As at all power
stations throughout the world, at this time the shifts involve fewer
people, especially at night. I will say something else. At the
moment of the accident, each of those who were at the station
were worth a hundred men. Only now can it be realized, and then
not fully, what these people did. They are heroes. I am not afraid
of high-flown words. They suffered most of all. Many of these
people are now in the country's best special clinics, and the best
doctors are struggling for their health. I should bow low to them
? Soviet, American, or Japanese physicians ? if they do
everything possible and impossible to save my comrades.
Gennadiy ICaryalca, deputy secretary of the party committee at
the station, is still at his post. The watch continues on the first,
second, and third blocks. We know, says Karyalca, that those in
the West who wish us no good are claiming that radioactivity
here is continuing to increase. That is also a fabrication. The
reactor was shut down as soon as accident protection [avariynaya
zashchita] came into effect, at minimum capacity level. Many
other technical questions are now being dealt with to remove the
consequences of the accident, but there is no chain reaction.
The Ukrainian health minister, Anatoliy Romanenko, who
appeared on television, told the inhabitants of the oblast about
the operative radiation situation, and said there was no direct
threat to the health of people living in Kiev and Kiev Oblast. The
meteorological conditions that developed initially after the acci-
dent at Chernobyl excluded any spread of radioactive substances
toward the city. The works that are in progress at the station have
made it possible to reduce considerably the amounts of such
substances entering the external environment. In the last few
days, however, with a change in the direction and strength of the
wind, some increase in the level of the radioactive background
has been observed in the city and in some rayons of the oblast.
This level of radiation is not dangerous to health and is no
obstacle to normal working activities.
The radiation situation which has arisen in Kiev at the moment
does not require the application by the population of medical
prophylactic measures. Furthermore, the unsupervised taking of
various medicines, so-called "self-treatment," may be detrimen-
tal to health. The republican Ministry of Health is keeping all
questions linked with the influence of the external environment
upon the health of the population under its unwavering supervi-
sion.
Some of the city's hospitals for infectious diseases have indeed
reported to us some instances related to the events at Chernobyl.
Life is life, and there are always panic-mongers. Heeding ill-
considered advice, some people have taken medicines which
supposedly give protection against radiation. They had the oppo-
site effect?the result was poisoning. Now they are being treated
for this.
These days we are, as they say, in the thick of things in the
Chernobyl area, we can see what titanic work is being done by
the party and local-government organs of the republic, to ensure
work and a normal life for the evacuated families. The evacuees
are given the best of everything; the best rooms in the houses are
allocated the visitors. The children who have arrived all go to
school in the first shift, while the local children attend the
second....
No one is concealing anything about the misfortune in Cher-
nobyl. What has occurred convincfs one yet again that atomic
power, even when used for peaceful purposes, requires great
caution. And if it is included in bombs and in missiles aimed at
the annihilation of people then this is human madness! That is
what is being said now by people at many rallies and meetings
being held here near Kiev.
Normal and peaceful life is going on in the capital of the Ukraine
and in adjacent rayons. All enterprises are at work. Of course,
there is also disquiet, especially among parents with regard to
their children. The summer holidays are approaching. Lines for
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tickets have appeared at railway and Aeroflot ticket offices. Dozens of addi?
tional long?distance trains, suburban electric trains, diesel trains, and
flights by Aeroflot which were not in the plan are now being allocated. All
the children from the evacuated rayons will be the first to be sent to pioneer
camps, to sanatoria, and rest homes.
KIEV HOSTS SCIENTIFIC?ECONOMIC CONFERENCE
PM061113 Moscow SELSKAYA ZHIZN in Russian 6 May 86 p 3
[Dispatch by correspondent S. Luzgan:
Into Production"]
[Text] Kiev, 5 May ? The all-union conference of the scientific-
economic society began work here today. Its participants, who
have come to the Ukrainian capital from all corners of the
country, will discuss topical economic problems of the introduc-
tion of the achievements of scientific-technical progress into
production.
The venue for the conference of the USSR scientific-economic
society ? that comparatively young public body ? was not
chosen by chance. The Ukraine's scientific-economic society,
which numbers over 3,000 primary organizations and unites
125,000 full members, is performing a large amount of purpose-
"The Achievements of Science Must Be Put
ful work to accelerate the transfer of the republic's economy to
the path of intensive development. The activity of 400 scientific
sections and over 1,800 public creative associations is subordin-
ated to this aim. The conference's participants will visit industrial
enterprises and the republic's kolkhozes and sovkhozes. It con-
ference will last 3 days.
IAEA DIRECTOR GENERAL BLIX MEETS OFFICIALS
LD071859 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1700 GMT 7 May 86
[Announcer?read report on Hans Blix, director general of the IAEA, visit to
Moscow 6-7 May--from the "Vremya" newscast]
[Text] On 6th and 7 May, Hans Blix, the director general of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who is in Moscow
at the invitation of the Soviet Government, had conversations
with Comrade Petrosyants, chairman of the USSR State Com-
mittee for the Utilization of Atomic Energy; Comrade Vorobyev,
first deputy USSR minister of health; Comrade Sedunov, first
deputy chairman of the USSR State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control; and Comrade
Semenov, deputy chairman of the USSR State Committee for
the Utilization of Atomic Energy. Comrade Konstantinov,
USSR deputy director general of the IAEA, and Rosen, United
States director of the Nuclear Safety Department of the IAEA,
took part in the talks together with Blix.
165
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KIEV PARTY CHIEF, EVACUEES INTERVIEWED
Evacuees Describe Hardships
PM071554 Moscow SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA in Russian 8 May 86 First Edition p 4
[TASS correspondents Vladimir Zhukovskiy, Vladimir Itkin, and Lev Chernenko
"Special Report for SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA": "The Alarms and Hopes of Chernobyl"]
[Text] For 96-year-old Ganna Mikhaylovna Naumenko, evac-
uation is a difficult word. Difficult to pronounce, and hard to
understand. When she left her old home in 1941, "the fanatical
fascists were on the rampage," and now that "life is so good,"
now that spring is in full swing in the little garden by the house
and the lilac and chestnuts are in flower, now that it is time to
sow the "spuds," she is leaving her home once agiin. Now they
are asking her to leave, hurrying her, and Grandma Ganna does
not understand why it is so necessary or that there has been
trouble nearby.
We met the elderly kolkhoz member in Zagaltsy village, one of
the 16 villages in Borodyanskiy Rayon which is now taking in the
evacuees from Chernobyl. She was being given shelter in a bright
little house by 83-year-old Mariya Lukinichna Pavlichenko.
As is the way with old people, they sit on the bench by the house,
and the mistress says, more for the benefit of her new
acquaintance than for us:
"I've got everything: milk, lard, bread, what we old ones need.
We'll get by. And over there, everything will be fine."
At the village soviet, we struck up a conversation with a tall guy
and a young, fair-haired woman. She held a child in her arms.
They were Mr and Mrs Voronov, Aleksandr and Yekaterina, and
their 12-year-old son Artur.
"We were on leave when the accident happened at the AES.
When we heard about it we went straight home. But by then they
were not letting people into our apartment block in the power
workers' settlement. We only had what we stood up in. We came
here, to Z,agaltsy. They settled us with good people; they fed us.
At the village soviet they told us that Artur can have a place in
the creche. I am a driver, today I drove my car here from
Chernobyl. All the machinery has undergone decontamination
and will work here."
"As soon as we settle the child in the creche, I'll go to work too,"
Yekaterina joins in. "Medical personnel are particularly needed
here now, and I'm a nurse."
There were many such meetings. Tamara Nikolayevna
Ugvinenko, secretary of Borodnyanskiy Ukrainian Communist
Party Raykom, is lifting the telephone handset practically, every
minute. She says:
"The joiner Romaryuk just called. He is offended because they
haven't placed anyone with him yet, although he has a big family
of his own. We have already placed 6,200 people. These are the
166
tactics we have worked out: One rayon's kolkhoz takes the
workers from a kolkhoz in Chernobyl Rayon, construction work-
ers take construction workers, and so forth. They will have to live
and work together for some time [kakoye-to vremyal"
Petr Ivanovich Moskalenko, chairman of Borodyanskiy Rayis-
polkom, told us that the need for kindergartens and creches is
now fully satisfied and the schools and medical institutions are
working almost to full capacity. The transport workers have
particular worries at present. There is a constant stream of buses
full of people along the roads of Borodyanskiy, Ivankovskiy,
Makarovskiy, and Polesskiy Rayons. The vehicles have license
plates from Kiev, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Cherkassy, and
Zaporozhye Oblasts. State Motor Vehicles Inspectorate workers
are carrying out an efficient labor vigil in the prevailing situation.
Radiation supervisors [dozimetristy] stand together with the
transport workers at the "key" intersections. The line of vehicles
includes many livestock trucks. Cattle and horses are being
shipped out of the accident region. Domestic animals have not
been forgotten. The summer sheep pens have already been
erected on the farms which are receiving livestock. The evacuated
stockmen are taking their own animals to look after. Milkmaid
Anna Panteyenko, a mother of five, has come to the livestock
unit.
"It's okay, we'll get by," she says. "My eldest son has come back
from the army, the youngest is in the first grade at school. I'm
not the only one in trouble now. Trouble brings people together."
The rayon radio regularly transmits information on the current
evacuation and radiation situation, the course of field work, and
the milk yields. We did not see a single case of panic or of people
refusing to tackle the task entrusted to them.
There are many people in the streets of the villages and settle-
ments now. People are saying gratefully that everything neces-
sary has been brought into the stores. The grain growers are
thinking about the next harvest: Spring is a time of special
concern for farmers. Everyone who was within a 30-km zone
around the AES has undergone special health treatment [sanitar-
naya obrabotkal As official medical figues show, there is no
danger to health for the vast majority of evacuees.
All the same, the situation is still alarming, but there is no reason
for unjustified skepticism. The essential emergency shifts are
working at the AES, in the zone of the damage and at units 1, 2,
and 3, which have been halted. Intensive work is under way to
eliminate the consequences of the accident.
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The evacuated party raykoms and soviet ispolkoms are constantly
receiving inquiries from workers at the station as to when and
where they can go to work. The situation is complicated by the
fact that the day before the accident was a day off, followed by
another 4 nonworking days. Many people, including station
employees, went off on vacation. Realizing that being in the
accident zone is not safe, the AES workers, first and foremost
Communists, are insisting that they be used in the work now
taking place, citing their experience and professionalism.
TASS correspondents talked with Grigoriy Ivanovich Revenko,
first secretary of Kiev Ukrainian Communist Party Obkom.
"The oblast party organization is now resolving three tasks," he
said. "First, we are doing everything possible to ensure the
successful work of the government commission for the
elimination of the consequences of the accident and carrying out
the evacuation of the population from the dangetriznes. I can say
that the whole republic and the whole country are taking part in
this very complex operation. Second, uncontrolled processes can-
not be allowed to occur here. It would be wrong to say that
everything is already fine. So from the very first hours of the
misfortune which befell us, the party obkom and raykoms and
primary party organizations took the entire situation in the oblast
under their control.
"The level of cadres' responsibility can be judged from how
problems are being resolved, including economic problems. And
that is our third urgent task. We must do everything to ensure
that the oblast's national economy functions steadily and that
working people in the Ukrainian capital experience no interrup-
tions in supplies of produce, especially agricultural produce. Here
unremitting attention is being devoted to completing the sowing
and cultivation of the sown areas."
The obkom first secretary reported that four rayons have received
evacuees from the danger zone. Their population, he noted,
regards what happened as their own personal misfortune. Of
course, there are difficulties. Even war veterans do not remember
such a mass resettlement of people in an exceptionally short space
of time. For instance, the evacuation of the nuclear power
workers' settlement took place in 2 hours 45 minutes. A total of
1,100 buses were brought in, with a vehicle standing at prac-
tically every doorway. The convoy stretched for nearly 20 km.
There were some hitches Ineuvyazki], mainly of a departmental
nature, in providing the evacuees with essential goods, especially
Zlothing and footwear.
The evacuation of the rural population was more complex: After
all, it was necessary to remove a large mass of villagers together
with tools and livestock. Many peasants did not want to leave
their homes, but you could not risk people or their health so in a
number of cases they had to be persuaded.
Trouble invariably arouses fellow feeling and human participa-
tion. We have seen this for ourselves. Many families, after
receiving people from the nuclear workers' settlement, imme-
diately asked the party raykoms and rayispolkoms to send them
another one or two families. Schoolteachers have many worries
now. In Polesskiy Rayon, for instance, about one-half of the
children resettled here came to the first lesson. Today there is
100-percent attendance in the schools. The kindergartens and
creches are functioning.
A special word about the medics. Together with other specialists,
they have to monitor everything: the state of the crops, the soil,
the water, the air.
Nothing is now being brought into the stores without being
checked, and vegetables delivered to the cities are being checked
twice: in the fields and on the store counters. All the roads in
the oblast are constantly being washed. Hundreds of special
vehicles have been assigned for this. During these days drivers
and trade and consumer services workers are doing tremendous
work.
...Kiev. Its gardens and parks are all decked in white blossom.
The Ukrainian capital is living a tranquil, confident, full life. All
the enterprises are working. The Kreshchatik [Kiev's main street]
is full of people. In the evenings, as always, its theaters and
concert halls are full. The people of Kiev greeted enthusiastically
their favorites, the Dinamo footballers, winners of the European
? Cupwinner's Cup.
More on Settling of Evacuees
PM071051 Moscow KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA in Russian 7 May 86'p 4
[Report by "our special correspondents" N. Dolgopolov and P. Polozhevets:
"Countering Misfortune"--first paragraph is KOMSOMOLSKAYA-PRAVDA introduction
[Text] Kiev Oblast--What is the situation at the Chernobyl ABS right now,
today? Without repeating what is already known, we asked Gennadiy Alekseyevich
Korkyak, deputy secretary of the AES party committee, to describe it:
"Shifts are operating at the station. A 24-hour watch is being kept there. They
are shutting down the first, second, and third units and are monitoring equipment
and ensuring constant radiation control. Their workers' duty is being fulfilled
sacredly. Even when the radiation situation was still causing serious alarm,
167
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rvn vrrnAiu, ur.. %/NIA
they worked to the utmost as long as the radiation dose overloads
permitted. In addition, work has been launched in this region to
erect walls along the shores of the Pripyat River. This is being
done to prevent its possible pollution."
"Gennadiy Alekseyevich, how did the evacuation of Pripyat City
proceed?"
"In an organized manner. Some 1,100 buses were sent to the
settlement ? to virtually every doorway. The inhabitants were
taken immediately to Polesskiy and Ivankovskiy Rayons, Kiev
Oblast."
And we visited Borodyanskiy Rayon, which took in over 6,000
evacuees from the Chernobyl villages. They were evacuees. The
reader should not be excessively optimistic or sunny. The level of
radiation is dropping but the situation in the region of the AES
remains complex. And no one intends to risk the health of the
inhabitants of nearby population centers. They have been
removed outside an 80-kilometer zone around the area of the
accident.
For instance, the Chernobyl "Komsomolets Polesya" Sovkhoz
has moved to the "Zarya" Kolkhoz, Borodyanskiy Rayon. Boris
Mironovich Skorik, secretary of the sovkhoz party organization,
has dozens of things to do so our talk with him was brief and terse:
"They prepared well to receive us and billeted about 1,000 people
in 60-90 minutes. Even the local schoolchildren and Komsomol
members helped us Fill in the documents (there were not many of
them). Formalities were reduced to the minimum. We were
examined immediately by several groups of doctors. Trade made
an effort: The store had milk, soured cream, sausages, canned
goods, and, naturally, necessities. So we did not stand idle for
long and are rapidly returning to our normal working rhythm."
Sovkhoz Director Valentin Nikolayevich Bezik is up to his neck
in work. The disaster obliged them to evacuate livestock and to
drive the sovkhoz tractors and trucks to another rayon, dozens of
kilometers away. Some people were confused, but all the villagers
were morally prepared for a decisive and so essential evacuation.
But the second day at their new site began as usual ? with a
meeting about the plan. The leaders of the evacuated stockraising
units reported that the first tone of dairy produce has been
dispatched. A quality control was carried out twice: on dispatch
and at reception at the dairy plant. In the evening the director
together with the party organizer met for the milking to listen to
people, to see yet again how they had settled and whether they
had everything they needed. But the party organizer and director
lingered with us on the "5-kopec piece" ? that is what the
Chernobyl people have dubbed the area in front of the old
kindergarten. The local children were recently moved to a new
kindergarten. The building was standing empty and has been
offered as an office for the evacuated sovkhoz. We met with the
young machine operators and listened in on the conversation they
struck up.
"They are my hope and my bulwark," the director introduced
the boys with a smile. "This is Nikolay Gunich. He used to work
as a welder, a master of the kind you go looking for. Here he has
been assigned to the tractor station."
168
"They may have assigned him, but I want to take him for myself,
for the stockraising unit," Aleksandr Ignatyevich Chernyak
broke into the conversation. And, seeing that Nikolay was in no
particular hurry to reply, he added for the sake of conviction: "I
have also temporarily changed my profession. But what can you
do? I was a machine operator ? I have become a stockraisers
team leader. And Sasha Voronov will also have to come to work
with me."
All the sovkhoz livestock were sent to the summer camps. Only
the pedigree herd and calves remained on the unit. It was for here
that the busy Chernyak was selecting a team. But things were
far calmer for the summer camps. The new domain of the fourth
Kopachevskiy stockraising unit is here. At home the unit was
always among the frontrunners and worked under the collective
contract, and in Zagaltsy village it has decided not to surrender
its positions.
The teachers of the Zagaltsy school have assumed the care of the
children. On the second day all the evacuated children were at
their desks. It is easy and pleasant to report this. But truth to tell,
how much energy and effort were required of Tatyana Ivanovna
Cheshko, director of the local school, and her colleagues to ensure
that the children could study normally. The school textbooks
were there at the school but there was a shortage of exercise
books, pencils, and pens ? of course, in the haste of the enforced
round-up they did not have time for that. The children from
Zagaltsy came to the rescue: They shared everything necessary
with the arrivals.
The school director and, we must admit, we ourselves were
amazed at the following incident. A few days later an impressive
delegation was knocking on Tayana Ivanovna's office door after
classes. The Chernobyl schoolchildren asked to be taken on at
the labor and leisure camp. They had learned from their contem-
poraries that the latter had for the first time set about growing
vegetables on 20 hectares. The Chernobyl children know their
aid will be useful to their hosts. In addition to everthing else the
director is also a rural soviet deputy. She placed the arrivals,
organized catering, helped equip additional rooms in the kinder-
garten. Two days without sleep ? how did she survive? At the
lessons she would joke. The children from Chernobyl had very
sad faces. She wanted to dispel their grave thoughts and divert
them. She encouraged them, played with them, driving her
incipient tiredness away from her. Nonetheless she did not hold
out. During the lesson with the eighth graders she was checking
their homework and.., fell asleep. She was awoken by the bell ?
the children had not stirred until then. Yes, our people always
respond to kindness with kindness.
As we left Zagaltsy we took a look at the mail. We ran into the
republic's deputy minister of communications. "We have tried to
ensure that there are no hitches over mail delivery," Deputy
Minister Vasiliy Fedoseyevich Boyarchuk explained. "At their
new location people are being served by their old mailmen, who
have been transferred with their communications sections. They
have already learned and recorded who is living where and had
time to distribute pensions."
There was an announcement hanging up here. The Komsomol
raykom was suggesting that parents from Chernobylskiy Rayon
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send their children to the "Artek" and "Molodaya Gvardiya"
pioneer camps for the summer. Yes, to the renowned "Artek."
The telephone is ringing all day long for Tamara Nikolayevna
Ugnivenko, secretary of the Borodyanskiy Ukrainian Commu-
nist Party Raykom. But this was the only telephone call of its
kind. At the other end of the line an emotional woman's voice
was asking: "Where are your children?" Tamara Nikolayevna
did not understand immediately what she was talking about. And
then the woman exploded: "Ah, you have nothing to say! That
means a white Volga has drawn up at your house and taken your
sons to the Crimea. But ours are here, living in cramped cpn-
ditions....Ugnivenko went pale. She ran her pencil nervously
down a sheet of paper. But she did not betray her hurt and her
voice sounded mild and calm: "My son has graduated from
military academy, and he is now serving on the border in Chita
Oblast. My daughter is with me. Every evening she is home at
2130 hours here in Borodyanka. You can come and see." And
Tamara Nikolayevna dictated the address. There was silence
from the receiver. Then a quiet voice: "I'm sorry..."
Let's write once again that cases of panic are rare, almost unique.
The disaster is being endured with dignity. Everything is being
done to ease its consequences. We admit that hitches and blun-
ders are occuring. Enormous efforts are being made to avoid and
eliminate them....
And at the Borodyanskiy Party Raykom a telegram lies on
Tamara Nikolayevna Ugnivenko's desk: "I am an experienced
foreman radiation supervisor. I have worked on atomic reactors
for 30 years. I ask permission to take part in eliminating the
emergency. I agree to work at any post." And the sig-
nature: Mikhail Petrovich Tsvetayev. This telegram is not the
first.
Officials on Pripet Evacuees
LD071102 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 0600 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] After the accident at Chernobyl AES the population of the
adjacent town of Pripet and surrounding villages was evacuated
to other rayons of Kiev Oblast. Our correspondent Vladimir
Sokolov reports. Here is the recording:
[Begin recording][Sokolov]Borodyanskiy Rayon, approximately
100 kms from the AES, has taken more than 6,000 evacuees from
there. Petr lvanovich Moskalenko, chairman of the Rayon
Executive Committee, says:
[Moskalenko] The spiritual qualities of our people were shown
clearly in this situation. You know, when the evacuation from the
zone of the Chernobyl AES began, an appeal was broadcast to
the rayon's population to take in the new arrivals, and there were
immediate and warm responses to this appeal everywhere. Every
family, every kolkhoz household expressed its readiness to
accommodate the new arrivals.
[Sokolov]The picture is the same in the village of Zagaltsiy where
Vladimir Vasilyevich Golubnichenko, chairman of the village
soviet, (stated):
[Golubnichenko] In our village soviet there are 1,441 households,
and they took in 1,085 people, one family to every household
[figures as heard]. While the people were arriving, there were
people standing on the roads and telling them: Come and stay
with me.
[Sokolov] There is, of course, particular concern about children,
pregnant women, sick people, and old people. The medical bri-
gade is examining everyone carefully and providing the necessary
aid. Here is' a curious detail. The canteen of the local Zarya
kolkhoz immediately prepared lunch for the new arrivals, but no
one came. Would any family really allow its involuntary guests
to go unfed? The Lutsenko family was received cordially in the
169
home of the tractor driver Filonenko as Irina, one of the three
sisters in that family, says:
[Lutsenko] We ourselves were near the Chernobyl AES.
[Sokolov] Where did you work there?
[Lutsenko] At the radio works [word indistinct]. I worked as a
punch operator.
[Sokolov] How do you like it here in the village?
[Lutsenko] Well, I have very good hosts, of course.
[Sokolov] How Many are in your family?
[Lutsenko) Three children and our mother. My little sister has
arrived here now, after the accident. She arrived on Monday
evening [5 May]. and our mother was evacuated during the night.
She started going to school today. [sentence as received] As soon
as she arrived they gave her books; they gave her a diary; they
gave her everything.
[Somolov] Incidentally, there is sufficient work for everyone. For
it is not only people who have arrived. At Zagaltsyy they have
also taken in from one village a dairy farm with its milkmaids,
cows, and all the equipment. The chairman of the Rayon Execu-
.tive Committee says in conclusion:
[Moskalenko] In our rayon everything necessary was deployed
rapidly for the feeding and for the medical, commercial, and
domestic service of the new arrivals. Children went to the school
on the following day. The little children are being accommodated
as necessary in kindergartens and nurseries. Adults, in their turn,
immediately started work on many farms. In general, as you can
see, life is proceeding normally. [end recording]
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PRAVDA CITES ACADEMICIAN VELIKHOV ON ACCIDENT
PM081053 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 8 May 86 First Edition p 6
[Special correspondents V. Gubarev and M. Odinets report: YCity, Sea, and
Reactor; Our Special Correspondents Report From the Region of the Chernobyl AES"]
[Text] The hydrofoil is proceeding northward on the unusually
empty Kiev Reservoir [Kiyevskoye More].
"It's as though we were travelling to the center of Halley's
Comet," Captain Viktor Golovkop smiled, referring to the name
of our diesel ship? the Vega.
In a few minutes we should see the blocks of the Chernobyl AES,
but meanwhile the diesel ship is slowing dbwn, the engines die,
ttnd Vasiliy Galka takes another water sample.
On the shore to the left a bright spot appears ? a helicopter. It
overtakes us, veers slightly to the right, and begins to descend.
Now it is there, above the reactor. And another portion of sand,
clay, lead, and boron will be thrown into its maw in order to make
people even safer against its radioactive nucleus. No, unfortu-
nately the struggle against it has not ended, but it is being
continued and thousands of people are waging it even more
fiercely than the day before.
Today our path to Chernobyl began at the Kiev river port. This
route to the AES was not chosen by chance. Dozens of diesel ships
up and down the Dnepr are now setting off on passenger trips
from Kiev river port. About 40 high-speed ships of the "Raketa"
type alone are docking and casting off. Passengers travelling to
Cherkassy, Chernigov, and ICanev are constantly being sum-
moned over the radio. At the landing platform the fine three-
decked Viktor Glushkov shines white in the sun after completing
a cruise alonng the mighty, ancient river with 330 foreign tour-
ists. The diesel ships Vutevich, Dobrolyubov, and XXVSezd KPS
are also sailing. Yet another ship of the GDR arrived recently
and by fall the diesel ship General Batunin will join the ranks of
the tourist ships.
Our diesel ship Vega has a special function. We are bound for
the Kiev reservoir to take samples of water at the mouths of the
Rivers Irpen, Teterev, and Pripyat. Foaming waves rise behind
the stern and the ship rapidly mounts the current, leaving behind
to the right and left along the banks of the river the white stone
bulk of the residential areas of Obolon and Troyeshchina. Here
is the Kiev GES Dam. The ascent through the lock takes a little
more than 10 minutes and the diesel ship emerges onto the
expanses of the Kiev Reservoir.
The manmade sea occupies an area in excess of 920 square
kilometers and countains 3.7 cubic kilometers of water. How has
it been affected by the accident at the Chernobyl AES? Can
Kiev's inhabitants use the reservoir water or has it been polluted
by radiation? To answer these questions water samples are
needed, and they are taken by public health doctor V. Gallca at
varius places in the Kiev Sea. These samples will then be care-
fully studied at laboratories of the Ukrainian SSR Academy of
170
Sciences Nuclear Research Institute's public health and epide-
miological station. A. Koval, chief public health doctor for the
Dnepr basin, who has not spent a night at home for the past week,
says that initially there were naturally some fears but the samples
are invariably showing that the state of the water is normal.
V. Golovko, the captain of our Raketa, who has been sailing the
Dnepr for nearly one-third of a century now, stops the ship at the
mouth of the Teterev. From here it is not far at all to Chernobyl.
While the samples are being taken we talk with Nikolay Mak-
simovich Zubets, the chief of the Strakholesye Village landing
pier, a war and labor veteran, who describes how the workers
from the village, situated next to the 30-kilometer zone, are
carrying out spring field work. Two Chernobylskiy Rayon farms
nearby ? the Lenin and Michurin farms ? have been screened
and are going about their normal business.
"There is a calm, businesslike atmopshere in the teams," war and
labor veteran I. Lizogub says. "We are greeting Victory Day as
befits war veterans and their children and grandchildren."
This atmosphere exists not only in Strakholesye, Gornostay6ol,
and Dityatki, where the above-mentioned farms are situated.
G.I. Revenko, first secretary of the party obkom, whom we met
yesterday, said that the production collectives in the rayons next
to Chernobylskiy Rayon ? Polesskiy and Ivankovskiy Rayons
? have never worked in such an organized manner. Throughout
the oblast as a whole the spring crops have been sown to a higher
standard than last year, over 650,000 hectares. That is 100,000
hectares more than in the spring of last year. Potato planting has
been completed everywhere. Corn has been sown to nearly
150,000 hectares, which is 40,000 hectares more than last year.
The closer we came to Chernobyl, the fewer people we saw. This
was the zone from which the entire population has been evac-
uated. The Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia published last year
has this to say about Chernobyl, whose name, because of the
accident at the AES, is now being repeated in many languages
of the world: "Chernobyl ? city in Kiev Oblast, rayon center
on the River Pripyat (a tributary of the Dnepr) where the river
Uzh flows into it, 18 kilometers from the Yanov railroad station.
A river port... The city has the Dnepr River steamship company
repair base, pig iron, cheese, and mixed feed factories; a section
of the Kiev artistic production association; a rayon committee for
the supply of production equipment to agriculture; a rayselkhoz-
khimiya [association]; an industrial combine and a consumer
services combine, medical and agricultural vocational and tech-
nical colleges; four general education schools and a musical
school; a hospital, a polyclinic, culture center, movie theater, and
library."
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At first the little town on the hill drowning in gardens is quiet
and deserted. You have a strange feeling when you enter a city
and see someone... Suddenly a little dog jumped onto the landing
stage. It rushed joyfully toward us, wagging its tail. Its masters
had left and it was guarding the house...
A helicopter appears above us. It is rushing to the white blocks
of the AES which can be clearly seen from here, from Chernobyl.
The helicopter hangs over the establishment where the accident
had occurred and a new, consignment of sand, clay, lead, and
boron flies down to the reactor.
Soon we notice that our first impression of Chernobyl was an
erroneous one. We emerge into the next street and were imme-
diately surrounded by trucks. They are on their way to the
landing pier, where the river banks are being banked up. Nearby,
pontoon specialists are dismantling a 200-meter temporary
bridge on which the population had been evacuated the previous
day. We struck up a conversation. The pontoon specialists, as is
always the case, included people of various nationalities.
"We are people belonging to one family," the Estonian Lembit
Kalymegi said. "If the Ukrainian city of-,Chernobyl has suffered
a misfortune we are ready to come to its assistance."
"Soviet people," pontoon specialist Bektor Shubaliyev from the
far-off Kirghiz city of Osh, told us, "have the same joys and the
same concerns. I know that in my republic my people have
tremendous sympathy for the inhabitants of these afflicted places
and we are trying to do everything to eliminate the consequences
of the accident as rapidly as possible."
"We have a sacred principle -- one for all and all for one,"
Dmitriy Zhuravley says. "The sacred law of brotherhood. Spe-
cialists who have come here from Belorussia are working
alongside us. In the town center I have met with people from
Moscow, Leningrad, and other cities of our motherland. They all
want to help the Ukraine to eliminate as quickly as possible the
disaster which has occurred here."
In the center of Chernobyl you can indeed meet with people from
the most diverse corners of the country. Trucks from Kiev,
Belorussia, Chernigov, and Zhitomir, Cherkassy, and Dneprope-
trovsk Oblasts.
171
The government commission has taken up residence at the party
raykom. On the doors are pinned handwritten
notices: "Academy of Sciences," "Ministry of Power and Elec-
trification," "Engineering Section," "USSR Ministry of
Health..." This is the headquarters for eliminating the disaster.
There is calm and confidence on the faces of the people dressed
in protective overalls. A businesslike, tense atmosphere. Each
person here has his work sector. This is the center to which all
information flows. It is here that decisions are taken and they are
fulfilled in a moment. One of the authors was at the front and he
attests: "The atmosphere reigning here is reminiscent of the
headquarters of an army waging an offensive."
"Unfortunately, as yet we are occupying an echeloned defense,"
Academician Yevgeniy Pavlovich Velikhov says. "We are
endeavoring to anticipate all possible variations. The main task
is to make people safe and that is why an evacuation from a
30-kilometer zone has been carried out. And we are mounting an
offensive on the reactor, working not only next to it but also under
it. Our task is to neutralize it completely, to 'bury' it, as we say.
Everything is proceeding in an organized manner and one tele-
phone call is enough for a decision to be made. Previously it took
months to reach agreement but now a night is enough to decide
virtually any problem. There is not a single person who has
refused to work. Everyone is acting selflessly."
Yevgeniy Pavlovich's face is tired. Today he has even forgotten
to shave. But he has till managed to carve out a few minutes for
? us.
"No one has encountered a similar accident," he notes. "And the
unusual nature of the situation requires the solution of problems
with which neither scientists nor specialists have ever had to deal.
The reactor is several thousnd tons. And this gigantic mass is
warming up [gretetsya]... In general the accident at the station
has taught many lessons, not only to specialists. It is already
showing graphically once again how catastrophic nuclear war is.
This accident is a trifling incident by comparison. Over there in
the West, particularly in Europe, people are shouting and making
a din about Chernobyl, but they themselves are keeping quiet
about or are trying to belittle the danger which the Pershings'
nuclear charges contain. So it is worthwhile for Western propa-
gandists to consider: Should they gloat over the accident which
has occurred or would it be better to prevent a worldwide
catastrophe?"
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LIFE REPORTED 'NORMAL' IN UKRAINE AREAS
Assistance in Evacuation
LD071629 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1513 GMT
[Text] While the consequences of the accident are being elimi-
nated at the Chernobyl AES, normal life and work is continuing
in the surrounding areas outside the danger zone.
Our correspondent Vladimir Sokolov reports:
Traffic on the Kiev-Chernobyl highway is at the present time
markedly busier than usual. Everything necessary to eliminate
the consequences of the accident and to give assistance to the
population, which has been evacuated from the danger zone to
the northern rayons of Kiev Oblast, is moving in a constant
stream along the road in the direction of the AES.
Approximately 100 kilometers from Chernobyl, the highway
goes through the town of Dymer. A large state farm is situated
there, which is also called the Dymer state farm. Here is what its
director Nikolay Nikiforovich Tsukan said:
[Begin Tsurkan recording] Spring field work is nearing comple-
tion. We are completing the planting of potatoes. This is one of
the main crops at our farm. The mass sowing of corn is also under
way. We have undertaken a pledge to fully provide our livestock
7 May 86
with our own feed this year. Our livestock is fairly impressive; we
have 3,500 head of livestock; including about 2,000 cows. As
usual, we are carrying out a great deal of construction work at
the farm. Two residential houses have been built, and a kin-
dergarten is being expanded. At the end of the year, we will begin
constructing a canteen. Altogether, we carry out construction
work annually to the value of approximately RI million. [end
recording]
I asked Anatoliy Ivanovich Artimchuk, the secretary of the party
committee, whether the accident at the atomic power station had
affected Dymer in any way.
[Begin Artimchuk recording] Well, it did affect Dymer. When
the alarm was given, our motor vehicles were sent along with
people to give practical assistance in evacuating people and the
equipment [khozyaystvol Over 30 people drove off to give assis-
tance. It must be said that all of them worked conscientiously and
well. Now the normal, usual work is under way at our settlement.
[end recording]
Kiev Water Said 'Pure'
LD081148 Moscow World Service in English 1000 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] According to latest reports in the Ukraine, work to
eliminate the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant are proceeding as scheduled. The damaged
reactor remains in a choked state, and there are no more radio-
active emissions. The immediate task is to neutralize the reactor
completely. The republic's health minister, Anatoliy
Romanenko, says all the residents of the regions neighboring on
the nuclear power station have been evacuated, and their health
is not in danger. The only people hospitalized are the plant's
workers who were at the plant at the moment of the accident.
Most of them suffered from stress, and are now observed by
medical experts.
The radiation situation in Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, is safe.
Local television announced that the water coming from the city's
water supply system is absolutely pure. Boats with tourists ?
foreign tourists among them ? are making trips along the River
Dnieper, on which Kiev stands.
172
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Physicians on Kiev Radiation
LD061949 [Editorial Report] Moscow Television Service in Rus-
sian at 1700 GMT on 6 May, in its "Vremya" newscast,
broadcasts a video reportage from Kiev Oblast by Aleksandr
Krutov. The reporter begins by pointing out that this morning he
travelled through several parts of Kiev Oblast. He notes that "the
situation remains complex but the main thing is that it is under
strict control. Everywhere there is careful medical observation of
the environment. Operational medical services have been set up
in all rayons of the oblast, both near to and far from the accident.
Thousands of people from the evacuated areas have been
accomodated. At present they are organizing jobs, and all the
possible conditions are being created for them which are possible
to create in such a short time."
The camera cuts to an open-air interview with V.V. Poluneyev,
chief doctor at the Vasilkovskky Rayon clinic, who says medical
observations of people from the Chernobyl area are being made
and that there is no cause for concern at the state of their health.
"They feel completely normal," he says, adding that "many of
them have already started working here with us for the national
economy."
The reportage continues with an open-air interview with G.N.
Grinchuk, chief sanitary doctor of Vasilkorskiy Rayon, who says
"The sanitary and epidemiology service of the rayon is carrying
out round-the-clock checks and constant monitoring of the purity
of the air, the soil, food products, water ? its drinking quality,
and water in open reservoirs ? fodder, and machinery. We have
not measured an increase in radiation here."
The camera cuts to an indoor interview with an unidentified man.
The reporter asks where he is from and how he feels. The man
replies, "I am now undergoing analysis. If everything is normal
I'll get a temporary job. And when the town reopens I'll go back."
A doctor then tells him that his analysis confirms nothing is
wrong. The doctor says, "All the people we have checked are
absolutely normal."
The reportage ends with a visit to a pioneer camp where children
from the evacuated area will be living, showing that everything
is ready for the children to arrive.
Foreign Students: Life 'Normal'
LD071709 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1530 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Concerning the accident at Chernobyl AES, our cor-
respondent in Kiev, Vladimir Sokolov, reports: In Kiev, as
always at this time of year, the city's famous chestnut trees are
in blossom, displaying a multitude of white candle-shaped flow-
ers. As always in the mornings, people are hurrying to work, there
is a noisy to-ing and fro-ing in the crowded Kreshchatik, the city's
principal thoroughfare, there are crowds in the shops and mar-
kets, and in the evenings the theaters, concert-halls and parks ?
the latter particularly splendid-looking and spring-like ? are
equally crowded.
Naturally, people here are following all the reports from Cher-
nobyl AES with the keenest interest ? it is, all the same, about
150 km away. Yesterday they heard and today have been reading
accounts of the press conference about the elimination of the
accident at the power station.
I have been talking about this with foreign students at the civil
aviation engineering institute. Incidentally, there is one of the
signs of the times in evidence there? radiation gauges have been
set up everywhere to enable everyone to check the radiation level
and to see for himself how far the instruments are from danger
level and how the levels continue to fall.
I asked the students what they had to say about this:
[Begin recording] I'm Miroslav Dvorak from Czechoslovakia. I'm
a second-year student at the engineering faculty. On May 2d and
3d we went on a boat trip down the Dnieper. We sat by a
camp-fire in the open air, on the banks of the Dnieper. After that,
we strolled around the town, we went to the cinema. Life here is
normal. In the capitalist countries they are making propaganda;
they, of course, want to use this incident against the socialist
countries. They are saying that lives here are endangered, they
want to make some kind of very big sensation out of this. I have
naturally written to my family that everything here is normal,
telling them not to worry. [end recording]
[Sokolov] I then spoke to Samuel Guiara, a student from the Mali
republic:
[Begin recording] I can say that life is normal as far as I am
concerned. We have not encountered any problems so far. Every-
thing is normal. The accident was not as terrible as is being said
in the West, and I am studying normally. We are preparing for
our exams.
173
[Different voice] I'm Yusuf al-Shuf. I'm a student from Syria. I
have heard a great deal about how people in other countries are
saying Kiev is in a very dangerous predicament. But I want to
say life goes on, people are going to work, and we are attending
classes as normal. As you heard just now, we are studying for our
exams. When I heard for the first time what is being said in other
countries...you know, when our parents hear this, they must be
so worried about us. That's why I sent off a telegram right away.
[end recording]
[Sokolov] And all the foreign students, it seems, are sending
letters and telegrams home so that their families do not worry
and their fellow-countrymen do not believe the mendacious
propaganda being made by those who are indulging in unscrupu-
lous politics out of the accident at Chernobyl AES.
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Tourists on 'Contemptible' Propaganda
PM071322 Moscow SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA in Russian 7 May 86 First Edition p 5
[A. Nazarov report under the "Rapid Investigation" rubric:
Misfortune Is Immoral"]
[Text] The Ukraina hotel. There are always many visitors to
Moscow from different countries here. There are quite a few of
them at present, too, even though the tourist season is by no
means at its height yet. An Intourist bus drove up. There was a
group from Yugoslavia on board. The members of the group had
been visiting Leningrad and Kiev. This was described by a girl
wearing a jacket with a blue globe [Intourist symbol] on it. Her
name is Barbara Jurman.
"We arrived in Kiev on 30 April and saw a host of interesting
things. But the main thing, of course, was the people. The people
of Kiev were very sociable and hospitable to us. We had very
many pleasant meetings in the Ukrainian capital. Nowhere was
there any of the panic that Western publications have been
reporting. What happened at the Chernobyl AES was unfortu-
nate. To revel in that misfortune, as they are doing in the West,
is immoral."
The Yugoslav tourists went into the Ukraina. They were followed
by a well-built dark-haired young man. We introduced ourselves.
His name was Sulayman Abu-Diyab from Syria, and he now
intends to go to Kiev.
"I have a brother living there and I have long wanted to visit
him," Sulayman said. "I telephoned him yesterday. I asked him
about the Chernobyl AES. What my brother told me completely
contradicts what Western propaganda is shouting about. It is
claimed that there is a danger emanating from your country now.
This is just another variation on the old theme of the 'Soviet
threat.' If you live in one of the world's trouble spots, the Middle
East, for example, it is perfectly clear that the threat, the danger
? and not ephemeral ones but real ones, reinforced by bombing
raids ? come from the West, from imperialism. And I am
convinced that the fuss about the Chernobyl AES is a clear
attempt to divert the world public's attention from the crimes of
Washington and its allies."
A Toyota with a foreign number plate stopped in front of the
hotel. A woman in dark glasses slammed the door shut and came
up to the hotel entrance. She was Japanese, her name was Tazika.
"I sympathize deeply with Soviet people," she said. "In my view
there are and can be no other 'assessments' of this event. Am I
leaving Moscow? I do not plan to. Why should I?"
The next people I spoke to were part of a team from Poland. They
will be installing computers for the USSR Academy of Sciences.
"I am sure that the Soviet Union will quickly cope with this
problem," said Stanislaw Bronsztaj. "And in my view what
Western propaganda is doing now is contemptible."
"Sympathy and understanding ? that is the attitude of all
decent people to the events at the Chernobyl AES. And are the
reports of the various radio stations really plausible, anyway?"
his colleague Jaroslaw Gwiazdowski added.
Journal on Plant Problems, Poor Work
AU031403 Paris AFP in English 1352 GMT 3
iText] Paris, May 3 (AFP)? The Chernobyl nuclear power plant
where a reactor exploded last weekend had been plagued with
labor problems in the construction of buildings for two new
reactors, a Ukrainian magazine has reported.
LITERATURNA UKRAYINA said in a critical March 27
article that work crews at the construction side were hampered
by low morale, difficult work conditions, botched material deliv-
ery schedules and poor material quality.
The problems were manifested in poor work quality, the "errors
of which will be felt in the decades to come," the magazine said.
May 86
174
_
The problems extended into the technical and engineering levels,
said the article, where corners were cut to compensate for sub-
quality and quantities of materials.
"In 1985, while 45,500 cubic meters of concrete were ordered,
only 42,300 cubic meters were delivered, and of those 6,000 were
unusable," the article said. "Likewise with steel, 2,436 tons were
not delivered on time the same year. In such conditions, it is
difficult to meet unrealistic work quotas." -
Instead of profiting from problems encountered in the construc-
tion of the four previous reactors, said the article, the same
problems were ignored when they resurfaced, the magazine said.
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VILNIUS REPORTS NO DANGER FROM RADIOACTIVITY
LD080919 Vilnius in Lithuanian to North America 0001 GMT 18 May 86
[Text] At a press conference yesterday in Moscow about the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, which is sit-
uated 130 km from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, experts
explained that radioactive substances reached the atmosphere
after the accident. The wind has spread them to neighboring
areas. Radioactivity has increased in these areas.
The Lithuanian Meteorological and Environment Directorate,
which for 3 deacdes has been constantly observing and register-
ing natural radioactivity, reports that since the accident it has
increased in Lithuania, too. This increase is, however, very small,
within the limits of the natural background radiation. There is
no danger to the health of people or to the environment. This
radioactivity is several hundred times smaller than the danger
point and substantially smaller than the general radioactivity
that was registered up to 1963 when, in accordance with the
Moscow treaty, tests of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere were
banned.
COMMENT ON WESTERN REACTION TO CHERNOBYL INFORMATION
Inadequate Information Discounted
PM071108 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 7 May 86 First Edition p 5
[Yevgeniy Grigoryev "Commentator's Column": "With Marked Cards"]
[Text] To listen to certain Western politicians, nothing is of such
concern to them now as information. But they themselves quite ?
frequently hide it from the eyes of the public when preparing
piratical operations in secret. And even when accidents occur at
nuclear power stations they endeavor to prevent "leaks." For
example, "on the first day of the accident at Harrisburg (United
States) in March 1979," NBC television reporter (J. McLaugh-
lin) has now recalled, "the administration tried to reduce its
seriousness to a minimum..." The first days of the accident, so
commentators believe, were "characterized by concealment of
the facts." And in Britain, with regard to a serious incident which
occurred 31 March at a nuclear power station at Dungeness
(Kent County), THE OBSERVER writes, "The British Central
Electricity Generating Board originally preferred to surround it
with a veil of silence and only undertook to provide certain
information after repeated insistent requests." But it is one thing
in your own home, and another, the aforementioned gentlemen
believe, to try to play on the question of information for the
purpose of the anti-Soviet campaign being fanned in the West in
connection with the accident at the Chernobyl AES.
It is well known that the Soviet Union provided the relevant
information to the governments of many countries, including the
United States. Nevertheless, it is precisely Washington figures
who continue more than anyone to complain hypocritically on all
propaganda corners that they are being kept in almost total
ignorance. To this end use has even been made of the stage at the
Tokyo conference of the "seven," where a special statement was
adopted. It bears the imprint of American propaganda and
demands that its authors be "urgently informed" of what they
actually know perfectly well with regard to the events in Cher-
nobyl.
"We do not have adequate information," a White House
spokesman complained at a press conference there. "Have the
Russians responded by refusing any specific request for informa-
tion?" one of the journalists asked. "I do not think that we have
gone into specific details. We simply asked for general informa-
tion," the spokesman ducked. "Did. they respond by refusing your
request?" the journalist persisted. "I do not think they refused,"
the spokesman admitted and, without batting an eyelid, at once
lied, to put it mildly: "They simply did not provide information."
As we see, it is certainly not the truth, the facts, or the actual
state of affairs that interest the Western pseudochampions of
information. Playing with marked cards, they would like to
blacken the Soviet Union as a country which is hiding something
and which must not be trusted in matters either big or small. Is
it not a fitting venture for misinformers? But they will not get
any further with this lie of theirs either.
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'Propaganda' Approaching 'Absurdity'
PM071316 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 30 Apr 86 Second Edition p 5
[V. Bolshakov rejoinder:
"Senseless Zeal"]
[Text] The Chernobyl AES accident has naturally attracted
attention abroad. The Soviet Union has given information about
what happened to the governments of many countries, interna-
tional organizations, and the public.
Responsible politicians and objective journalists abroad have
approached what has happened seriously and without hoopla.
Nonetheless, certain circles in the United States as well as in a
number of other NATO countries are disseminating conjecture
and yarns, and their "commentaries" on the accident are
reaching the point of absurdity. They are trying to present the
accident as virtually an international crisis. The American press
and TV are whipping up a fear campaign. Demands are being
voiced for the United States to be granted the right of "immedi-
ate inspection and investigation of the circumstances on the
spot." For what reason? As is well known, from 1971 through
1984 there were 151 accidents at nuclear stations in 14 countries,
and this reaction was never observed in Washington.
The explanation is simple if one reads certain Western press
commentaries or ponders certain recent events. By artificially
whipping up a fuss they clearly want to divert the world public's
attention away from the barbarity and shame of the recent U.S.
aggression against Libya. Away from the nuclear explosions in
Nevada that are alarming all mankind. Away from the militarist
"star wars" program. This, and by no means people's health, is
what the organizers of the propaganda shows are concerned
about.
Sensible people worldwide realize that an accident has happened
from which nobody is safe. Conclusions will be drawn from it to
the benefit of the entire world community, which has not yet
managed to entirely rule out accidents at nuclear power stations
that have already been built. The USSR advocates cooperation
among states in this sphere too, believing that nuclear power
ought to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Obviously,
some people among the proponents of continuing the nuclear
arms race in the "NATO sphere" clearly saw a threat to them-
selves in this. That, clearly, is why they decided to whip up a
larger-scale propaganda "smoke screen" in the hope of poisoning
the international atmosphere. This zeal, to put it bluntly, is
senseless.
Donald Regan Criticized for Remarks
PM071026 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 7 May 86 First Edition p 5
[T. Vasilyev rejoinder: "At the Level of Neanderthals"]
[Text] The United States is continuing to escalate the anti-Soviet
campaign connected with the accident at the Chernobyl AES.
What is more, high-ranking White House spokesmen have joined
in during the past few days. Thus, appearing on an NBC televi-
sion program on Sunday, White House Chief of Staff D. Regan
evidently decided to break the records for insinuations against
the Soviet Union. He repeated the irksome fabrications about the
USSR's "reluctance" to provide the "whole world" with detailed
information about what had happened, adding that the Soviet
Union had supposedly cut itself off from everyone in this matter
behind a "stone wall." Entering into the role of an arbitrator, he
even launched into a "profound" discourse to the effect that this
is "unworthy of a civilized nation." Mr Regan, who, thanks to
his post, bears considerable responsibility for Washington's pre-
sent foreign policy course, is the last person who should philoso-
phize on the subject of what is worthy and what is unworthy of
a "civilized nation," if only because, precisely as a result of this
adventurist course, an unprecedented threat of nuclear anni-
hilation,now hangs over all human civilization.
It is permissible to ask Mr Regan: Is such a policy worthy of
a civilized nation? Is it worthy, while considering yourselves to
be "civilized" people, at the same time to pile up mountains of
weapons designed for the mass destruction of millions and
demonstratively wreck the Soviet moratorium on nuclear tests by
refusing to heed elementary logic and common sense?
No, this is not how civilized people behave. Rather, it is the level
of thinking of Neanderthals. This is what the Washington figures
who are bent on making their contribution to fanning anti-Soviet
hysteria ought to remember.
176
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U.S. 'Fabrications' Said 'Nasty'
PM071332 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 7 May 86 Morning Edition p 5
[Report by own correspondent A. Palladin:
[Text] Washington ? The other day eminent lawyer (T. Edkin-
son) was arrested in a Washington suburb. The former head of
the "Democrats for Reagan" organization was kept in isolation
because he had maltreated his young son by forcing him to watch
horror movies on television. To ensure that (Edkinson) Jr. did not
take his eyes off the screen (Edkinson) Sr. held a loaded pistol at
1'is temple and even threatened him with a real grenade...
Since last Monday the local press has been doing something
similar with the U.S. population. From early in the morning till
late at night ? around the clock in the case of some television
companies ? it has been bombarding its fellow citizens with
incredible reports, commentaries, and interviews on the accident
at the Chernobyl AES. What happened there, or rather what did
not happen, is being used as an excuse for further "brainwashing"
with a giant dose of anti-Sovietism.
What is particularly nasty about this operation is the fact that it
is allegedly prompted by humane motives. The U.S. press has
even cast off the camouflage of "impartiality and factuality" and
is openly applying the "a little bird told me" principle. This is the
source of a UPI fabrication to the effect that the accident at the
Chernobyl AES has killed 2,000 people. On what grounds, one
wonders, have they multiplied the true figure by 1,000? neither
more nor less? These "figures" were apparently provided by "a
woman living in Kiev." And this fable, masquerading as a fact,
did the rounds of the local newspapers, magazines, radio, and
television.
But the purveyors of lies did attain one of their goals. Tourists
began to return to the United States from the USSR. They are
being greeted here as if they escaped death by a miracle. There
was a similar spectacle in October 1983 involving U.S. students
in Grenada who also had their "eyes opened" to the alleged threat
of disaster, but whereas at that time the people who had been
"plucked out of the communist hell" were compelled to kiss their
native soil, on this occasion the new arrivals are being made to
shake the foreign soil off their shoes so that it can be immediately
checked for radioactivity. This is all done very ostentatiously, the
voices of impartial experts ("They are all in fine shape" ?
Charles [Meinhold], for example, a local public health worker,
said, having checked the tourists at New York airport) almost
lost in the clicking of camera shutters and whirring of movie
cameras.
The cacophony of fiction, fabrication, and all the other devices
intended to create maximum hysteria is being conducted by
personages in official garb, such as retired Marine (Steven
Simms), now a senator, and former State Department employee
(Nadia O'Shea), are openly preaching hatred of our country ("A
pity the accident did not happen in the Kremlin" ? [Simms]
lamented. As far as Russians are concerned, the more people
killed the better," ? [O'Shea] gleefully remarked). Others, lead-
ing State Department officials prominent among them, prefer the
quiet method, engaging in incitement. This department is bom-
barding ordinary Americans with "information," basically
advising people to keep as far away as possible from the USSR's
borders. And people in state service, for example, employees at
the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, have been told to send the mem-
bers of their households "to a safer place." It is interesting that
so far no one has taken the bait, although volunteers are being
tempted by the promise that all their expenses will be paid.
The coverage of the emergencies involving nuclear submarines
in THE NEW YORK TIMES was brief, a note in small print,
hidden at the very bottom of page six. THE WASHINGTON
POST printed a similar report, but on page nine. Space is at a
premium in the U.S. papers at the moment: They are all full of
fabrications about the Chernobyl AES.
U.S. 'Inventions' Reach 'New Apogee'
LD070904 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 0800 GMT 6 May 86
[Excerpts] In recent months the world public views with under-
standable concern the political carryings-on of the current U.S.
Administration which have a clearly provocative character. They
are grasping at any pretext in order to even further inflame the
already tense situation, to sow mistrust and dissension between
peoples, and poison the political climate. All this is to draw
attention from the criminal, aggressive U.S. acts such as the
recent bombing of Libya and the undeclared wars against
Afghanistan, Angola, and Nicaragua, and so as to justify
strengthening the arms race, continuing nuclear tests, and refus-
ing to accept the Soviet peaceful initiatives. In recent days
escalation of these provocative actions has reached a new apogee.
177
The U.S. state apparatus and the mass information media which
are obedient to it have put into circulation inventions on the
subject of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl
atomic power station.
A week ago an explosion took place here which destroyed
structural elements of the building housing the reactor. Radio-
activity was partially discharged upward and then a fire started
inside. It was unusually difficult to extinguish it. However,
measures to ensure the safety of the population and control what
was happening were made very swiftly. Many thousands of
inhabitants were evacuated in a short time from the Chernobyl
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atomic station's settlement and the area adjacent to it. Work to
eliminate the accident is now continuing at the atomic power
station.
Work is now underway to dyke up the Pripyat River in the atomic
power station area in order to prevent its possible pollution. In
Kiev, Chernigov, and other major cities and small settlements,
the environment is being closely monitored. Additional measures
to eliminate the consequences of the accident have been taken.
Despite the entire complexity of the situation that took shape
after the accident at the 4th power generating unit, order reigned
all the time and continues to reign now in the nuclear power
station's settlement and nearby villages.
West Covering Up N?Weapons Issue
LD080218 Moscow Television. Service in Russian 1700 GMT 7 May 86'
[Commentary by Tomas Kolesnichenko, PRAVDA editor of the International Informa?
tion Department; from the "Vremya" newscast]
[Text] Hello Comrades! The furor over the aceident at the
Chernobyl AES is not abating in the West. Moreover, one gets
the impression that some people, especially in the United States,
are actively fanning this furor, spreading various fables on the
consequences of the accident as a kind of authentic facts, at the
same time acusing the Soviet Union of allegedly not providing
sufficient information about what has happened. Let us leave this
to the conscience of those who are speculating on the accident,
using it to whip up anti-Soviet campaign. One can only remind?
you once again that the relevant reports on the accident were
provided by the Soviet Union to the governments of many
countries, including the United States.
The question arises however in connection with this sensation:
Are they not trying in Washington and in other NATO countries'
capitals, to rearrange the cards, so to speak, and to substitute one
problem by another? After all, if one is to show concern in
connection with nuclear matters, then one should evidently think
above all of those enormous accumulations of nuclear weapons,
'which continue to grow, precisely as a result of the policy of the
United States and its allies. It is these that present the real danger
fraught with catastrophe for the whole of mankind. Scientists,
both Soviet and foreign, have calculated ? and this, incidentally
has been published in the press ? that if there is a thermo-
nuclear catastrophe one could expect the death of about one half
- of mankind as a consequence of direct effects of nuclear weapons
alone, while the 'total number of casualties might reach over 2
billion people. It is about this and other terrible consequences
connected with the use of nuclear weapons that the propagandist
centers of the West overlook as often as possible, especially while
Washington is demonstratively wrecking the Soviet moratorium
on any nuclear explosHoons, and the United States istelf, is
preparing to put mass annihilation weapons into space.
Today one must always remember that the main question which
determines the fate of mankind is how to remove the nuclear
threat. Everyone knows our peaceful initiatives. They indicate a
? realistic way to the goal, so that forces of reason should gain the
upper hand over the crazy, dangerous policy of the nuclear
maniacs. Unfortunately people cannot yet exclude the word
"accident," from their vocabulary, but mankind is already quite
mature enough for the words "nuclear war," to disappear from
their vocabulary forever.
Kiev Radio Attacks West' s Reports
LD061030 Kiev in Ukrainian to North America
[Text] Who is fanning an anti-Soviet rumpus, and why?
Some Western news agencies and other mass media in the last
few days have been busy spreading obviously false rumors about
the consequences of the accident which took place in the USSR
at the Chernobyl AES.
Accurate information about what took place has been published.
The numbers were given of those who died ? two people ? and
of the people who were hospitalized ? 197. Information has been
given about the measures taken, about the fact that a, chain
reaction of the nuclear fuel is not taking place and about the work
to clean up the adjoining district and to give assistance to the
local population.
178
2100 GMT 3 May 86
It would seem that there are no grounds for gossip and rumors.
In the press, and in television and radio programs of a number of
countries, reports are appearing, one more nightmarish than the
next, both about thousands of dead, and about the mass evac-
uation of Kiev, and about the fact that supposedly the USSR has
turned to Western countries with a request to receive for
treatment people who have suffered from radiation. All of this is
obviously a lie, from the first to the last word. The data on the
numbers who suffered has just been cited. Kiev is leading a
peaceful life, which was appropriately mentioned in appearances
on Soviet television by citizens of Britain and France who were
forced by their embassies to completely leave the Soviet Union.
The USSR has not turned to other countries with any kind of
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requests about the hospitalization of those who suffered. All of
this is obviously known to the disseminators of dirty rumors.
However, they are continuing to excell in telling lies.
The simplest thing to do would be to blame everything on
Western propaganda, which is striving to blow up a sensation in
any way possible, even using the Most underhand methods. This
did, of course, play its role, but now the repercussions from the
hullabaloo created are primarily political. Thus, it is no coinci-
dence that obviously false information is accompanied, for exam-
ple, by deliberations to the effect that the accident that occurred
somehow undermines the very possibility of establishing reliable
monitoring of a stop to nuclear tests and nuclear weapons limi-
tation.
At the same time, data about the consequences of the accident
are by no means a secret. It is very indicative that many foreign
experts ? in Sweden and the United States, for example ?
assessed the nature of the consequences on the basis of objective
scientific information and came to the conclusion that they do
not present any danger. Moreover, these conclusions by scientists
are hushed up as a rule by the mass media.
All this has its own internal logic. The organizers of the anti-
Soviet campaign feel obliged to force people to believe that the
Soviet Union is the source of the threat of a nuclear death. In this
way they hope to make the masses forget about the real threat of
15,000 nuclear warheads in West Europe, about the fact that new
U.S. medium-range missiles are currently being deployed there.
Western propagandists are doing everything they can to stifle the
protests of the world public against the nuclear explosions being
carried on by the United States and to lead the Western countries
to refuse to adopt the constructive Soviet proposals aimed at
nuclear disarmament. The anti-Soviet rumpus following the
accident at the Chernobyl AES is also serving these aims.
Poland's Urban Condemns 'Inventiona'.
LD071305 Moscow TASS in English 1218 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Warsaw May 7 TASS ? Addressing a press conference
here, a spokesman for the Polish Government has strongly con-
demned the various inventions and cock-and-bull stories issued
by bourgeois propaganda in connection with spreading to Poland
of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant.
He said that a certain number of the Western news media, first
and foremost the subversive "Free Europe" radio station, were
deliberately trying to use in their programmes beamed to Poland
the accident at the nuclear power plant with [as received] their
political ends, to frighten that country's population and cause
panic in order to heighten tensions and use what happened
against the Polish state, against the vital interests of the Polish
people. "Free Europe" was hysterically shouting that the "Polish
leadership was concealing from the population the threat, which
has emerged", that "the Polish authorities preferred to remain
tight-lipped instead of saving people." Thus, "Free Europe",
THE WASHINGTON POST and the "Voice of America" as
well as the French LIBERATION, which echoed "Free Europe",
were doing their utmost in an attempt at undermining trust in
the measures, which were taken by the Polish authorities.
I wish to say in all responsibility, the government spokesman said,
that the Polish people were informed about the radioactivity level
which emerged, and about preventive measures, timely and
conscientiously. There was no peril to human health in Poland
anywhere, nobody fled anywhere, and schools were not closed,
contrary to the Western propaganda claims. The radioactivity
which emerged in Poland, albeit it was greater than before the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, was nevertheless
not dangerous to human health. This was also later confirmed by
American experts.
Then what right had Western propaganda to try to cause panic
in Poland and arouse distrust in its authorities? In the name of
what human rights was that done? Certain forces in the West
thus had recourse to heinous methods, but they could not care
less about the safety of the Polish people.
The spokesman for the Polish Government said: We wish to tell
a number of governments and political forces in the West, which
have recently all of a sudden displayed the wish to help Poland
with medicines and foods ? Stop trying to harm Poland. This is
the only thing we want. This will be the best, and for that matter,
free assistance to the Poles.
Western propaganda is engaged in a foul game, its sights being
set against the Soviet Union. This is a new kind of the same
political gambling, in which the Western press has been engaged
from the very outset of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant. Yet, no attempts of this kind will ever upset Polish-
Soviet relations of friendship and trust, the spokesman for the
Polish Government stressed.
179
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French Reaction Assessed
LD071944 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1500 GMT 7 May 86
[Report by Paris correspondent Oleg Maksimenko]
[Text] Anti-Soviet radioactivity. One could use this headline
from one of the articles publised in L'HUMANITE, the press
organ of the French Communists, to express the attitude of the
majority of local mass information media to the accident at the
Soviet atomic power station at Chernobyl.
French students were attending courses in Kiev. On the pages of
the press the cry rang out: We must save our fellow country-
men. They flew home without delay. At CharIgs de Gaulle
Airport they underwent extremely strict checks for the presence
of radiation. Naturally, no signs of its presence were discovered
but the deed was done. The incident with the students played its
role. It served for the further whipping up in France of unfriendly
attitudes toward our country.
But things were not limited to distorting the facts. Soon the
bourgeois press began to argue that the Soviet Union was an
unreliable partner and that with such a partner it was not possible
to try to solve the problem of disarmament. Accepting at face
value the U.S. version that the scale of the accident was much
greater, the papers virtually totally ignored our information. The
conclusion that was palmed off onto the reader was simple: The
USSR cannot be trusted.
The sober voices of some French specialists and scientists were
drowned out in this anti-Soviet choir. But the truth will out. Now,
everyone here has been obliged to admit that what happened was
precisely what the USSR reported. In the science of the future,
which is what nuclear power generation is, such things can
happen; and this is well understood in France. Such accidents
have happened on several occasions in the West. The question
arises: Who needed to spread here anti-Soviet radioactive fall-
out?
Perhaps this is needed by the Reagan administration which
initiated the whipping up throughout the world of the hysteria
and psychosis about the Chernobyl events. But does France need
this?
MOSCOW PARTY CHIEF YELTSIN INTERVIEWED ON ACCIDENT
DW070951 Hamburg STERN in German 7 May 86 p 245
[Interview with Boris Yeltsin, candidate member of the Politburo of the CPSU
Central Committee and party chief of Moscow, by correspondents Dieter Guett and
Uwe Zimmer in Hamburg, no date given]
r
[Text] STERN: Why did the Soviet Union so belatedly and
incompletely inform its own people and those of its neighbor
countries about the seriousness of the accident?
Yeltsin: Obviously we are applying different yardsticks. The
Western press is overly active and commits blunders more often
than not. We are striving for 100-percent truth and therefore
sometimes suffer in speed. We had no intention of suppressing
news we had in our possession. The accident happened on Satur-
day, 26 April. The government dealt with it the next day, and we
! informed Western governments and the United States on 28
; April, consonant with the information we had at that time. What
c we had in mind was building confidence. After all, we were not
1 obligated by any international treaty or any convention torotify
other countries about the nuclear power pia accident.
'STERN: What exactly happened in Chernobyl?
Yeltsin: There are different versions. One possibility is that in
preparing the reactor for maintenance work, proper procedures
rwere norobierved7The?tigultant, highly?exploiive co- mpound7
ignited. As a consequence of the explosion, part of the reactor ;
building was damaged and the reactor itself leaked, whereupon
I radiation escaped.
STERN: What caused the leak in the reactor?
- + ;
Yeltsin: I'? We do not know that yet. At this moment we are not
sending any human beings directly into the scene of the accident
because of the danger of radiation. At this time the leaky reactor
is being covered up with sand, boion, and lead to seal the leak. ;
STERN: ' ,You mean to say that radioactivity continues to;
?..:
.Yeltsin: . Radioactivity is being checked at 2-hour intervals. It 1
dropped g hundredfold on 1 May.
1
180
STERN: How many people were hurt in the accident?
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7 Yeltsini.?We have evacuated 49,000 people from four settle-
ments in a radius of 30 km. This was done directly after the
' "breakdown." That territory was blocked off. ? ? ;
STERN: Western newspapers quote eyewitnesses who claim
to know that there were more than 2,000 dead. ; f
Yeltsin: I can only react to those figures with outrage. The
so-called free press propagates many lies. Actually two people
were killed. It is possible that there will be a few more casualties.
Some 20-30 people were affected by a high dose of radiation. So:
many people were at the site of the accident, but in no case were
there hundreds of victims, let alone thousands. Livestock Within
a radius of 30 km was slaughtered. People found to have been
I contaminated with an increased dose of radiation were hospital-
ized. Some of them have since been released. '
STERN: At the party congress...
Yeltsin: ...begging your pardon: I have asked for some
translations from BILD-ZEITUNG. "Thousands of injured peo-
ple" ? that is a lie. "Two reactors afire" ? that is a lie. "The
, core and the reactor proper have melted" ? also a lie. There are.
no refugees, either on the roads or elsewhere. "Drinking water is
short" ? that is also a lie. All levels are absolutely safe in the
rivers. The newspaper writes that there will not be any foodstuffs
to be had soon and that famine will ensue. Does STERN also
have the nerve to print something like that? ? ?
STERN: We are not from BILD-ZEITUNG.
Yeltsin: I am really upset because it is entirely without basis.
It is not attributable to any information whatsoever.
? STERN: At the CPSU party congress in February you deli-
vered a scorching speech against slovenliness and lack of dis-.
, cipline. Is it possible that slovenly work was done at Chernobyl?
Yeltsin: There were objections that cropped up during the
, construction of the installation about faults that later were
corrected. At this time we have no reason to speak of slovenliness
on anybody's part because we do not know the cause of the
accident. Should people have been culpable, they will be severely
punished.
STERN: Have the other 20 reactors of the same design been
? switched off in the meantime?
Yeltsin: No.
STERN: Even though you cannot rule out a technological*
fault as the potential cause of the accident?
COPYRIGHT: 1986 Gruner & Jahr AG & Co.
181
YeltsinF'lt goes without saying that we switched off the otheil
ithree reactors at Chernobyl. They are in a condition where they ;
can be connected to the grid again at any time. Perhaps it is just *!
a person who must be blamed for the accident, in which case we
do not need a new system. All we must do is exclude the influence
on the entire system of a single person. Once the causes are clear,
it may be necessary to review some norms, yet the fundamental
technologies will be retained. .
r?;.
1??
1, ?
STERN: Does that also apply to the gigantic energy program, ?
,which envisages doubling the power supply by the year 2000?
, ? ,
Yeltsin: ?? Work on that program, which provides for the con-
struction of many new nuclear power plants, will be continued. !
At the same time measures will be taken to safeguard against
1
Why did the Soviet Union decline offers of assis- ,
"breakdowns" such as at Chernobyl.
STERN:
tance?
i..YeltsiirirrWOnitiiTiea;iTarii-niicientific point of view, w-e7
',have ample means for handling the matter on our own. There is :
I:no need to approach other countries for help to eliminate the
hconsequences of the accident. - . ?
STERN: , Do you believe that the reactor accident will affect
t international relations? Western governments can hardly musterl
'any understanding for Soviet information policy.
Yeltsin: There was, formerly, a certain reserve in the informa-
tion policy of our country. In the most recent past, under the new
leadership, I cannot recall any case in which anything was held
.%arck. Just as in any family, though, an accident must not end up
confrontation.
.STERN: Will the summit between President Reagan and
'Gorbachev take place before the end of the year?
iYeltsin: The probability of a summit meeting has not ;
increased. A meeting for the mere purpose of shaking hands I
would be useless. The two know each other. What is needed now
is a meeting to solve problems. The only conclusion we can draw 4;
from the deportment of the United States is that the United I:
States thus far has nothing to suggest; and it disagrees with our
proposals. Now, I have a question myself. Do you believe me? ?i
!Look into my eyes.:
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BLIX, ROSEN CONTINUE VISIT, HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE
Visit Chernobyl Area
LD081721 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1630 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Blix, director general of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, the IAEA, who is in our country at the invitation of the
Soviet Government, has visited Kiev. Today he toured the area
of the Chernobyl AES. With him were Comrade Petrosyants,
chairman of the State Committee for the Utilization of Atomic
Energy; Comrade Gurenko, deputy chairman of the Council of
Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR; Comrade Konstantinov, deputy
director general of the IAEA; and Rosen, director of the Depart-
ment of Nuclear Safety of the IAEA. Explanations were given
by Academician Comrade Velikhov, vice president,of the USSR
Academy of Sciences, and Comrade Sidorenko, first deputy
chairman of the State Committee for Safety in the USSR Atomic
Power Industry.
More on Visit to Area
LD091303 Moscow TASS in English 1255 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS ? The IAEA officials who had
arrived in the USSR in connection with the accident at the
Chernobyl atomic power station had "an opportunity to get the
picture of the accident during very frank and open talks," Hans
Blix, director general of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), said at a press conference here today.
He said that the IAEA officials had visited Kiev, where they had
had talks with Stanislav Gurenko, deputy chairman of the Coun-
cil of Ministers of the Ukraine, Academician Yevgeniy Velikhov,
and Professor Viktor Sidorenko, deputy chairman of the Com-
mittee for Atomic Power and Safety. Velikhov and Sidorenko are
supervising the removal of the consequences of the accident at
the Chernobyl atomic power station.
Hans Blix said that they had been taken by helicopter over the
city of Chernobyl 18 kilometres outside the atomic power station
and over the station itself and that they had viewed the damaged
unit from a distance of 800 metres.
Blix Comments on Tour of Site
LD081856 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1700 GMT 8 May 86
[Report on interview with Hans Blix, IAEA general director; Bllx remarks in
English with superimposed Russian translation--from the "Vremya" newscast]
[Text] Hans Blix, director general of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, the IAEA, who is in our country at the invitation
of the Soviet Government, has visited Kiev. Today he spent some
time in the area of the Chernobyl atomic power station. [video
shows Blix climbing out of a helicopter on a landing strip. He is
wearing dark green overalls and a white cap and has a broad
smile on his face throughout the interview. Three other men leave
the helicopter with him, two of them wearing white gloves in
182
addition to the above-mentioned garments. Blix's inteiipreter
introduces him to the "Ukrainian TV" film crew]
[Unnamed correspondent] Mr Blix, you have just flown around
the site of the Chernobyl atomic power station accident. What is
your opinion? What do you have to say on the subject?
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[Blix] Well, we have seen the site from the air and we have seen
that A little smoke is still coming up from the damaged part. We
have also seen that there is a lot of activity to contain the reactor
and to keep it under control. And we have also been informed by
the competent persons about this work.
[Correspondent] What can you say about the intensiveness of the
work?
[Blix] Well, they have evidently had very heavy work to do in the
past 2 weeks and have been successful and we hope that they will
continue to stabilize the situation.
Sees Reactor From 800 Meters Away
LD091127 Moscow TASS in English 1124 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS ? The director of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Hans Blix, said today that he
had been able to see the Chernobyl nuclear power station from a
distance of 800 meters and that there was a good deal of activity
under way there to keep the reactor under control.
Speaking at a new conference in the Press Center of the Soviet
Foreign Ministry, he said competent officials from Soviet orga-
nizations had provided him with detailed information about the
work being done.
Blix informed the attending Soviet and foreign newsmen of the
main provisions of a communique on the results of his stay in the
Soviet Union. The news conference was also addressed by Morris
Rosen, director of the IAEA Nuclear Safety Division, who gave
the reporters the details of the Chernobyl accident and the
measures being taken to deal with its conse4ences.
Rosen Says Levels 'Stabilizing
LD091143 Moscow TASS in English 1123 GMT 9
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS ? At a press conference in Moscow
today for Soviet and foreign correspondents, the IAEA Director
of Nuclear Safety Division Morris Rosen mentioned his flight
yesterday on board a helicopter at a distance of some 800 metres
from the damaged 4th unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
"There is relatively little radioactive release from the 4th unit",
he said. "The situation appears to be stabilizing and radioactive
reading, taken from the helicopter, confirms this conclusion". He
added that no damage had been caused to the safety
arrangements of the 3rd unit.
Answering questions he also said that "temperature readings are
decreasing" and that infrared studies showed that there were "no
large hot-spot areas" at the station.
183
May 86
Referring to "a small amount of smoke emanating from the unit"
he said that whereas graphite fire has a dark colour this smoke
was light grey.
Morris Rosen also noted that the radiation level in the Kiev
reservoir was normal throughout the period following the acci-
dent at the Chernobyl station.
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Says 204 'Affected by Radiation'
LD091349 Moscow TASS in English 1342 GMT
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS ? Morris Rosen, director of the
Nuclear Safety Division of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, today gave at a press conference in Moscow a provisional
evaluation of the causes and consequences of the accident at the
Chernobyl atomic power station.
So far there are only hypotheses regarding the specific reasons
for the accident. Research and detailed analysis are under way.
Fire in the fourth unit of the station caused extensive damage in
the reactor itself and the reactor core, resulting in radioactive
releases beyond the nuclear power station area. The chain reac-
tion automatically stopped at the time of the accident. This is
confirmed by the fact that medical examination of persons
affected showed no evidence of high neutron flux exposure.
The work of fire teams was complicated by the fact that neither
water nor chemicals could be used. Firemen and some nuclear
power station personnel were among those injured by radiation.
Most residents in adjacent areas were indoors at the time of thd
accident thus reducing their exposure.
9 May 86
In the early morning of the 26th of ApriVmonitoring equipment
registered increased radioactivity and reported this. Evacuation
began on the 27th of April, starting with women and children.
Up to 48,000 people were evacuated from Chernobyl and other
locations within a 30-kilometre radius. As a preventive measure,
potassium iodine tablets were widely distributed inside as well as
outside the 30-km zone.
204 persons, including nuclear power station personnel and fire
fighters, were affected by radiation from 1st degree to 4th degree,
? 18 persons being in the 4th degree. All 204 persons were hospital-
ized in Moscow and treated medically. In some cases bone
marrow transplants were performed.
The radioactive releases from the damaged unit have been signif-
icantly reduced by shielding and neutron absorbing material ?
sand, boron, clay, dolomite and lead ?dropped from helicopters
over the reactor, resulting in decreasing radioactivity levels in the
30-km zone.
Rosen: 'Temperatures Remain High'
LD091359 Moscow TASS in English 1355 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS --The director of the International
Atomic Energy Agency's department for nuclear safety, Morris
Rosen, said today that "necessary shift personnel work on the site
(of the Chernobyl nuclear power station) to keep the undamaged
reactors in safe shut-down conditions".
Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, he added: The third
reactor adjacent to the fourth was not damaged in the accident,
and its safety systems for cooling are functioning."
"The damaged reactor suffered some fire in parts of the graphite.
These fires have been extinguished but temperatures remain
high," he said. "The aim is to encase the whole fourth unit in
concrete and work has begun to place a concrete foundation
under the reactor."
"Maximum radiation level within the 30-kilometer zone has been
10;15 millirem/hour," Rosen said. "By the 5th of May it had
decreased to 2-3 millirem/hour. On the 8th of May it had
dropped to a maximum of 0.15 at the perimeter of the zone. The
level of radioactivity in Kiev's water reservoir was within normal
limits at all times."
'Very Frank, Open' Talks Cited
LD091054 Moscow TASS in English 1050 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS ? "We had very frank and open
talks" with senior Soviet officials and "agreed on certain
actions", the director general of the International Atomic Energy
Agepcy (IAEA) Hans Blix said referring to the accident at the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
He spoke at a press conference for Soviet and foreign jourhalists
at the Press Centre of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs
today. Hans Blix visited the Soviet Union at the invitation of the
USSR Government.
It was agreed, he said, that the Soviet side would "continuously
release data to the IAEA" as of today and that Soviet specialists
would come to Vienna for a post-accident analysis in order to
assist IAEA member-states to learn from this accident and thus
to further improve nuclear power safety.
184
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Blix Asked About Causes of Chernobyl
LD091109 Moscow TASS in English 1055 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] .Moscow May 9 TASS Today, the last day of his visit
to the USSR, Hans Blix, the IAEA director general, held a press
conference for Soviet and foreign correspondents.
Asked whether the information furnished by the Soviet side
concerning the Chernobyl accident was extensive and exhaustive,
Hans Blix said: "Emphatically yes".
When a question was put about the causes of the accident, Hans
Blix gave the floor to the IAEA director of the Nuclear Safety
Division Morris Rosen to answer it. "There are many guesses",
Morris Rosen said, but it is "much more prudent to wait" for
results of further analysis.
Blix on Smoke, Major Work at Reactor
HK090052 Hong Kong AFP in English 0038 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 9 (AFP) ? International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) Chief Hans Blix said Thursday night that he saw
"a little smoke" coming from a damaged reactor and "major
work" still underway at the crippled Chernobyl Soviet nuclear
power plant when he flew over the site earlier in the day.
Soviet authorities issued conflicting reports about whether the
fire at Chernobyl was still burning 13 days after the nuclear
disaster there, and a Western diplomat said the evacuation of the
nearby town had only been completed two days earlier, leaving
thousands of inhabitants exposed to high radiation for more than
a week.
Meanwhile, the 12-nation European Economic Community
(EEC) suspended meat and some animal imports from seven East
European countries because of possible radioactive contamina-
tion.
In an interview shown on Soviet television shortly after Mr Blix
flew over Chernobyl in a helicopter, the 1AEA's director-general
said he had seen "a little smoke" escaping from a damaged
reactor.
After the trip, he told Soviet journalists at the Ukrainian capital,
Kiev, 130 kms (80 miles) away, that he had seen "major work"
underway but that authorities "are controlling" the situation.
"It's obvious that during these past two weeks, work has been
carried out successfully (at Chernobyl). We hope the situation
will stabilize in the future," Mr Blix said.
More than 1,300 doctors and medical workers, assisted by 240
ambulances, had been working in recent days as "during war-
time" to rescue residents from the contaminated region, the
Soviet news agency TASS said. Soviet reports have said two
people were killed and some 200 hospitalized as a result of the
accident, believed to have been caused by a chemical explosion.
(The Yugoslav news agency TANJUG reported that a third
person died Thursday morning in a Soviet hospital.) Urgent cases
were taken to the main hospital in Kiev and specialized clinics
there, TASS said in a major report from special envoys at the site.
Without specifying the total number of people evacuated, TASS
described one case ? "the village of Peskovka which took in more
than 2,000 people who had left the danger zone."
Eminent Soviet specialists had arrived from Moscow and Lenin-
grad to help in the rescue work, TASS said, including the
vice-president of the Soviet Academy of Medical Sciences. TASS
did not mention U.S. specialists Gale and Teraski who had gone
to Moscow to do bone marrow transplants on people worst hit by
radiation.
? "Those workers at the power station and firemen who had
suffered worst in the accident were transferred by plane to
Moscow," TASS said.
185
The government newspaper IZVESTIYA earlier reported that
the fire was still smouldering at Chernobyl and indicated that
authorities faced serious difficulties in containing the after-
effects of the disaster.
(In Bonn, an Interior Ministry spokesman said West German
nuclear experts feared the fused core of a reactor at the plant ?
which has four reactors ? might be boring into the earth after
having destroyed the building's concrete foundations.)
But the premier of the Ukrainian Republic, Alexander Liyashko,
told visiting foreign journalists in Kiev that the disabled reactor
was "no longer burning." Its temperature had dropped to around
300 degrees centigrade (575 Fahrenheit), and radioactivity levels
"continue to drop."
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The. fire that ravaged the fourth reactor at the power station
reached the roof of a building protecting the third reactor before
it was put out, the newspaper SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA
reported in Moscow. It said 17 firemen were hospitalized and 50
"platoons" of firemen had been sent to the site from Kiev and the
surrounding region. It did not report any damage to the third
reactor.
(In Brussels, a spokesman for the EEC Executive Commission
said the community had suspended until May 31 all meat
imports, as well as those of live cows and pigs, from seven Eastern
European countries due to possible contamination from radioac-
tive fallout from the stricken Soviet nuclear plant.
(The ban, to start on Saturday, affected imports from the Soviet
Union, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania
and Yugoslavia, but not East Germany.
(EEC governments are to rule shortly on other items ? including
sheep, fowl, fresh dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables and
freshwater fish.)
The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia strongly protested the ban,
TASS saying EEC reports of contamination were "inventions,"
and Yugoslav authorities saying the decision was not based on
official Yugoslav radiation levels.
Blix Emphasizes Objective Reporting
LD091202 Moscow TASS in EnglisH 1155 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS ? At a one-and-a-half hour press
conference here today for Soviet and foreign correspondents the
IAEA director general Hans Blix emphasised the "importance
of objective reporting" when asked to comment on coverage in
the West of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
A correspondent's duty is "not to sensationalise" but to report,
he said. However, he went on, accidents at nuclear power plants
are very difficult things to write about since this involves
extremely complicated technical and scientific problems. One
needs "first to understand them," he added.
Rosen Confirms Reactor Shutdown
LD091225 Moscow TASS in\ English 1210 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 9 TASS ? "The chain reaction (at the
Chernobyl nuclear power station) automatically stopped at the
time of the accident," Morris Rosen, director of the International
Atomic Energy Agency's nuclear safety division, told a news
conference here today. Together with IAEA Director-General
Hans Blix he had visited the area of the accident.
Rosen said the fact that the reactor had been shut down "is
confirmed by the fact that medical examination of persons
affected showed no evidence of high neutron flux exposure."
He denied rumors of the third reactor having been damaged in
the accident, saying: "Its safety systems for cooling are func-
tioning."
"The level of radioactivity in Kiev's water reservoir was within
normal limits at all times," Rosen said.
186
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Visit Concludes 9 May
LD091305 Moscow TASS in English 1300 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS--Hans Blix, director general of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), today left the Soviet Union. He had paid a visit
to the USSR at the invitation of the Soviet Government.
Communique Issued on Visit
LD091029 Moscow TASS in English 1016 GMT 9 May 86
["Communique on Blix Visit to USSR"--TASS item identifier]
[Text) Moscow May 9 TASS ?On the invitation from the USSR
Government the director-general of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) Hans Blix visited the Soviet Union from
5 to 9 May 1986.
He was accompanied by the Deputy Director-General L.V.
Konstantinov and the Director of the Nuclear Safety Division M.
Rosen.
H. Blix and the IAEA specialists accompanying him were
received by the Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of
Ministers B.E. Shcherbina, at the USSR Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and at the USSR State Committee for the Utilization of
Atomic Energy.
In the course of the visit H. Blix and the specialists accompanying
him were provided information pertaining to the accident at the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station (N PS). Ways of further
enhancing nuclear power safety by strengthened international
cooperation and increasing the IAEA role in this area were
discussed.
The Soviet experts gave the IAEA representatives detailed infor-
mation about the accident at the Unit 4 of the Chernobyl NPS
and about the measures taken for the elimination of consequences
of the accident.
H. Blix was informed that necessary operational personnel are
present at the three undamaged Chernobyl NPS units, which are
shut down.
Blix and his colleagues accepted the invitation to visit the
Chernobyl NPS area, where they received additional informa-
tion as to on-site conditions and measures being taken for the
elimination of consequences of the accident.
187
In response to the request from the director-general of the IAEA,
the Soviet side expressed its willingness to provide, as soon as it
is available, information on the accident, to be discussed at a-
meeting of nuclear safety experts in order to assist IAEA
member-states to learn from this accident and thus to further
improve nuclear power safety.
The Soviet side is ready to provide the IAEA with information
on the level of radiation from a station located at the distance of
60 km from the NPS and from several other stations located
along the Western border of the USSR; the agency will be
distributing this information to national radiation protection
authorities concerned.
The Soviet side stated that the accident will not affect the
implementation of nuclear power development plans in the Soviet
Union.
Ways of further improving nuclear power safety were discussed
as well as international measures which may be usefully devel-
oped within the framework of the IAEA in order to minimize
possible consequences of nuclear power accidents. Both parties
noted that such measures may include the development of a
timely warning mechanism on radioactivity releases which could
affect areas beyond national boundaries, provision of information
on background level of radioactivity, and the introduction of
possible additional technical measures in nuclear facilities for the
prevention of accidents and reducing their consequences.
Both parties stressed the importance of IAEA activities, those
directed to nuclear safety as well as those directed to ensure a
totally peaceful utilization of nuclear power.
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ORF: GOVERNMENT ADMITS INHABITANTS FLEEING KIEV
AU081411 Vienna ORF Teletext in German 1400 GMT 8 May 86
[Excerpt] Moscow--The government has admitted for the first time that Kiev
inhabitants are fleeing the city because of the nuclear power plant accident.
Additional trains and planes are being made available to enable inhabitants
of this area to leave. Hundreds of schoolchildren with their mothers have
arrived today in Moscow from Kiev. Instances of poisoning with medicines have
been reported. Authorities speak about panic reactions. Certain people
believed that they could protect themselves against radiation by taking
medicines.
ANNOUNCEMENT: USSR GOODS POSE NO RADIATION HAZARDS
PM091124 Moscow KRASNAYA-ZVEZDA in Russian 9 May 86 Second Edition
["TASS Announcement"--TASS headline]
iTextj ? Fabrications that Soviet export goods and means of
transportation are hazardous because of their "radioactive con-
tamination" have been launched in the West in connection with
the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power station. A number
of West European countries have taken measures to restrict the
import of food products and other goods from the USSR and
some European CMEA countries.
Such actions undermine the purposes of international
agreements on trade, on economic, industrial, scientific and
technical cooperation concluded between those countries and the
USSR and are not in keeping with the generally accepted prac-
tice of solving problems arising in international trade.
Competent state bodies of the USSR have taken and continue
taking the necessary effective measures. Soviet goods and means
of transportation do not pose radiation hazards either to the
population of our country, or to citizens of other states.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIAL 9 MAY: AES FIRE 'CONTINUING'
5
AU090812 Paris AFP in English 0807 GMT 9 May 86
[Excerpts] Kiev, Soviet Union, May 9 (AFP)--The fire at Chernobyl "is con?
tinuing" a senior Soviet official said here Friday, in remarks that countered
earlier statements that the blaze at the stricken nuclear plant had been
put out.
188
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"The extinction of the fire" was still being carried out, said Ivan
Plyushch, an official responsible for the Kiev region. He added
that radioactivity leaking from the damaged reactor had dropped
from between 180-190 Roentgens on Thursday to 113 Roentgens
Friday.
Mr. Plyushch's remarks ran counter to a statement here
Thursday by Alexander Lyashko, premier of the Ukrainian
Republic, that the plant's disabled No 4 reactor was "no longer
burning."
Soviet technicians have dumped tons of boron, lead and sand onto
the plant in an effort to form a protective shield. Published
reports in the West say that the molten reactor core is burning
through the building's concrete foundations.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian minister for health, Anatoliy
Romanenko, and Kiev Mayor Valentin Zgurski, told journalists
that radioactivity at Kiev was falling and was currently being
recorded at 0.15 milliroentgens, which they said was a "normal"
level. However, they said that 250,000 Kiev children aged from
7 to 14 would be allowed to leave the city next Thursday to go to
holiday camp. They denied that it was an evacuation, saying it
was only a step to bring forward annual school holidays by a
week.
Parents who do not wish to send their children to camp have been
advised to send them elsewhere, while parents of children of pre-
school age have been authorised to leave Kiev, they said.
UKRAINIAN PREMIER: REACTOR 'NO LONGER BURNING'
'Radiation Levels Dropping'
AU082014 Paris AFP in English 2012 GMT 8
[Excerpts] Kiev, Soviet Union, May 8 (AFP) ? Aleksandr Lyash-
ko, premier of the Ukrainian Republic, Thursday told visiting
foreign journalists that the disabled nuclear reactor at the Cher-
nobyl nuclear power plant was "no longer burning." Mr. Lyashko
said the reactor's temperature had "gone down" to around 300
degree Celsius (575 F) and that radioactivity levels "continue to
drop." "This means that it is no longer burning," he said.
Mr. Lyashko said that a few hours after the accident, Moscow
authorities had only been told that there had been an explosion
at Chernobyl. It was only two days later, on April 28, that they
were informed of the magnitude of the disaster, he added.
"The situation was getting worse and worse. Moscow was warned
on April 28. An enquiry commission arrived on that day. It was
a very difficult situation which was evolving into an unpredict-
able manner," the Ukrainian premier said.
Mr. Lyashko revealed that a total of 84,000 people had now been
evacuated from an area 30 kms (19 miles) from the disabled plant.
The day after the accident, the evacuation had affected an area
10 kilometers (six miles) from the plant, including the town of
Pripyat, he noted.
The minister said that people had been taken to sites 70 to 130
kilometers (45 to 80 miles south of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev,
in a "well organised" operation that includes daily medical
checkups and transfers to hospital as soon as abnormal radio-
activity levels were detected. He said two people had been killed,
204 injured, included 18 seriously, all staff of the plant.
May 86
Mr. Lyashko denied that the accident was the result of a human
error, saying it occurred as, following a technical intervention,
the power of the reactor had dropped from its usual 1,000
megawatts to only 200 megawatts.
New medical installations have been built for the evacuees, Mr.
Lyashko said, adding that the makeshift facilities were manned
by 230 teams of doctors brought from around the Ukraine. A
military medical unit also was at hand, he said.
Mr. Lyashko said that a 3.2 billion liter water reservoir north of
Kiev, itself 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the Chernobyl
plant, was checked daily for radioactivity.
"Luckily," he said, "the quality of the water has not suffered,"
adding however that preventive measures such as drilling new
wells had been taken.
He said radioactivity levels in the air outside the 30 kilometer (18
mile) evacuated area posed no danger, but ground radioactivity
inside the zone was "high."
Mr. Lyashko also said that "farm work has been curtailed"
outside the danger zone, hinting that ground-level radiation there
also was high. "We believe that Ave're eliminating the after-
effects of the accident well," the Ukrainian premier said, adding
that the Chernobyl plant "in the term" would resume operations.
He also said that the disaster would not stop the construction of
nuclear power plants in the Soviet Union.
189
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More on Premier's Comments
LD081803 Moscow TASS in English 1753 GMT 8 May 86
[Text) Kiev May 8 TASS ? Aleksandr Lyashko, chairman of
the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, met on May 8
with a group of foreign journalists, who arrived in Kiev.
He briefed the newsmen on the measures being taken to eliminate
the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant. He pointed out that the situation in the area of the power
plant is under control. It was reported that at present the tem-
perature in the damaged unit of the power plant has reduced
down to 300 degrees centigrade. This is an indication that the
process of burning in the reactor has been ended.
There is no threat to the health of the population; the economy
of the Kiev region is functioning at a stable rate. At the same
time, the attention of the journalists was drawn to the fact that
some Western news agencies have launched a slanderous cam-
paign around the accident aimed at deceiving the world public
and distracting its attention from the key issues pertaining to an
improvement of the international climate.
The chairman of the Council of Minsters of the republic has
answered questions of the journalists. Present at the meeting was
Yuriy lzrael, chairman of the USSR State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control.
AFP CITES IZVESTIYA: FIRE STILL SMOULDERING
AU081611 Paris AFP in English 1608 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 8 (AFP) ? The fire at the crippled Cher-
nobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Ukraine has not yet been
totally put out, the government newspaper IZVESTIYA reported
Thursday.
It praised the courage of those "who, taking risks, are striving to
eliminate the after-effects of the accident and to put out the fire
which is still smouldering."
"There are circumstances in which to carry out one's duty
amounts to a feat. This is the situation facing those who stayed
in the Cherobyl nuclear power plant," the daily added.
IZVESTIYA also blasted the lack of initiative shown by local
Ukrainian officials during the first hours which followed the
April 26 meltdown at Chernobyl, the world's worst nuclear
accident. "Why hide it? In that exceptional situation, some
workers did not show enough firmness, nor radiness to take
decisions," IZVESTIYA said.
Similar criticisms were made Wednesday by the daily SO VET
SKAYA ROSSIYA, which particularly denounced delays in
evacuating the Chernobyl area population.
A Western diplomatic source here said Thursday that the evac-
uation from Chernobyl, a town located only 18 kms (11 miles)
from the stricken plant, had been completed only two days ago.
The paper also revealed that the accident had shown that "sani-
tary and epidemiological services assigned to nuclear power
plants have no 'contact with services operating outside and are
responsible for monitoring the quality of the air, water and soil
in their surrouding area."
"It is too early to draw major lessons, but the lesson cost us
dearly," the paper said, quoting officials of the Kiev Communist
Party.
It also said "strict safety checks" had been ordered in airports,
train and bus stations in kiev, located 130 kms (80 miles) from
Chernobyl.
All passangers leaving Kiev receive medical checks while the
quality of foodstuffs, particularly farm products, is tested
"according to very strict norms," IZVESTIYA added.
190
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HEALTH MINISTER: RADIATION NO DANGER TO HEALTH
LD082150 Kiev Domestic Service in Ukrainian 1915 GMT 8 May 86
[Talk by Anatoliy Yefimovich Romanenko, minister of health of the Ukrainian SSR;
in Russian--live or recorded]
[Text] Esteemed comrades, a couple of days ago Ukrainian
television and radio presented me with the opportunity to tell you
of the radiation situation in connection with the accident
lavariya] at the Chernobyl AES, and to express certain rec-
ommendations of our ministry about the efficient labor and rest
conditions of the population of the city of Kiev and of Kiev
Oblast.
I can report that since the time which has elaPsed since my
previous speech, the situation has noticeably improved. The level
of the background radiation is gradually falling. At the present
time it is within the norms recommended by national and inter.-
national bodies, and does not present a danger to the health of
the population, including children.
In the last few days about 20,000 inhabitants of the city of Kiev,
including more than 5,500 children, have been examined in
educational establishments of the ministry; in no one person was
there a discovery of any change to their state of health which one
could connect with the effect of radioactive substances. Nonethe-
less, we consider it untimely to renounce the recommended
precautionary measures.
I would like to recall, comrades, that our main enemy in the
present situation is dust [pyl] as a possible carrier of radioactive
substances which fell on the locality in previous days. 'Direct
measurements show that in regions where intensive washing of
streets, courtyards and squares is being carried out, the back-
ground radiation is several times lower. In production premises
and flats apartments, where damp cleaning is frequently carried
out, practically no discovery is being made of an increase in the
usual [obychnogo] level of radioactivity which always exists
because of cosmic particles and radiation from various materials
and so forth. One ought not to underestimate the observance of
rules of personal hygiene ? a daily shower and washing hair.
In the last few days there have been less children playing on the
streets and in the courtyards of the city. It is correct to say this
and although today there is virtually no direct danger of their
being irriadiated, let's look after them first and foremost, and
again, primarily protect them from dust. It is understandable
that children don't very much like to live in conditions of a
complete absence of being outdoors. But this is not necessary.
They want to be out in the open air, so let them play, but not as
usual as in good weather from morning until night, but just for
the odd hour, and they should not kick balls around on dusty
areas. On ,this subject, parents have fully understandable con-
cerns and worries, including that of children's summer vacations.
Over recent years, a certain area of pioneer camps, children's
sanatoria, and labor .and leisure camps has been established.
Now, taking into account the situation that has arisen,
amendments are being made to the organization of school holi-
days, [words indistinct] in order to ensure a proper rest for all
children from Kiev city and oblast, in the most favorable con-
ditions.
A decision has been adopted by the Ukraine Council of Ministers
to organize the work and leisure of the student youth and to
improve the health [ozdorovIeniye] of the children of Kiev City
and Oblast in 1986.11. has been decided to end the school year in
the general education schools of the rayons in Kiev Oblast which
have accepted evacuated schoolchildren by 15 May. The (?chil-
dren) are then to be sent to work, leisure and pioneers camps in
southern oblasts.
In Kiev, the school year for the first seven classes will also end
by 15 May. The pupils of these classes will be sent to summer
vacation camps which have been prepared, and to health care
establishments in other oblasts of the republic. For the senior
classes of schools and other education establishments, summer
vacations will be conducted as before. Children will be sent to
pioneer, work, and leisure camps in a well-organized manner, and
for this purpose an adequate number of trains and vehicles are
being set aside.
All this work of organizing summer rest for students has been
entrusted to the republic's ministries and departments, the Kiev
Oblispolkom and Gorispolkom, the Kiev Trade Union Council,
and the republic's Komsomol Central Committee.
Comrades, in conclusion I would like to stress once again that all
matters connected with the influence of the environment on the
health of the population are constantly being monitored by the
Ukrainian Republican Ministry of Health.
191
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HEALTH OFFICIAL REVIEWS CONSEQUENCES
LD081843 Bratislava Domestic Service in Slovak 1630 GMT 8 May 86
[Interview with Professor Viktor Knizhnikov, chief Soviet public health officer,
by Moscow correspondent Stefan Simak; questions and answers in Russian fading
into superimposed Slovak translation; time and place not given?recorded]
[Text) [Simak) Many people today compare the Chernobyl
nuclear reactor accident with a nuclear bomb explosion. Can you
tell us what really happened and what are the consequences of
the explosion?
[Knizhnikov] There are considerable differences between the
explosion of a nuclear bomb and the recent accident in Cher-
nobyl. When a bomb explodes plutonium or uranium divides
immediately. No such process took place in the 'reactor. Most
probably, it was a thermal explosion which occurred after steam
overheating as a result of a technical fault or incorrect proceed-
ings by attending staff. Therefore, the situation after the accident
in the reactor was different to what would have happened after
a nuclear explosion. Pollution of the atmosphere was smaller and
the composition of radioactive substances was different. Simi-
larly to the reactor accidents in England and in the United States
the greatest danger for people is formed by the fundamental
nucleide Iodine 131.
[Simak] Soviet health workers have examined the evacuated
people from the vicinity of the nuclear power station. What are
the results of these tests?
[Knizhnikov] Within a 30 kilometer radius, which includes the
power workers town, the greatest danger for people lies in the
ARMY AIR MISSIONS CONTINUE OVER CHERNOBYL
external radiation by radioactive substances that have escaped
from the reactor. Naturally, radiation there. was many times
higher than in Kiev, which is 130 kilometers away. The pop-
ulation from distant neighborhoods was exposed to lower radi-
ation than in normal medical tests involving the use of nuclear
isotopes. Regular blood analyses and other thorough check-ups
on the people who were in the vicinity of the power station.
[sentence as received) With the exception of 204 workers at the
nuclear power station we did not find ? and, in theory, could not
find any changes in the organisms of the other people.
[Simak] People are concerned that their health could be jeopar-
dized by the consumption of some foodstuffs. What do you think?
[Knizhnikov)Some long-term health danger might arise after the
consumption of Iodine 131 linked to milk or or fresh vegetables.
Therefore we adopted certain procedures in the USSR. They arc
10 times stricter than the norms observed in England in 1957.
Milk from cows which grazed in the affected area is sent for
processing. Milk products, especially cheese completely lose their
iodine content. If additional contamination of the air and soil
does not take place, we will harvest the fall yield of agricultural
produce without concern. Iodine 131 disintegrates in 8 and 1/2
days. This means that in 10 days not only will we not be talking
about danger but we will not find such danger in foodstuff either.
LD082141 Moscow TASS in English 2127 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 8 TASS ? TASS special correspondent
Vladimir Zhukovskiy, Vladimir Itkin and Lev Chernenko report
from the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant:
Major General of the Air Force Nikolay Antoshkin was ordered
on the memorable night of April 26 to fly on a mission, which
subsequently determined in a large measure the outcome of the
battle waged by people against the elements in Chernobyl. It was
then that the general started the battle against the invisible, and
therefore the most perfidious enemy. It was a battle for life, in
the name of life.
When due to the titanic efforts of the firemen the blaze on the
destroyed unit was smothered, it became necessary to close the
source of danger, to choke it up, block it, and thus "seal" it. It
192
could be done only from the air. And then it was for the airmen
to act. It turned out that people the world over have not yet
learned to combat such accidents; there is no specific experience
and no'specific measures for the resolution of such problems.
Some "experts" advised that the site of the accident be covered
with sand. Thanks for the advice. But by that time courageous
Soviet pilots had already flown hundreds of missions and
"bombed" in unbelievably difficult conditions the crater emanat-
ing heat.
It can be said now that several days have already passed since
the inner part of the unit has been reliably choked up with a huge
flaky pie of sand and other materials...more than five thousand
tons of them are in that stopper. And all of them were thrown
down from helicopters.
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On the first day of the accident neither the airmen nor, for that
matter, anybody at the station knew for sure what the radiation
situation was. Neither did General Antoshkin know about it.
The first missions, Antoshkin recalls, were the most difficult
ones. Imagine a crater of a limited size, to which one first had to
choose the shortest way possible and then try and accurately drop
a sand bag in a matter of seconds.
The pilots showed top class in that peaceful "bombing" exercise.
On the first day they dropped their "cargo" 93 times, on the
second day ?186 times, and hit the target accurately every time.
The pilots thought that dropping one by one a single sand bag
was not the best idea, and then they invented packages, tied
together six-eight sand bags. They began using makeshift nets.
To be able to throw such a package through a helicopter hatch
the pilots themselves designed a self-opening lock. it was neces-
sary to load the helicopters as soon as possible. Everybody on the
take-off ground was asked to assist, General Antoshkin said, and
nobody refused to do the work.
Only when the opening of the reactor unit was shut down, a
TASS correspondent was allowed to fly over it to reproduce the
picture of what had happened there only a few days before.
We took off from (he ground on an outskirt of Pripyat. Below we
could see a sunlit, amazingly beautiful city with straight streets,
beautiful public gardens and cosy backyards. But the city is
abandoned.
We were flying at a speed of 140 kilometres an hour, yet it was
most clearly seen that the crater of the damaged unit was closely
"sealed". We knew that most important technical work was in
progress at the bloc and under it to eliminate the consequences
of the accident. But from above the opening panorama was
serene. There were no flames, no smoke, nothing disquieting.
But in the ear-phones we could understand what was happening
in the air when "bombing" was done. The voice of an invisible
traffic controller led us to the target: "There are one hundred
metres, fifty, thirty, ten, five, three, two, one metre before the
target, drop the cargo". This is done with the assistance of a
monitoring plane equipped with instruments taking helicopters
over the crater. And today too Army helicopters fly several
missions a day over the station.
TASS CITES FOREIGN REACTIONS TO CHERNOBYL AFTERMATH
LD081222 Moscow TASS in English 1208 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 8 TASS ? A spokesman for the Vienna-
based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has told a
press conference that the IAEA had been informed by the Soviet
side about the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station
and that the USSR always cooperated closely with the agency.
He expressed confidence that such cooperatiod would be contin-
ued in the future.
On the radiation situation in Europe, the IAEA spokesman said
that he did not view it as dangerous to human health.
Friedrich Zimmermann, interior minister of the FRG, in his
speech broadcast on television and radio, said, in part, "according
to available information, there has not existed, nor exists now any
danger. The level of radioactivity, heightened for some time in
the atmosphere, lowered and became normal in many places."
In turn, ieth Smeth, Belgium's secretary of state for the environ-
ment and social emancipation, reported that the radiation level
in Belgium was practically normal.
The Danish newspaper BERLINGSKE TIDENDE published an
interview with H.L. Giorup, department head at the Atomic
Research Centre in Rise, who said that the mass media and the
population overestimated the danger of the Chernobyl accident
to the health of the Danes. "The radiation level was only 10 per
cent higher than normal," he said. "That is 100,000 times lower
than the safe level."
193
Radiation safety experts had a meeting at the headquarters of
the World Health Organization (WHO). According to them,
radioactive substances over the European Continent cleared as
of May 6, while most of the short-lived radioactive elements
decayed. Many measures, recommended at the earliest phase of
the incident, were no longer necessary.
It was noted at the press conference that the coverage of the
incident by the Western mass media generated an undesirable
reaction incommensurate to the real extent of danger.
The scientists pointed out in this connection that there were no
reasons for recommending any restriction on imports from East
European countries, including the Soviet Union.
On the noisy propaganda campaign launched by the Western
mass media, including American,radio stations, in connection
with the accident at the Chernobyl power plant, the French
L'HUMANITE wrote today, "One can hardly remember the
'radio voices' spreading such a great diversity of rumours. The
Soviet people are undoubtedly concerned, but they are calm."
Medical experts and spokesmen for radiological control services
in Britain, interviewed by the British television companies, BBC
and ITV, pointed out that some rise in radioactivity posed no
threat to the health of the population.
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The GDR press has published an anouncement by the State
Committee for Atomic Safety and Protection From Radiation
saying that the radiation situation, which emerged in the GDR's
territory as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant, did not and does not constitute any perils to the
health of citizens of the GDR.
Speaking on Bulgarian television, L. Shindarov, first deputy
minister of public health of the People's Republic of Bulgaria,
and I. Pandev, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Uses
of Atomic Energy, said that there were no perils to human health.
The radiation situation in Bulgaria will completely come to
normal within the next few days.
The Polish PAP agency has issued a report by the Government
commission on the results of the recent radiological measure-
ments all over that country's territory. According to findings of
experts, the degree of contamination of the air has considerably
reduced and returned to normal. The commission said that there
is no ground to believe rumours about the alleged contamination
of drinking water. Such rumours were set afloat with the aim of
deliberate misinformation of the population.
FURTHER REPORTAGE ON LIFE IN SURROUNDING AREAS
'Resettlement Proceeding Smoothly
LD081728 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1430 GMT 8 May 86
[A. Zhuk video report; from the "Vremya"
[Excerpts] We filmed this report in Khoyniki Rayon of Gomel
Oblast, which is very close to the zone of the Chernobyl AES.
Enterprises and organizations are operating normally. People are
engaged in their work. In the kolkhoz fields the machines are
sowing the last hectares with spring crops. Livestock has been put
out into their summer pasture. [video shows busy streets, seed-
drills in the fields, and a large herd of cattle]
But, of course, there have been changes too in the life of the
rayon. The population has been evacuated from its southern part.
Inhabitants evacuated from the Novaya Zhizn Kolkhoz have
been accommodated at the Oktyabr Kolkhoz.
[Video next shows interview with D.M. Dem ichev, first secretary
of the Khoyniki raykom.] [Demichev] I would like to say thank
newscast]
you to our people ? to those who have been resettled and also
those who have received our people. The resettlement took place
in a well-organized way and smoothly. Now we are already
emerging from the difficult position in which the rayon has found
itself. Literally over the last few days ? over the first 6 days of
May ? the rayon has not reduced the production of animal
produce from the 1985 level. Also, over these 6 days we have
increased milk production by 10 percent. Despite the fact that
four of our kolkhozes and sovkhozes find themselves in a tempo-
rarily difficult position, the situation is already becoming more
stable. The party organization is functioning in the new con-
ditions. Joint sessions of rural soviets, at which the deputies are
discussing the tasks facing us, are being held. Party meetings are
being held in conjunction with those party organizations which
now find themselves in new conditions. The tasks have been
defined, and they arc being smoothly and strictly carried out.
Agricultural Work Continuing
LD081623 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1500 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Belorussian radio's Gomel Oblast correspondent, Grigoriy
Artemyev, has been to the areas bordering on Chernobylskiy
Rayon in the Ukraine.
[Artemycv] The border between the fields of Braginskiy and
Khoynikskiy Rayons in Belorussia passes in the tract of land
between the Rivers Dnieper and Pripet. Chernobyl is 30-40
kilometers from here. Farm workers knew that a misfortune had
occurred there, but the incident did not cause panic although
everyone knew what dangers an accident at an atomic power
station could bring. Throughout recent days, the grain workers
have been toiling on their fields, laying a firm foundation for the
forthcoming harvest.
194
Here is Georgiy Nikolayevich Pankov, first secretary of Bragin-
skiy Raykom:
[Begin Pankov recording]There was much discussion in the rayon
of these events. We set up chemital monitoring stations. Farm
managers and the party organization started acting from the very
first few days on the basis that the radiation doses were small. In
individual farms they amounted to 50 or 40 milliroentgens.
People realized that this was not a threat to life. And that is why
work on the kolkhozes and sovkhozes, at the livestock farms, and
in the fields did not stop for a single hour. And 1 can tell you that
we have successfully carried out our work. The sowing of early
grain crops has been completed. The sowing of fibre-flax has been
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finished. Potato planting is being carried out intensively: more than 80 per?
cent of the planned planting has been completed in our rayon. [end recording]
[Artemyev] On-the fields of Khoynikskiy Rayon, I met Mikhail Ivanovich Vasyukov,
chairman of the Oktyabr Kolkhoz: ?
[Begin VasyukoveCording] The, spring sowing has practically been 'completed..
To date, 20 hectares out of.the.planned 200 hectares of cornremain tobe sown
on the farm. Weliave sown the-beet, flax, and the remaining crops.
Work at Kiev Monitoring Center
LD091023 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 0930 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] You are aware, comrades, that at the present time in
connection with the accident at the Chernobyl AES the condition
of the atmosphere and the water is being most strictly monitored
everywhere. Our correspondent Vladimir Sokolov presents a
report from the Kiev Center for the Study and Monitoring of the
Environment:
[Sokolov] I am now in a laboratory where samples of water from
the Dnepr, Pripyat and Desna Rivers and other water bodies are
being studied. The head, of the laboratory, Irina Pettovna
Semenova, is working with a large piece of equipment whose
indicator is flashing figures that are repeated on a printout.
[Semcnova] This instrument makes it possible to make a chemical
analysis of surface waters, and the readings that are on the
printout make it possible now to determine the concentration of
pollution in the surface waters. We check this in field conditions,
and we also carry out laboratory research. That is to say, we need
to know what is happening to the waters and in what conditions.
[Sokolov] And in usual conditions, as the head of the center Yuriy
Nikolayevich Pimenenko, has said, observations of the atmo-
sphere, water, and soil are conducted constantly.
[Pimenenko] However, these observations have now been consid-
erably expanded with regard to their number, frequency, and
volume. Additional field posts have been deployed in Kiev and
adjoining oblasts. All the data obtained from them are being
processed at our center and are passed on to the headquarters
responsible for eliminating the aftermath of the accident at the
Chernobyl AES.
' [Sokolov] Could one say what the general picture is?
[Pimenenko] In the most general terms one can say the following.
The radiation in the atmosphere, which already presents no
danger, is on a downward trend. The water is virtually pure. With
regard to the soil we are conducting our usual observations.
Makarov Rayon Activities Reported
LD081635 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1430 GMT 8 May 86.
[Report by correspondent V. Lyaskalo, over video--from the "Vremya" newscast]
[Text] This is Makarov Rayon in Kiev Oblast. It is one of the
nearest rayons to the Chernobyl Rayon. As one arrives by motor
vehicle in its territory, representatives of the rayispolkorn, doc-
tors, specialists measuring dosage, and staff of the Main Motor
Inspectorate, who are prepared for decontamination service, are
on duty around-the-clock at the checkpoint.
Here too are the communication workers. They have installed the
town telephone directly in the field. Over this telephone it is
possible to ring up not just the rayon center but also, through the
intertown network, any pOpulated locality in the country.i
195
Meanwhile, the post offices of all the villages and especially the
rayon communications network are at present working with
double the load and at times three times the load. All off-days
have been cancelled. Telephonists, telegraphists, operators, and
electrical mechanics from other rayons in the oblast have arrived
to help.
Let us note the fact that the post offices have left the Pripyat area
and Chernobyl and the adjacent villages together with the
inhabitants. Now they are continuing to function in neighboring
villages. Thus, all letters and telegrams sent to Chernobyl Rayon
will definitely reach those to whom they are addressed.
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Medics Working Non-Stop
LD081940 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1800 GMT 8 May 86
["How the Medics Are Working in a Battle Situation in the Region of the Chernobyl
AES"--TASS headline; report by TASS special correspondents Vladimir Zhukovskiy,
Vladimir Itkin, and Lev Chernenko]
[Excerpts] Kiev, 8 May (TASS) ? The senior doctor of the
"Lesnaya Polyana" sanatorium-dispensary, Vitaliy Alek-
seyevich Melnichenko, has not slept for 2 days. The sanatorium
has been receiving a reserve group of workers of the Chernobyl
AES for a rest. The operations in extreme conditions, the evac-
uation of families ? all this of course has left its mark on people.
For this reason it is necessary to create all the conditions for
making them feel at home here. This is the task that the senior
doctor has set for the medical personnel. They have introduced
round-the-clock duty for teams of doctors, and the burden has
also increased on the laboratory which has had to make dozens
of blood analyses.
It was in this way that "Lesnaya Polyana" has been meeting
those who will soon have to continue their watch at the Chernobyl
AES. After all, although the reactors have been stopped, it is
necessary to maintain the necessary conditions for them. And the
people who are entrusted with such a responsible task must also
be in good form. The medics are taking care of this.
The results of our studies show that our patients are completely
healthy and that after a rest are able to return to their work, the
senior doctor believes. The radiation monitor has become a
familiar figure in the corridors of the sanatorium. A radiation
"patrol" attentively checks the condition of the air and the soil.
The medics have also mastered this new specialization for them-
selves.
More than 1,300 doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and
radiation monitors and 240 ambulances ? such is the medical
task force that is working in the region of the Chernobyl AES
says A.N. Zelinskiy, first deputy minister of health of the
Ukraine. In his hands he has a list about the accomodation of the
evacuated population. For example there is the village of Pes-
kovka. Here they have received more than 2,000 people from the
danger zone. We sent 12 teams of doctors from other oblasts to
help the local medics in proving them with medical care.
The Ministry of Health of the Ukraine is constantly receiving
requests to be posted to the area of the Chernobyl AES, the
deputy minister continues. Many medical workers entered the
struggle to liquidate the consequences of the accident from the
very first nervous days. The Ukrainian Ministry of Health was
one of the first to receive the signal about the disaster at the A ES.
Steps were immediately taken to provide first aid to those
affected and to check on the condition of the environment. Not
an hour had passed before ambulances were rushing in the
direction of Chernobyl from Kiev and from other cities. The
leading specialists of the Republic's Ministry of Health were sent
to the region.
At the station itself, radiation monitors measured the level of
radiation, doctors examined ill people. Those who were in need
of urgent attention were hospitalized. They were received by the
Kiev Oblast hospital and other specialized clinics of the capital
of the Ukraine. Those most seriously affected among the workers
of the AES and the fire brigades were sent by aircraft to Moscow
to specialized clinics of the USSR Ministry of health.
Leading specialists from Moscow and Leningrad have arrived in
Kiev for consultations and to provide assistance. Among them
are the vice president of the USSR Academy of Medical Sci-
ences, Academician L. Ilin, Professors L. Romanov, E. Gogin,
V. Kharitonov, 0. Pavlovskiy and others. The healing establish-
ments of Kiev and the oblast have all the necessary preparations
at their disposal.
Great health-education work is being undertaken. A.
Romanenko, minister of health of the Ukraine, has been appear-
ing on television and radio, speaking about the preventive mea-
sures necessary in the situation that has arisen.
Now, almost half the patients who entered the hospital after the
accident at the AES have already been discharged. Through the
efforts of the medics, people are being returned to health, and
through the efforts of the party and local workers and of various
specialists, life in the region of Chernobyl is returning to normal.
Radiation Levels Decreasing
LD081607 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1500 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] In connection with the accident at the Chernobyl AES, the
strictest monitoring of the atmosphere and water is presently
being carried out everywhere in the Ukraine. Our correspondent
Vladimir Sokolov presents a report from the Center for the Study
and Monitoring of the Environment in Kiev.
196
[Begin recording] [Sokolov] I am now in a laboratory where
samples of water from the Dnepr, Pripyat, Desna and other
bodies of water are being examined. Irina Petrovna Semenova,
the head of the laboratory, is working at a large instrument on
which display figures are flashed up; these are then duplicated
on a printer.
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[Semenova] This instrumcnt enables us to complete the chemical
analysis of surface water, and the readings that are printed out
make it possible for us to determine the concentration of the
contaminants in surface water. We also carry out checks on field
conditions, and arc also doing laboratory research. What we need
to know is how the water is behaving and what the conditions are.
[Sokolov] In normal circumstances, according to the chief of the
Center, Yuriy Nikolayevich Pimonenko, constant observations
of the atmosphere, water and soil are carried out.
[Pimonenkol At the moment, however, these observations have
been considerably expanded in terms of quantity, frequency and
scope. In Kiev and adjoining oblasts additional field stations have
been set up. All the data from them are processed at our center
and sent to the headquarters for the elimination of the con-
sequences of the accident at Chernobyl AES.
[Sokolov] Could you tell us what the general picture is, at least.
[Pimonenko] Speaking in the broadest terms, we can say the
following. The radiation in the atmosphere, which already
presents no danger, is tending to go down. The water is practically
pure. As for soil, we are carrying out the normal observations.
[end recording]
Officials on Evacuation
PM081734 Moscow PRAVDA in kussian 9 May 86 First Edition p 6
[Special correspondents V. Gubarev and M. Odinets dispatch: "Spring of Alarm
and Courage. Our Special Correspondents Report From Kiev"]
[Text] At times it seems as if the occurrence was an absurd
dream. Spring is all around, with bright and gentle sunshine,
flower beds in bloom, lush greenery in parks and boulevards....
And suddenly tears come to the eye: No success yet in finding
out where the relatives have been evacuated. A day or two will
pass and they will definitely be found, but nonetheless people's
anxiety and perturbation are so easy to understand and explain.
A woman entered the PRA VDA correspondent's office. We were
already prepared to explain the situation in the oblast one more
time, to give the address and name of the organization to bc
contacted for assistance. But the woman unexpectedly began:
"Please, my viewpoint must definitely be printed in the paper!"
"What exactly do you mean?"
"I am Polina Vladimirovna Kuzmcnko," the caller introduced
herself. "Medical worker. I am indignant that some people in the
city are spreading stupid rumors. They say that schools are
closing down and that children are being transported out of the
city. This is why some people are walking about with long faces
and downhearted. I have a daughter, Alenka. She is in the ninth
grade. I know that school examinations are due to begin 25 May.
Why are such rumors spreading?! So, do write in the newspaper:
Medical worker Kuzmenko knows for a fact, and not by hearsay,
that there is no danger to people's health in Kiev! I really beg
you, write it......
"We will try."
"Thank you!" Polina Vladimirovna made her way toward the
door, then turned back: "It is springtime out there, spring must
be welcomed with smiles."
Kiev is always unique in May. Chestnut trees in bloom, gardens
ablAze with snow-white flowers.... And yet, May this year is
special. It is different from last year, even though streets and
squares are crowded like in the past, preparations are underway
for Victory Day, dance ensembles are rehearsing, and the people
197
of Kiev are following the Bicycle Race of Peace with tremendous
interest. As in the past, enterprises, institutions, stores, and
markets are operating with precision. But events at the Cher-
nobyl AES perturb everyone. And this is not just idle curiosity
? the capital of the Ukraine is going all out to help in the struggle
launched in the north of the oblast against the consequences of
the accident.
Motor vehicles are needed ? and they are immediately on the
highways leading to Chernobyl. Medical institutions are helping
the victims and monitoring people's health, internal affairs
organs are maintaining law and order. Generally speaking, every
citizen of the Ukrainian capital is helping, to a greater or lesser
extent, to overcome the misfortune that has befallen us all.
Perhaps people in Kiev initially lacked complete information
about the events that were taking place and the situation in the
city. This provided grounds for all kinds of rumors which, inci-
dentally, were quite actively disseminated by various "voices" in
the West. The press conference in the USSR Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the statements by departmental leaders on republic radio
and television, the press reports, and also the information sup-
plied to the population by party workers ? all this helps to
present a more accurate picture of the occurrence and, therefore,
to combat the consequences more effectively.
"People have reacted to the events at the nuclear power station
as a personal misfortune," was how Kiev Obkom First Secretary
G. Revenko began our conversation. "And this is why the
evacuees from the danger zone have been greeted cordially in
villages and settlements. Incidentally, we never had any doubt
about our people; we appealed to them and met with complete
understanding and a readiness to help and share everything there
is. At this time the overwhelming majority are toiling coura-
geously and, I would say, selflessly. They are coming to party
raykoms and ispolkoms with a single question: How can I help?
And many are themselves helping in the evacuation heedless of
time and difficulties."
On the roads we saw convoys of vehicles carrying livestock, and
posts and medical monitoring centers are operating ? it proved
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possible to organize a precise evacuation system within a short
space of time....
"It was particularly difficult during the first days," Grigoriy
Ivanovich noted. And he immediately added. "It is not easy today,
either. I can say that from the first hour the obkom and the rayon
and all party committees have been working round the clock in
accordance with a 'combat norm.' There,are many difficulties.
The evacuation from Pripyat proceeded rapidly, but difficulties
emerged in the village: For not only people but also livestock
have to, be moved out. Where to house them? How to find jobs
for the people? At the initial stage there was considerable confu-
sion ? after all, several tens of thousands of people were evac-
uated! And in a very short space of time. Nobody had any
experience of this kind of thing...."
"We saw tractors in the fields, and agricultural work is going
on "How else cauld it be?" the secretary expressed surprise.
"The oblast is working. Incidentally, I have one criticism of the
press: You are writing very little about labor collectives this year,
yet we planted the potatoes ahead of scheduile and milk yields
have risen. We are monitoring the milk carefully ? twice in
fact: before it is dispatched to the city and when it comes into
Kiev. We are equally diligent toward vegetables ? monitoring
is also obligatory. Accidents must beYsavoided, and in a matter
like this it is necessary to be exceptionally organized. -I can say
that a30 km zone has been created, and it is possible to live in
it. But no risk should be taken. This is precisely why we are
sending children and breastfeeding Mothers to guest houses and
camps for the entire Summer. The radiation situation in Kiev is
not a cause for fears, but nevertheless some questions, in my view,
should be resolved expeditiously. When school ends the kids used
to head off for young pioneer camps ? many of them on the Kiev
Sea [Kiyevskoy More] coast in the north of the oblast. It is clear
that the children will not be able to spend this summer there.
Camps, sanatoriums, and guest houses wuill be made available
for them in the south and other areas.
"The necessary conclusions must be drawn from what has hap-
pened," the obkom secretary continued. "Sometimes harsh con-
clusions, even. People show themselves up in different ways.
There have proved to be fainthearted people and people who
simplylled. And there are also hundreds of examples of heroism.
But, I repeat, nobody can doubt our people's courage and selfless-
ness. City, rayon, all the oblast's party organizations are being
put to the test at this time. It is simultaneously a test for every
person and Communist. We are clearly aware of this."
Today is Victory Day. Veterans have begun to come into Kiev to
meet with combat friends in the Ukrainian capital's parks and
squares. But some of them will not be able to come to Kiev.
Although they are not far away ? only just over 100 km from
the city. They are in Chernobyl. Here, as in those harsh far-off
years, is where the front line lies today and they are struggling
for a tranquil life for people. In Chernobyl we spoke with I.
Silayev, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers.
"A very responsible stage of work is now beginning for all
specialists' and scientists who work at the Chernobyl AES," he
said, in part. "The evacuation from the 30 km zone has been
completed, and the population has been moved out to safe areas.
The government commission has concentrated its efforts pre-
cisely on the,power station, where hundreds of specialists are now
working, among them many who have come to eliminate the
consequences of the accident from all corners of the country.
They are working courageously and selflessly."
There is only one word which can define what is being done today
by those who are working in the nuclear power station zone ?
an exploit. It is an exploit by thousands of people who during
difficult minutes, hours, and days are withstanding with honor
the test which has fallen to their lot.
Army Paper Gives Update
PM081350 Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA in Russian 8 May 86. Second Edition p 3
[TASS correspondents Vladimir Itkin and Lev Chernenkoj.eport: ,"Chernobyl, Fact
and Fiction; TASS Special Correspondents Vladimir Itkin and 'Lev Cbernenko Report
7 May From the Area of the Chernobyl AES Accident"]
[Text] We watched the press conference held by the USSR
Foreign Ministry in Moscow for Soviet and foreign journalists in
connection with the Chernobyl AES accident while only a few '
dozen kilometers away from the nuelear staticin;Ourtelevision
was not in a bunker behind layers of reinforced concrete. We
were attentively listening to the journalists' questions and the
replies of the official Soviet spokesmen in a hotel room, outside
which was a city at dusk concerned about the day that was ending
and the day yet to come. Several days have already passed since
we were given the opportunity to visit the accident region. We
have met with dozens of people who witnessed the tragedy which
happened at 0123 hours on 26 April. We were, so to speak, at the
edge of the "zone" in which people are currently really battling
against the elements [stikhiya]. This battle is systematic, backed
198
up by the calculations of scientists and specialists and embodied
in the courage of people of whom, we are sure, more will be told
in theluture. We have seen a treat deal and understood a great
deal during these days.
Listening to what was said at the press conference and having
read beforehand dozens of so-called "reports," "allegations,"
"statements;" and "suggestions" by newspapers, radio and TV
stations, and news agencies in the West,"where the Chernobyl
disaster has been turned from a human tragedy into a problem
of political blackmail against the USSR, we wanted to simply
say from here, near Kiev: "Stop! Let's find out!"
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...When Militia Major General Gennadiy Vasilyevich Berdov,
Ukrainian SSR deputy minister of internal affairs, arrived on the
scene 90 minutes after the event following an emergency phone
call, he realized that a battle was starting which would last more
than hours and perhaps more than days. It was then that he gave
the order to compile a "battle log" similar to a ship's log, and to
record in it everything happening at the AES and the power
workers' city in strict chronological order.
We saw this log and the entries made by different hands. "The
fire fighters fought the flames at a height of 30 meters." "Molten
bitumen is forming puddles." "The Fire has been preve,nted from
reaching the third reactor unit." "Sites have been decided for the
fire crews." "People have been evacuated from the fire zone"...
Later the entry "Radiation" appeared in the log.
Neither General Bcrdov, nor the hundreds of people manning
their work stations or arriving here in reponse lb the distress
signal were aware of this at the time and, frankly, they did not
give it a thought. They fought the fire, sparing no effort, coura-
geously, withoui a thought for themselves. Getting stuck in the
molten bitumen, their faces black with soot, they were saving
their comrades, they were saving the station. Neither these
people, nor the prominent Soviet scientists who arrived a few
hours later together with members of the government commis-
sion were able to tell then the causes of the accident or its
consequences. Time was needed to find out what had happened.
A few hours later, according to eyewitness accounts and as
confirmed by the documentary information contained in the
"log," the situation at the station was already under control.
However, it was still too early, indeed simply impossible, to speak
of the scale of the accident.
That was here, in Chernobyl...
Meanwhile in London THE DAILY MIRROR reported without
a hint of embarrassment, feigning measured concern: "Some
2,000 people are believed to have been killed during the first
stage." TIME [as published] wrote: "According to information
received from certain U.S. intelligence circles, the fire at the
Chernobyl nuclear power station is still out of control." And the
self-same TIME again: The newspaper's Moscow correspon-
dent C. Walker, citing a certain Rhona Branson, one of approx-
imately 100 British citizens "who are being hastily evacuated
from the Ukraine," claimed that "the government hospital in
Kiev is full of victims of the catastrophe."
Yet here is what the Soviet Union stated at a press conference
through its official spokesman: "Our approach is aimed at
providing information which is responsible, objective, reliable,
and considered, or, in a word, honest."
Honest! Minutes after the accident V.P. Voloshko, chairman of
the Pripyat Soviet Ispolkom was at the No 4 unit. He worked at
the station for a long time. He is regarded as a good,
knowledgeable specialist. It was he who headed the local oper-
ational headquarters set up in the nuclear power workers' city.
"How can you talk about 2,000 dead!" ? Vladimir. Pavlovich is
outraged. "It is a lie. After all, it happened during the nightshift
and moreover during a scheduled shutdown [ostanovka] of the
unit.
"It is the same at power stations all over the world ? power
workers know this very well -- there are fewer people on duty at
such times, particularly at night I would like to make a different
point. At the time of the accident everyone who was at the station
was worth 100 men. What those people did can be appreciated
. only now, and even now not fully appreciated. They were heroes.
And just as war heroes draw fire upon themselves, they too drew
' fire upon themselves. I am not afraid of high-flown words. They
'suffered the most. Many of those people are now in the country's
finest special clinics. Our finest doctors are fighting for their
health. I would hold in high esteem any doctors, Soviet, Ameri-
can, or Japanese, if they do everything possible, and indeed
impossible, to save my comrades' lives."
G.A. Karyaka, deputy secretary of the power station party
committee, is still at his post. Communists are mounting a vigil
at power units I, 2, and 3. We met with him on the very edge of
the "zone" to which we have already referred.
On the morning of 26 April Gennadiy Alekseyevich was also at
the power station.
"Only now is it possible to recreate a picture of what happened
at the time of the accident," he said. "The reactor suffered
damage, its core was partially destroyed, some radioactivity was
released, and the reactor's criticality was lost. We know that
those ill-disposed to us in the West are alleging that radioactivity
is even now continuing to increase. That too is a fabrication. The
reactor was suppressed [zaglushen] the moment safety control
procedures were activated, at minimum capacity. Many other
technical questions concerned with eliminating the consequences
of the accident are now being resolved, but there is no chain
reaction."
? A certain Rhona Branson hastened to leave Kiev. Did she express
a desire to do so, or was she forced? We are unable to say. But,
nevertheless, we visited Kiev hospitals. We enquired whether
there were now many radiation victims receiving treatment. We
were answered by Ukrainian Health Minister A. Ye.
Romanenko, who, incidentally, appeared on television to inform
the inhabitants about the current radiation situation.
199
"There is no direct danger to the health of residents of Kiev and
the oblast. The meteorological conditions initially prevailing
after the Chernobyl accident prevented the spread of radioactive
elements toward the city. The work done at the station made it
possible to significantly reduce the release of such elements into
the environment. Nevertheless, following the change in wind
direction and force in the last few days, a certain increase has
been observed in the level of background radiation in the city and
some of the oblast's rayons. This radiation level is not dangerous
to health and is no obstacle to ordinary labor activity.
"The radiation conditions currently prevailing in Kiev do not
necessitate any preventive medical treatment for the population.
Furthermore, the uncontrolled use of various medicines ? so-
called 'self-treatment' ? could damage people's health. All
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questions concerning the effect of the. environment on the pop-
ulation's health are unflaggingly monitored by the republican
Ministry of Health."
But we were indeed told in the city's hospitals for infectious
diseases Of cases directly connected with events in Chernobyl.
Life is life, and panic-mongers do exist. Taking ill-considered
advice, some people took medications thought to protect them
against radiation. But the exact opposite occurred ? people
suffered from poisoning. This is what is being treated now.
In the Chernobyl area at the moment we are, so to speak, in the
thick of events. We can see the titanic work being done by
republican party and soviet organs to provide the evacuated
families with work and a normal life. We have seen for ourselves
yet again the simple and yet so great truth: How wonderful our
people are! What golden people ? young and old, city dwellers
and peasants, educated by our system and our entire style of life.
They are giving the best "morsels" to the evacuees, and the best
spots in their luitne,s are assigned to the guests. Children that have
joined new schools have been assigned to the first shift, and the
locals attend the second...
No one makes any secret of the calamity [beda] in Chernobyl.
The occurrence confirms yet again that the atom, even the
peaceful atom, demands great caution. And if the atom is locked
inside bombs or missiles targeted on human destruction, it is
nothing but human madness! This is what people say now at
many rallies and meetings being held here, near Kiev.
We affirm once more: Life is running normally and calmly in
the Ukrainian capital and the adjacent rayons. All enterprises
are functioning. Of course, there is also anxiety. Particularly on
the part of parents for their children. The summer vacations are
approaching. Lines have formed for tickets at railroad and
Aeroflot offices. Dozens of additional long-distance trains, sub-
urban electric trains, diesel trains, and special Aeroflot flights
are now being organized. All the children from evacuated areas
will be the first to be sent to young pioneer camps, sanatoriums,
and rest homes.
...Once we have transmitted this item, we will again make our
way to the Chernobyl area. A government commission is now
working there, amazing people are performing exploits every
minute there, the front line of the struggle now runs right through
there.
IZVESTIYA CORRESPONDENT REPORTS FROM KIEV OBLAST
PM081601 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 9 May 86 Morning Edition p 6
[Special Correspondent A. Mesh: "Reportage From the Region of the Chernobyl
AES": "In a Difficult Roue]
[Text] Kiev Oblast ? We tried in vain to elicit from Petr
Voronovskiy, commander of a KA-26 helicopter, information
about any particular sensations on his part on his first flight up
to the Chernobyl AES. The young, strong man refused to be
drawn and tried to confine himself to brief phrases: "Every-
thing was normal. As usual. The usual picture. Flames? I didn't
see any. The smoke was similar to what any enterprise emits in
normal conditions...."
Neither he nor his colleague Yuriy Bolodko had the feeling that
theywere doing anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps the pilots
have a right to call their work ordinary and the flights routine.
But their labor, however prosaic it might appear, helped special-
ists to study the situation (they carried instruments and helm! ,
to measure radioactivity), and the job they did so simply helped
. to limit the consequences of the accident which had happened.
Let us make no bones about it: the aviators certainly took a risk.
And we must now mention, among the firemen, militiamen,
medics, drivers, and others who displayed courage, the nahles of
the helicopter commanders ? Sokol and Kunayev, Volkov and
Malenchenkov, Muscovites from Myachkovo; Yanko from Ros-
tov and Pushchin from Uzhgorod, Sokolov from Odessa and
Shevel and Brolgin from Kiev...in time we will be able to evaluate
"from a distance" their actions and the actions of those who are
200
now working at the AES itself. But even now it is no sin ? it is
a duty ? to pay our respects to the rescuers. It would be good to
mention them by name. But a newspaper page would not have_.
room for all whom we should thank today. Let us remember: at
the station itself alone, 150 people a day are coming on shift.
But the people for whom the danger has passed are already living
a new, unaccustomed, and naturally, for the time being, difficult
life. Resettlement is no easy matter, especially when it takes place
by force of circumstances.
...The village of Razvazhev, one of the 17 settlements in Ivanov-
skiy Rayon which have taken in evacuees. The central farmstead
of the Ukraina Kolkhoz is here. It is a big farm. There is a
secondary school, a cultural institute, a library, a hospital. Our
interviewee, pensioner Aleksandra Andreyevna Davidova, for-
merly a creche worker, said:
"When the busloads of people appeared in the village, we real-
ized, especially we old ones, that there had never been any
evacuation like it: the people just kept on coming! Well, you
have to live...and everyone was willing to give shelter to the people
who came. I took in the family of Mikhail Mikhaylovich Voznyy.
Quite a big family. There is the wife, Galina Vasilyevna, and two
children, the boys are studying in the fourth and eighth grades.
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We made them as welcome as we could, from the beginning. And
food was soon brought in. When the Voznyy family had settled
in, they asked: 'How long can we count on?' I said: 'You stay
as long as necessary.'"
"Nearly all our inhabitants have been so friendly," kolkhoz
chairman A. Radchenko says. "People seemed to blossom in the
face of trouble. So much sympathy and understanding!"
We ? myself and IZVESTIYA's Kiev correspondents A.
Dolenko, N. Baklanov, and S. Tsikora ? saw this for ourselves....
Yevdokiya Aleksandrovna Otroshenko, chief of the livestock unit
laboratory on the Razvazhev kolkhoz, took in Valentina Mikhay-
lovna Bryukhanova, wife of the AES director. She has started
work as a relief milkmaid at the livestock -unit. Galina
Timofeyevna Kuksenok, a teacher at the local school, took two
families under her roof. One is the family of office worker
Valentina Aleksandrovna Popova. It is a family of five: there is
a ton and his young wife and children. They are living in
harmony. They prepare meals together and busy themselves
about the house. Popova's son. Vladimir says: "It's like visiting
our aunt."
The concern of the state and their compatriots for the resettled
people is effective and concrete. Razvazhev has found jobs for 37
people. Taken on by the Ukraina Kolkhoz, they have set about
their work. People at the comprehensive consumer services center
are pleased with the work of a hairdresser and a photographer
from the AES settlement. Four new teachers soon started work,
as well as four workers in the canteen, five in the forest, two at
the bakery....
The Ukraina Kolkhoz presented May Day gifts to the 200
children who came to Razvazhev together with their parents.
And 6 May was a particularly memorable day for the new
inhabitants; they received their first wages in the new place. In
another Kiev Oblast rayon, Polesskiy, they have received
evacuees at 58 settlements, and in Borodnyanskiy at 18 settle-
ments. Nine villages in Makarovskiy Rayon have also given
shelter to those in trouble..
Life goes on, people settle in. In Polesskiy Rayon, 50 percent of
the evacuated schoolchildren turned up for lessons on the first
day. On the second day, 90 percent were there. Now all the
children are at school. The little ones have been found places in
kindergartens.
But it must be said that the events in Chernobyl have affected
not only the oblast's life, but the whole face of ancient Kiev.,
Thousands of stands selling icecream, piroshki, and fruit juice
have disappeared from the street's. Now they are only 0(1
indoors. Why? We will explain later. The city was awaiting the
spring rain. Everyone is waiting for its torrents to wash the dust
from the foliage. And not only what we call street dust. For the
time being, on doctors' recommendations' they are very, thor-
oughly hosing down the streets and washing all the highways,
without economizing on water.
We saw unusual pictures in the markets too. Now everything
shipped in from the suburbs is being checked by dosimeter
operators. Dairy products are examined particularly carefully.
Only an "okay" from the specialists can release the product onto
the store counters.
As before, there are mountains of greens and heaps of meat and
lard on the vegetable and meat stalls. Natives of Kiev remain true
to their traditions ? they buy their main food products at the
bazaar. As always, the market premises are crowded. But the
question "where is it from?" is now being asked not only in order
to start a conversation about the merits of the goods on offer.
"The republic's sanitation and epidemiological station has plenty
on its hands now," V. Betchinkin, chief of its main administra-
tion, says. "Public health doctors are entrusted with all the
monitoring of the quality of food products, the purity of water,
and the organization of trade in the new way."
These services in Kiev and the oblast began work almost simulta-
neously with the teams of medics who gave first aid to those who
suffered at the time of the accident. It is still too soon for major
conclusions to be drawn, we were told at Kiev Ukrainian Com-
munist Party Obkom, but facts and observations are accumulat-
ing. The lesson taught at the AES proved costly. But we must
profit from it skillfully. We cannot be content solely with optimis-
tic information or with information which does not mobilize
people to overcome the difficulties. There is no point in denying
that there were individual workers who failed to show sufficient
firmness or readiness to take decisions in the emergency con-
ditions.
Unfortunately it transpired that the sanitary and epidemiological
service serving the AES has no contacts with the one that
operates outside the AES, and is responsible for the condition of
the air, water, and soil on the territory adjoining the AES.
"Strict dosimetric monitoring of people leaving has now been
imposed at airports and rail and bus stations," V. Betchinkin goes
on. "The purpose is to give primary medical aid to those who need
it. And that is all. Other precautionary measures concern food
products. Temporary and, I want to stress, very stringent norms
for the quality of all agricultural products have been imposed in
the republic.
"It is purely as a preventive measure, and by no means because
of the condition of the atmosphere, that, as you know, street trade
in piroshki, icecream, fruit juices, and drinking water has been
banned in Kiev. It is correct to say that in such cases it is better
, to be 'on the safe side.' And the population fully understands
these preventive measures."
We wanted to end our reportage here. But the conclusion was
"dictated" by our readers. The fact is that people today fre-
quently ask all sorts of questions at' the IZVESTIYA correspon-
dents' center in Kiev. But they are all connected in one way or
another with the AES accident and the elimination of its con-
sequences.
201
People are most interested in the problems facing parents whose
children are going to school today, the problems of providing the
evacuated population with everything they need, and the way in
which sanitary treatment of people and clothing is organized.
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run vrtquiAL Ubt, VINLX
Our readers are answered by the leaders of the appropriate state
organizations.
A. Tyrnchik, chief of the Kiev Gorispolkom public education
administration:
"Indeed, Kiev's schools do not appear quite as usual at present.
You will not see the usual noisy crowd of children in the school-
yards and sports fields. Teachers make sure that the children do
not go outside the buildings. And the schoolchildren themselves
know about the medical recommendations. But what they are
most concerned about in this situation is whether or not the
summer vacation will start early. Naturally, parents are inter-
ested in that too.
"The schools are working according to the established schedule.
Teachers are explaining to parents that as yet there has been no
decision on curtailing the school year. Of course, there are still
many difficulties to be overcome. We were also engaged in
resolving the problem of the schoolchildren's summer vacation at
pioneer camps and labor and leisure camps. As soon as the
situation becomes finally clear, we will of course inform all the
population."
V. Starunskiy, Ukrainian SSR minister of trade:
"In the regions where evacuees have been plated, we have
organized food supplies for people and the sale of bread, pasta,
groats, butter, fruit juices, mineral water, clothing, footwear,
bedding, and other essential goods. The supply of goods' to people
is constantly monitored by the ministry," ?
V. Zhegulin, the republic's deputy ministerof consumer services:
"The main task for representatives of the service sphere in the
prevailing conditions was the sanitary treatment of people and
their clothing. In the regions where evacuees have been placed,
sanitary washing centers [sanitarno-ornyvochnyye punkty] and
clothing decontamination stations are now. in operation ? both
mobile and stationary. There are also emergency facilities based
on dry cleaners, bathhouses, and the specialized combine of the
Kiev consumer services administration. Workers of the ministry
and the oblast consumer services administration are on duty
around the clock in the rayons and carry out checks when
necessary."
GRIGORYEV: MAN CANNOT RENOUNCE ATOMIC ENERGY
LD081437 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1306 GMT 8_May 86
["Propaganda:
headline]
Pollution of the International Information Environment"--TASS
[Text] Moscow, 8 May (TASS) ? Aleksey Grigoryev, TASS
political observer, writes:
It seems that Western propaganda media are focused on only one
geographic point: Chernobyl. As if the ruins of Tripoli and
Banghazi no longer existed and the bodies of Libyan women and
children mutilated by U.S. bombs were no more. As if deadly
radiation did not ooze from underground in Nevada where
recently, to the outrage to the entire world, nuclear blasts echoed
again. As if Israel did not join Britain and the FRG in expressing
its wish to cooperate with the United States in the preparation
for "star wars". As if finally, the Pentagon did not just now
complete the deployment of the last Pershings-It's in the FRG.
Closing their eyes to all of this and to much else that is alarming
mankind today, a number of high-ranking figures in the West
and their journalist army are sounding the alarm, becoming
excited and indignant, and are scaring other people and them-
selves with what happened at the Chernobyl AES. "The United
States still does not know all the details of the situation in
Chernobyl," complains State Department representative C. Red-
man. "The Soviet statements remain vague and indicate that the
problem has not yet been resolved. The information we have is
insufficient for a full assessment of the situation." Anyone would
think that the morning after the very serious accident at the AES
202
near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1979 all the problems were
solved and that information sufficient for making a full assess-
ment fo the situation had appeared! Going by U.S. standards, the
USSR could have announced the Chernobyl accident only yester-
day and have informed the IAEA 2 months later.
The behavior of the FRG authorities is indicative of the reaction
of a number of Western countries to this accident. Speaking on
radio and television, Friedrich Zimmermann, federal minister of
the interior, stated: "The serious accident at the Soviet atomic
power station has perturbed all of us." After this, in accordance
with the notorious rule, he accused the USSR of providing
"incomplete and tardy information," but then admitted:
"There was no danger for us and there is now no danger for us...
WHO also does not see any danger for people outside the affected
zone in the USSR." And immediately, contrary to all logic,
Zimmermann's department began i to sow panic among the FRG
population, calling for windows to be sealed, for vegetables and
fruit to be washed (as if they used to eat them when they were
dirty!), and in general to remember..."the nuclear threat from the
East."
The "free," "independent," and "above-party" Press, in an
attack of anti-Soviet hysteria, beats in unison with such appeals
by issuing reports that "all the land in the Ukraine is poisoned"
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and that "there are mountains of bodies around the power
station."
The unusual nature of the situation that has arisen in connection
with the accident at Chernobyl AES demands rapid and bold
decisions as well as courage and responsibility. Soviet people
understand the vast attention being paid to this work, the results
of which are, in the final analysis, important for all mankind,
ARBATOVCOMMENTS ON CHERNOBYL INCIDENT
beeitise mankind cannot renounce the peaceful use of atomic
energy. But what is not understandable is the relishing of our
misfortune which is being used to conceal attempts to distract
attention from the real threat hanging over the planet: the
threat of nuclear war. It is precisely those people who are
preparing such a war who are interested in contaminating the
information environment with lies about events at the Chernobyl
AES.
PM081758 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 9 May 86 First Edition p 4
[Academician G. Arbatov article: "Boomerang"]
[Text] ...We have had a misfortune ? the accident at the
Chernobyl AES. A government commission is to investigate its
causes. This accident (it is not the first in the world but the I 52d
recorded at nuclear power stations, although, by all accounts, it
is rather serious) will make specialists of all countries study all
conceivable aspects of safety in nuclear reactors in all their
details over and over again.
But the events at Chernobyl have troubled not only government
experts and specialists in nuclear energy. The accident was at the
center of world public attention for many days.
There are natural reasons for this. An increase (true, not on a
scale dangerous to people's health and life) in the radioactiveness
of clouds and precipitation was doted not only in nearby USSR
oblasts but also in other countries. It is understandable that all
this could not help but arouse a certain unease in every normal
person. We understand this unease. And we ourselves also feel
certain alarm when such a thing happens in another country.
These days many people in other countries have also felt a sense
of compassion, for the accident was not without casualties. People
have been injured and irradiated. Thousands of people have had
to be evacuated from adjacent settlements. We have no doubts
about the sincerity of the expressions of sympathy for the victims
? what else could have made the American doctors, Professors
Gale and Tarasaki, hurry to Moscow. And the same feeling
prompted thousands of Britons,. Americans, French people,
Swiss, Japanese, and Germans to offer their services as bone
marrow donors (a marrow transplant is essential in serious cases
of irradiation). Soviet people feel profound and truly heartfelt
gratitude to all these noble men and women and to all whose
moral support they feelduring these difficult days.
A friend in need is a 'friend indeed, as the saying goes. And,
incidentally, that is also when enemies make themselves known.
And they have not been dozing these days. Rather, they have
simply not even closed their eyes. The apparatus of "psychologi-
cal warfare" created by the United States and its NATO allies
was switched to a state of emergency. Edo not rule out that this
was done even before the accident at Chernobyl. They had long
been waiting for an excuse to mount a new anti-Soviet campaign.
203
Many Western figures were just too concerned at the response
evoked in the public of the United States, West Europe, and the
whole world by the major Soviet initiatives. Such, for example,_,
as the Soviet Union's unilateral cessation of nuclear tests. Or the
program to eliminate nuclear arms by the year 2000. Or the
proposal to create a comprehensive international security system.
The fact that all this formed in the eyes of the world public an
image of the USSR as a country honestly and unbendingly
championing peace frightened the instigators of the arms race
far more than Soviet submarines and missiles. They were fever-
ishly seeking a cause, even a hint of a cause, to open concentrated
fire with propaganda guns of all calibers. Fire against the Soviet
Union's growing international prestige. And against mutual
trust. Trust, very little of which still remains, let us state frankly.
And which, nevertheless, is as essential as air for stabilizing the
situation and starting to get away from the dangerous brink
toward which we are inexorably being pushed by the arms race
and the "cold war."
An absurdly primitive fairytale ? the reader knows this ? was
thought up: Since the Soviet Union did not immediately report
the causes, scale, and consequences of the accident at the Cher-
nobyl AES, we must not believe a single one of its proposals, and
we must not even hold talks with it, let alone conclude
agreements. Precisely this was being shouted from all the
crossroads from morning to evening, day after day. Scientific
terms which mislead inexperienced people were used. There
began shameless manipulation of the strongest human emo-
tions: the sense of self-preservation, fear for one's children, fear
of an invisible threat.
Unfortunately, this propaganda campaign did not pass without
trace. I have been convinced of this during the past week on
talking with foreign guests and also on answering questions from
foreign television journalists and radio listeners during inter-
views. At the same time, I do not doubt the sincerity of the
questions or the concern that prompted them. Delusions are quite
frequently sincere. However, they frequently result also from
someone's prompting, in this case prompting by deliberate liars
and falsifiers.
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!low could, for example, someone living in a small Scottish town,
who is concerned about the health of his four children, know that
there is no answer to his question: Why has the Soviet govern-
ment "so far not given the reasons for the accident?" There is no
answer for the simple reason that the Soviet Government does
not know yet (just as, for example, the U.S. Government does not
yet know the true reasons for the destruction of the Challenger
spacecraft, although it occurred back in January). Someone has
also persuaded him that the anxiety for the health of his children
is due to the fact that Moscow has not reported the radiation
level, although it is far harder for the Soviet authorities than for
the British to measure the level in the Glasgow or Edinburgh
area. At the same time, incidentally, the same "well-wishers
forgot" to say that the radiation level in Scotland would pose no
threat to people's health. Another example. Can a Dutchman,
West German, or Frenchman, reading his "respectable" (that is,
bourgeois, and, as a rule, hostile toward the USSR) newspapers
not recall that it took the U.S. authorities nearly 2 months to
prepare a report on the accident at their Three Mile Island
nuclear power station and submit it to the IAEA, whereas the
Americans and their allies began to demand a report literally on
the day after the event? Did it enter the head of the Japanese
journalist who carefully interrogated me and complained about
the "radioactive rain" in Tokyo that Tokyo is closer to Nevada,
where the United States carries out its nuclear explosions (with
frequent discharges of radioactive substances), and to French
nuclear test sites (on a Pacific island) than to Chernobyl?
I explained the true state of affairs in detail to my interlocutors
and listeners. I explained in particular that there had been an
accident and that our first concern was to administer first aid to
the dozens of victims, to evacuate many thousands of inhabitants,
and to localize the center of radioactivity.
I think that when the passions inflamed by the anti-Soviets
subside, we will be forgiven this "sin." Although ? and this is
my own personal opinion ? it certainly was a "sin." It was due
not to an underestimation of the significance of public opinion
but to an underestimation of the activeness and coordination of
anti-Soviet propaganda. Somehow one never thought that even a
misfortune, an accident, and human distress could be so
shamelessly exploited for sordid propaganda games.
But if the organizers of the "hate campaign" unleashed in
connection with the Chernobyl accident are celebrating a "suc-
cess," they are also, it seems to me, in for a bitter disappointment.
In order to kick up a propaganda ballyhoo and direct it against
the USSR, they obviously overdid it: A serious but, of course,
local accident was portrayed as some kind of world nuclear
disaster. But in doing so they made people think about the danger
of an actual nuclear disaster. This wiped out in a week the long
efforts by certain Western politicians and propagandists to
"train" the peoples to reconcile themselves to the nuclear threat,
so to speak, "to learn to live with the nuclear bomb." So their
effort has turned in to a propaganda boomerang.
There will be exhaustive information on Chernobyl, of course ?
it has. already started coming, in fact. Straight into the hands of
IAEA Director Dr Hans Blix, who was invited to the USSR.
There is no doubt that the dust, propaganda as well as radio-
actiye, will soon settle and people will start to think. Think about
the fact that for 2 weeks the world ? from Britain to Japan ?
204
was in fear of a radioactive discharge which had occurred not
even as a result of a nuclear explosion ? there was no explosion
? but as a result of an accident at a nuclear power/station. Yes,
there are more than 50,000 nuclear warhcads stockpiled in
arsenals. And people have somehow started to forget about this
-- to the pleasure and direct benefit of the arms race instigators.
They will now certainly remember these terrible facts, and the
fact that the United States and its allies are continuing nuclear
tests at full speed, with all the resultant radioactive discharge.
Perhaps now, after the shock caused by the propaganda, the
Western public will take a new look at the justice of NATO's
strategy, which even now envisages first use of nuclear weapons.
The accident ? albeit trivial in scale compared with the threat
of nuclear war and the nuclear arms race ? has once again
graphically demonstrated an indisputable fact of our era ? that
man has breathed life into, created forces against which he is
totally impotent if they are used for destructive purposes. This is
one of the lessons of Chernobyl. People have been able to see from
this example how irrational and absurd is the very idea of nuclear
war.
And the second lesson: Sometimes even the most reliable and
tested equipment, absolutely perfect equipment fails. And our
enemies who are now muttering something about the reason
allegedly being the Soviet Union's "lag" in the technical sphere
are wasting their breath. According to the IAEA's evaluation,
the RBMK-1000 reactor installed in Chernobyl is, as regards
reliability, superior to the best Western models. Moreover, both
in the United States and Britain there have been quite a few
accidents at nuclear power stations and they are using their
equipment and not ours. Not to mention other catastrophes in
which most advanced and, it would seem, thoroughly tested
equipment has failed ? the Challenger tragedy, for instance, or
the recent Titan and Delta missile failures.
No, it is not a question of someone's backwardness here, but at
the same time no one should entertain any illusions about any-
one's perfection either. There are issues which are far too serious
to be entrusted to mechanisms, thus removing them from the
control of human intelligence and renouncing rational proce-
dures for the joint adoption of substantiated decisions. These are
primarily the issues of war and peace. These are also all other
issues pertaining to security, whether it be in the military,
political, economic, or humanitarian sphere.
And so, whether or not it was the intention of the organizers of
the deafening anti-Soviet campaign, they have provided a pow-
erful impetus, encouraging people to think and see things clearly.
And, in the final analysis, they have helped them to understand
how vulnerable the entire modern human civilization has
become, technologically vulnerable among other things. Even
before Chernobyl there had been no shortage of "warning sig-
nals." The discharge of toxins at the U.S. chemical plant in
Bhopal (India), for instance, cost the lives of 2,500 people and the
health of tens of thousands. Subsequently, the alarm was sounded
regarding the highly toxic waste dumps scattered throughout the
world. "Acid rain" made people aware that their neighbors could
out of complacency or through saving pennies ruin their forests,
lakes, and rivers. The pollution of entire seas has become a
reality. Not to mention the greatest danger of all ? the growing
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threat of mankind's annihilation through conventional and
nuclear weapons, through holocaust, radiation, or "nuclear win-
ter."
Mankind's rapidly increasing technological vulnerability
demands a Profound restructuring, a restructuring of the entire
system of international political and economic relations and
radical changes in political thinking. Because, in order to live
normally, indeed in order to survive at all, given all the contradic-
tions, differences, and difficulties which are tearing the world
apart, what is needed is cooperation, cooperation in establishing
the comprehensive system of international security which the
CPSU proposed to the world at its 27th congress. Outlining the
principles of this system, sketching its overall outline, M.S.
Gorbachev noted that our proposal has been dictated not just by
pious wishes but by an understanding of the realities of the
modern world and the demands stemming from the specific
characteristics of the current stage of international development.
The choice confronting mankind is tragically simple: It is
peaceful coexistence or "nonexistence." It was not the intention
of the organizers of the anti-Soviet campaign, of course, to lead
the broad public in the West to an understanding of this truth.
But blind hatred, just like other uncontrolled emotions, often
pushes people to take steps which have unforeseen results. This
is what will most probably happen also in this case. The accident
at Chernobyl ? that is not just our misfortune. It has shown that,
in the nuclear age, even what happens in the sphere of the
peaceful use of nuclear energy concerns the interests of one and
all. And as for nuclear war ? its threat is a predicament of a
much more far-reaching nature.
RESIDUAL ANTI?SOVIET 'RADIATION' LINGERS
LD081709 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1500 GMT 8 May 86
[Commentary by PRAVDA observer Vladimir Bolshakov]
[Text] In the West, the slanderous fuss over the accident at
Chernobyl AES continues. Not for the first time, our press
reports on the unbridled campaign that has been whipped up in
the West over the accident at Chernobyl AES. It now looks as if
its murky propaganda cloud is beginning to disperse, having
circled the globe several times. Also becoming clearer are the
aims of those who inflated this cloud, and the consequences of its
? to speak technically ? residual radiation.
The prime object of whipping up anti-Sovietism over the incident
at Chernobyl was once again to sow distrust of the Soviet Union's
domestic and foreign policy. They have been attempting to
represent real socialism as some sort of closed society, based on
secrecy, in which the authorities might even sacrifice the lives of
their fellow citizens for political ends, by concealing the truth
from them ? in this case, the truth about the accident in the
nuclear reactor and its consequences. This myth was strenuously
inflated. Fantastic numbers of victims of intense radiation dos-
ages were mentioned. It was asserted, for instance, that the power
workers' town had been totally destroyed, and that the con-
sequences of the accident were scarcely less serious than those of
the bomb that exploded over Nagasaki. Those who had lied so
irresponsibly had to bite their tongues immediately after the
Soviet Government provided the ambassadors of a number of
Western powers with information on what had occurred. Besides
this, film of Chernobyl AES was shown on Soviet television, and
those in the West who had dreamt up figures about thousands of
deaths had to take them back. The Soviet data on the number of
people affected arc now no longer being challenged. Western
public opinion has also undoubtedly been impressed by the
figures on the free and urgent help being given to inhabitants
within a 30-km radius of the station who have been hit by the
disaster.
205
A statement published yesterday by the World Health Organiza-
tion says that, in the opinion of its experts, there is no reason to
recommend restricting imports from Eastern europe ? the very
thing the organizers of the anti-Soviet campaign had been rec-
ommending. The WHO statement says there are no grounds to
advise people not to visit the USSR or the other countries of
Eastern Europe ? yet we know that tourists have been dis-
suaded, and even brought home from the Soviet Union. It was
also noted that the way the incident has been reported in the
Western media has aroused a reaction among the population that
is undesirable and inappropriate to the real degree of danger.
That is the competent assessment of the World Health Organiza-
tion.
People's eyes are now being opened. People in the West have
begun to see more clearly, now that they have found out the real
facts about the accident at Chernobyl. They have understood that
the United States, by sowing panic, wanted to quell apprehen-
sions about the nuclear tests that the United States and the other
nuclear powers are continuing to carry out ? the apprehensions
about the continuing arms race. Chernobyl has also made people
think about what would happen if just one of the nuclear war-
heads the Americans have now stockpiled by the tens of thou-
sands in Europe alone had exploded. What sort or radiation cloud
would that be, and who would escape it?
The propaganda cloud has dispersed, but the question remains:
People are asking, what do they intend to do in Washington and
the other NATO capitals to save mankind from a global nuclear
catastrophe? And to that question Washington, alas, has no
answer.
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U.S. 'HYPOCRISY' OVER ACCIDENT ASSAILED
PM081750 Moscow SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA in Russian 8 May 86 First Edition p 3
[TASS correspondent A. Lyutyy article for SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA: "Those People in
the United States Who Stand To Gain From Organizing a Hysterical Spectacle
Around the Accident at Chernobyl"]
[Text] Washington ? For more than a week now a map of the
world has appeared on U.S. television screens almost every hour.
That map shows the whole of Western Europe as a thick red blob.
Before the viewers' eyes that blob spreads to Asia, engulfing more
and more countries. It becomes more terrifying as you watch.
It will be recalled that more or less the same red blob, on a far
smaller scale it is true, was used recently to illustrate to
Americans Nicaragua's "expansionist schemes" and the "com-
munist offensive" in Central America, which is on the point of
reaching the U.S borders.
These blobs, of course, are products of the imagination of the TV
companies' anti-Sovietists and all manner of consultants from the
Reagan administration. When Americans need a good scare with
the "Soviet threat," the producers of such shows splash out with
the red paint.
It would seem that people are already becoming accustomed to
this passion for painting the globe a toxic shade of red, a passion
not marked by intellectual brilliance. It is by no means the first
time that this method has been used here and it will not be the
last. Nevertheless, the current anti-Soviet campaign is beating
all records for hypocrisy and inhumanity.
The red blob spreading across the whole world is, apparently, not
just a "Soviet threat," it is the "Soviet nuclear danger." It is the
radiation allegedly released after the accident at the Chernobyl
AES. You can understand why some people living in the western
states of California, Oregon, and Washington, seeing these hor-
rors on television, immediately rushed out to the local pharmacies
to buy iodine solution and who are now scouring the stores in
search of special protective suits....
It is perfectly clear to any unbiased person that the Washington
administration has recently had an acute need for a diversionary
maneuver which would enable it to stem the tide of anger in the
world after the American buzzards' raid on Libya. It needed such
a maneuver to divert the world's attention that bit more quickly
from its inflexible and unconstructive position on the question of
banning nuclear tests. The Soviet moratorium on nuclear explo-
sions and the USSR's other peace initiatives have received an
extraordinarily large response. The White House has clearly
decided to drown that response in a sea of anti-Soviet slander.
Photographs of the accident area, allegedly taken by intelligence
satellites, are constantly being shown on television. Apart from
large rivers and reservoirs it is impossible to make out anything
definite in them. Nevertheless, squares and circles are drawn in
thick white lines and?"specialists" with thoughtful expressions
present them as "evidence of colossal destruction" and "raging
206
conflagrations." Right-wing groups, intoxicated with anti-
Sovietism, have come out onto the streets and a gang of our
country's enemies in Congress, headed by Representative Robert
Walker (a Republican from Pennsylvania), has submitted a whole
pile of provocative resolutions. Other unscrupulous congressmen
have even gone so far as to accuse us of committing an "interna-
tional crime." And that after the act of mass terror against Libya!
Let us make particular mention of the theme of the gloating that
is going on. It is obvious. They do not even try to hide it behind
diplomatic formulas or even purely formal expressions of grief
and sympathy. Rubbing their hands with glee, people across the
ocean dream of how the Chernobyl accident will undermine the
Soviet plans for the accelerated development and modernization
of the economy and how it will hit the country's agriculture. They
are particularly exultant at the fact that the accident occurred in
the Ukraine, the USSR's granary. And there is not even a hint
of shame or conscience in any of these spiteful predictions.
"Operation Chernobyl" has shown the criminal ease with which
Western ruling circles try to make dishonest political capital out
of tragedy. Did Soviet people revel in the catastrophe involving
the seven astronauts on the "Challenger" shuttle in January? Did
they whoop with delight after the catastrophe last Saturday
involving the "Delta" launch vehicle carrying a weather sat-
ellite? No matter how they try to distort it, the fact remains that
America greeted the 25th anniversary of the flight by Alan
Shepard ? the first U.S. astronaut to go into near-earth orbit ?
with three of the biggest disasters in the U.S. space program's
history.
"Operation Chernobyl" has also illustrated the astonishing hypo-
crisy of the authorities here, who have accused the USSR of
inadequate monitoring of safety equipment at the AES. They
would do well to look at their own record here! The U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission has just published its annual report in
which it acknowledges that last year U.S. nuclear power stations
recorded the highest number of accidents in the past 6 years and
that it was pure chance that some of them did not lead to
dangerous leaks of radioactive materials. The administration
tried to keep this report secret and only published it after
persistent demands from Congressmen Edward Markey.The
U.S. nuclear industry, the press. here acknowledges, has sur-
rounded itself with an almost impenetrable cloak of secrecy and
I inflicts punishment on anyone who tries to tell the general public
the truth about the situation at America's nuclear power stations.
...The members of the Washington peace center, a well known
public organization, study not only arms limitation problems but
also nuclear power industry questions. I telephoned the center's
headquarters. Heike Kleffner, a West German citizen, who is
working for a while at the center, answered my call.
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"In my view," she said, "President Reagan is not interested in
real arms limitation, and the fuss about the Chernobyl incident
is a convenient way of justifying his refusal to negotiate with the
USSR on a constructive basis. For example, the demand is now
being put forward virtually as an ultimatum to allow U.S. experts
to visit Soviet AES's. But do you think that the Americans will
allow Soviet experts to visit theirs? No way! It is clear that they
are using the incident to denigrate the Soviet Union instead of
turning this tragic event into a way of giving impetus to the
struggle against the nuclear arms race. I hope that people of
common sense will draw the correct lessons from what has
happened, will not yield to hysteria, and will work to reduce
nuclear arsenals."
SCARE STORIES REPORTEDLY ORDERED BY WASHINGTON
LD082006 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1645 GMT 8 May 86
[Commentary by political obserlYer Aleksandr Zholkver, from the "International
Diary" program; presented by Sergey Pravdin]
[Text] What our Rome correspondent has just told us about
(referring to previous commentary by Yuriy Vybornov on Rome
media treatment of Chernobyl accident] is characteristic of many
countries in the West. Here, as if by order ? and seemingly such
an order was in effect given, and not just anywhere, but in
Washington ? all types of cock-and-bull stories were earnestly
spread about the Chernobyl accident, stories used to intimidate
people and to whip up anti-Soviet hysteria. But what is notewor-
thy is that in the last few days, in particular after the press
conference in Moscow, they have begun to talk differently in a
number of Western capitals. Thus, for example, the FRG minis-
ter of the interior ? that same FRG where perhaps they have
been shouting particularly loudly about the threat of Soviet
radiation ? has now officially announced that there has not been
and will not be any danger for the population of West Germany.
Moreover, the minister of state for the Federal Chancellor's
office has even spoken out against the needless hysteria. Well, as
the saying goes, better late than never.
I will add that a certain amount of sobering up is taking place at
the moment not only in Bonn, but in other Western capitals as
well. British Foreign Secretary Howe has come out, for example,
with a warning about the fact that the accident at Chernobyl
should not be used for anti-Soviet propaganda. A human misfor-
tune, added the minister, should not be turned into a political
game. That is a fair statement, particularly if one takes into
account the fact that in some Western countries, including
Britain, and the United States in particular, some politicians and
journalists these last few days have been earnestly engaged in
precisely such an unworthy political game, speculating on the
natural anxiety of people. By the way, now even U.S. specialists,
as AP reports, admit that the additional dose of radiation that
West Europe received after the accident in Chernobyl is not
great, and by way of example, is lower than the usual background
radiation at great height, in particular during flights from Eur-
ope to the United States.
207
Regarding the United States itself, there the head of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency long ago acknowledged that the
health of the population is in no way threatened. It is true that,
as it happens not infrequently in the United States, here and there
the press and television have so intimidated people that they, to
the delight of the pharmaceutical concerns, have rushed to buy
all sorts of medicines with highly dubious properties. Now CBS
itself announces that physicians are beginning to fear that the
population may suffer not at all from radioactive irradiation, but
from poisoning from pills.
And, by and large, experts from the World Health Organization
who have gathered in Copenhagen have stated that there was an
excessive reaction in the West to the accident in Chernobyl, and
that although individual increases in radiation are possible, no
long-term effect on people's health can be foreseen. But all the
same I would add that a threat does exist ? not the mythical
threat of Soviet radiation, but, unfortunately, the quite real
danger for the whole of mankind in connection with the accumu-
lation of nuclear weapons on earth and attempts to place it even
in space. The participants of the UN Disarmament Committee'
session, which has just opened in New York, talk about this with
unconcealed alarm. They note that while the Soviet Union has
proposed a specific plan for the total elimination of nuclear
weapons in the forthcoming 15 years and has unilaterally stopped
testing them, the United States continues to accelerate the
nuclear arms race ? and during the Soviet moratorium it has
carried out nine nuclear blasts.
By the way, THE NEW YORK TIMES, in one of its recent
issues, has acknowledged that quite great leaks of radioactive gas
occur at the Nevada test site. So, all the grounds are there for
supposing that the hullabaloo in the West, in the United States
itself first and foremost, around the Chernobyl accident, has had
and does have the aim of diverting attention from the real
threat: the threat of nuclear war.
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PROPAGANDA CONTRASTED WITH 'COMPETENT' VIEWS
LD091106 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 0230 GMT 9 May 86
[From the "International Diary" program
[Text] Of course you know, comrades, of the measures being
taken to liquidate the consequences of the accident at the Cher-
nobyl AES. The central press publishes official government
reports on this matter and reports by correspondents from the
Chernobyl area every day. Despite the obvious normalization of
the situation, many mass media organs in the West continue to
wage a noisy, provocative, and essentially anti-Soviet propa-
ganda campaign around this issue.
In this connection, I would like to mention a few competent views
that raze to the ground the conjectures put forward, above all, by
the U.S. propaganda machine. The representative of IAEA
stated at a press conference that the IAEA was informed by the
Soviet side of the accident and that the USSR has always
cooperated closely with the agency. With regard to the radiation
situation in Europe, the IAEA representative noted that he does
not consider it dangerous to people's health.
presented by Vladimir Beloshapko]
Zimmermann, FRG minister of the interior, speaking on radio
and television, said in particular that there has been no and there
is no danger for us. The Danish paper BERLINGSKE
TIDENDE considers that the mass media clearly exaggerated
the danger of the accident at the Chernobyl AES.
An increase in the level of radiation in Denmark of only 10
percent compared with the normal level was noted. This is
100,000 times less than the level that is considered dangerous.
The French paper HUMANITE, noting that Western propa-
ganda tried to provoke panic among Soviet people, writes: It is
difficult to remember a time when such a quantity of rumors have
been scattered over the airwaves. However, none of this is getting
the desired reaction. Soviet people are without doubt concerned,
but they are calm, the paper stresses.
AFP CITES GOVERNMENT ON REPORTING 3D DEATH
First Radiation Victim
AU091913 Paris AFP in English 1911 GMT 9 May 86
[Excerpt] Moscow, May 9 (AFP)--The Soviet Government on Friday said a third
person had died as a result of the April 26 Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster,
the first victim of radiation exposure. Thursday, the Yugoslav news agency
TANJUG, quoting sources in Moscow, had already reported that a third victim
had died.
Soviet Deputy Health Minister Yevgeniy Vorobiev told a press conference of
Eastern bloc journalists that the third victim, who had been "heavily irradiated"
in the accident, died three days later in a Kiev hospital. One of the other two
died of burns, the other was killed by a falling object, it was announced earlier.
APN's Falin Reports 4th Death
AU111306 Paris AFP in English 1252 GMT 11
[Text] Hamburg, West Germany, May 11 (AFP) -- Staff at
Chernobyl wrongly evaluated and reported the April 25 nuclear
accident, and it took nearly two days for Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev to get a "detailed, factual report," a Soviet news
agency chief says.
In an interview with the weekly DER SPIEGEL appearing here
Sunday, the chairman of NOVOSTI NEWS AGENCY, Valen-
208
May 86
tin Falin, also disclosed that a fourth person had died in the
accident.
Service personnel had "in part failed" in their mission, as "the
content and quantity of information communicated to Moscow
was neither sufficient nor correct," he said. From this failing, he
said, "arose a great deal of what subsequently happened." The
radioactive leak, he added, was now completely smothered.
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Mr. Falin also said it was "desirable that all countries using
nuclear energy worked out rules valid for all" in anticipation of
such accidents, and accused Western nations of hiding nuclear
accidents from their people. He said a country close to the Soviet
Union -- which he refused to name-- was very quickly advised of
the accident, adding that the quantity of radioactive isotopes
which crossed the Soviet border was not dangerous.
Indicating the death toll -- earlier officially three-- was now four,
Mr. Falin said two of 18 seriously injured people had died, after
the deaths of a man who was burned alive and another buried
under collapsed construction units.
He reaffirmed official Soviet figures that 204 people suffered
dangerous radiation higher than 100 rads, but that 50 were able
to leave hospital after a few hours. A rad is a unit of absorbed
ionized radiation.
Reporting that the radioactivity leak at Chernobyl is now com-
pletely smothered, he said a protective covering of sand, lead, and
boron was being continually strengthened, and would be "com-
pletely covered with concrete." All reactors of the same type in
the Soviet Union continued to function, but would be inspected.
Mr. Fal in exonerated the local administration from responsibility
for information delays, but said technicians at the Chernobyl
nuclear plant "had believed with the best intention they could
control the situation." But it appeared they "had been taken
unawares and had not always taken the best decisions, on the
whole by an under-estimation of the risks and an over-estimation
of their own capacities."
After that, insufficient and incorrect data were sent to Moscow.
"internally we were not prepared for such an accident, we had
not basically foreseen any instructions in advance, particularly
in the information area," Mr. Falin said.
Mr. Falin said Soviet party chief Mikhail Gorbachev, warned of
the accident on Saturday, only had "the first detailed, factual
report" before the party Politburo meeting on Monday April 28.
Don't implicate the general secretary. Before he can commu-
nicate information, he first has to have it," he added.
"about half' of the radioactive isotopes released from Chernobyl
were of Iodine-131, dangerous but with a half-life of only eight
days, he said. As for Casium-137 and Strontium-90, their propor-
tions had been 10 to 100 times weaker compared to those in
"emissions provoked" during nuclear tests.
"The quantity of these isotopes, which crossed the borders of the
Soviet Union, raising radioactivity levels 10 to 15 times, is not
dangerous," Mr. Falin said.
Mr. Falin expressed "indignation" at the way "American
spokesmen and Secretary of State George Shultz" had reacted
to the affair. He also charged that the West, in the United States,
Britain, Japan, and Belgium, had often hidden nuclear accidents
from its people.
"When there is a nuclear test in Nevada, radioactive emissions
are sometimes carried by winds to Mexico, but are not spoken of
because they are American," he added.
Mr. Falin discounted any evacuation of Kiev, saying that when
winds had carried radioactivity towards it five days after the
accident, levels were 5,000 times below danger levels, and only
30 times normal levels.
PRAVDA DETAILS CHERNOBYL PARTY REORGANIZATION
PM121000 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 12 May 86 First Edition p 8
[Special correspondents V. Gubarev and M. Odintsev report: "Raykom Working
Round the Clock; Chernobyl AES: A Test of Courage"--first two paragraphs are
editorial introduction]
[Text) "What do I dream of?" V. Lyskin, foreman at the electric
shop asked. "Of the time when we will return to Pripyat and start
living and working normally. I know that time will come, but we
must work unsparingly to ensure it... And let us agree that when
it is all over you will hold a PRAVDA readers' conference at our
culture center. Do you agree?" PRAVDA accepted the proposal.
In essays, articles, and reportages we will discuss the progress in
eliminating the accident at the Chernobyl AES and the heroic
labor both at the site [promploshchadka] and in the areas where
the inhabitants from the evacuated zone are now living. And
then, when Pripyat's inhabitants return home and the station
starts working normally, a PRAVDA team will hold a readers'
conference at the AES.
209
Previously the party gorkom bureau session would probably have
lasted longer and, obviously, more would have been said. Now
there is no time for long discussions. The situation is difficult and
every minute counts. It is 10 days since the collective at the
Chernobyl subsidiary of the "Yuzhatomenergostroytrans"
Transportation Production Association, comprising more than
200 people, was evacuated along with the families to Polesskiy
and Ivankovskiy Rayons. However, during this time the
collective's leaders ? Communists A. Sichkarenko and A.
Shapoval ? have essentially done nothing to help the people
under their jurisdiction or to provide them with work. Wages
have not been paid on time, clothes have not been allocated, and
evacuees' legitimate requests have been ignored. Finding himself
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in Polesskiy Rayon among subordinates evacuated from Pripyat,
A. Shapoval, the subsidiary's chief engineer, was entirely indif-
ferent to the fate of people who found themselves in a difficult
position.
Political immaturity, failure to act, and failure to understand the
prevailing situation on the part of irresponsible leaders have cost
the collective dearly. The Pripyat Party Gorkom Bureau resolved
at its session to expel A. Shapoval from the CPSU for the callous
way he tried to dodge his duties. A. Sichkarenko was strictly
reprimanded and his party card endorsed. The bureau deemed it
inexpedient for the compromised leaders to remain in their posts.
A. Gubskiy, secretary of the subsidiary's party organization, who
failed to make a timely and principled assessment of what had
happened, was brought to justice.
The unusual and complex situation has highlighted bottlenecks.
Certain leaders have turned out to be psychologically unprepared
for work under the conditions that emerged following the AES
accident. True, what happened with the leaders of the Chernobyl
subsidiary of "Yuzhatomenergostroytrans" was an exceptional
case. The same party gorkom bureau session cited numerous
cases of selfless and courageous behavior on the part of Commu-
nist leaders who showed high organizational qualities and per-
sonal courage in a difficult situation. A. Nagorodniy and V.
Deygraf from the Chernobyl Installation Administration and N.
Sklyarets and V. Abramov from the Pripyat administration of
"Yuzhatomenergostroytrans" were cited first and foremost. Fol-
lowing their leaders' example, the members of their collectives
also acted decisively.
"Of the 18 Communists at the Pripyat administration only two
are still at work; the rest are undergoing tests in hospital," A.
Gamanyuk, first secretary of the party gorkom, said. "But this
situation further rallies and organizes people."
Moreover, the gorkom secretary himself learned about the acci-
dent in hospital. Aleksandr Sergeyevich immediately left his
hospital bed to head the party committee's work.
"Raykom bureau sessions have become shorter but they are being
held more often. This requires efficient organization," the secre-
tary said. "Many collectives at Pripyat's enterprises and organi-
zations have been moved to Polesskiy Rayon. The evacuation
took place on a tight schedule, and certain subunits were dis-
persed and people separated. In the first 10 days of May eco-
nomic leaders specified and are now solving the problems linked
with moving enterprise and organization personnel and with
providing people with temporary work and their usual vacations
[otpuskj. Party organization secretaries have established contacts
with Communists who have currently been dispersed to various
places. In the first 2 days at the new site 20 temporary party
groups, together with party groups within the watch teams
(vakhtennyye smeny) at the Chernobyl AES, were created from
among Communists from the Pripyat city party organization.
Their efforts were directed toward mobilizing working people to
eliminate the consequences of the accident." The Pripyat party
gorkom is temporarily housed in the premises of the Polesskiy
Ukrainian Communist Party Raykom, and the two party orga-
nizations are now operating in close contact. The party organiza-
tion of the Kolkhoz imeni 40-Letiya Oktyabrya has established
210
the most friendly professional ties with the Communists arriving
from the AES. There are 13 of them. They chose S. Rodionov,
deputy secretary of the "Yuzhenergomontazhventilyatsiya"
Administration party organization, as 'Their party organizer. A
joint session of the party bureau planned organizational measures
to ensure the smooth running of everyday life and the organiza-
tion of work for the new arrivals. Electrical welder V. Novokhat-
skiy has already started repairing kolkhoz equipment. A.
Gorbunov, a worker from the AES, has joined a kolkhoz team on
the construction of an enclosed hay store, two of which are under
construction. "There is enough work for everyone," Komsomol
member Sergey Stepanchuk, leader of a kolkhoz construction
team, said.
Polesskiy Rayon has 13 farms. Each one of them has a staff
operating to ensure normal working and living conditions for the
evacuees. The staffs include representatives of party organiza-
tions both from the teams which have arrived from Pripyat and
from the local kolkhozes.
Open party meetings are currently being held on each of the
farms to discuss the Communists' and party organizations' tasks
in stepping up mass political work and organizing preparations
for gathering in and procuring this year's harvest. Rape for laying
in early silage is already being mowed at the "Khabna" Sovkhoz,
where a meeting was chaired by N. Priymachenko, first secretary
of Polesskiy party raykom. Some 800 metric tons of rape have to
be procured. Machine operators here carried out maintenance
work in good time on vitamin meal preparation units. The
sovkhoz stockmen are making skillful use of the green feed
arriving now from the farm's fields -- for example, the dairy
stock unit headed by Nina Savchenko, delegate to the 27th
Ukrainian Communist Party Congress, increased daily milk
yields per cow in May by 1.2 kg in comparison with the same
period last year.
Aware that the elimination of the consequences from the Cher-
nobyl AES accident demands doubled and redoubled efforts
from everyone, stockmen on "Vladimirskiy" Sovkhoz proposed
that the pledges previously given for 1986 be reviewed, and that
milk yields per cow be raised to 3,000 kg. Polesskiy party raykom
approved the patriotic initiative, which has already spread widely
among the rayon's stock units.
Visiting the Kiev Oblast party raykoms in the last few days, we
observed the concentrated and considered work being done by
their instructors, section chiefs, and secretaries. Difficult prob-
lems are being solved with precision, without haste, and effec-
tively. A specific and businesslike approach can be observed
everywhere, in every step by party workers, and there is no
superfluous talk or vague promises.
"Under these conditions," A. Gamanyuk, first secretary of Prip-
yat party gorkom, told us, "we have no right to allow ourselves
the luxury of any relaxation. Every minute is valuable, even
though the party committee is working almost around the clock.
Decisions are brief and precise, their execution is swift and
accurate. The situation may change repeatedly during a day or
night, and every time we must be ready to act so as to successfully
mobilize the Communists and to enthuse people with ardent
words to overcome the hardships. There is something else that is
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very important for us: to ensure that under these conditions,
when everything has been moved but not yet settled down com-
pletely, the collective in each enterprise finds its place and
determines Its line of action. Of course, much in this respect
depends on the leaders, on their initiative, efficiency, skill, and
boldness in making an independent and at times even risky
decision, but the only correct decision under given circumstances.
This is why work with cadres has top priority, as it actually
always has with us...." ...The doors to the Polesskiy party raykom
are open around the clock. People come there for solutions to the
most urgent and most vital questions.
COUNCIL OF-MINISTERS ISSUES COMMUNIQUES ON CLEANUP
9 May Statement
LD091713 Moscow TASS in'English 1909 GMT 9 May 86
["USSR Council of Ministers Communique"--TASS byline]
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS ? Work to eliminate the con-
sequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station
continued there on May .8 and 9. An intensive cooling of the
reactor has been under way in order to lower the temperature of
the active zone and has helped sharply to reduce the emission of
radioactive substances.
Work has been carried out to shore up the banks of the River
Pripyat in the area of the, nuclear power station in order to
prevent the radioactive contamination of the river with rain water
running off from adjacent territory. The situation at the nuclear
power station's first, second, and third generator units is normal.
The area of the Chernobyl nuclear power station on May 8 was
visited by Hans Blix, director-general of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Soviet scientists and specialists
briefed him on the situation and the measures being taken to
localize the accident.
10 May Statement
PM121106 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 12 May
["From the ussR Council of Ministers"]
[Text] Throughout May 10, work to eliminate the consequences
of the breakdown continued at the Chernobyl atomic power
station. The temperature inside the reactor went down substan-
tially as a result of the taken measures. The opinion of scientists
and specialists is that this is indicative of a practical termination
of the reactor's graphite burning process. The release of radioac-
tive substances has sharply diminished.
Work to decontaminate the territory, buildings and facilities of
the power station, as well as the motor roads and other facilities
located in the nearby terrain has begun on a large scale with the
use of up-to-date materials and technical means.
86 First Edition p 3
211
Work is being done to additionally consolidate the reactor's '
foundation.
According to the data of the USSR State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Monitoring the Natural Environment,
the radiation level is 0.33 milliroentgen per hour at a distance of
60 km from the station and 0.32 milliroentgen per hour in Kiev, ?
which is absolutely safe to people's health. On the country's
western border, the radiation level is within the limits of the
natural background.
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11 May Statement
LD111717 Moscow TASS in English 1714 GMT 11 May 86
["Announcement of USSR Council of Ministers"--TASS item identifier]
[Text] Moscow May II TASS ? Work for radioactive decon-
tamination of the territory, facilities of the station, and transport
communications has been prepared today at the Chernobyl
atomic power station and nearby locality. Preparation is conduc-
ted for decontamination of residential houses.
A complex of preparatory measures is implemented for encasing
in concrete the reactor compartment of the fourth power-
generating set.
The radiation situation on the western borders of the USSR is
normal. The radiation levels on the territory of the Ukraine and
Belorussia remain the same.
SILAYEV, VELIKHOV SAY CHERNOBYL DANGER PAST
Silayev Conducts Work Sessions
LD111824 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1430 GMT 11 May 86
[Report over video by correspondent Aleksandr Krutov, from Chernobyl--from the
"Vremya" newscast]
[Text] Chernobylskiy Rayon: This is where the 30-km zone
begins from which the population was evacuated for security
reasons. Entry into the zone is permitted only by special passes.
Every house in the abandoned villages and settlements has been
closed and sealed. As they left, people took all precautionary
measures. [Video shows main road filmed from inside car, show-
ing tanker coming in opposite direction, other traffic on road, sign
saying Chernobylskiy Rayon, brief shot of surrounding country
and road block, marked "danger zone, entry forbidden", with
minibus halted, army trucks parked at side of road, uniformed
serviceman questioning driver and waving him through. Road
through to town filmed from car window, crossing river; truck
loaded with what might be building materials proceeding ahead.
Brief shot of houses as car speeds by, nobody visible, apple
blossom on trees; sealed well.]
trousers or in uniform. Uniformed militiaman wearing a mask
directs traffic, mostly buses and trucks.]
With every day more vehicles are on the streets, carrying various
cargoes. Special remote control equipment for work in the espe-
cially dangerous radiation zone is being delivered by helicopter.
Like this machine, for instance. [Video shows masked militiaman
directing traffic, including truck with load of long metal pipes,
small tanker. Close-up of parked car bearing special permit with
a large red circle on windscreen; men in white jackets and
trousers or overalls, walking up path to building; machine
marked toro 200d (Latin script) parked outside building - four-
wheeled vehicle with open cabin, excavator shovel at front, fire
extinguisher at side of cabin.]
The headquarters directing the work to liquidate the conse-
At the very entry into Chernobyl, the first thing we saw was a quences of the accident at the Chernobyl atomic station are
stork. And then, a quite lively town street. Specialists are arriving situated in this building here. Specialists, both civilian and
here from many towns. Canteens have been opened for them, military, chemists, physicists, and medics, are working here;
mobile shops are coming in, from which necessary goods ean be people of various specialities are engaged in the main thing,
purchased. In a word, all such conditions as are possible, of eliminating the consequences of the accident. Let's go into the
course, in such a situation, have been created. [Video shows stork headquarters and have a look at the work going on there. [Video
standing on nest on chimneypot; town street, a few pedestrians shows Krutov, with no mask, outside building marked Chernobyl
on pavement, several jeeps parked and driving along; street Raykom; audio includes snatches of birdsong.]
surface wet, pavement dry. Most pedestrians in white jackets and
212
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[White-coated man in office] Well, let's map out specifically
which points we are to visit, let's map out [words indistinct].
[Video shows five men pouring over map in office marked
"Radiological Security Group" and "Medical Point" on pencil-
written notice pinned to door]
The headquarters' working day lasts from 0600 to 0100. People
sometimes eat into the night, too. And here the sessions of the
state commission are held. They are now being conducted by Ivan
Stepanovich Silayev, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of
Ministers. [Video shows serious of rooms with groups of people
talking, and further group consisting of Silayev and Velikhov,
among others, under a portrait of Lenin.]
[Krutov] I heard Academician Velikhov say just now that a
historic event occurred today.
[Silayev] Well, in the main he is right. We have come to the
conclusion today that the basic, main danger has been elimi-
nated. This is of course a historic event. Today we can already
work more calmly, insofar as what the world predicted, in
particular the Western bourgeois newspapers which shouted
from the rooftops that a colossal catastrophe was about to happen
? today this does not threaten us. We are today firmly convinced
that the danger has passed. This does not mean that we can stop
work. There are still very serious questions which must be
resolved. These are questions relating, that is, to the further
localization of this zone; questions relating to decontamination
? there are still many problems. But, indeed, the main danger
has been averted.
[Krutov] What can you add?
[Velikhov] I should say that the situation is like this: We really
do see that today we are not threatened by the major catastrophe
we feared, in connection with the fact that a large quantity of
fuel and graphite was concentrated in one spot. But of course,
there are still a large number of issues we must now resolve, and
very quickly at that; because we must first of all measure and
determine where all the radioactivity is situated, and in the
fastest possible time remove such a crude [sentence incomplete].
After that it is necessary to pass to the next stage, which consists
of total ? well, putting it crudely ?deactivation of the territory,
and the conservation and encapsulation of all the radiation.
Therefore, this work is as great as before. We are also carrying
out a great deal of work to ensure that the radioactivity has not
penetrated the water table, and we are hurrying with this. There
are a lot of measurements to be taken in difficult conditions,
because we do not know what is situated where. And builders are
213
now carrying out a great deal of work because they are supplying
concrete, freezing the soil, and covering all this up in conditions
of high radioactivity. So the pressure is being kept up there.
[Krutov] Well, I sense that all the same you have taken a bit of
a breather, haven't you?
[Silayev] No, it is, of course, too soon for us to take a breather.
One might say, rather, that we have grabbed a quick breath,
insofar as there is still a lot of work, as you see. But the work is
gradually being taken in hand. Since the main danger has now
passed we can concentrate on the issues which previously seemed
to be secondary. Now these are coming into the foreground: that
means decontamination, removal of the remnants, diagnosis and
monitoring. And, in the final analysis, there is the solution of the
problem of burying this zone. This involves, first, the very impor-
tant task of putting into operation in a short time the first, second,
and third sets: These are capable of operating, but a whole
series of tasks must be carried out to isolate them from the fourth
set. This is also a serious task which must also be resolved. There
is still a lot of work.
[Krutov] These photographs are the latest photographs received
from the station, are they not? [Video shows Silayev with folder
of photographs.]
[Silayev] Yes, these are the latest. No, they are not the latest, the
latest photographs are much calmer. Where are they? [Video
shows Silayev looking through folder] Yes, let's have a look, yes,
this is the latest photograph. As you see, this shows a completely
calm state. You can see no smoke here, and certainly no shining
spots. We will put it like this: The reactor site is calm here. This
is not just a visual assessment: It has been confirmed by a series
of analyses and research. This is why we have come to the
conclusion that the main danger that had seriously threatened us
is today behind us, and the time has come to start work on
eliminating what has happened altogether. This indeed involves
a great deal of work.
[Krutov] Are there enough resources and opportunities?
[Silayev] The country is giving everything necessary. We are not
meeting any refusals today, no difficulties whatsoever. Every-
thing has been mobilized ? technology, materials, resources.
And the main thing is that the people who, of course, to start with
were wary and frightened, have today got into a normal rhythm
of work. People are laboring with enthusiasm. They know they
are now under no threat. They of course have to observe precau-
tionary measures. Zones have been defined where they must not
go for the time being. Signs are up. That is, they are today
working calmly and know that they are sheltered. And there is a
great deal of work to be done..
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Velikhov: 11 May 'Turning Point'
LD111431 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1330 GMT 11 May 86
[Text] A report from Chernobyl: A headquarters of the battle
waged by people against the formidable and dangerous element
for more than 2 weeks is in operation here. The government
commission is at work. Today, we arrived at the conclusion that
the main danger has been eliminated, Silayev, deputy chairman
of the USSR Council of Ministers, said to TASS correspondents.
Now we can work more calmly. What was predicted in the West
where it has been shouted in all manner of voices about the
forthcoming colossal catastrophe, Silayev said, has not happened.
Today we are absolutely confident that the danger is over.
This, however, does not mean that the work can be. curtailed. A
whole number of complex problems are yet to be resolved. These
are issues linked with the further localization of the dangerous
zone, the issues of its decontamination, and others. The head-
quarters is elaborating a strategy and tactics for the struggle
directed at eliminating the consequences of the accident. Tense
collective work is underway in which high-ranking leaders,
prominent specialists, and scientists are participating. Among
them is Academician Yevgeniy Pavlovich Velikhov, vice presi-
dent of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The academician called
today a turning point. He said to 'ASS correspondents that the
situation currently does not pose a major threat, which was
feared.
A new stage in the struggle is beginning. A whole range of
measurements and research is still to be carried out, and the
places affected worst are to be located. All this is being done in
exceptionally difficult conditions. The work on decontamination
and encapsulation [kapsulirovaniye] of radiation is being carried
out. When these measures are implemented and results of the
research are summed up, a decision concerning resumption of
? work of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant will be made. When
a certain period of time ? which will be determined by securitV
norms ? elapses, the station will be put into operation again and
will resume production of electric power. We have not only to
restore the AES, but also to revive the surrounding land, to give
its life force back to it, Academician Valeriy Alekseyevich
Legasov added.
'Possibility of Catastrophe' Existed
LD111436 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1351 GMT il May 86
[Text] Kiev, 11 May (TASS) ? The present situation at Cher-
nobyl AES no longer poses a major threat, Academician Yev-
geniy Velikhov, vice president of the USSR Academy of
Sciences, told Soviet journalists.
The academician said that, until now, in theory the possibility of
a catastrophe really did exist: A great quantity of fuel and
graphite in the reactor was in an incandescent state. Now this is
not the case.
Velikhov said that a new stage in the work is now beginning. It
is necessary to carry out a whole range of measurements and
experiments to determine the most contaminated places. All this
is already being done. Work is under way on the deactivation and
encapsulation of radioactive substances. This guarantees against
their entering the water table.
Special work is being carried out within the utiit in very dirficuk
conditions of high radioactivity. At the mOrtient, builders are
doing a great deal. They are freezing the soil and supplying large
amounts of concrete. The aim of the action's is "to bury" the
broken-down reactor.
When these measures have been implemented and when the
results of the investigations have been drawn up, a decision will
also be made on the resumption of the work of the Chernobyl
AES, said Academician Velikhov. He said that at a certain time,
which will be dictated by safety norms; the station once again
will go into operation and will supply power.
Kiev Radio Cites Silayev, Velikhov
WAI21248 [Editorial Report] Kiev Domestic Service in
Ukrainian at 1545 GMT on 11 May broadcasts a 4-minute report
from the Chernobyl AES. Reception is very poor to
unmonitorable.
The station announcer reveals that answering a correspondent's
questions are Ivan Stepanovich Silayev, USSR Council of Min-
isters deputy chairman; Academician Yevgeniy Pavlovich Veli-
khov, USSR Academy of Sciences vice president; Yuriy
Antoniyevich Izrael, USSR State Committee for
Hydrometerology and Environmental Control chairman; and
Vitally Andreyevich Masol, Ukrainian SSR Council of Ministers
deputy chairman, State Planning Committee chairman. None of
the speakers are subsequently identified but are heard to speak
in Russian.
One speaker says that "the main danger that seriously threatened
us is behind us today," and the time has come to commence work
to eliminate what as a whole (?took place)." Another speaker
affirms that "the situation today is such that we are not
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threatened by any kind of catastrophe as we had feared," and
goes on to talk about the tasks that lie ahead.
A discussion on radiation and the evacuation of the area around
the station follows. A speaker is heard asserting that the pop-
ulation is taking things "with understanding," and reports that
people are working with great enthusiaism in order to avoid the
consequences of the accident while awaiting "impatiently for
that day when they can return to their homes."
Another speaker is heard talking about the acute problems that
have been faced, including the evacuation of the population to
reasonably safe areas, and also about what people are thinking
of doing in the future, noting that "we are thinking of how to use
that land in the future" for agriculture. With reference to the
latter activity, he acknowledges that very serious measurement
and research must be done, in addition to the emergency work.
The speaker notes that the country is supplying everything that
is needed and asserts that everything is mobilized. He continues
by stressing that the main thing is that the people have returned
to a normal work routine following the initial natural feelings of
fear, and again reports that the people are working with enthu-
siasm and that they know they are not threatened, although
cautioning them to observe measures [notfurther identified due
to poor reception'
EMBASSIES IN MOSCOW WARN OF POSSIBLE FOOD DANGERS
AU120734 Paris AFP in English 0730 GMT 12 May 86
[Milan Dragovic report]
[Text) Moscow, May 11 (AFP) ? Thousands of foreigners living
here have been warned by their embassies to beware of using
fresh foodstuffs, in case of contamination after the Chernobyl
nuclear plant disaster two weeks ago.
Most embassies here have warned their nationals not to drink
milk, nor eat lettuces, while also advising them of possible
radiation dangers from tap water, other vegetables and even
meat. Many foreigners are following these instructions to the
letter and are eating up stocked supplies of food in the deep freeze
and canned goods, or they have ordered food from abroad, mainly
from Finland and Denmark.
Some of those working for private foreign firms have told their
head offices about their food supply difficulties, asking them to
send food containers and bottled water to them in Moscow.
However, all foreign medical teams, including American, which
have arrived recently in the Soviet capital have formally and
unanimously stated that they have not detected any abnormal
levels of radiation.
Nevertheless, the "radiation panic" has gradually gripped Mos-
cow, as more and more people arrive from Kiev, 900 kms (540
miles) southwest of here and 30 kms (18 miles) from Chernobyl.
Some of them bring alarming stories which rapidly go the rounds
here, adding to rumours of possible appalling environmental
consequences of Chernobyl.
The Soviet news agency TASS for the first time on Saturday
mentioned the potential dangers of radiation contamination by
eating and drinking.
"A series of isotypes have been discovered in analysing the
radioactive waves given off by the reactor," TASS reported.
"These isotypes contain iodine-131 which is dangerous as it can
enter the body in food."
Many Muscovites comment "prevention is better than
treatment." On Sunday, most of the city's markets supplied by
Kolkhoz (state farm) goods were stocked as usual with fruit and
vegetables, but there were few foreign customers. Muscovites
questioned stall-owners on where their produce came from, mak-
ing sure it was a long way from the Kiev region. Milk and butter,
however, were in short supply in state stores, although it was not
clear whether this was because of Chernobyl, or just a transport
delay caused by the recent public holiday for the 41st anniversary
of the end of Won l War 11.
And there were practically none of the usual stalls selling meat
and cheese, in Moscow's market places. But local housewives, as
always, rushed to buy lettuces, tomatoes and potatoes from state
shops, as they were cheaper and, many of them said, "probably
safer."
Several people have reported that lorries and cars coming from
the Kiev region were being stopped at police roadblocks 100 kms
(60 miles) from Moscow and tested for radiation.
Only vodka and brandy drinkers seemed unworried about radi-
ation dangers, as they started to queue up at noon, two hours
before opening time, outside the "vino" shops.
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TV CARRIES BLIX, ROSEN 9 MAY 'NEWS CONFERENCE
LD092034 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1750 GMT 9 May 86
[News conference for Soviet and foreign journalists given by Hans Blix, director
general of the IAEA, with Professor Konstantinov, USSR deputy IAEA director
general, and Morris Rosen, U.S. director of the IAEA nuclear safety department,
at the Press Center of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow on 9 May;
Blix and Rosen speaking in English with superimposed announcer?read Russian
translation?recorded]
[Text] [Blix] We have been invited by the USSR Government in
connection with the accident that took place on the fourth power
set at the Chernobyl AES [Atomic Energy Station]. We arrived
here on Monday afternoon [5 May] and are leaving in a few hours
time. We flew by helicopter over the town of Chernobyl which is
18 kilometers from the atomic power station; we also flew around
the atomic power station in a helicopter. We saw the damaged
plant from a distance of 800 meters.
During our stay we have had an opportunity to form our own
impressions of the accident. During very frank and open talks we
also reached agreement with the Soviet authorities on definite
measures. Before I go over to the joint conclusions which were
worked out by us with the Soviet competent authorities I would
like to say on behalf of the IAEA that we expressed great regret
about the tragic accident, the human casualties, and the damage
that has been inflicted.
We have circulated a communique which has been agreed
between Petrosyants, chairman of the State Committee [for
Utilization of Atomic Energy]. and myself. In reply to my
invitation our Soviet colleagues have agreed to come to Vienna
for an analysis of the accident which will be carried out with their
colleagues from other IAEA member-states. Of course, our
Soviet colleagues must have sufficient time themselves to analyze
the accident.
Second, we have now agreed with the Soviet authorities that
appropriate data will be constantly provided by them to the
IAEA for transmission by us to the radiation protection bodies
of the countries concerned. That release of data for the IAEA
starts today.
[Rosen] The data will be produced by the State Committee for
Hydrometereology and Environmental Control, the State Com-
mittee for the Utilization of Atomic Energy, and then, daily, by
telex to the Agency headquarters in Vienna. The information will
consist of the following data: the coordinates of the station, wind
direction, wind speed, the temperature at 0100 when the readings
will be taken, and the regional weather conditions. The data will
be collected from a station 68 kilometers southeast of Chernobyl,
and then six other stations along the western border of the USSR,
these stations being at Leningrad, Riga, Vilnius, Brest, R,akhov,
Kishinev ? in other words from points in Leningrad down
toward the Black Sea. These stations are registered with the
World Metereology Office.
216
[Blix] In the penultimate paragaph of our communique we have
also jointly raised the idea of further international measures
which might be developed within the framework of the IAEA to
improve the safety of nuclear power installations.
[Announcer] Professor Konstantinov gave information about the
specific measures which are being taken by the IAEA in the field
of nuclear power engineering safety.
[Blix] Let me end by noting the third point in the final commu-
nique: that the Soviet side stated that the accident will not affect
the implementation of the nuclear power engineering develop-
ment plan. I will stop here and then ask Mr Morris Rosen to tell
you the picture that we ourselves have formed of the accident.
[Rosen] I would like to begin by reading a summary description
which we have prepared:
A full and authoritative description of the accident, the causes of
the accident, and its consequences, can only be given by the
Soviet authorities after the necessary analysis. So far only hypo-
theses exist about the specific causes of the accident. Data from
the control room were recovered after the accident and are now
being studied. In the reactor building, the equipment in it, the
reactor itself, and the reactor core were seriously damaged as a
result of which radioactivity was emitted to beyond the area of
the AES. The chain reaction was immediately shut down at the
moment of the accident. This is confirmed by the fact that
medical examination of the people affected did not show that they
had been subjected to high neutron irradiation. A considerable
part of the radioactive release consists of short-life radionuclides.
Measurements show that up to 50 percent of the release was in
the form of Iodine-131. Fire teams came quickly to the site. Work
was complicated, however, by the fact that neither water nor
chemicals could be used. Firemen and some of the station's
personnel were among those subjected to radiation. Most of the
people in the neighboring areas were indoors at the time of the
accident which reduced the irradiation. In the early morning of
26 April a high level of radioactivity was registered; this was
reported. Evacuation began on 27 April starting with women and
children. Up to 48,000 people were evacuated from Chernobyl
and other areas within a 30-km radius. As a prophylactic mea-
sure, people inside and outside the 30-km zone were given
potassium iodine tablets: 204 people, including the nuclear sta-
tion personnel and firemen, were affected by radiation from first
to fourth degree, 18 people with fourth degree. In all 204 people
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were hospitalized in Moscow and are receiving medical
treatment. In some cases bone marrow tissue transplants were
carried out.
Radioactive discharges from the damaged unit have been signif-
icantly reduced by creating a shield from neutron absorbent
material ? sand, boron, clay, dolomite, and lead ? which were
dropped from helicopters. As a result, the level of radioactivity
within a 30-km zone has been reduced.
Necessary shift personnel are working on site to keep the
undamaged reactors in a safe shut-down condition. The third
reactor which was adjacent to the fourth was not damaged
following the accident and the cooling and safety system is
functioning. The damaged reactor suffered from some fires in the
graphite. This burning has been extinguished, however the tem-
peratures remain high. But criticality is not a problem. The
object is to contain the whole of the fourth set in concrete and a
concrete foundation is now being created under the reactor.
The maximum radiation within the 30-km zone is 10-15 mil-
liroentgens per hour. On 5 May it had decreased to 2-3 milliroen-
tgens per hour. On 8 May it had dropped to a maximum of 0.15
milliroentgens per hour on the perimeter of the zone. The level
of radioactivity in Kiev's water reservoirs was normal at all times. ,
[Blix] Since we are in Moscow I think it may be proper to begin
with a question from a PRAVDA correspondent. The question is
as follows: Mr Director General, are you satisfied with the
volume and the nature of the information which you have
received during your visit to the USSR?
To this question I reply unquestionably yes. We had very frank
and open discussions with ministers and experts and in many
cases the experts and officials are people whom we have known
for a long time. We have worked out an accord with the USSR
on the release of information on a continual basis. I think that
this is the first step in international efforts which will require
some kind of early-warning system to be set up. This is also
recognized in the communique.
Next I would like to go over to questions that have been asked by
correspondents from nonsocialist countries. In the light of this
accident can Mr Blix outline his views on the advantages of
nuclear energy over conventional power generation as far as
pollution of the atmosphere is concerned, and particularly as far
as the problem of the destruction of forests in the FRG is
concerned?
Let me say that I personally support nuclear energy for reasons
of environmental protection. Nuclear energy does not lead to
emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, or carbon dioxide,
which can lead to the creation of a greenhouse effect in the
planet's atmosphere. In my view, therefore, nuclear energy has
great advantages from the point of view of environmental protec-
tion. At the same time, among public opinion there is a certain
amount of concern about the safe disposal of nuclear waste and
the possible consequences for the environment as the result of
radioactive fullout. And the accident at Chernobyl will without
doubt teach all of us in the world a lot. It will give us some
217
experience about the consequences for the environment and also
about the methods which can be used to decontaminate the
environment and deal with the consequences of such contamina-
tion.
A question from a Kuwaiti correspondent: In Kiev and Minsk
there are students and postgraduates from many foreign coun-
tries, including Arab countries. Does the accident present any
danger to their lives and health? We were in Kiev yesterday, and
life seemed to us to be quite usual and normal. There were many
people on the streets. In Kiev they were preparing for a bicycle
race. We were shown a moument dedicated to the victory of world
War II. We saw many tourists there. In other words what we saw
proves that life is quite normal. We asked whether schools are
closed but we were told quite definitely, no. I asked for more
scientific replies as to what the consequences of the accident will
be with regard to exposure to radioactivity throughout the area
and what consequences this could have for people's health. I think
I should ask Mr Rosen to comment on that.
[Rosen] We know first of all that we are all exposed to radiation
in ordinary life. Increased levels of radiation may have detrimen-
tal health effects and this will be true for this accident as well.
However, until one knows the amount of radioactivity released,
its spread, its duration, and individual doses there is no point in
speculating in figures. On the one hand we know 204 individuals
were hospitalized; on the other we have been told that medical
examinations of the inhabitants of Kiev including children have
indicated nothing to suggest any significant health detriment.
[Blix] Has the release of radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear
plant's fourth energy set completely ceased? And the second
question is what is the danger of agriculture in the Ukraine from
the environmental contamination and to the water table from
radioactive fallout? The first question ? has the radiation
stopped?
[Rosen] Well perhaps I should just say for the fourth unit there
is relatively little radioactivity now. The temperature is falling
and the situation appears to be stabilizing. I should also note that
dosimetry readings taken during our helicopter flight seem to
confirm a considerrable reduction in the amount of radioactivity
being released.
The second question concerns the damage to the Ukraine's
agriculture. The accident area will be inhabitable again. The
radioactive isotopes ? and these are mainly isotopes of radioac-
tive Iodine-131 discharged as a result of the accident ? have
rather short half-lives.
[Blix] The next question comes from ZYCIE WARSZAWY:
What, in your view, is now dominant in the activities of nuclear
power stations in East and Wese? Do you think they have more
in common or do they have a variety of approaches?
[Konstantinov] I think that there are more things in common than
there are differences at the present time. We know full well that
any accident anywhere at any station is without doubt an obstacle
and a hindrance to the further development of nuclear power
engineering; but on the other hand it is a lesson which should
always be taken into account during the further development of
nuclear power engineering.
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[Blix] What in your opinion could be done in addition to what is
being done at Chernobyl to deal with the consequences of the
accident?
[Rosen] I can say that a competent ? a very competent ? group
of Soviet experts is working at the site. They have many very
practical ideas and are carrying out this work now, at this very
moment.
[Blix] A question: It has been reported that work is being done
around the fourth power set and underneath it. What does this
mean? And what kind of work is being done under the power set?
Is there a danger that the radiator casing will melt through the
reactor foundations? And are there any consequent fears for the
water supply to the Ukrainian capital?
[Rosen] The Soviet engineers working on this prob16 recognize
the need to take measures to eliminate the danger. They are
currently considering several options for doing work under the
fourth power set. This work could be done by driving a tunnel or
by getting at it from the third set. The work could be done by
driving a tunnel or by getting at it from the third set. The work
being done now is to pour concrete into the area underneath the
broken casing? [Rosen says in English "into the area below the
destroyed reactor core"). This concrete eventually will form a
foundation to entomb, as it were, the whole set.
[Blix] Another question: Why is it considered necessary to enclose
the power set at Chernobyl in concrete? Is there a danger that
the reactor will melt into the earth?
[Rosen] The reason for making a concrete casing is to make it
simpler to put a complete stop to the accident. And one can also
be confident that in this case there can be no danger of a critical
situation occuring again or of melting as cooling proceeds, includ-
ing cooling to the level at which it will have no effect.
[Blix] A question from the LOS ANGELES TIMES: Will the
USSR close down its other reactors of the Chernobyl type? No,
during the investigation the Soviet authorities have not discov-
ered anything which would necessitate closing down the other
reactors. We have been told by Soviet representatives that mea-
sures are being taken to raise safety at other installations.
A question from the NOVOSTI PRESS AGENCY: After all
that you have seen and learned during the course of your visit,
how could you comment on the attempts by some Western
information media to frighten the public with the Soviet nuclear
threat? In the United States maps of the world are being shown
on television with a red spot of radiation which extends over the
whole of Western Europe and as far as the continent of Asia,
allegedly threatening the world's countries.'
I think that you newspapermen know how the information media
function in different countries. Even small incidents at nuclear
reactors give rise to a great deal of talk, whether in the West or
in the East. At the same time it seems to me that the media in
this case and in other cases must not exaggerate. That is their
responsibility, not to exaggerate, not to disseminate rumors of
different kinds or 'any kind of information which will only worry
people. I am glad that before we take off for our Vienna head-
quarters we have had an opportunity to reply to all your ques-
tions. Thank you for your attention.
BLIX INTERVIEWED ON CLEANUP, NUCLEAR FUTURE
LD101156 Moscow in English to North America 2300 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] The director general of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, Hans Blix, who came to this country at the invitation of
the government, on Thursday [8 May] visited Kiev and the region
of the Chernobyl nuclear power station. Aleksandr Barabeychik
of Radio Moscow has talked to Dr Hans Blix:
[Begin recording] [Barabeychik] Dr Blix, you have just made a
trip to Chernobyl and Kiev. What did you learn there? Your
impressions of the situation there?
[Blix) Well, we saw that a great deal of work is done and
accomplished and directed by dedicated people, and that the
situation seems to be under control, and that they are limiting
the consequences of the accident.
(Barabeychik] Some Western press agencies report that there was
a kind of panic in Kiev. What is the mood of the people there at
present, really?
218
[Blix] We drove around in Kiev for some time, and the streets
were full of people. We certainly did not see any signs of panic.
There were also tourists at the war memorial, as there usually
are.
[Barabeychik] During the last week you spent in the Soviet Union
you have been meeting chief officials of the Soviet Atomic
Energy Committee. What did you learn from them?
[Blix] We have discussed the accident extensively, and we have
also discussed what ought to be done at the international level,
in particular within the IAEA. We are, of course, interested in
establishing what international measures should be taken
through which the world, the whole world, can learn from this
accident and thereby to improve nuclear safety.
[Barabeychik] You also signed a joint communique on your stay
in the Soviet Union. What points are you stressing?
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[Blix] Well, precisely these points. That is to say, what further
joint international measures can be taken to improve nuclear
safety. There are quite a few things that one would like to do and
which have already begun to be discussed, such as early warning
systems.
[Barabeychik] Some people in the West now try to generalize and
cast a kind of shadow on the whole Soviet atomic power industry.
Can a single accident in more than 30 years of efficient function-
ing of atomic power stations in the Soviet Union be regarded as
a major breakdown in our technological thinking, or is it just a
case of shoddy workmanship?
[Blix] There is no doubt that there is an enormous amount of
competence in the nuclear field in the Soviet Union, and that this
has given very great benefits to the Soviet energy supply. At the
same time, it is clear that the Soviet authorities themselves do
not take the accident lightly, they consider it seridus. However,
they need time to analyze the reasons for the accident and the
cause of the accident.
[Barabeychik] What about safety standards used in our Soviet
power stations? Is the reactor used in Chernobyl station inferior
in any way to those used in the West?
[Blix] Experts tell me that there is one significant difference
between this type of reactor and those, whether in the Soviet
Union or in the West, that have structural containment buildings.
Such buildings, of course, help to contain, prevent releases of
radioactivity.
[Barabeychik] Would you then apply a Murphy's law ? what
can go wrong will go wrong ? to what has happened in Cher-
nobyl? Perhaps this is a philosophical reflection, but should
mankind introduce the state-of-the-art technology in fusion, in
space, to be in the forefront of knowledge in general, when the
loss of life and property is perhaps an inevitable byproduct here?
[Blix] Well, most technologies have associated risks and can cause
the loss of life and some, we know, have had very great environ-
mental consequences. We have huge environmental problems in
the industrialized world in particular today. They are mainly
caused by the excessive use of oil and coal for the production of
electricity and for our transportation systems. In the
transportation and the mining of coal, they cause a lot of loss of
life. The use of hydro-energy in waterfalls, exploiting waterfalls,
also sometimes leads to the bursting of dams with the loss of a
great deal of life. So nuclear [energy] is not at all alone in this. I
would rather say that when nuclear does not have any decontami-
nation [as heard] as the result of accidents nuclear is probably the
most lenient source of electric energy from the point of view of
the environment.
[Barabeychik] So you don't think humankind can ever be pushed
aside from its track of building more atomic power stations, of
harnessing essentially unlimited resources of a controlled ther-
monuclear fusion?
[Blix] It is already clear from the statements of the Government
of the Soviet Union, and it's clear from the statements of the
leaders who met in Tokyo recently, that this accident will not stop
the further development of nuclear power. But it is also clear that
it leads to an even stronger determination to make nuclear power
even safer. This is the same (?path) as you have in other technol-
ogies; aviation, for instance, is all the time becoming safer, and
this is also what nuclear power should be.
[Barabeychik] Perhaps this is a bit sinister question, but do you
think this misfortune at Chernobyl atomic power station helped
people everywhere to better realize the possible consequences of
the nuclear warfare when 50,000 nuclear charges accumulated
so far can be used?
[Blix] I think we are all terribly well aware of what consequences
there would be in nuclear warfare, and I don't think any one of
us needs a nuclear accident of this kind in order to become better
aware of it.
[Barabeychik] Dr Blix, I thank you very much. [end recording]
IAEA EXPRESSES GRATITUDE FOR SOVIET COOPERATION
LD081502 Moscow TASS in English 1439 GMT 8
[Text] Vienna May 8 TASS ? The participants in the session of
the committee for administrative and budgetary issues of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, which was held here, have
expressed gratitude to the Soviet Government for the invitation
extended to the director general of the agency to visit the USSR
in connection with the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant, and welcomed the preparedness of the competent Soviet
authorities to cooperate with the agency in providing informa-
tion. The committee pointed out the need for a further
219
May 86
strengthening of international cooperation in the field of nuclear
security and expressed the wish that the IAEA member-countries
should make proposals on that score for examination at the IAEA
board of governors in June this year. The committee has exam-
ined the programme of the agency's work and budget for
1987-1988, including on such issues as cooperation of states
within the agency's framework in the fields of nuclear energy,
nuclear safety, the international nuclear information system and
thermonuclear research.
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PRAVDA CITES NEWS CONFERENCE WITH UKRAINE PREMIER
PM091706 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 10 May 86 First Edition p 6
[Special correspondents V. Gubarev and M. Odinets report: "From Chernobyl to
Kiev; Our Special Correspondents Tell of Meeting at the Ukrainian Council of
Ministers"]
[Text] A group of foreign journalists has arrived in Kiev and on
8 and 9 May they acquainted themselves with the situation in the
Ukraine's capital and the oblast. They include representatives of
major news agencies, newspapers, and television from the social-
ist countries, the United States, Sweden, Japan, Italy, Canada,
Kuwait, France, Finland, and the FRG. They were given the
opportunity to meet with the republic's leaders, specialists, sci-
entists, and foreign citizens working and studying in Kiev. Our
foreign colleagues visited one of the rayons in the oblast to which
people were evacuated from the danger zone.
The journalists also visited the Ukrainian SSR Council of Min-
isters. A meeting took place there with A.P. Lyashko, chairman
of the Ukrainian Council of Ministers, Yu.A. Izrael, chairman
of the USSR State Committee for Hydrometeorology and Envi-
ronmental Control, L.A. Ilin, vice president of the USSR Acad-
emy of Medical Sciences, A. Ye. Romanenko, Ukrainian SSR
minister of health, and leading personnel from Kiev and the
oblast.
The conversation with the journalists went on a long time. The
discussion ended only after all the questions had received detailed
answers and explanations. It began with the following
announcement: "They have just phoned me from Chernobyl,"
A.P. Lyashko said, "and told me the situation now. The reactor
temperature has decreased to 300 degrees, and this means that
the process of combustion has ended. The radiation situation is
improving."
[Question] What are your main concerns today?
"Ensuring the safety of the people living in the zone around the
Chernobyl AES [Atomic Energy Station]," A.P. Lyashko said.
"We are trying to take every measure to give the maximum help
to the stricken [poterpevshiy] population. Those who had suffered
serious radioactive contamination were immediately taken to
Moscow, where they are being given medical help. People who
show pronounced symptoms of sickness are being immediately
hospitalized. Some 230 crews from Kiev and other oblasts in the
Republic have begun providing medical services in regions
adjoining the 30-km zone. The people who are at their posts
looking after the AES units, and also the evacuated population
have undergone medical screening for symptoms of sickness."
The account of the chairman of the Ukrainian Council of Min-
isters painted a picture of the tremendous organizational work
that is now being conducted to eliminated the consequences of
the accident. In view of the fact that the Kiev reservoir is south
of the AES, particular attention is being paid to water quality.
Dwelling on the evacuation of people from the 30-km zone, A.P.
Lyashko reported that the population has been accommodated in
the rayons neighboring Chernobyl Rayon and that the temporary
migrants have been provided with housing, medical aid, and
220
consumer services. The victims are being given a money grant to
replace possessions lost during the evacuation. Children are
studying in schools and the little ones have been placed in
kindergartens.
Answering the correspondents, A.P. Lyashko gave a detailed and
cogent account of how the announcement of the accident at the
Chernobyl AES was made as soon as the highly authoritative
specialists who traveled to Chernobyl from Moscow made their
"diagnosis." There can be no haste in such a serious matter and
rash conclusions are impermissible. Western journalists have
been able to see for themselves the falsity of the myth that Kiev
was dead when they drove through its crowded, sunny streets.
[Question] Is the station going to start work, and if so, when?
"We believe that the elimination of the accident is proceeding
successfully," A.P. Lyashko replied. "As soon as total safety is
ensured, the station will resume work. Of course, I am referring
to the first, second, and third units; the fourth will be buried.
Although its machine room suffered no damage and is perfectly
serviceable, it is inadvisable to use it."
[Question] What is the future of nuclear power in the Republic?
"Conclusions must naturally be drawn from this incident, but
progress cannot be retarded. Man's genius placed nuclear energy
at people's service. And we have to use this boon. Forty-one power
units are in operation in the USSR. Ten of them are in the
Ukraine. The future belongs to nuclear energy. Different coun-
tries must cooperate and exchange experience, including exper-
ience of the safe utilization of this energy potential. At the same
time we must realize what tremendous forces are contained in
nuclear power. So they must be used only for peaceful purposes.
Events in Chernobyl are yet another reminder that nuclear
weapons on the planet must be eliminated. The 15 January
statement of M.S. Gorbachev, general secretary of the CPSU
Central Committee, sets out a clear program of action. But,
unfortunately, the Western countries, and primarily the United
States, are not as yet responding properly to it ? nuclear weapon
tests are continuing in the West."
[Question] How many people are there in the AES zone?
"We came to this meeting from Chernobyl," L.A. Ilin, vice
president of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, said.
"Many people are working at the industrial site at this time.
Some are servicing reactor units I, 2, and 3, others are
eliminating the consequences of the accident at unit 4, and still
others have begun the decontamination of the station. These
include workers and engineers, physicists and chemists, service-
men and medics. Constant monitoring is being carried out.
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Everybody in the AES zone has been provided with means of
individual protection. As chairman of the National Radiation
Safety Commission I can say with all responsibility that we are
carrying out stringent monitoring precluding the overexposure to
radiation of the personnel and all who are currently in Pripyat."
[Question] What is the radiation situation in the zone?
Yu.A. lzrael, chairman of the USSR State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control, answered: "The
radiation there is not identical everywhere. In most rayons it does
not exceed the permissible norms. But the task is to reliably
ensure the safety of people, and that is why they were evacuated
from the zone. In Kiev the monitoring organs have been working
constantly, not only during the accident but also before. The
background radiation increased somewhat, but not once ? I
stress, not once! ? did the radiation level approach levels which
would threaten human health. There is a similar picture in
Gomel. In recent days radioactivity has declined by between 60
percent and two-thirds.
"I can add," says L.A. Ilin, "that all the radiation levels recorded
in Kiev and other cities are Completely safe in terms of the effect
on people. Every one of us receives an incomparably greater dose
from an x-ray of the teeth or the gastrointestinal tract."
[Question] When will people go home?
"After the completion of all the work to eliminate the accident,"
A.P. Lyashko replied. "It is necessary to decontaminate the soil,
houses, apartments, and so forth. This is a very big job. It 'has
already begun, but as yet it is hard to say precisely when it will
be completed."
[Question] Is there a danger of pollution of the Dnepr and the
Black Sea?
"Even in the region of Pripyat the level is within normal limits,"
Yu.A. lzrael replied. "We are monitoring carefully and taking
samples every hour. This is the situation today. In case of rain
the banks are being reinforced: A barrier is being built up
[nasypayetsya val] and peat is being laid to filter the water. A
very great deal of work is being done in the zone with a view to
preventing all kinds of situations. Yes, we are being supremely
cautious. But it is a question of safety. And therefore it is better
to do too much than to omit something. The Dnepr, for the whole
of its length, and of course the Black Sea, have experienced n6
increase in radioactivity." ...The meeting at the Ukrainian Coun-
cil of Ministers helped journalists from many countries to see the
events at the Chernobyl AES in a new way. They were convinced
that the struggle to eliminate the accident is being conducted not
only courageously but also intelligently. There should now be no
unexpected or unforeseen elements in the situation...
MEDICAL CARE FOR RADIATION VICTIMS DESCRIBED
PM081804 Moscow KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA in Russian 8 May 86 p 4
[Special correspondents N. Dolgopolov and P. Polozhevets report: "A Test of
Staunchness. Confidence, Courage, and Staunchness--Qualities Displayed by
Soviet People in the Critical Situation; Our Special Correspondents Report
From the Chernobyl AES Area"]
[Text] Kiev Oblast ? Aleksandr Skorupich will always remem-
ber those moments. A senior foreman in the Chernobyl AES
electrical workshop [elektrotsekh], he received an emergency call
at 0320 hours. The message was curt: "Accident at No 4." He
started gathering his comrades: Almost all workers in the AES
live at the Pripyat settlement. Soon they were at the power
station.
Skorupich is 34 years old. He knows the AES inside out. And so
he should ? he has been at the station for 10 years. He grew up
with it. He started as an assembly worker, and later became a
repairman in the electrical workshop. His friends Petr Petrovich
Kozhanov and Gennadiy Aleksandrovich Proshkin worked with
him that anxious morning.
The situation had to be assessed urgently. A small group of men
entered the strictly protected area [zona strogogo rezhimal. They
had to do the most dangerous work....
221
Meanwhile Skorupich, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Oleshchuk, and
Vladimir Stepanovich Lyskin were checking instruments and
tackling restoration and adjustment work. They did everything
within their power, and even more. Yes, those working under
extreme conditions and close to the accident site did need the
assistance of medical personnel. And this assistance was given
energetically, skillfully, and promptly. Doctor of Medical Sci-
ences Anatoliy Yefimovich Romanenko, Ukrainian SSR min-
ister of health, with whom we ha cl a lengthy conversation, feels
that it could not have been otherwise.
[Romanenko] I would suggest that you write as follows: All
medical personnel displayed a lofty sense of professional respon-
sibility and great humanism and patriotism, Anatoliy Yefi-
movich advised us and went on to say: Hundreds of teams from
all oblasts in the Ukraine were called to assist the local health
service organs, each team consisting of doctors, radiation mon-
itors, and laboratory technicians. The task was clear ? to provide
medical inspection and observation services. My orders for
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departure from the other oblasts were issued in the night. By next
morning most of those who had been called had already arrived
in Kiev. Those traveling overnight from the more distant oblasts
arrived there within 48 hours. There was not a single instance of
refusal.
[Dolgopolov/Polozhevets] Could you tell us briefly about the
organization of medical services?
[Romanenko] Medical assistance was available around the clock
for the entire population evacuated from the 30 km zone. Every-
one was examined by doctors, everyone underwent a radiation
check. Laboratory checks are now underway.
[Dolgopolov/Polozhevets] And how about hospitalization since,
in some cases, such measures were probably necessary?
[Romanenko] Those who voiced even the slightest complaint
involving general indisposition or stress effects have been hos-
pitalized and are being investigated in detail. Whenever neces-
sary they are sent to specialized institutions. I must say that
patients needing specialized treatment are still in single figures.
The bulk of those hospitalized are people who really experienced
stress effects ? the accident, the emergency evacuation, the
alarm for family and relations.
[Dolgopolov/Polozhevets] Nevertheless, what preventive mea-
sures would you recommend for those living relatively near to the
accident site?
[Romanenko] I spoke on this subject a few days ago on Ukrainian
television. Even though the situation today is safe, we must also
bear in mind the certain amount of exposure to the effects of
radioactivity. I would recommend that buildings be hosed down.
Why? Dust is the main carrier of radioactive elements. I would
refrain from bathing in open-air facilities. Mains water should
be used for this purpose, it is absolutely clean and can be drunk.
How about the state of health of people who nevertheless did
suffer, those injured or exposed to large doses of radiation? No
one makes any secrets. Such cases do exist. It was reported in
newspapers and at the press conference in the USSR Foreign
Ministry that seriously ill patients had been sent to Moscow.
Patients hospitalized in Kiev include workers from the Chernobyl
AES and residents from Pripyat settlement. The treatment of the
most seriously ill has been entrusted to Valentin Leonidovich
Ganul, Leonid Petrovich Kindzelskiy, Nikolay Mikhaylovich
Bondar, Era Dmitriyevna Chebotareva, Nina Alekseyevna
Tomilina ? specialists from Kiev's Roentgenology, Radiology,
and Oncology Scientific Research Institute. These most noble
people in white coats deserve words of warmth and most profound
gratitude. Doctors in unrelated fields, they have worked in
different positions, directions, and sectors in the past few days.
But their work did have common elements. Human lives
depended on the speed and correctness of decisions made by the
doctors. And they solicitously took these lives in their strong and
caring hands, driving the disease away and bringing the cure
nearer.
We visited the patients' ward. Actually, they are already out of
bed, walking along the corridors. Appetite is coming back.
There are four of them. AES workers Nikolay Migkov and
Nikolay Bondarenko, student Stanislav Lobanov from Voronezh,
and worker Viktor Ilyashev from Pripyat. Nikolay Bondarenko
was on shift duty at the time of the accident. Nikolay Migkov
returned there only a few hours afterward. Ilyashev and
Lobanov, who were in Pripyat to gain practical work experience,
found themselves in the danger zone by accident. They felt
indigposed after the evacuation. They were immediately hospital-
ized and given emergency treatment at one. New methods were
used for the decontamination [ochistka] of their blood. The
situation improved. The point of maximum danger had passed.
The patients' blood and hemogenesis are now constantly mon-
itored. All those who suffered are surrounded by such attention
? medical and human.
'STRENGTH OF CHARACTER' SHOWN IN AFTERMATH
PM071340 Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA in Russian 7 May 86 Second Edition p 3
[TASS special correspondents Vladimir Itkin and Lev Chernenko 6 May reportage
from the Chernobyl AES area: "Stronger Than the Atom"]
[Text] Kiev Oblast ? "Where were you when the accident
happened?" ? we put this question to people who were manning
the control panels at the Chernobyl AES only yesterday and who
are prepared to go again and work their next shift. Although the
reactors are shut down, the required regime has to be maintained,
"routine" work is in progress, hundreds of power workers con-
tinue working at the station, and its other services, including the
accounts department, are also functioning. As usual, on pay day,
people received their wages, the nuclear power workers are in the
constant care of medical staff and their health is being closely
monitored. Everyone is conscientiously doing his job.
222
"During the accident most Communists displayed true heroism,"
Gennadiy Alekseyevich Karyaka, deputy secretary of the Cher-
nobyl AES party committee, said. "Having assessed the situation
realistically, people acted selflessly, no one ran away, no one
refused to do his job, everyone was doing their duty." "When I
saw what had happened at the No 4 power unit I rushed to my
work station without thinking about the danger," Nikolay
Grigoryevich Polishchuk, senior foreman in the power hall, told
us. "The cables were under water. It was necessary to ensure the
back-up power supply and to activate the transformer which had
dropped out."
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"People were working with no thought for themselves. Having
received medical aid, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lelichenko, dep-
uty head of the power hall, refused to be hospitalized and
returned to his hall. He worked right up to his last bit of strength
and was sent to the hospital only the next day. Their sense of duty
and awareness of the danger which an accident can produce
guided the actions of the Chernobyl workers who joined in the
struggle against the terrible force. They now say that they did
not experience fear. An "emergency" situation arose, the very
situation for which nuclear power workers must always be pre-
pared, irrespective of the outwardly tranquil, measured rhythm
of their routine, day-to-day work. And during those minutes they
displayed not only their experience and professionalism but also
their human qualities.
They were also thinking about the families and children left at
the settlement. As for foreman Vladimir Stepanovich Lyskin, he
had his son with him ? they were working side by side, repairing
damaged power equipment. Army training had taught his son
Yevgeniy not to lose his head in a complex situation ? he had
come to work at the AES after his service with the missile forces.
The father's experience and the son's youthful courage merged
in a common cause at the difficult moment. Lyskin's wife was
also at the AES, she was on duty at the pumping station. The
family of nuclear power workers are ready even now to continue
their watch at Chernobyl.
Like a family hit by misfortune is how the collective of the
Chernobyl nuclear power station has accepted what has hap-
pened. The reactors have been shut down and it is now no longer
the station which supplies people with energy, it is the people who
are giving their energy to the AES. Dealing with the aftermath
of the accident is not easy. And it is important for the Chernobyl
power workers to know that their families are safe, that
arrangements have been made for them. Immediately after the
accident the Pripyat settlement was evacuated. The power work-
crs' families are now settling in at new places. Preparing for their
next shift, workers at the AES receive news from their families.
"My family has been evacuated to Ivankovskiy Rayon," foreman
Anatoliy Konstantinovich Ponamarev told us. "My family is in
Polesskiy Rayon," senior operator Ivan Afanasyevich Sologub
joined in. "My son is attending the same kind of vocational
technical school there."
However, not all workers have as yet heard from their families.
And it is not easy to establish contact with them immediately;
after all, tens of thousands of people have been moved to different
places. Naturally, this is causing anxiety. However, the AES
workers on duty in Chernobyl know that care will be taken of
their near and dear ones. They know that there is a force more
powerful than the energy of the atom. It sustains us at the time
of difficult trials. This is the strength of the Soviet character. The
selflessness of those who combatted the accident, of those who
continue to work at the station right now, the composure of those
who were forced to leave their homes, the warmth with which
Ukrainian families are welcdming the evacuees, and the assis-
tance which the Chernobyl people are receiving from the whole
of the republic and the whole of the country ? these are vivid
manifestations of our character.
Dozens of telegrams are currently arriving at the Chernobyl
AES. "I request permission to take part in clearing up the_
aftermath of theaccident," Mikhail Petrovich Tsvetayev, a
retired experienced radiation monitoring expert, writes. The
inhabitants of the villages where the evacuees are being settled
are applying to rural Soviets to make sure that they are not
forgotten, that they too are allocated a Chernobyl family. People
are prepared to lend a helping hand, to share everything they
have. In order to eliminate the consequences of the accident, this
is no less important than the technical solutions. In the difficult
situation which we are confronting for the first time, what is
'needed is not just experience and knowledge, but also strength of
character. And people are displaying this with honor.
NEWSPAPER READERS OFFER HELP TO VICTIMS
Money Sent to Fund
PM081312 Moscow KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA in Russian 8 May 86 p 4
[L. Kurin report: "A Measure of Sympathy, a Measure of Kindness"--first para?
.graph is KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA introduction]
(Text] "We are ready to help!" ? These are the opening words
of our readers' communications with the editorial office today.
"Hello, editorial office? This is V. Vasilyev, deputy secretary of
the Komsomol Committee at the Oskol Electrometallurgical
Combine. The Komsomol and young people's collective named
for the 19th Komsomol Congress has decided to work 1 day to
'Ielp the victims of the Chernobyl AES accident. Where can we
send the money?"
Yesterday alone the editorial office was asked many such ques-
tions. Pupils at the No 7 School in the City of Balashikhi near
Moscow organized a subbotnik and decided to transfer the funds
they earned to the victims. Vitaliy Polnikov, a driver at Moscow's
No 4 Motor Vehicle Combine, offered help for the fastest possi-
ble elimination of the consequences of the accident....
223
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We got in touch with Y. Danilov, first deputy chairman of the
Union of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Executive Com-
mittee, who told us that money for the fund to help the population
in the Chernobyl AES area is to be remitted to current account
No 700 624 in the name of the Union of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies at the (Mosgosbyudbank) [expansion
unknown] (code No 191 016 for those outside Moscow).
It was already evening when Moscow painter Ashot Karapetyan
called at the editorial office. "The way Western propaganda is
now behaving in connection with our misfortune is veryinsulting
and worthy of indignation," he said. "In my view, it is immoral
to mock as people in the West are doing. This is a great sorrow
for us, and I perceive it as my personal sorrow. This is why I have
just remitted R200 to the fund to help the victims."
Offers of Foreign Assistance Noted
PM081247MoscOw IZVESTIYA in Russian 8 May 86 Morning Edition p 4
[TASS report: "Humane Sympathy"]
[Text] The Soviet Government and various organizations and
departments in our country continue to receive expressions of
sympathy and offers of assistance from foreign citizens and
public organizations and private companies abroad in connection
with the accident at the Chernobyl AES. A telegram from New
Zealand doctors advocating the prevention of nuclear war, signed
by Doctor (Ya. Prayor), says, in part: "We offer our support
arKI assistance if they are needed. We hope that the event will
serve the cause of uniting all people on earth for the sake of
attaining the goals that face us all." In a telegram to Academi-
cian Ye.!. Chazov, Soviet cochairman of the "International
Physicians for the Prevention of 'Nuclear War" movement, (J.
Geiger), president of the influential U.S. organization "Physi-
cians for Social Responsibility," and Doctor (Zaydel), leader of
the U.S. Association of Public Health Organizers, write: "We
express our sympathy to Soviet people at this difficult time and
we are prepared to give any assistance." These are just two of the
many telegrams that have come from abroad in the past few days.
' Such apposite, humane sympathy over what has happened cannot
fail to arouse feelings of sincere appreciation among Soviet
people.
TASS CITES IZVESTIYA ON REGIONAL SITUATION
LD081726 Moscow TASS International Service in Itussian 1530 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Moscow, 8 May (TASS)? IZVESTIYA today publishes
a reportage by its correspondents on the situation in the Cher-
nobyl AES region.
...[TASS ellipsis] The village of Razvazhev, one of the 17 local-
ities of Ivankovskiy Rayon, which has given refuge to those
evacuated. The local kolkhoz, `Ukraina,' gave presents on 1 May
to 200 children, who arrived in Razvazhev with their parents,
while 6 May was particularly memorable to the new settlers:
They collected their first wages at their new place. In another
rayon of Kiev Oblast ? Polesskiy ? the evacuees were accepted
into 58 localities; in Borodyanskiy Rayon into 18 localities. Nine
villages in Makarovskiy Rayon also gave refuge to those afflicted
by misfortune.
Life goes on and people are settling in. In Polesskiy Rayon, 50
percent of evacuated schoolchildren turned up for studies on the
first day. On the second day there were already 90 percent. Now
all children are studying. The youngest are in kindergartens.
But events in Chernobyl have reflected not only upon the life of
the oblast but also on the whole countenance of ancient Kiev. As
a purely prophylactic measure, and not because of the condition
of the air over Kiev, the street trading of pastries, ice cream,
224
juices and bottled water is forbidden. Thousands of hawkers'
stands for,ice creams, pies, and juices have disappeared from the
streets. Now these commodities are only .being sold indoors. In
such instances it is better to be "over-insured." The population
regards such prophylactic measures with complete under-
standing. At the recommendation of doctors, and without sparing
water, the streets are being watered in the most careful way and
all highways are being cleaned.
At markets, everything which is being brought in from the
suburbs is being checked by radiation monitors. Milk products
are being examined with particular care. Only the "OK" given
by specialists allows a product to pass to the shops' shelves.
However, on the vegetable and meat counters, as previously,
there are mountains of greens, and meat and fat. As always, there
are many people under the arches of the markets. But the
question "where did you bring this from" is now posed not merely
for the start of a conversation on the merits of the goods on
display.
The republic's anti-epidemic station now has more than enough
to do, V. Vetchinkin, the head of its chief administration said.
Public health specialists have been given the task of monitoring
the quality of foodstuffs, water purity and of reorganizing trad-
ing.
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At airports, railway and bus terminals there are strict dosimetric
controls to be passed through by people departing, V. Vetchinkin
continued. Other precautionary measures are being taken with
regard to foodstuffs. Temporary, and, I would like to stress, very
strict standards have been introduced in the republic for the
quality of all farm produce.
People are interested more than anything else in the problems
facing parents whose children go to school, the problems of
providing the evacuated population with everything they need,
and how the decontamination of people and clothing has been
organized.
The schools in Kiev do not currently look as they usually do. In
the playgrounds and sports areas there is not the usual hubbub
of crowds of children. The teachers make sure that the children
do not go outside. The schoolchildren themselves, too, are aware
of the medical people's recommendations. But in this situation
the thing they are most worried about is whether the summer
holidays will start early. This, naturally, is of interest to the
parents, too.
As A. Tymchik, chief of the Kiev City Executive Committee
People's Education Directorate stated to TASS correspondents,
schools are working according to an established regime. There
are as yet no decisions to reduce the school year. Of course, there
are not a few difficulties to overcome.
We are also occupied with resolving the problem of summer
vacations for schoolchildren in pioneer camps, and in work and
leisure camps. As soon as the situation finally becomes clear we
will of course notify the whole population about this.
V. Starunskiy, the Ukrainian SSR minister of trade, announced
that in the regions where those evacuated had been accom-
modated, the feeding of people and the sale of bread and mac-
aroni products, barley, butter, fruit juices, mineral water, clothes,
footwear, bedding and other necessities has been organized.
Distributing provisions is constantly being monitored by the
ministry.
The prime task of representatives of services personnel in the
circumstances which have arisen is the decontamination of peo-
ple, of their clothing, V. Zhegulin, deputy minister of consumer
services of the republic, said. In regions where those evacuated
have been accommodated, sanitary-cleaning points and stations
for the decontamination of clothing are operating, either mobile
and stationary.
MOSCOW TV CARRIES REPORT FROM PRIPYAT SANATORIUM
WA091600 [Editorial Report] Moscow Television in Russian at
1700 GMT on 9 May, in its regular "Vremya" newscast, follow-
ing a repeat of the USSR Council of Ministers' communique on
Chernobyl, carries a report from a sanatorium, said to be "not
far from the town of Pripyat." The reporter says that a group of
workers and specialists have returned today after having carried
out operational repair work at the Chernobyl AES. The video
shows men playing guitars, chess, or reading newspapers. One of
the men describes conditions at the sanatorium as being "quite
good." At the conclusion of the report a caption identifies one
man as "chief physician of the dispensary:" He says "medical
examinations, measurements, radiation monitoring and blood
analyses are being carried out thoroughly and repeatedly. These
people come to us for 2 weeks, for the time being, so that repeated
examinations of their health can be carried out."
225
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U.S. USES CHERNOBYL IN 'ANTI?SOVIET CAMPAIGN'
LD111750 Moscow?TASS in English. 1725 GMT 11 May 86
["'Cave Men's Code' Is Not for the Present Epoch"--TASS headline]
[Text] Moscow May 11 TASS -- By TASS military writer
Vladimir Chernyshev:
Washington persists with an anti-Soviet campaign, in which it
resorts to various fabrications and insults directed at the USSR.
Taking advantage of the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power
station, the United States opened fire on the growing interna-
tional prestige of the Soviet Union, the very idea of confidence
among states. They in Washington declare that the USSR is not
to be believed, that it is impossible to conduct negotiations and,
moreover, conclude agreements with Moscow. They in the White
House went so far as to accuse the Soviet Union of "uncivilised
conduct".
What is it all about? As is known, there were 151 accidents at
atomic power stations in 14 countries from 1971 to 1984, and
never did they in Washington make an uproar. And now certain
circles in the USA need a campaign of fear and hatred. They
need it to play down the importance of the Soviet peace initiatives
and practical actions, such as the Soviet Union's proposal to
create an all-embracing system of international security, the
programme for the elimination of nuclear armaments by the year
2000 and ridding the world of other types of weapons of mass
destruction, the Soviet Union's unilateral moratorium on any
nuclear explosions that lasted for many months and other such
actions. This campaign is needed to distract the attention of the
world public from the United States' actions that are dangerous
for peace and that clearly cannot be described as civilised.
inventiveness, work and patience will make it possible to over-
come natural difficulties. Meanwhile, certain persons in the USA
refuse to admit the fact that the nuclear arms race is a clear
regress, the threat to the very existence of civilisation on our
fragile planet. The United States brought the world to the brink
of nuclear catastrophe more than once, both deliberately and by
chance? in connection with the accidents involving U.S. nuclear
weapons, as well as technical errors, defects and faulty signals in
the U.S. systems of the warning of a nuclear missile attack. As
many as 630 incidents involving nuclear weapons or dummy
warheads were registered only in the U.S. Navy within 20 years.
The whole world knows about crashes of planes of the U.S. Air
Force equipped with nuclear bombs, the incidents involving U.S.
strategic and medium-range missiles. Because of errors of detec-
tion equipment and computers, they in Washington were about
to push the nuclear button more than once and then established
after a lapse of some time that it was a false alarm.
All this, regrettably, has taught the U.S. authorities nothing.
They continue heaping up nuclear arms. Having stockpiled over
25 thousand units of nuclear ammunition they plan to man-
ufacture another 17 thousand units of the latest ammunition,
weapons of mass destruction. Washington is blocking any Soviet
peace initiatives, refuses categorically to end nuclear explosions,
speeds up the programme of "star wars", is pushing the world to
nuclear abyss and is using any achievements of scientific and
technical revolution for the creation of weapons of mass destruc-
tion.
They in Washington, ignoring the realities of the nuclear-space
age, act and think according to the "cave-man's code" that was The U.S. Administration is ignoring the inexorable fact that the
invented in Washington, too. "Nuclear stick", "space stick", new level of automation in military technologies is a new step to
"laser stick", such "highly civilised" terms are much used by war, the increase of the risk of its chance outbreak. It is not for
U.S. leading politicians. The sample of Washington thinking is, nothing that American Senator Paul Tsongas once suggested, as
for instance, the dream of ensuring for the United States the a grim joke, that a computer controlling the U.S. Armed Forces
possibility for achieving unilateral control of space and then be elected a President of the USA. It is a sad joke for it reflects
establishing domination on earth with the use of most up-to-date the concern over the dangerous plans of the U.S. Administration.
achievements of science and technology. For during the implementation of the U.S. "star wars" pro-
gramme a situation would be created when decisions of princi-
By what else but the bluntness of a cave-man who intruded upon pled importance, decisions that are irreversible for the possible
a civilised society can one explain the declarations of "star wars" consequences, would actually be made by electronic machinery,
apologists that having created space laser weapons the United without the participation of human reason, political will, without
States would have "the longest stick in history"? How can a the consideration for criteria or morality. Such developments
civilised man talk with zeal about how a ramified SDI system could lead to universal disaster even if the initial impetus resulted
will make it possible to hit cities and fields planted with crops of f WM an error, a miscalculation, a fault of highly complex com-
the other side and to cause the damage which can roll back an puter systems.
industrialised country to the level of the 18th century within half
an hour? And it is those in the USA who are creating space strike Spreading allegations and falsehoods about the accident at the
arms that like to talk in such a way. Soviet atomic power station, they in Washington who orchestrate
propaganda hullabaloo clearly miscalculated. Fanning up allega-
tions about the accident which is insignificant in its scope as
They in Washington can hardly be unaware of the fact that the compared to the menace with which nuclear war, the nuclear
use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes is the path of man- arm race, creation of space strike arms are fraught, they showed
kind's progress. And though there are thorns on this path, man's the Washington's "cave-man's code" is utterly unacceptable for
the nuclear-space epoch and poses mortal danger to humanity.
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IZVESTIYA CITED ON LESSONS FOR NUCLEAR ARMS RACE
LD081550 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1454 GMT 8 May 86
(Text) Moscow, 8 May (TASS) ? Everything is coordinated in
a close-knit world. Political lessons may be drawn from a tech
nical accident. As an unexpected example Chernobyl has con-
firmed the vital necessity of new political thinking in the nuclear
age, writes IZVESTIYA's political observer Stanislav Kondra-
shov in the newspaper today. When speaking about such thinking
one has in mind first and foremost a new general approach to the
madness of the nuclear arms race, which does not strengthen but
weakens the security of its participants, because genuine security
cannot be achieved exclusively for oneself to the detriment of
others. The misfortune of Chernobyl has as it were extended and
concretized the field of the practical application of this thinking.
New political thinking in a narrowed and interdependent world
demands as a minimum greater understanding between the East
and the West, S. Kondrashov stresses. Understanding is impos-
sible without a common language. It is a question, of course, of
the language of international political intercourse. It should be
comprehensible to the other side, take into account the nature of
the other society, take into account, perhaps, another attitude
towards information in the context of another social psychology,
even another speed in its distribution. Chernobyl has posed the
question, with new acuteness, of the search for a common lan-
guage between two different societies ? the socialist and the
capitalist. The search should be a common one, it should presup-
pose tenacity and a great sense of urgency and mutual com-
promises. We are ready for such a search and affirmed our
readiness from the rostrum of the 27th Congress of the CPSU.
Of course, this reasoning does not apply to inveterate anti-Soviets
working, as it were, in automatic mode. There is no common
language to be found with them. They have no language, but a
poisonous sting, which has frequently been demonstated in recent
days. They become particularly zealous over the ocean, spreading
frightening rumors and fabrications. "A human tragedy should
not be turned into a political game," stated Geoffrey Howe,
British minister of foreign affairs, a few days ago. But it is
precisely, in this that various malefactors have been engaging,
undertaking in connection with the accident at the Chernobyl
AES yet another mass-scale attack on Soviet peace initiatives,
trying above all to sow doubts regarding our plan to save the
world from nuclear weapons by the end of the 20th Century.
To the honor of the world community, and also of official circles
in the West, there nevertheless proved to be more who sympa-
thized, showed understanding, who expressed readiness to help,
and who found the right moral and political measure in judging
what has happened, stresses the observer.
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS: 6 DEAD FROM BURNS, RADIATION
LD121726 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1700 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] From the USSR Council of Ministers ? During the last
24 hours, work on cleaning up the radioactive pollution from the
area and installation of the power station has significantly
widened at the Chernobyl AES. Effective cooling of the damaged
reactor is being carried out and encasing the core in concrete is
continuing.
The radiation situation in Belorussia and the Ukraine, including
in Kiev, is improving. In the areas beyond the limits of the 30km
zone, agricultural work is being carried out, industrial enterprises
are functioning normally, and usual tourist excursions are being
made. Treatment and preventive measures are being carried out
among those who suffered injuries. Thirty-five people are in
serious condition. Six people suffering from burns and radiation
have died.
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TOP SCIENTIST: REACTOR TO BE ENCASED IN CONCRETE
AU130958 Paris AFP in English 0957 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 13 (AFP)? A new cooling system is being
installed under the exploded Chernobyl nuclear reactor, which
will then be encased in concrete to protect it "for hundreds of
years," a top Soviet scientist, Ivan Emelianov said Tuesday.
Mr. Emelianov is first deputy director of the Scientific Research
and Construction Institute for Energy Techniques, which pro-
duces the Soviet Union's water-cooled, graphite-moderated
RBM K-1000 reactors of the Chernobyl type.
At a meeting with journalists, he added that he had not ruled out
a cooling-system failure as the cause of the April p explosion.
At the same time he continued to regard RBMK-1000 nuclear
reactors as "extremely reliable."
"My opinion on this point has not changed ... we will undoubtedly
continue to use graphite reactors, which are in no way inferior to
other types of reactor." But it would be advisable to re-examine
existing "security means" and to envisage additional measures
in this respect, Mr. Emelianov said.
The concrete casing would be installed at Chernobyl to prevent
any future leak-of radioactive material, as it would be "hundreds
HELICOPTER FLIGHTS CONTINUE OVER CHERNOBYL
of years" before the most dangerous such materials were neut-
ralised.
These were notably cesium, cobalt, and xenon. The RBMK-1000
reactor contained 192 tonnes of uranium and 1,700 tonnes of
graphite, but it was impossible to know how much of the graphite
had burned at Chernobyl, Mr. Emelianov added.
Mr. Emelianov, a corresponding member of the Soviet Academy
of Sciences, did not express a view on whether human error could
have been behind the recent accident. He stressed that
RBMK-1000 reactors had a series of automatic alarm and
security systems, designed to prevent such errors, even "the most
gross."
The possibility of a failure in the water cooling system could not
be ruled out, he said.
The government enquiry commission, which was continuing its
work, would have to make a "minute study" of the facts assem-
bled, before pronouncing on the accident causes. Mr. Emelianov
said he was convinced the situation at Chernobyl was now
"clearly" the right side of the critical point.
LD121650 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1430 GMT 12 May 86
[Aleksandr Krutov report from "The Area of
newscast?recorded]
[Text] Helicopters take off from this small meadow and fly off in
the direction of the Chernobyl atomic power station, a flight of
14 km. [video shows helicopter taking off; another is seen on the
ground] The aim of this flight is to collect air over the reactor.
Beneath us is the neighborhood of the station. When you see it
from above, the green villages with their apple blossoms, it is hard
to imagine that it is dangerous below. This is indicated, however,
by the lack of people in the streets and the deserted roads.
The pilots' route is regulated [vyveren]. Since the day of the
accident, they have carried out several hundred flights here in
order to block off the damaged reactor, for this could only be
done from the air. The work was very difficult, because next door
in the neighboring units, people were carrying out the necessary
operations at the other reactors.
High standards were shown by Air Force officers (Serebryakov),
(Yakovlev), (Telegin), (Voytko) and many, many others. The first
day 93 drops were made, the second 186, and all of them with
100 percent accuracy.
228
the Cernobyl AES"; from the "Vremya"
[Video shows aerial views of village, with houses and fields, and
then of power station, showing undamaged reactors and closer
up view of damaged one; other shots of the whole plant]
Now you can see the bags they drop. They are packed in packets
like this. In the bags are dolomite powder, sand, and lead. As the
helicopters hover over the reactor, the bag are thrown into it. This
is done to lower the temperature in the reactor and lessen the
danger of radioactive emissions. The work is now continuing, and
specialists and scientists believe that the situation has been
stabilized. Now other pilots are working. The first ones have done
their duty, and have been sent off for rest and medical examina-
tion. [Video shows helicopter landing in the same meadow; it is
painted with camouflage paint and has a large "60" painted on
its side. The described bags are lying in a heap on the ground
near Krutov. In the background airmen seem to be putting sacks
into white plastic covers. There is a close-up of an airman
checking the wheel of the helicopter with what appears to be a
Geiger counter. Another helicopter is visible in the background.
A group of four pilots is seen getting into a helicopter with a "50"
painted on its side]
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[Video then cuts to show Krutov inside a helicopter, talking to
the pilot, who is identified as V.I. Surkov by screen caption.
Another man is also in the cockpit. None are in protective
clothing]
[Krutov] Tell me, do you have to make flights often?
[Surkov] Well, we make flights when we have to. Many are
needed, however, so that is how many we do. The situation itself
dictates to us how many flights to make.
[Krutov] Well, what is the work like then? Is it dangerous?
[Surkov] Well, at the present stage the work is not dangerous
because there are (?changes for the better). So our work is full of
confidence.
[Video cuts to meeting where tactics are being dis&ssed]
RED LEAD BROUGHT TO CHERNOBYL FOR AES WORK
[Krutov] Today the helicopter pilots are discussing a new task. It
is essential to lower the load directly onto the reactor. [Video
shows uniformed pilots standing around, while two civilians and
a man in military uniform pore over a plan of the plant. One
civilian appears to be outlining what to do, while the other agrees
with him]
[Krutov]So, the rehearsal of the upcoming operation has started.
The task is not a simple one. There is not even a meter's leeway,
especially because time is short, as the operation will be carried
out in a zone of high radiation. That's it! The load has been
dropped. [Video shows helicopter maneuvering to drop a bag onto
a pile of other ones, while the organizers look on]
[G.A. Kuznetsov, commander of the squadron ? identified from
screen caption] The helicopter is hovering at about 270 meters.
We carried out the transport on a (?suspended rope) and put the
load down exactly at the right place. Of course the task was
rather difficult, but we managed it successfully. [video ends with
another shot of a hovering helicopter]
LD121142 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1100 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Two convoys of vehicles of the Yaroslavlavtotrans Association have left
Yaroslavl for Chernobyl. They are delivering more than 700 tons of red lead, a
material intended for restoration work at the Chernobyl AES.
The best drivers of the town's enterprises were called up to deliver the
responsible freight.
MORE THAN?90,000 REPORTEDLY EVACUATED FROM AREA
LD101325 Budapest Domestic Service in Hungarian 1200 GMT 10 May 86
[Excerpt] MTI correspondent Laszlo Fazekas has toured the vicinity of Kiev and
has learned that a little more than 90,000 people had to be evacuated from the
Chernobyl region. Prior to the accident the No 4 reactor block was prepared for
maintenance work, and the block was working with an output of only 200 megawatt
instead of the usual 1,000 megawatt capacity.
229
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ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF ACCIDENT REPORTED
Izrael Interviewed
PM121820 Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA in Russian 13 May 86 First Edition p 3
[Report by TASS special correspondents V. Zhukovskiy, V. Itkin, and L. Chernenko:
"Always Remember: The Atom Is Two?Faced!"]
[Text] Kiev ? May time is beautiful in Kiev! The chestnuts are
in blossom, the lilac is giving off its fine scent, and the acacias
are coming into flower. When looking at the spring splendor of
nature you feel particularly acutely the misfortune which unex-
pectedly occurred near here. How has the Chernobyl AES acci-
dent affected the nature of this fertile land? What,is being done
to eliminate its consequences and prevent pollution of the envi-
ronment? TASS special correspondents put these questions to
Yuriy Antoniyevich lzrael, chairman of the USSR State Com-
mittee for Hydrometerology and Environmental Control, who is
currently in Kiev.
A certain quantity of radioactive substances escaped into the
atmosphere at the time of the accident. This is a small proportion
of what had accumulated in the reactor during the period it was
in operation, he said. The leak of radioactive gases and volatile
substances lasted several days and was linked with the high
temperature in the reactor zone. This temperature has now fallen
sharply. The leak of radioactivity has practically ceased.
An increase in the level of radiation in any areas is now ruled out.
The radioactivity in the atmosphere has dispersed. On the surface
of the land it remains only in individual places directly adjacent
to the Chernobyl AES. The level of radiation here has reached
10-15 milliroentgens per hour. It is now several times less as a
result of decay. Although, in accordance with national and
international norms recommended by the IAEA, the doses accu-
mulating here were within limits permissible for the population
in the event of accidents at AES's; nevertheless, a decision to
evacuate them from a 30-km zone was taken to ensure people's
complete safety and health. A slight increase in the level of
background radiation was observed in a number of cities both in
the Ukraine and in Belorussia. In Kiev this level totaled 0.3-0.4
milliroentgens per hour, which poses no threat to health. A
negligible proportion of small radioactive particles were carried
great distances by air currents and reached the territory of
Poland, Romania, and a number of Scandinavian countries. A
slight increase in background radioactivity, also posing no danger
to the population, was observed here.
It was noted at the 8 May CPSU Central Committee Politburo
meeting that the commission and local party and soviet organs
are expeditiously taking the necessary measures to overcome the
consequences of the accident. A great deal of work to prevent any
damage from radioactive pollution is being done in the zone of
the Chernobyl AES and the adjacent locality. In particular,
barriers are being erected along the banks of the Pripyat River
230
to rule out or reduce the possible seepage of any proportion of
dangerous substances into it. In this zone organs of the State
Committee for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control
and other departments are carrying out a big program of mea-
surements and studies with a view to studying radioecological
influences and effects.
In connection with the fact that an increase in soil radioactivity
has been observed in the zone adjacent to the Chernobyl AES,
the limits of agricultural work have been strictly demarcated. But
beyond the limits of the 30-km zone work of this kind is carrying
on normally.
The quality of drinking water is being constantly monitored.
Regular samples are being taken from the Kiev reservoir. The
results of numerous observations show that the established radio-
activity norms are not being exceeded here.
In the course of the identification of the isotope composition of
the radioactive substances emitted from the damaged reactor, a
number of isotopes were detected, including Iodine-I31, which is
dangerous in that it can enter the human organism from food.
The half-life of this isotope is 8 days. Strict monitoring of its level
has been instituted. The quality of milk is being checked in
particular. The checks are carried out twice ? in the livestock
units and at dairy plants.
The country's meteorological stations are constantly observing
the radioactivity level. For this the State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control is also using spe-
cially equipped aircraft and helicopters. Continuous analysis of
the results obtained is being carried out in scientific research
institutes. Agreement has been reached on the regular transfer
of data on background radiation from one of the stations of the
Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Service Administration near
the Chernobyl AES to the IAEA.
What has happened at the Chernobyl AES compels us yet again
to give thought to the tremendous forces linked with atomic
energy. Even in peaceful utilization, this energy requires excep-
tional control. Even negligible radioactivity getting into the
environment can become a source of great misfortune. But its
scale could be immeasurable unless the gigantic nuclear arsenals
of weapons are completely destroyed. Even the very possibility of
the appearance-in the environment of the enormous radioactivity
caused by nuclear explosions is totally impermissible. This is
afitinatural, both for nature and for man.
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The Soviet program for the complete elimination of nuclear
weapons is the only realistic way to rid mankind of the threat
. hanging over his existence, over nature, and over the entire
planet, Yu.A. lzrael stressed. You can now understand particu-
larly keenly how vitally important and necessary is the struggle
for the complete elimination of nuclear military arsenals, how
necessary is peaceful cooperation among scientists and specialists
from various countries in deepening experience of the peaceful
utilization of the atom and in further understanding its secrets.
Legasov Comments
LD121611 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1517 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Moscow, 12 May (TASS) ? IZVESTIYA today pub-
lished the answers of two eminent Soviet specialists from the
headquarters for the elimination of the consequences of the
accident at the Chernobyl AES, to questions from its own
correspondent.
Academician Valeriy Legasov, deputy director of the Moscow
"Kurchatov" Atomic Energy Institute, said: "The reactor has
lost its criticality; it is not creating radioactivity. But as is known,
radioactivity did escape, and today intensive work is being car-
ried out aimed initially at reducing it, and ultimately at totally
eliminating it. The accident was localized, but there is still a lot
of work, and it is being carried out in most unusual, and let's be
frank, difficult conditions. But even so, we are coping."
Yuriy Izrael, corresponding member of the Soviet Academy of
Sciences and chairman of the USSR Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, noted: "The
country's meteorological stations are constantly and intensively
monitoring the level of radioactivity. For this the State Commit-
tee for Hydrometeorology is using specially equipped aeroplanes
and helicopters, and other machinery. Our scientific-research
institutes are constantly analyzing data received. As has already
been reported, accords have been reached on the regular
transmission to the IAEA of data on background radiation from
one of the stations of the Ukrainian Directorate of the State
Committee for Hydrometeorology, situated close to Chernobyl.
DER SPIEGEL INTERVIEWS NOVOSTI'S FALIN ON ACCIDENT
DW121241 Hamburg DER SPIEGEL in German 12 May 86 pp 139-143
[Interview with NOVOSTI board chairman Valentin Falin by
Lorenz in Moscow, no date given]
[Text] SPIEGEL: Mr Falin, when did the NOVOSTI chief
learn about the reactor accident in Chernobyl?
Falin: I knew on Sunday that something had happened in the
Ukraine. There was a Politburo meeting on Monday at which a
detailed report of the investigating commission, which had been
appointed Saturday, was discussed.
SPIEGEL: When was General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev
informed?
Falin: On Saturday, the question only being to what extent.
SPIEGEL: The super-GAU [groesster anzunehmender unfall
? worst-case scenario] in Chernobyl was followed by a super-
GAU in information policy. Why did it take so long for other
countries to be informed about the accident and the concomitant
dangers?
231
correspondent Andreas
Falin: Super-GAU is your choice of words. What you wish to
regard as long or not is relative. What is considered long in this
particular case was not considered remarkable in similar cases.
Take the breakdown of the U.S. reactor at Three Mile Island
near Harrisburg. There, the Senate received the initial reports
only 10days later. And the International Atomic Energy Agency
in Vienna received the first report about 2 months later. To help
you to assess our situation objectively, it is necessary for us to
bear in mind that the first reports from the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant management were incomplete and ultimately turned
out to be incorrect.
SPIEGEL: Did the local authorities underrate the dangers?
Falin: No, not the local authorities, but the technicians at the
station. As so often happens, the people believed, with the best of
intentions, that they could get the situation under control. Mean-
while, they were not fully aware of the extent of the accident.
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The breakdown occured in stages. Had they acted in the best
possible way in the first few minutes...
SPIEGEL: What happened in the first few minutes?
Falin: What happened was a chemical explosion in the reactor,
the cause of which has as yet not been determined. It takes time
to determine what really happened. A situation emerged that had
not been envisaged in the emergency procedures. It seems at the
moment that the technicians acted inconsistently and that their
decisions were not always the best.
SPIEGEL: Was carelessness involved?
Falin: No, it was probably more an underrrating of the hazard
and an overrating of their own capabilities. There are always
several choices in a critical situation. This time they did not pick
the best one. Initially, they could have kept the dmage within
limits, just about in the way it has been done in other countries.
When the developing situation overtasked the technicians, the
situation grew worse. That is why some measures were taken too
late. That is how it is in life. In the end, all of us are wiser.
SPIEGEL: Hence, it was known in Moscow on Saturday that
a large-scale breakdown had taken place. Consequently, the
criticism by the Scandinavian countries that they were informed
too late is justified.
Falin: As far as I know, a neighboring country was informed.
SPIEGEL: Which one?
Falin: A very closely situated country. It was safe to assume '
that this country might be affected by radioactive fallout.
Besides, we must bear in mind that no danger prevailed at any
time for any of our European neighbors to be affected by a mass
of radioactive substances such that people would be harmed. The
level of radioactive pollution was smaller than the dose absorbed
by a man during an X-ray examination.
SPIEGEL: Was that already clear at that time?
Falin: It was clear there was no nuclear explosion at Chernobyl.
It was clear that merely steam with radioactive aerosol was
billowing from the reactor. I do not want to play down what
happened, nor the dangers. I personally advocate the earliest
possible information, if only protectively. I believe that more
information is better than less information, even though many
dangers lurk in that, too. Experience shows that such information
can well be misused for various purposes.
SPIEGEL: The Scandinavian countries were told on Monday
afternoon, meaning long after the accident, that nothing had
happened.
Falin: I can neither confirm nor deny your information. I do
not know whom the Scandinavians approached. It may be that it
was addressed to low-level officials only.
SPIEGEL: The result is an enormous, worldwide loss of pres-
tige for the Soviet Union. Many states have the impression that
Moscow again wishes to hide something. Does the Soviet Union
never learn?
Falin: I do not want to play eye-for-eye politics; but for the sake
of truth, we must make a comparison to assess the situation
objectively. The West is applying a much stricter yardstick where
the Soviet Union is involved. Take the 1957 breakdown in Great
Britain. The radioactive consequences of that accident were felt
in the Federal Republic and in Norway. There was no stir, no
particular debate. British authorities were not particularly lib-
eral with information for the press and for other countries.
SPIEGEL: That was a different era. At that time nuclear tests
were still conducted above ground. The people had a different
relationship with the atom. One ought to have learned in the
meantime.
Falin: Fair enough. Take the case of Three Mile Island. That
was in 1979. By then, there was some experience. Yet it took the
Americans at least three times, as long as the Soviet Union to
supply the required information.
SPIEGEL: In that case, other countries were not affected.
Falin: Do not be too sure. Canada was affected.
SPIEGEL: The character of the accident was different.
Falin: To this day, the people have not been informed about the
real extent of the accident. As many as 70,000 people lived in
Harrisburg at the time. Even the personnel of the station did not
have an idea about the situation, and, according to U.S. experts,
the radioactive pollution was greater than that following a
nuclear explosion. Besides, it was noted that 1.7 million liters of
radioactive water flowed into the Susquehanna River.
A list of various accidents in the nucler energy field shows that
we are not among the worst. If you ask the International Atomic
Energy Agency, which most accurately details everything that
happens, you will learn that the Soviet Union is not among the
stragglers. We are given the highest marks, whereas the
Americans are not among the best.
SPIEGEL: Let us stay with Chernobyl...
Falin: In retrospect, with the advantage of hindsight, it would
seem that it would have been better to publish on Sunday the
information we published Monday.
SPIEGEL: It was a meager eight-line report by TASS.
Falin: It was a terse public notice. I think there was a longer
announcement to some of the countries affected.
SPIEGEL: Evidently not. Your ambassador in Bonn, Yuliy
Kvitsinskiy, merely submitted a brief government communique
to the Federal Government.
Falin: Probably not all ambassadors received the information,
only the ambassadors in neighboring countries.
SPIEGEL: The belated information has harmed the credibility
of the Soviet Government, including that of General Secretary
Gorbachev. Western politicians are wondering how you can trust
a man who calls for cooperation in many fields but himself fails
to comply when the occasion arises.
232
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Patin: The general secretary had to have information first
before he could supply it. I stress once again: The first objec-
tive, detailed information was received by the general secretary
prior to the Monday meeting of the Politburo. Let us leave the
general secretary out of it. For such questions, we need the
experts.
SPIEGEL: The West still needs more detailed information
about the accident; for example, how much radioactivity was
released and how many of the isotopes are long-lived like pluto-
nium. Such data is required for corresponding precautionary
measures.
Falin: The situation is serious enough. Speculation will not get
us anywhere. In order to provide you with adequate information
we ourselves must first have such data. That requires surveys
directly at the scene of the accident. There is no sense in puzzling
over what has and has not happened.
Today, the following must be stated: About 50 percent of the
isotopes released are relatively dangerous, albeit short-lived,
isotopes ? Iodine 131, then Iodine 132. As far as Cesium 137
and Strontium 90 are concerned, their'share in the mission is, by
current analyses, 10-100 times smaller compared to earlier man-
made emissions. The number of isotopes carried beyond the
border of the Soviet Union, which have raised the natural quan-
tity of radioactivity by 10-15 times, is not dangerous. An under-
ground nuclear explosion releases much greater quantities of
such substances. If, following a nuclear test in the Nevada desert,
the wind blows south, the effects of that test can be sensed in
Mexico. It is generally not reported because the Americans are
involved.
SPEIGEL: The attacks by Soviet media against speculation by
Western politicians and media look like diversionary maneuvers.
Falin: I strongly object to that. There is indignation about the
method with which public authorities in the West are handling
the whole matter.
SPIEGEL: Give some names.
Falin: I mean the U.S. Administration, primarily government
spokesmen. I mean Secretary of State Shultz.
SPIEGEL: Shultz made relatively moderate statements.
Falin: One could take it from his answers that the Soviet Union
had acted relatively irresponsibly. Now West European mass
media are saying that Soviet society is barbarian and one cannot
do anything with it. The undertone of all these commentaries was
about the same: How can one bold responsible negotiations on
arms 'control with such a tonntry if such things can happen?
Actually, that was the real substance of most commentaries.
SPIEGEL: Lack of information was the reason for the indig-
nation.
Falin: I repeat: One can realize lack and 'abundance only by
comparison. It cannot be that different criteria are applied to
different countries. Otherwise, everything bad that happens in
233
our country gives someone pleasure -- the neighbor's cow has
died, a small but pleasant surprise. Where did you get the figure
of 2,000 dead? It was pulled from the air. From what sources did
it come?
SPIEGEL: They were estimates by Western scientists which
were created in a vacuum of information. They assumed how
many people could possibly die in the future because of radiation.
Falin: One cannot act that way in international relations. You
just cook up something. We know such scientists as Mr Adelman.
(Kenneth Adelman is head of the U.S. Arms Control and Disar-
mament Agency.) His way of counting shows 20 times more
missiles than we actually have. It is merely the Pentagon's way
of getting a bigger budget.
You in the West would be well advised not to exploit the knee-jerk
reaction of your audience. What do you in the West write now?
Chernobyl is located near Kiev. However, it is located 130 km
from Kiev. Nuclear power plants in the FRG are located an
average of 10-30 km from big cities, which is really close.
Unfortunately, however, you do not act in any other way.
SPIEGEL: It is said in our country that Soviet power plants
are not safe enough to be located so close to cities.
Falin: Ask the International Atomic Energy Agency. They
know better than most Western journalists write.
SPIEGEL: The Finns have built additional containment
buildings and emergency generators onto Soviet nuclear power
plants.
Falin: Just a moment; that is not quite correct. A plant was
built in Finland before containment norms existed. When the
Americans and the Germans set norms, the project was changed.
We also have such containments at our plants.
SPIEGEL: Not at Chernobyl.
Falin: But we have them in many other cases. Chernobyl is
considered one of the safest stations in the world.
SPIEGEL: It isn't any longer.
Falin: Certainly. Scientists and engineers said that Chernobyl
was the best one could build. However, not just technology plays
a role here, but also the discipline of the personnel. If you analyze
world atomic accidents, you will find that about 70 percent of
them have been caused not by technology itself, but by human
failure.
SPIEGEL: At Chernobyl too?
Falin: That is one of the main presumptions. ?
SPIEGEL: Is it correct that reactors of the same type have
been shut down in your country in the meantime for safety
reasons?
Falin: They continue to operate, but they are being examined.
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SPIEGEL: Is everything tight now?
Falin: Yes.
SPIEGEL: However, sand is still being dropped on it.
Falin: Sand, lead, and boron are necessary to make the insula-
tion even safer. Later, everything will be encased in concrete.
SPIEGEL: Can you say anything about the actual number of
victims?
Falin: A man was cremated. Another was buried under
structural parts that toppled on him. Of the 18 severely injured
people, 2 have died in the meantime.
At the moment we are careful in our statements about the
consequences of pollution. You know, each person as a different
susceptibility to radioactivity. I am now saying a bit more than I
am perhaps allowed to say: Medical people reckon that the
president of the Academy of Sciences, Anatoly Aleksandrov, was
hit with a deadly dose of radioactivity twice in his life, at a time
when people still did not recognize the danger. His predecessor
at the Institute for Nuclear Energy, Igor Kurchatov, was in a
similar situation and, alas, he died.
SPIEGEL: The number of injured people was said at a press
briefing to be 204.
Falin: Of those, roughly 50 were released after a few hours. The
others needed in-patient treatment, bone marrow surgery, blood
transfusions, and so forth. What is important is that children are
under particularly intensive care because they are primarily
threatened. Everyone in the danger zone has been registered in
a card file and will be examined at regular intervals, first weekly,
then monthly, then at yearly intervals.
SPIEGEL: It sounds very much like playing down the con-
sequences. How many dead do you expect in the future?
Falin: Out of every 1,000 people who are exposed to a radiation
of 100 rad, theoretically cancer occurs in 20 cases. But the
number of people that suffered during the accident is much
smaller; so far those 204 cases you mentioned have been hit by
more than 100 rad.
SPIEGEL: People in the West are astounded not only about
the external information policy but also about the sparse news
for the USSR's own citizens. Would it not have been an opportu-
nity to put into practice the demand by General Secretary
Gorbachev for more openness?
Falin: Technically, you are right. But allow me to ask you some
questions in return: To what extent are you familiar with
accidents in nuclear power plants in your area in the past 10
years? Can you state that off the cuff?
SPIEGEL: What does that have to do with openness?
Falin: Quite a lot. The Western press remains silent in most
cases. In Gundremmingen in 1975, two people were killed by
overheated radioactive steam. In 1978, a pipe socket broke in
Brunsbuettel; radioactive steam escaped into the engine room
and, in part, into the atmosphere.
SPIEGEL: You have that from the Western press; however.
Falin: Not necessarily. That We have, for instance; from the
International Atomic Energy Agency. There were also cases in
Belgium in 1978. In Japan in 1981, 40 tons of radioactive water
flowed into a bay, which to this day is blocked off. Radiation
affected 270 people, more than in our case. In the U.S. State of
Oklahoma, a man died this year because of an explosion of
radioactive gas; more than 100 people were injured. In Sellafield,
in Great Britain, radioactive matter escaped four times, six
people injured, and so forth. But we are said to be a big case.
SPIEGEL: These accidents cannot be compared with Cher-
nobyl. Now all of Europe is affected by the fallout. Allow us to
repeat the question: Was the information to Soviet citizens not a
bit too thin? It was only 10 days later that Kiev citizens were
warned against eating vegetables and staying outdoors too long.
Falin: People in the West like very much to rack their brains
about our worries. Let us not go into what is behind this concern.
I say this: There was not enhanced radioactivity in Moscow. I
can state that authentically because NOVOSTI has a measuring
station of its own. As for Kiev, the situation was such ? and that
might mitigate your outrage ? that the wind at first blew the
radioactive clouds northward. The wind changed 5 days later.
Radioactivity in Kiev increased. But it grew to 30 times its
normal rate and yet remained 500 times lower than the hazard
level. The recommendation you mentioned was given at that
particular time. Besides, the danger zone around Chernobyl was
extended from 30 to 50 km. By Thursday 84,000 people had been
evacuated from that zone.
SPIEGEL: Radioactivity was also found in the Baltic states
, and in Belorussia ? but no information for the people.
234
Falin: Do not be so sure that there was none, if only because on
Sunday, 27 April, 30,000 people were evacuated from the town
of Pripyat and taken elsewhere. Those are the best indicators.
SPIEGEL: The people inthe Baltic states and in Belorussia
wonder about the consequences of the accident for themselves
and what they can do to protect themselves.
Falin: If there is no danger in Minsk and in the Baltic states, is
it really necessary to urge the people to feel endangered?
SPIEGEL: The Poles have measured increased ratings and
taken certain precautionary 'measures. The citizens were
informed by the government spokesman. At the same time, all
was quiet in the Soviet Union in the vicinity of the accident site.
Falin: There is a difference. The Poles took the measures
protectively because they proceeded from the premise that it
could become worse. They said: We do it to play safe. On Monday
reports in Moscow said that the situation was under control.
SPIEGEL: A very vague formulation.
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Falin: The West claims that there was a fire in the reactor
lasting several days, even though its active phase was over after
several hours.
SPIEGEL: We were not informed. Were you not trying to play
the thing down for your own people?
Falin: No. As for the government, there has been no attempt
to play, the matter down. In addition, no country is in a position
to keep such matters secret. That is just impossible.
SPIEGEL: Should you not have said to your citizens that
something was amiss and that they should not let their children
play in the sand? That was said in the Federal Republic, for
instance.
Falin: Such ,a thing is only done in the West if spmething has
happened in the East.
SPIEGEL: People are extremely worried. They are leaving
Kiev because they anticipate consequences for their children.
Falin: Please do not exaggerate. There were many overreac-
tions after the schools were temporarily closed and precautionary
measures were recommended regarding the consumption of fresh
milk and vegetables: There can be no talk of an evacuation of the
city.
SPIEGEL: But now omissions of recent years should be made
good and the Soviet people should be better informed about the
risks of nuclear power plants.
Falin: Please do not create the impression that our people are
not informed.
SPIEGEL: That is exactly the impression we have.
Falin: Without gloating, we have objectively reported on a
number of such incidents abroad: on Harrisburg, accidents in
Japan, and so forth. If the Soviet people read that and live in the
vicinity of a nuclear power plant, they will have their own ideas.
SPIEGEL: The Soviet Union has so far argued that an accident
could only happen under capitalism, because security was
neglected there in the interests of profits.
235
Falin: Do not make us appear so primitive. We only say that
such a thing also happens in the West. Regarding risks, there is
for the moment the danger of unforeseen events such as what
happened at Chernobyl, not from leaks or fallout. The danger of
leaks is much smaller in nuclear power plants than it is in coal
power plants.
SPIEGEL:' So, in the future there will be no discussion on the
risks of nuclear power plants either?
Falin: There will be a discussion. I assume that a detailed report
including conclusions and an assessment of what happened will
be published. That will be the stuff for constant discussion. One
thing is clear, however: We in the East and the West cannot
continue to live a normal life without that technology.
There will always be some danger. People have the urgent task
to keep that danger so small as to make it purely theoretical. I do
not doubt that information is important for the people. However,
in the final analysis, the question of whether a technology is safe
is not decided by discussion but by exchanges between engineers
and scientistis.
SPIEGEL: A question to the experienced propagandist: Would
Chernobyl not have been an opportunity to implement more
openness as demanded by Gorbachev, and thereby to show the
citizens more confidence?
Falin: A new quality of openness cannot be achieved overnight.
I do not want to play down the matter and belittle what happened.
Something bad happened unexpectedly. We were not mentally
prepared for such an event. Basically, we had no precautionary
instructions, including in the field of information. Much was
done offhand, including information.
The fact that part of the service personnel in Chernobyl failed is
a problem per se, if only because the quantity and content of
information reaching Moscow were neither sufficient nor cor-
rect. As a result, much of what happened subsequently was
preordained. We must draw substantial lessons from all that.
The best thing would be for those countries dealing with nuclear
energy to draw up rules that are valid for all in case of accidents.
There should not be different standards for the Americans or us,
for example.
SPIEGEL: Mr Falin, we thank you for the interview.
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KALYAGIN CONDUCTS 'TELEBRIDGE' ON CHERNOBYL
LD102022 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1700 GMT 10 May 86
["Vremya" "Telebridge" program conducted by Boris Kalyagin, with contributions
from correspondent Vladimir Dunayev in Washington, correspondent Eduard Sorokin
in London, and correspondent Yuriy Vybornov in Rome]
[Text] [Kalyagin] Hello, comrades. Here in Studio 20 today we
have lines to Washington, London, and Rome. Taking part in our
television link-up are our correspondents in those capitals, Vladi-
mir Dunayev, Eduard Sorokin, and Yuriy Vybornov.
We are going to talk about the unworthy campaign which
Western officials and mass information media are pontinuing to
this day in connection with the accident at the Chernobyl AES.
They are whipping up the row about the supposedly excessive
secrecy in the Soviet Union and the shortage of information about
the accident. You see, it is easier for them to continue nuclear
explosions when people are shouting that it is difficult to trust the
USSR, to conclude agreements with it. Is not this why they are
making more noise than the others in Washington? What is your
opinion, Vladimir Pavolovich?
[Dunayev] Yes, of course; and it is also for that reason... [changes
thought] Although if one believes the political forecasts official
Washington will have to wait a little with its new tests; it will
have to wait because the attitude of Americans is not favorable
and they will not accept them. Here is a letter in today's issue of
THE WASHINGTON POST. It is written by (Robert Fitzpat-
rick) of Washington. The reaction of our press, television, and
politicians to the Chernobyl accident was shameless and regret-
table. Instead of recognizing in full the danger of nuclear weap-
ons in our country, they were interested in scoring points in the
psychological war. And it was quite wrong to carry statements
by stock exchange speculators and individual congressmen who
guessed with delight the amount that their shares on the Chicago
Stock Exchange would go up if the accident had an effect on the
harvest in the Ukraine.
[Kalyagin] So, ultimately they haven't been able to mislead
everyone in the United States. There is a difference between what
the press is writing and what the man in the street is saying?
[Dunayev] Yes, the reaction from official America and from
unofficial America are as different as chalk and cheese. Those of
us at Gostelradio's correspondents' office here in washington are
aware of this because there has been a large number of telephone
calls, hundreds of telephone calls, from people we know and
people we don't know. The reaction was a very human, a very
natural one, the only one possible with normal people. They
offered to do all they could; they expressed sympathy. They said
that everyone now had to draw lessons and conclusions so that in
no way can the nuclear arms race be continued; because if an
accident with a peaceful reactor can lead to unpredictable con-
sequences, then what can one say about the use of combat atomic
and nuclear devices?
[Kalyagin] Returning to the nuclear explosions which are being
carried out by the United States, there have been reports that
236
radiation is making its way to the surface at the nuclear testing
ground in Nevada, and that threats are being created for the local
population and even for Mexico.
[Dunayev] Yes, that is true. The last time was in April, during
the latest explosion in Nevada. An official spokesman of the
Environmental Protection Agency gave the following figures
during a Senate session: Since 1964, U.S. nuclear devices have
been tested 100 times, and radioactive gases have been released
into the atmosphere. On 31 occasions these gases reached the
territory of Mexico and of other countries in Latin America: they
went beyond U.S. territory. Those are the statistics.
[Kalyagin] The Thatcher government, too, has not missed the
opportunity to cast a shadow over the Soviet Union and to join
in the campaign of disinformation. What are they saying in this
connection where you are, Eduard Alekseyevich?
[Sorokin] Today I would like to draw attention to one point. In
dramatizing the events, many of the West's mass ,information
media, including the British, have been talking for several days
about the panic which has supposedly gripped the people of Kiev.
At the same time they have been deliberately sowing doubts and
fears of all kinds in their own country. In particular, they say that
the radioactive cloud has reached foggy Albion. ,
Although the radiation level remains within normal limits, if one
wants to obtain additional information, people are told to ring
such-and-such a telephone number. And the calls are being
made. People ask things like: On Saturday! was playing cricket
and got caught in the rain. Is this dangerous to life? Or: My
husband has just returned from Poland. What's going to happen
to him now? I have no doubt that these and other questions were
asked. They are certainly the result of the campaign of hysteria
which is being fanned in the West. The same old thesis is being
reworked, the thesis of the Soviet threat; only now it has acquired
a somewhat specific local color: the talk is about the danger of
radioactivity from the Soviet Union.
[Kalyagin] And those who have engaged in falsification have been
covered with shame. There are no thousands of victims in com-
mon graves; there is no panic in Kiev; there is no threat of
neighboring countries being infected ? as the Western newspa-
pers heralded. Moreover, a visit to the Ukrainian capital has been
organized for foreign journalists, while Hans Blix, director gen-
eral of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been given
an opportunity to,inspect the site of the accident from a helicop-
ter. Afterwards'he held a news conference in Moscow and stated
that he had been given all the necessary information. So has the
tone of the British press changed today, Eduard Alekseyevich?
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[Sorokin] It would seem that there are people here who consider
that truth is only harmless when it has been diluted somewhat.
The statement by the IAEA director general has been reported,
but they have immediately diluted it with conjectures and insinu-
ations of all kinds linked with the accident.
[Kalyagin] And what are they writing in Rome now, Yuriy
Yiktorovich?
{Yybornov] First of all, the muddy wave that was flung over
readers' heads and those of radio listeners and television viewers
is gradually being reduced to nothing, though of course it has not
yet gone away. A gradual sobering-up is now taking place. No,
their propaganda has not begun loving us more. But they have
been pinned to the wall by the facts; and in light of this the
newspapers have started to provide more objective information,
more sensible information. Here are today's newespapers for
example. They give a lot of material about yesterday's press
conference in Moscow by Hans Blix, the IAEA director general.
This headline says: The Fire Has Been Put Out, Radioactivity
Is Falling. [video shows Vybornov leafing through newspapers]
They give long reports from Kiev, where there is a group of
Western correspondents. Nevertheless, even in this situation
there are attempts to exert an influence on the psyche of readers
and listeners. Take for example the major bourgeois newspaper,
the CORRIERE DELLA SERA. Today it came out with a large
headline saying: Two Steps Away From a Nuclear Desert. And
of course, by the words nuclear desert, they meant the area of
Chernobyl. Nevertheless, in Italy today the broad public opinion
is coming to a conclusion about something else: about the fact
that what happened at Chernobyl is part of the cost of traveling
the road toward new heights of progress, the road toward the
peaceful mastery of the atom. But the main thing ? and this
thought is stressed in speeches and commentaries and simply in
what people say when you meet and talk to them in the street ?
is that one has to pay attention to ensure that the atom is always
peaceful, that there is never a tragedy for mankind linked with
its use for military purposes.
[Kalyagin] We now conclude our television link-up. Thank you,
Washington, London, and Rome.
PRAVDA REPORTS IAEA OFFICIALS' PRESS CONFERENCE
PM101900 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 11 May 86 First Edition p 6
[TASS report under the rubric "Surrounding the Chernobyl AES": "Press Confer?
ence in Moscow"]
[Text] Increasingly reassuring news is coming in from the scien-
tists and specialists who are eliminating the consequences of the
accident at the Chernobyl AES. With each passing day the
temperature in the damaged unit decreases and there is a consis-
tent decline in the radiation level and therefore also in the likely
threat to the health of people in the zone directly adjoining the
station. The state of the water and air in the AES settlement and
in Kiev, Minsk, and other nearby towns is not causing concern
either.
That is the summary made by the leaders of the IAEA who have
been in our country at the Soviet Government's invitation. At the
USSR Foreign Ministry Press Center on 9 May, H. Blix (Swe-
den), director general of the IAEA; L. Konstantinov (USSR), his
deputy; and M. Rosen (United States), director of the agency's
Nuclear Safety Department, gave a press conference for Soviet
and foreign journalists.
The'lAEA director general told of?his meetings with the leaders
?of the USSR State Committee for the Utilization of Nuclear
Power, the USSR Ministry of Health, the USSR State Commit-
tee for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control, and the
USSR State Committee for Safety in the Nuclear Power Indus-
try. On 8 May the IAEA representatives flew in a helicopter over
the town of Chernobyl, 18 km from the AES, and also the
territory of the station, and saw the damaged unit from a distance
.o1800 meters. In extremely frank discussions, H. Blix said, and
237
as a result of visual observations at the scene of the event, we have
managed to form a fairly complete, although preliminary,
impression of the accident and its consequences.
We will receive a detailed and authoritative description of the
accident, its causes, and its consequences from Soviet specialists
after the necessary analysis, the IAEA leaders stated. But even
today we are quite satisfied with the preliminary information and
with the positive development of events. The chain reaction was
automatically stopped at the moment of the accident. This was
also indirectly confirmed by medical examination of the vic-
tims: They were not subjected to intense neutron radiation. A
considerable proportion of the radioactive discharge consists of
short-lived radionuclides, half of them in the form of an isotope
of iodine?Iodine 131.
Professor M. Rosen commented favorably on the methods used
by the Soviet specialists to absorb radiation by means of a shield
consisting of sand, boron, clay, dolomite, and lead. Within a short
time this led to a decrease in the level of radioactivity in the
30-km zone and enabled the necessary shift personnel to continue
work on the three other reactors in order to keep them in a safe,
shut-down [zaglushennyy] condition. Reactor No 3, which is next
to No 4, was not damaged and its cooling and safety systems are
operating normally. Work is continuing beneath the damaged
unit ? the aim is to completely neutralize the seat of the
radiation and, as physicists say, to "entomb" it in a thick mass
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of concrete. The improvement in the radiation situation in the
30-km zone is shown by the following figures. Compared with
the peak radiation at the time of the accident (10-15 milliroent-
gens per hour), by 5 May radiation at the border of this zone had
decreased to 2-3 milliroentgens, and by 8 May it had dropped to
0.15 milliroentgens per hour. The level of radioactivity in the
water reservoirs of Kiev and the oblast was normal at all times,
the director general noted.
The meetings in Moscow and the Ukraine were very fruitful, H.
Blix declared, and their results are reflected in the communique
on our visit. I would like to make a few additions to this document.
Nuclear power is a complex and important sphere of mankind's
activity in which it is extremely necessary for us to consult with
one another. The IAEA is simultaneously both the forum and the
machinery for such collaboration. In response to n;iy invitations,
our Soviet colleagues eagerly agreed to come to Vienna to discuss
the results of the measures that are being taken to eliminate the
accident. Something else that is no less important its the fact that
the Soviet specialists will promptly inform the IAEA of the
radiation situation. This information channel for the IAEA is
being opened up today, the day of our departure from Moscow.
H. Blix described this accord as the start of the creation of new
international machinery to ensure timely warning of any inci-
dents at AESes that may have cross-border consequences.
Most of the questions put by the journalists quite naturally
concerned the health of the people living in the zone adjoining
the station and beyond ? How soon will the seat of radiation be
completely entombed, and how soon will people return to their
homes?
RSFSR PAPER DESCRIBES EVACUATION OF AREA
We were in Kiev only yesterday, the IAEA representatives said.
We saw normal, ordinary city life. There were many people in
the streets, and there were even more on the day the international
cycle race began. We visited the monument commemorating the
victory in World War II. We saw many foreign tourists there. In
short, life is going on as usual. The schools are open. Medical
investigation of the residents of Kiev, children included, shows
that there are no grounds for speaking of a danger to people's
health.
U.S. journalists asked whether the discharge of radiation from
power unit No 4 has been totally ended and what damage has
been done to the Ukraine's agriculture.
The situation in the damaged unit, the specialists emphasized, is
stabilizing. Dosimetric readings made during our helicopter
flight over the station confirm the sharp reduction in the quantity
of radioactive materials being discharged into the atmosphere.
As for the damage to agriculture, this must be considered in the
light of the distance of the locality from the seat, and also
according to the passage of time. We have already stressed that
the radioactive isotopes released as a result of the accident are
short-lived. This means that in the future work will resume in
nearby fields and the AES Settlement will be safe for habitation.
Certain foreign correspondents asked: Is the Soviet Union
going to close other reactors of the Chernobyl type operating in
the country?
In the course of a careful analysis of the accident, the Soviet
authorities have found nothing to necessitate the closure of other
reactors, H. Blix said. We have been told that measures are being
taken to improve safety at other installations.
PM121030 Moscow SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA in Russian 9 May 86 p 5
[Article by TASS correspondents Vladimir
Chernenko "specially for SOVETSKAYA ROSSI
[Text] The general threw off his tunic. The gold of the shoulder-
boards and the multicolored medal-ribbon bars flashed. He
looked for the last time at his still-quite-new uniform, pondered
for a moment, and then unclipped the insignia of meritorious
worker of the USSR MVD. His tunic and striped trousers would
be destroyed: This was required as part of the precautionary
measures. That was how the commander, who had together with
his comrades-in arms fought an arduous engagement, left the
battlefield.
There have been quite a few difficult situations and fights against
bandits and dangerous criminals in the life of Gennadiy Vasil-
yevich Berdov, major general in the militia and deputy internal
affairs minister of the Ukrainian SSR. But the duel which was
now in its 9th day in Chernobyl was special. Never before perhaps
Zhukovskiy, Vladimir Itkin, and Lev
YA": "The Battle With No Front Line"]
238
have people confronted such a dangerous enemy ? unseen but
powerful, and thereby extremely insidious. And the responsibility
borne in this encounter was incomparable.
The "combat operations log" which Major General Berdov
began to keep on arriving in the Chernobyl AES area early in the
?
morning of 26 April has become a kind of diary for him and his
many colleagues. a document whose laconic words record the feat
of the thousands of MVD workers who were among the first to
begin combating the accident.
If you do not see everything for yourself, you can't evaluate the
situation correctly, was how G.V. Berdov reasoned; and therefore
he did not sit around headquarters but was constantly in the worst
trouble spots. Not only sergeants and warrant officers but also
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colonels performed checkpoint duty [postovaya sluzhba] in the
danger zone. And in those very difficult conditions there was not
been a single case of refusal of duty. Ensuring order and security
in the danger zone and helping victims were the tasks that MVD
workers tackled. People were, of course, alarmed by the
announcement of an imminent evacuation. A whole delegation
came to the ispolkom. General Berdov was instructed to meet
with people and reassure them. Gennadiy Vasilyevich went out
to see people dressed in his general's uniform. Tall, gray-haired,
and calm, he knew how to find the much needed words about the
imminent evacuation of the city.
One thousand buses were already waiting on the outskirts of the
nuclear power workers' city. The convoy entered the city at
exactly 1400. A bus stopped at every entrance-way. Many people
simply had not considered that their absence might be protracted
and were traveling light. The militia checked every apartment to
ensure that everyone had left the settlement.
"In that situation much depended on the actions of our workers,
on their calm and confident behavior," G.V. Berdov opined.
"After all, the people were anxious and agitated; therefore we
had to show particular restraint, tact, benevolence, and readiness
to help." And that is precisely why energetic political education
work was carried out among MVD workers in the tense, acute
situation that prevailed. Temporary party organizations and
party groups were set up in combined detachments and meetings
were held. All this work was headed by Militia Major General
A.I. Borovik, chief of the Ukrainian MVD political section. The
political work was then carried out according to a precise plan
embracing the most important questions in those extreme condi-
tions, including party recruitment. This is what Militia Captain
Oleg Dmitriyevich wrote in his application: "I want to carry
out my official and civic duty as a Communist in eliminating the
after-effects of the accident..." V.A. Kuybin, Yu.G. Vergel, and
A.S. Vdovichenko, Communists with long party service, recom-
mended their work colleague.
Approximately 20 applications came in during the first 3 days.
All of them, as required by regulations, were immediately exam-
ined. As we were informed at the Kiev Gorkom, the decisions of
the party meetings held in the power workers' settlement were
examined as a priority. For many, work in the extreme conditions
at the AES was a supreme test.
There were thousands of vehicles on the roads during the evac-
uation. But thanks to a large extent to the State Motor Vehicle
Inspectorate there was not a single accident or major holdup. The
transport militia also remained essentially in charge at the Yanov
station situated near the AES. Trains loaded with important
national economic freight were there at the time of the accident.
Passenger trains, whose locomotive teams were of course
unaware of what had happened, were arriving at the station as
scheduled. The extremely difficult conditions demanded resolute
and urgent measures to clear the station, establish efficient order,
and stop traffic. That task was successfully dealt with by workers
of the southwest internal affairs administration in charge of
transport, headed by Colonel A.I. Shevandin. There were small
villages whose inhabitants were removed from danger by militia-
men.
The Chernobyl events have severely tested people's character and
true moral fiber. Cowards suddenly appeared and new heroes
were born. The accident at the AES will serve for us not only as
a severe technical lesson but also as a moral lesson.
The difficult duel continues.
CHERNOBYL FIRE CHIEF INTERVIEWED IN HOSPITAL
PM121405 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 10 May 86 Morning Edition p 3
[G. Alimov report under the rubric "By the Laws of Courage": "Fulfilling His
Duty: After the Accident at the AES He Was One of the First To Go Into
Danger"--first paragraph is editorial introduction]
[Text] In its first reportage from the region of the Chernobyl AES
IZVESTIY A reported the resolute, courageous actions of the
firemen under the leadership of Major L. Telyatnikov. He is now
in Moscow, in Teaching Hospital No 6. The doctors allowed
IZVESTIY A's correspondents to see him briefly.
They asked us to change our clothing. They explained: There is
no danger to you, but you might harm him. They issued a
complete suit of new hospital clothing ? from socks and slippers
to a respirator. I asked if I could shake hands with my inter-
locutor. I wanted to shake Leonid Petrovich's hand on behalf of
all the readers and thank him for what he and his men did. They
gave me permission. But Professor Angelina Konstantinovna
Guskova urged me not to ask too many questions.
239
"You mustn't," she said. "You must understand: It is not easy
to live through what happened all over again."
Rules are rules... Doctor Lyudmila Nikolayevna Petrosyan lcd
us to Ward 842. Telyatnikov was having dinner. When he saw us
he stood up and smiled. A small man, lean, strong, with an open
Russian face.
Then he sat opposite me on the bed, which was made with
soldierly neatness. The window in the ward was open, you could
smell the spring and the fir trees growing in the hospital yard. I
noticed the newspapers on the bed ? PRAVDA, IZVESTIY A,
KRASNAY A ZVEZDA. A color photograph was stuck to the
wall below the light switch. Two boys standing arm in arm.
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"My sons... I managed to grab the photo and bring it with me.
The one on the right, the older, more serious one, is Oleg. This
one, the younger, is Mikhail. A cheerful little boy. You see, he's
smiling here."
Telyatnikov spoke eagerly about them. The elder is studying in
the fifth grade. He will soon take the first exam in his life, in
mathematics. Naturally, his father is worried. Oleg is in the third
grade, and wants to be a combine operator. Leonid Petrovich
sighs:
"I miss them."
His wife Larisa lvanovna and the children are in Kiev now. He
says he has already sent them two letters. He has had no reply
yet. He does not know how they are. He fell silent again and
seemed to tense up. I still did not have the heart to take him back
to that fateful day. I felt 1 did not want to remind him. Professor
Guskova was right. We spoke of how he feels.
"Everything seems normal at the moment. I told my relatives
that when I wrote, so that they do not worry for nothing. I have
a good appetite, I'm sleeping quite well. When I'm free from
medical procedures, I listen to the radio. It's nice that my father
and all four of my sisters have come to Moscow now. It's a kind
of psychological support group," he jokes. "After 20 May," he
said, "I'm expecting my wife and sons: once the lads have finished
school."
Leonid graduated from the Sverdlovsk firemen's technical school
15 years ago, and then studied in Moscow, at the USSR MVD
Higher Fire Engineering School. Four years ago he was
appointed chief of the militarized fire unit for the protection of
the Chernobyl AES. He was 31 at the time. He served irre-
proachably. He was more than once commended by the leader-
ship. He did excellent work during the extinguishing of a peat
fire on Pripyatskiy Sovkhoz in Chernobylskiy Rayon. At that
time the fire threatened the whole village. The skillful actions of
Telyatnikov's subunit helped to save the people's property and
the village.
And then 26 April came.
The alarm system connected to the AES went off in the fire unit.
The duty crew is always in a state of number one readiness, it set
off for the site immediately. It subsequently became clear that it
was they, the firemen, who decided the outcome of the affair.
Telyatnikov's telephone rang at once. That is the procedure, even
though he was on leave and was due to return to work next day.
On the telephone, Telyatnikov recognized the agitated voice of
the controller:
"Fire in the machine room! The roof is burning... The crew has
gone out..."
He was prepared to run the 6 km to the station on foot, but time,
time!
...The car took him there rapidly. Not feeling the ground beneath
his feet, he ran toward the machine room, finding time to tell the
driver to bring in the other people who were not on duty. From
240
that moment on he was responsible for everthing! As an exper-
ienced specialist, he realized that a crew of 15 men could not cope
with the fire? reinforcements were needed. ...In the reactor hall,
flames were raging on various levels, in at least five places,
including the roof. The fire was spreading implacably in the
direction of the neighboring reactor and might penetrate the
cable conduits which form a network embracing the entire power
station. Fires had broken out in the instrument room too. The fire
threatened to spread to the machine room and destroy the system
for controlling the protection of the entire power station. And
that must be prevented! ...Speedy, intelligent decisions were
required. The fire must be stopped at all costs in the key direc-
tions and must not be allowed to spread. Telyatnikov sent one
division to protect the machine room, two others, at the cost of
incredible efforts, were holding back the advance of the seething
fire toward the neighboring power unit and eliminating the
burning in the reactor hall.
In this menacing situation, when the fate of the power station ?
and not only the power station ? was being decided, none of the
firemen faltered or gave way.
They all understood clearly and consciously what they were going
into ? by that time the dosimeter operators had already given
the terrible warning ? radiation! But there was simply no other
way-out. They knew what was at stake in their struggle against
the fire. They stood firm in the face of trouble and were the first
in-the firing line.
Telyatnikov climbed up several times to the highest point of the
power stations (71 meters up), where the instrument department
and the main seat of the fire were located. Exceptionally complex
conditions were created here. Part of the roof over the reactor
had collapsed, load-bearing structures had warped, and -a
scorching hot torrent of burning bitumen was surrounding the
firemen on all sides. A dense, poisonous smoke reduced visibility
and made breathing difficult. People were working under the
threat of a collapse at any second or of sudden jets of flame. In
this situation it was particularly important to organize efficiently'
the work of all the sections and to distribute reinforcements
correctly as they arrived. Telyatnikov lost track of time as this
work went on.
"We did not know how long we had been there. We only knew
one thing: We must stay till the end. That was our duty to
people."
It has been calculated that the major's subunit was at the station
for nearly 3 hours from the moment of the accident. They were
taken away at around 0500 hours. By that time the fire was
practically eliminated. They had done what was most important:
They had gotten the fire under control and beaten down the main
seats of the fire without allowing the flames to spread to the
station's other power units.
...The time allotted to me had dwindled disastrously. Lyudmila
Nikolayevna, the doctor accompanying us, was already pointing
to the clock. I asked Leonid Petrovich to say just a few words
about the guys in his subunit.
"What can I say? Heroes, real heroes. All of them, without
exception."
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He particularly mentioned the still very young Lieutenant Vladi-
mir Pravik, chief of the crew. In that critical situation he dis-
played outstanding courage and was the major's right hand.
It was time to take our leave. Once again I shook the major's
hand. He said:
"If you see Pravik, give him my greetings. Find out how he is.
Tell him I'm fine..."
Later, we had another conversation with Professor Guskova. I
asked about the condition of the patients.
"We are doing everything necessary," Angelina Konstantinovna
said. "They are now undergoing additional laboratory and
clinical tests. The treatment process is prolonged, it requires
time, patience, and expertise. American doctors are advising us
on a number of specialized questions. We are counting on an
improvement..."
PRAVDA REPORTS NATIONWIDE SUPPORT FOR CHERNOBYL
PM121635 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 13 May 86 First Edition p 6
[Special correspondents B. Gubarev and M.
Chernobyl AES: New Stage in the Work"]
[Text] It is our motherland's pain. And it will take time for the
wound to heal. Chernobyl...
The name of the small Ukrainian city flew around the entire
world in a flash and all honest people in the world heard with
sorrow the news of the disaster which had happened there. Its
consequences could have been even greater had it not been for
the selflessness and heroism of Soviet people who, sometimes
sacrificing their own lives and health, rushed to vanquish the
nuclear giant which has shown over the last few days how
dangerous it is. It was only an accident to one peaceful reactor,
but it resulted in a major disaster ? what if stockpiles of nuclear
weapons were brought into action?! It is terrifying to even think
about it...
Things are now slightly easier. Ten days after the accident there
was still a threat that it could escalate [rasshiritsya]. When we
met with Academician Ye. Velikhov, he told us: "The reactor has
been damaged. Its heart is an incandescent core which is, as it
were, 'hanging [visit] there.' The reactor is covered from the top
with a layer of sand, lead, boron, and clay, and this is an
additional strain on the structure. Below, there may be water in
the special reservoir... How does incandescent reactor crystal
behave? Will it be possible to contain it or will it melt down [uydet
v zemlytd? Nobody in the world has ever been in such a complex
situation: It is essential to assess the situation very accurately and
not make a single mistake..." The further development of events
showed that the right avenue had been chosen for fighting the
raging reactor. The water was pumped out from under the
reactor, wells were drilled, and a "cooling zone" was created
which cooled the reactor. Preparations are under way to bury the
reactor.
I.S. Silayev, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers,
noted: "Today it is firmly possible to talk about a new stage in
the work to eliminate the consequences of the AES accident. The
main danger is over at this stage: However, there will be an
enormous amount of work to do in totally decontaminating the
station and the adjoining territory." We must not relax under any
Odinets report: "Battle Continuing;
circumstances! The elimination of the consequences of the acci-
dent is essentially starting now. The reactor is still not safe, there
are radioactive substances on the station territory and in the zone.
Working with them will require very great care and thorough-
ness. No forecasts can be made on this matter, but it will take a
long time for all the consequences to be eliminated ? maybe even
months... It would probably be expedient to hold special radiation
security "lessons" in the oblast and to explain to the inhabitants
of evacuated regions all the features linked with radioactivity.
There are enough specialists at Kiev's scientific and educational
establishments to discuss the basics of radiation security in
laymen's terms.
241
The Chernobyl disaster has touched all Soviet people. There is
an endless flood of telegrams to PRAVDA pledging readiness to
help eliminate the AES accident.
"Please inform the Ministry of Power and Electrification that
the collective of the team of acid resistance workers from the
`Yuzhenergokhimzashchita' specialized administration engaged
in anticorrosion work in building the Rostov AES considers it its
duty to participate in the work to eliminate the consequences of
the accident. The specialists have experience ranging from 10-18
years. Team leader Sevastyanov, Foreman Kachanov, team
members Nikolayev, Kulikov, Mareyev, Parfenov, Sobolev,
Shcherbakov, Yakovlev, Ryabukhin, Yeshtokin, Vdovikin,
Timofeyev, Sklyarov, and Feddseyev."
"I wish to do what I can to help in eliminating the Chernobyl
AES accident. I am 47. I am deputy chief occupational safety
engineer at `Nizhnevartovskneftedorstroy.' Onuchkin." Tele-
grams, letters, and money transfers are arriving from all corners
of the country.... All Soviet people are treating Chernobyl's
misfortune as their own.
Many letters are also arriving in Kiev, expressing sympathy and
support for the heroic working people at the AES. Many people
write to the power station workers, asking them to send their
children to the Caucasus, the Kuban, the Volga Region, Moscow,
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or Leningrad. They will be received there like the closest and
dearest relatives.
It would probably be expedient for the Ministry of Power and
Electrification to set up a special "staff' to notify people if they
are needed and inform them of the proper place to address in
different cases. Work in the zone is specialized and the appropri-
ate skills are necessary ? the required specialists are present in
adequate numbers. It is, however, clear today that the best
assistance to Chernobyl would be for everyone to work more
productively and more efficiently at his own work position.
...The TRIBUNA ENERGETIKA, house newspaper of the Prip-
yat AES, has resumed publication in lvankovo. The evacuated
journalists were cordially welcomed and accommodated by the
collective of the Ivankovskiy Rayon newspaper. The first issue of
the newspaper published in the new location carried a long article
describing the heroism and courage of working people at the
Chernobyl AES struggling to eliminate the consequences of the
accident at the power unit.
The newspaper narrates how, while its issue was coming off the
presses, the editorial office received a phone call from the Obu-
khovichi Rural Soviet. The staff dealing with the population's
evacuation asked that thanks be conveyed to Ye. Us and V.
Babenko, residents in Obukhovichi Village, and also to N.
Khomenko and A. Musmenko from Stanishovka Village, who
have housed five and more persons each. S. Glushchenko even
managed to house eight evacuees in his home.
There are very many events happening at and around Chernobyl
AES. The entire country is helping the collective of power
industry and construction industry workers to eliminate the
consequences of the accident. Now there is an urgent need for
drill-operators, excavator drivers, and crane operators there....
Without slowing down the pace of building a new line for the
capital's metro system, the "Kievmetrostroy" has seconded an
integrated Komsomol and youth team from the tunneling section
to Chernobyl, led by Communist V. Vilko.
On the Chernobyl road, one of us met a group of bulldozer drivers
who had flown in from Urengoy. Vladimir Lakhtin said: "1 have
with me an entire group of experienced machine operators. But
I also know that nine drill-operators have flown here from the
Baykal-Amur Main Railroad track. Lads from the Caucasus are
also here. The concerns of people in Chernobyl are our common
concerns, and we will try to do everything to eliminate the
consequences of the accident as soon as possible." Now the Kiev
plants are executing in a flash any orders placed by those
"advancing on" the No 4 power block. Hero of Socialist Labor
P. Shilo, director of the "Tochelektropribor" Plant, told the
PRAVDA correspondent's office that people in the shops have
worked around the clock, not leaving their machine tools until
they have completed the devices requested from Chernobyl. The
same work enthusiasm was displayed by workers in the "Bolshe-
vik" and "Leninskaya Kuznitsa" Plants. When the people
taming the damaged reactor needed concrete, the Zhbi-5 Plant
under the "Glavkievgorstroy" was started up at night, and the
"Yugozaptransstroy" and "Yugenergomontazh" concrete-
making units started work within a matter of hours....
Working people in many Ukrainian enterprises are overfulfilling
their targets beneath the slogan "Let Us Help the Chernobyl
AES Collective!" We had an opportunity to talk with Pensioner
Lyubov Aleksandrovna Vilenskaya, who decided to transfer
R200 from her modest savings to the fund for assistance to
Pripyat. The bank is transferring this money to the credit of
Account No 904.
LOMEYKO CONDEMNS WEST'S RESTRICTIONS ON FOOD IMPORTS
'Discriminatory Measures'
LD121500 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1412 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Moscow, 12 May (TASS) ? At a briefing for Soviet and
foreign journalists held today in the Press Center of the USSR
Foreign Ministry, the discriminatory measures announced by
Western countries with respect to the import of certain food
products from socialist states were condemned. The prohibitions
and embargoes, which the Western powers introduce from time
to time, said Vladimir Lomeyko, chief of the USSR Foreign
Minister Press Department, have already become a constant
weapon to exert pressure. This new action does not constitute an
exception. It is a surprising fact that certain Western powers are
attempting to make political capital out of the accident which
has taken place. First they whip up hysteria concerning the
Chernobyl AES and then they make use of it to introduce
discriminatory measures. These actions are completely
groundless. The consultative conference of the World Health
24
Organization which took place the other day with the participa-
tion of a large group of authoritative specialists from many
countries of Western and Eastern Europe adopted a document in
which the complete groundlessness of the assertions put forward
to justify the discriminatory measures is stressed. The main
conclusion of this document is 'that at the present time the
radiation situation poses no danger at all for the population of
Europe. From the point of view of health, these restrictions on
the importation of food products are groundless.
The head of the Foreign Ministry Press Department exposed the
underlying cause for the sensational hysteria which is being
whipped up by some press organs in the west. First, they com-
plained about the lack of information, and at the same time
ignored the information they were receiving on the accident. The
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accident and people's misfortune has been turned into a sensa-
tion, the scale of the accident has been grossly exaggerated. As
an example, he showed a copy of the NEW YORK POST of 2
May, where the entire front page is occupied by the headline:
"Mass Grave; 15,000 People Buried in a Nuclear Pit."
Western correspondents would be of much better service to the
cause of peace and mutual understanding between peoples if they
were just as persistent in urging the U.S. Administration for an
answer about why it continues nuclear tests in Nevada. The
accident in Chernobyl is a mishap, but blasts in Nevada are a
conscious policy of poisoning our planet, which is being conduc-
ted in order to develop new death-dealing varieties of nuclear
armaments. This is pushing humanity toward a nuclear catastro-
phe.
More on Lomeyko Criticism
AU121515 Paris AFP in English 1458 GMT 12 May 86
[Excerpts] Moscow, May 12' (AFP) ? Soviet Foreign Ministry
spokesman Vladimir Lomeyko Monday denounced an EEC ban
on imports of East bloc countries' foodstuffs as "unjustified and
without foundation." Mr. Lomeyko said the ban was aimed at
applying "political pressure on the socialist countries."
Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Lomeyko said that the
"uproar" over Chernobyl had led to an "uncontroilled psychosis
in Western public opinion, which has been the pretext for dis-
criminatory measures" against the East bloc countries. "In some
countries, the hysteria borders on an anti-Soviet psychosis," he
said.
When asked why the Soviet Union had been so slow in disclosing
information about the accident, Mr. Lomeyko said that Moscow
had not immediately recognized "either the nature, or the scope"
of the accident because, he said, "nothing of the kind had ever
happened before."
"The Soviet Union did not deliberately seek to hide the truth,"
he said, but it wanted to be sure its information was "verified,
exact and clear" before communicating it to other countries.
Mr. Lomeyko, who was in the United States at the time of the
accident, said that Americans, "on the one hand complain about
the absence of information, and on the other, they ignored what
they were told" in order to "immediately infer that a country that
hides the truth cannot be trusted." He called this attitude "intol-
erable, amoral and dangerous."
He said the situation around Chernobyl was "stabilizing and
improving every day."
Everything'is interlinked in a small world. Political lessons are
being drawn from 2 technical disaster.
In an unexpected way, Chernobyl confirmed the vitally impor-
tant need for a- new political thinking in international life in the
nuclear age. When people talk about that kind of thinking they
mean primarily a new overall approach to the madness of the
nuclear arms race, which does not increase its participants'
security but instead reduces it because you cannot achieve true
security for yourself alone to the detriment of others. The Cher-
nobyl disaster seems to have extended and, at the same time,
given concrete form to the sphere of practical application of the
new thinking.
I would like to cite in some detail the conversation between a
West Berlin radio correspondent and FRG Foreign Minister
Genscher.
The correspondent said: "Suddenly every citizen in the FRG
has noticed how small Europe is and how close Kiev actually is
in this instance." Genscher replied: "The whole world has
become smaller as a result of technical progress. Consequently,
we have begun to depend more on each other." The correspondent
continued his line of reasoning: "Perhaps the realization of how
small the world is and how close Kiev is to the FRG will help
those politicians discussing security questions at the various talks;
in other words, there will be consequences for security policy,
too." Genscher replied: "That is probably so. This event will
probably have those consequences. I believe that once again the
fact has clearly been shown that in this shrinking world man-
kind's survival can only be guaranteed by collective decisions,
that is to say that collective decisions are the only possible ones
to ensure that everybody does not seek security for themselves
and that there is a joint search for security in the sphere of the
protection of the natural foundations of life, security against
those threats contained in the new forms of technology alongside
the great potential, and security of course on the military level,
the level of disarmament, arms control, and confidence-building
measures." It is surely possible to agree with every word of that
argument.
The new political thinking in a shrinking and interdependent
world requires at the very least greater East-West understanding.
Understanding is impossible without a common language. This
does not mean English, French, or Russian, of course, but the
language of international political contact. It must be com-
prehensible to the other side, take account of the nature of the
other society, and perhaps take account of a different attitude to
informnation existing in the other social psychology, even a
different speed of dissemination of that information. Chernobyl
raised with a new acuteness the question of seeking a common
language of cooperation between the two different societies ?
socialist and capitalist. It must be a joint search and must
presuppose restraint, great flexibility, and reciprocal compro-
mises. We are ready for such a search and confirmed that
readiness from the platform of the 27th CPSU Congress.
Of course, this line of reasoning does not apply to inveterate
anti-Sovietists working, as it were, in automatic mode. You
cannot find a common language with them. They do not have a
language but a poisonous sting and this has been demonstrated
243
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often recently. They went to particular pains across the ocean to
disseminate frightening rumors and fabrications, using them to
fill every available space. "A human tragedy should not be turned
into a political game," British Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe
stated the other day. But that is precisely what the various
malefactors have done who, in connection with the accident at
the Chernobyl AES, have undertaken yet another mass attack
on the Soviet peace initiatives, particularly when trying to instill
doubts regarding our plan to rid the world of nuclear weapons by
the end of the 20th century.
It is to the credit of the world community and also of official
circles in the West that there were more people who sympathized,
showed understanding, expressed a readiness to help, and who
found the right moral and political measure in judging what had
happened. It is with them that the difficult search for a common
language must be continued, even making use of such experience
as Chernobyl. It would have been better had it not existed; but
now that it does, this experience will give all countries another
opportunity to learn.
KONDRASHOV ON ANTI?SOVIET TREATMENT OF CHERNOBYL
PM121010 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 9 May 86 Morning Edition p 5
[Political observer Stanislav Kondrashov article:
[Text] In the past when fate took an unexpected turn our forefa-
thers used to say: Everything is at the mercy of God. Without
getting involved again in the argument about God, let us set out
the evident truth of our time that everything is now at the mercy
, of the atom. And that applies to all mankind and all life on earth.
Whether the atom is used for military or peaceful purposes. We
have been reminded about that from time to time by accidents in
the United States, Britain, and other countries. Another tragic
reminder was provided by the accident at the Chernobyl AES,
which suddenly entered our life ? and not only ours ? and world
politics.
For almost 2 weeks Chernobyl has been featured in newspapers
and on the "Vremya" TV program. It occupies no less important
a place in our thoughts and feelings. This accident, this calamity
occurred in our land. Our land is vast; and, of course, the nearer
someone is to the scene of the event, the more keen and involved
is his experience of what happened. But we are all children of one
country; and no matter how many hundreds or thousands of
kilometers separate us from Chernobyl, in our thoughts we are
beside the people stricken by misfortune and with our fellow-
countrymen who have had to hurriedly leave their houses and
their homes, fleeing the threat of radiation. We think about their
changed lives and their anxieties ? they cannot fail to be
alarmed, even if they are now being comforted by the concern
and warmth of sympathy in their new locations.
The TV screens have shown us just a small part of the scenes
which they will remember all their lives. Pictures taken from
helicopters show the deserted settlement around the AES, the
bright new apartment blocks, the straight and empty streets.
Sensing the meaning of this picture as people of the nuclear age,
we felt the unseen, silent, and awesome presence of increased
radioactivity. So this is what it is like, we thought as we watched.
Perhaps it looks like that, perhaps not; but what is clear is that
this monstrous force is kept under protective casings which keep
the working peaceful atom in check; but the power concealed in
244
"Thinking About Chernobyl"]
stockpiles of nuclear warheads, designed to destroy and kill, is
incomparably more terrible. Everyone is at the mercy of the
atom, having awakened, curbed, and, it would seem, entirely
tamed it. But who guaranteed its absolute obedience?
All these questions and thoughts concern us, casting their shadow
on the blossoming of spring, the May Day celebrations, and the
approaching Victory Day.
We feel fraternal sympathy with the victims, a unity of kinship
with those forced to leave their homes. We pay tribute to the
courage of those who in dangerous conditions are eliminating the
after-effects of the accident and are extinguishing the smoldering
remains of this conflagration. There are situations when doing
your duty is tantamount to performing an exploit. That is the
case with the people who remained at Chernobyl AES.
You cannot counter panic with thoughtless or careless bravado.
This is no place for those two opposites.
We are not the only ones thinking about Chernobyl. This word,
until recently unknown to most people in our country, is now on
the whole world's lips. On such occasions you see once again how
small the world is. In the modern poet's metaphor, "the world
dangles in a string bag of latitudes and longitudes" containing
almost 5 billion people gripped with fear at the threat of nuclear
war to which has suddenly been added the danger of radiation
from the Chernobyl atom. There is much sincere sympathy and
understanding in the world now for those who have the ability to
put themselves in others' shoes. Pepple are casting plenty of wary
looks at the sky and their surroundings ? radioactivity needs no
visa and is no respecter of national frontiers. Immediately panic-
mongers turned up, who set about poisoning the atmosphere with
the radiation of distrust of the Soviet Union; their initial offensive
was halted and turned back by the force of facts, particularly
those cited at the press conference in Moscow. The radiation of
distrust is also subsiding to a certain extent, as is the radiation in
the atmosphere. As various countries are reporting, the radiation
presents no threat to people's health and even less to their lives.
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IZVESTIYA ON WORK TO SEAL STRICKEN REACTOR SITE
PM131637 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 14 May 86 Morning Edition p 3
[Special correspondent A. Illesh report: "Level of Intensity; IZVESTIYA Special
Correspondent Reports From the Chernobyl AES Region"]
[Text] Kiev ? The words "radiation level" appear often in
reports from the accident region. This indicator determines the
degree of danger associated with working in the zone. Today I
want to talk about another level ? the intensity felt by people
eliminating the consequences of the 26 April accident.
It is busy alongside the building bearing the plaque "Chernobyl
Ukrainian Communist Party Raykom" now housing the govern-
ment commission headquarters. It would seem dim the "uni-
form" of special suits, white caps, and respirators around most
people's necks would bring people down to the same level and
make them similar. Just try and recognize someone you know!
But L.A. Ilin, vice president of the USSR Academy of Medical
Sciences, is immediately distinguiishable by his gestures, smiles,
and readiness to engage in detailed conversation. The latest
conference is over and the specialists are free for a short time and
have gone outside.
"Here comes a hero," the chairman of the radiation defense
commission said. "Let me introduce you to B.V. Gidaspov,
corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences."
"Don't exaggerate," the Leningrader and director of the State
Institute of Applied Chemistry tried to "defend himself." "But
to be serious, there have been considerable successes in our
work," the scientist said. "We are working to decontaminate the
AES site, the station itself, the buildings, and the soil. We are
doing everything to ensure that people can return as soon as
possible even to what are currently the most dangerous places.
"At the first stage," Boris Veniaminovich continued, "we are
concentrating our main efforts on particularly contaminated
areas: the reactor and everything alongside and around it. You
know, people are mobilized not only physically but intellectually
in a difficult situation. All their creative potential is geared to
resolving a single task. That is clearly shown by the joint work
by scientists from various 'departments.' ""At this most difficult
time," V.A. Masol, chairman of the Ukrainian Gosplan, joined
in the conversation, "all departmental obstacles and barriers are
really being broken down. Here in Chernobyl decisions are being
made quickly without any superfluous paper. The result of
cooperation among 'informal groups,' "he greeted some people
? a corresponding member, a general, and an engineer ?
exiting the building, "is extremely effective." "We started with
the small things," Gidaspov continues, "and now, having tested
our methods in the accident situation that emerged here in
Chernobyl, we are covering 150-200 square meters a day with
special decontaminating film. It is now also clear how we should
proceed and what we should do." "The scientists' help and their
contribution to the common cause is hard to overestimate," was
how I.S. Silayev, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of
Ministers, started our conversation. His study is situated here on
the second floor of the headquarters. "Later on I will talk about
the work of the chemical workers. But to start with ? other
services. Have you noticed the number of vehicles and equipment
crossing the 30 km zone?" "Of course. There are considerably
fewer of them, in my opinion." "But the amount of loads reaching
the AES site has sharply increased. How is that? By banning
contaminated transportation from leaving the 'circle' we were
pursuing the most important goal of minimizing the possible
spread ? on tires or truck bodies ? of even low-level radioactiv-
ity. To that end three transshipment bases were created by the
exits, where everything we needed was unloaded from 'clean'
transportation. And loads intended for the site are unloaded onto
internal transportation. There is a whole chain of transport at
work." Ivan Stepanovich drew my attention to the highly detailed
wall map. "Look," he pointed, "Here you can see yet another
'circle' around the 30-km zone ring. It is bigger than the first and,
so to speak, shows the limits of our territory and the adjoining
total radioactivity security territory. So it is here, on the edge of
the 'big circle,' that the stores have been organized. We do not
need to send vehicles on long trips, everything is at hand. Fur-
thermore, quite a large railroad siding has been opened. This is
an advantage both because of the volume of shipments and
because it is considerably simpler to decontaminate rail cars in
comparison with motor vehicles. Unlike the ribbed rubber of
tires, their metal parts 'clean' more reliably and quickly. River
transport has also been included in the work.
"You promised to tell us about the chemical specialists...." "As
the scale of accident management work unfolded, there arose the
problem of swiftly decontaminating the site. Otherwise it was
impossible to work; the risk was high. Let me note by the way
that all the strictest norms in terms of the length of time spent in
the zone and the workload of people stationed there are being
adhered to. So, the time of the chemical specialists came. As you
already know, they are spreading a composite film which tightly
covers the surface. After that, the radioactive dust and particles
cannot penetrate into the soil or water.
"Altogether, the experimental work by scientists and the discov-
eries they have already made here, in the AES region, are
considerable," I.S. Silayev went on. "Here is a graphic example.
Through its representatives a Swedish firm offered us its services
in delivering decontamination chemicals. They asked 18.5 dollars
per kg. Today we have succeeded in organizing our own produc-
tion of a similar liquid. And production is on the scale of 30 metric
tons per day. It is easy to calculate how much currency has been
saved. And the work progresses incomparably faster. Just imag-
ine, though, the efforts that were demanded by this work of
everyone who took part in it! The actual pace at which dangerous
areas are being covered is 300,000 square meters every 24 hours.
And we started at some 10,000 square meters...." It emerged that
B.V. Gidaspov had inadvertently supplied the correspondent with
outdated figures. Indeed, the pace of work is so fast that you
cannot always keep up with it.
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So there it is, the level of exertion! "We must under no cir-
cumstances flatter ourselves or exaggerate the achievements,"
I.S. Silayev emphasized. "Tomorrow, or in a week's time, every-
one will have to do even more work, and everyone will have to
make even greater efforts to carry it out." "What additional
'isolation' methods are being used at the AES?" "A method for
pouring liquid glass has been developed. It is extremely promising
for application on the roofs of buildings and installations: There
is no way water can wash off such a covering." "There have been
many occasions to hear fears being expressed, fears caused by
water. What I have in mind is rainfall...." "The sealing of the
effluent drainage system was completed 13 May. Thus we can
completely rule out the flow of rainwater from the station to
Pripyat." "From your office window one can clearly see helicop-
ters flying toward the station one after the other. What are the
Mi-8 crews engaged on now?" "They are carrying lead pellets
on their carrier arms and dropping them on the target. The task
is to block off completely all the openings through which the
emission of radioactivity in the atmosphere is even only theoreti-
cally possible. Instrument readings indicate that emission levels
are systematically dropping." "Ivan Stepanovich, a few words
about the helicopter pilots' contribution...." "Here are the fig-
ures:' Today they dropped 70 metric tons of lead pellets. Out of
66 missions, 58 resulted in the load being dropped right on
target." The conversation turned to immediate plans.
"We have embarked on the most complex underground work. We
are preparing to sink a shaft and will place a strong 'cushion'
beneath the reactor. One of the most important tasks now is to
get underneath the reactor and start pumping liquid nitrogen so
as to create yet another tight safety layer there. This isbeing
tackled, in particular, by specialists from the USSR Ministry of
Transport Construction. Let me repeat that there are very many
jobs to be done, including some most important and urgent ones."
"IZVESTIYA's readers are asking about the ultimate appear-
ance of the damaged No. 4 power unit at the AES." "The
specialists have nicknamed their work the building of a 'sar-
cophagus.' Let us not simplify matters, though: It is not just a
question of covering the reactor in concrete, encasing -it com-
pletely ? and that is all. This will not be just a 'sarcophagus,'
but a most complex engineering structure, fully controlling its
internal heat and releasing any excess." The time for talking
came to an end. Moscow was on the line to Chernobyl, to the
headquarters. I also had to hurry: Daylight ? flying time --- was
running out. I returned to Kiev by helicopter. The day had
seemed strenuous to the crew, just like to the scientists, engineers,
departmental leaders, and everyone else who had been on duty
at the AES area. An ordinary damage repair day ? day 17....
The flight engineer moved the lead shield which is used when
flying in the reactor area into a corner of the cargo bay, collected
the lead aprons, and slammed the door.
A thunderstorm was raging on the approach to?Kiev. It was the
first thunderstorm this May.
MOSCOW DESCRIBES EVENTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER ACCIDENT
LD131943 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1315 GMT 13 May 86
[Dispatch from Kiev by correspondent Vladimir Zhukovskiy; from the "Yunost"
program]
[Excerpt) The events at the Chernobyl AES have moved all Soviet
people, not only because of what happened but also because of
the courage shown and being shown in the disaster area by those
whose lot it was to toil there; to toil and to struggle.
To toil and to struggle ? this could well be the headline for the
despatch we have just received on the telephone from Vladimir
Zhukovskiy, our correspondent:
The Kiev region. the heart of the Ukraine ? is beautiful now.
The chestnut trees blossomed early, the lilac is fragrant, the
acacia is coming out. Looking at nature's rites of spring, the
calamity that suddenly struck the Chernobyl AES stands out in
bolder relief.
Yunost correspondents were given an opportunity to visit the
accident zone. We met with dozens of people, witnesses of the
tragedy that took place in the town of the atomic power industry
workers on 26 April at 0123 hours. We visited, as it were, the
very outskirts of the zone itself. A real battle between people and
the forces of nature has now been going on for more than 2 weeks
at the edges of this zone. This is a clash that is being waged in
accordance with plans, based on calculations by major scientists
and experts, among whom are Silayev, deputy chairman of the
USSR Council of Ministers, Academician Velikhov, vice presi-
dent of the country's Academy of Sciences, Academician
Legasov and others, it is a battle which finds it embodiment in
the courage of people of whom ? I am confident ? we shall yet
tell you.
One and one-half hours after what happened, Militia Major
General Berdov, deputy minister of internal affairs of the
Ukrainian SSR, responding to an emergency telephone call,
arrived at the scene of the accident. He understood that a battle
was beginning. It was then that he ordered that a log of battle
operations be instituted, not unlike a log onboard a warship, and
that everything that was happening at the AES and in the power
workers' town be entered in it in strict consecutive order.
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We have seen this log, with entries done in different handwriting.
Later on this entry appeared in the log: The radiation has started.
Neither General Berdov, nor hundreds of people at their work
posts know about it at that time, and speaking frankly, nor did
they think about it: they were saving their comrades and saving
the station.
Neither these people, nor members of the government commis-
sion who arrived here several hours later, nor the best Soviet
scientists could at that time know the causes of the accident and
its consequences. Time was needed to understand what hap-
pened.
Several hours later, the situation at the station was under control.
The operations staff, attached to the party gorkom and gorispol-
kom, issued the instruction to evacuate the inhabitants of the
atomic power workers' settlement. Thousands of militia function-
aries began thist most difficult operation. In all, 3 hours were
needed for it.
This is what Militia Captain Oleg Kazakov, chief officer in
charge of operations, wrote in his report: I wish to perform my
service and civic duty in eliminating the onsequences of the
accident at the Chernobyl AES like a communist. On 29 April,
before his relief at the duty post protecting the settlement of
Pripyat was due to arrive, (Vladimir Pashko), expert
criminologist, turned to the secretary of the party organization
and notified him of his wish, as he put it, to be together with the
communists at this time in the foremost ranks, performing the
most crucial tasks.
During the first 3 days, civilian militia employees sent about 20
of such declarations. It became necessary to close off the source
of danger, to block it off, deluge it, and seal it off. This could only
be done from the air ? and the aviators' turn came. Courageous
helicopter crews carried out hundreds of flights and, in incredibly
difficult conditions the core of the fourth unit was sealed off by
means of an enormous stopper, composed of sand and other
materials, weighing in excess of 5,000 metric tons. And all this
was dropped from helicopters. Dozens of helicopter pilots showed
miracles of courage in this clash. Among them are: (Yakovlev),
(Serebryakov), (Voytko), and (Pyshkovskiy). Military helicopters
overfly the station several times a day even now.
247
Medical personnel joined the struggle to overcome the con-
sequences of the accident right from the very first days of the
Chernobyl disaster. The Ukrainian SSR Ministry of Health was
among the first to receive the AES disaster alarm. Immediately,
measures were taken to give medical aid to those affected and to
check on the state of the environment. Not even an hour had
passed and ambulances from Kiev and other towns were on their
way speeding toward Chernobyl. Leading specialists from the
Republican Ministry of Health Protection left for the accident
zone.
More than 1,300 doctors, nurses, laboratory assistants, radiation
monitoring personnel, 240 ambulances ? this medical assault
team is currently in action in the region of the Chernobyl AES.
Leading specialists from Moscow and Leningrad have arrived in
Kiev for consultations and to help. Medical establishments in
Kiev city and oblast have at their disposal all that is necessary to
ensure medical examination and the needed treatment.
Jointly with other specialists, the medical personnel took under
its control the state of the environment and the quality of food
products. Almost half of the patients who found themselves in
hospitals following the accident at the AES have now been
discharged. Following careful examination and necessary
treatment they are ready to go to work.
The situation in Pripyat, Chernobyl, and Kiev is normal. People
are not only struggling with the formidable forces of the atom;
they are also calmly working, resting, and marking holidays.
The red flag, this invariable companion of our holidays, was, just
like everywhere else in the country on 9 May, the Day of Victory,
hoisted on the building of the Chernobyl AES. It was hoisted by
those who are on duty today. One can justly call it battle duty.
Yes, things are difficult now, work is underway, titanic,
exhausting work ? but these people, who have been through
hard tests, who accomplish feats every minute, are already the
winners.
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IZVESTIYA CITES SILAYEV; 'DISASTER' DANGER NOW PAST
PM121314 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 12 May 86 Morning Edition p 3
[Special correspondent Andrey Illesh report: "Days of Concern and Alarm;
IZVESTIYA Special Correspondent Reports From the Chernobyl AES Region"]
[Text) Kiev, 10 May ? The State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate
Administration official raised his stick and our editorial vehicle
braked at the checkpoint on the highway leading to Kiev. There
were trucks, refrigerated vehicles, and "Volgas" in the convoy
alongside us... It is understandable: Giant cities have large
traffic flows. Produce, industrial goods, and everything needed
for Kiev's plants and factories are brought here. The echo of the
Chernobyl accident should not hamper the businesslike rhythm
of the life of the Ukrainian capital.
Our turn arrives. We drive up slowly to the specialists who are
carrying out dosage checks of the vehicles and passengers. We
get out of the car. The wheels and bodies of our "Zhigulis" do
not cause "clicks" on examination and the instruments show that
there is no radiation "contamination." But we too are examined.
Primarily our footwear.
"It doesn't matter where you've been walking," smiled N. Psur-
tsev, chief of the oblast State Motor Vehicle Inspection Admin-
istration's second division, who was standing alongside and had
just checked our documents.
"I've been reading your reports in IZVESTIYA," he said. But
when we inquired about his work he replied: "I have to 'disap-
point' you ? there are no sensations in my sector. Transportation
into Kiev is normal. But that doesn't mean we can give up. The
situation calls for special vigilance." Own correspondent N.
Baklanov, who has already filled more than one notebook,
stepped on the gas. The straight road into Zhitomir receded into
the distance.
In Makarovskiy Rayon, which is on the right-hand side of the
road, intensive and doubly busy life is currently under way, as,
incidentally, must be the case in other places. Evacuees from the
30-km zone have arrived and are being housed here.
"You can gauge the complexity of the situation just by the fact
that our bakery has now doubled output ? it's producing 24
metric tons of output per day," I. Kozhukhovskiy, chairman of
Makarovskiy Rayispolkom, said. "Our neighbors' schedule has
also gotten tighter. We have to foresee thousands of things, large
and small, and manage to do everything ? it is a question of
people who have left their homes and have sharply changed the
situation..." Everything necessary is being done. Here is the
certificate given to our correspondent A. Dolenko by N.
Stepanenko, first deputy chairman of Kiev Oblispolkom: "The
evacuees ? and there are currently almost 92,000 of them ?
have already been given free financial assistance. Some q,000
sets of clothing, 1,500 sewn and 4,000 woolen articles ? in all,
goods worth R150,000 ? have been issued free to the needy by
the Kiev Oblispolkom Population Services Administration." And
here are a few more figures which clearly illustrate both the
prevailing situation and the way in which the various ministries
and departments are operating in this situation. As already
reported in the press, trading organizations have been authorized
to let evacuees have goods on credit without a down payment. For
example, during the first week after the accident consumer
cooperative stores alone "sold" R16,000 worth of goods to'be paid
for later. They helped the evacuees out with bedding, of which
16,400 sets were issued. Some people needed furniture. That, too,
was supplied: 3,800 beds and folding beds, 3,500 mattresses,
R62,000 worth of kitchen utensils, and 300 gas stoves complete
with gas cylinders ? all this is already being used by the settlers.
The circumstances in which they found themselves made it
necessary to pay particular attention to hygiene and cleanliness.
They have been issued 8.5 million metric tons of detergents. In
addition, consumer cooperatives have dispatched mobile stores
to Polesskiy, Ivankovskiy, Borodyanskiy, and Makarovskiy
Rayons.
The state is providing mothers with children with places at health
centers, rest homes, and sanatoria free of charge, and Pioneer
camps are also being used for this purpose. These facilities now
accommodate more than 2,000 people...
But let us return to Makarov. The day we were there another
group of people evacuated from the zone was being billeted. The
rate is two settlers per household. Back in the rayispolkom we
studied attentively the questionnaires specially printed for this
purpose during the first days after the accident. Everything is
taken into consideration on these questionnaires, which are filled
in by the new arrivals: age, sex, former address, occupation,
number of children... This kind of strict "bookkeeping" is essen-
tial. It is one of the levers which makes it possible eliminate the
"stresses" which naturally occur in the conditions of an emer-
gency evacuation. And in fact the order that reigns here is
amazing. While we were there, the last paragraph of this special
questionnaire was being filled in, stating where the evacuee was
being billeted.
The party raykom and rayispolkom have set up a special center,
V. Kostroma, first secretary of the Makarovskiy Ukrainian
Communist Party Raykom, told us. It operates virtually around
' the clock. Every 24 hours its leaders are replaced; otherwise
people could not cope. And it is important not just to cope, but
to work well and efficiently! What is not done at the beginning
will be most difficult to put right later. Everyone understands
that the people who are arriving here are coming from a special
area. Their concerns are most important. But we must not forget
our own tasks either, spring will not wait. And the fall harvest
will have to feed many more people than usual.
The tactics of soviet and party bodies' current work are to tackle
the most prosaic but not necessarily the least important tasks.
For example, 17,446 head of livestock came into Makarovskiy
Rayon with the evacuees. The livestock have been housed at nine
248
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local kolkhozes. Yet they have to be not only milked but fed as
well. So the soviet and party bodies are racking their brains
wondering how to provide enough feed for the grown-up animals
tomorrow...
Emergency construction of temporary cattle and sheep pens has
begun. Existing ones are being overhauled. The new arrivals can
be of great assistance here: There have never been spare hands
in the countryside. New teams are being organized to do this
work. Machine operator is hurrying to join up with machine
operator, joiner with joiner, and milkmaid with milkmaid. The
billeting of the new arrivals was cunningly organized: Chair-
men were placed with kolkhoz chairmen, team leader was invited
to live with team leader. So they will be able to agree quickly at
home on the work they will be doing together. This means the
work gets started earlier. And the job is already being done. The
new arrivals are providing extra shifts at two local plants.
"Yes, we have commenced operations nearly everywhere," I.
Kozhukhovskiy remarked. "We now have two farms, as it were,
in every farm. Where space permits, we have sent tractors into
the fields with a view to obtaining more feed. We are sowing extra
corn and grass..."
What an effect visiting the "enlarged" villages had on us. Psy-
chologically many of the new arrivals are not yet ready to settle
down properly. Potatoes are being issued for planting -- it is not
too late to get started. But not everyone is in a hurry to set up his
own truck garden.
"You are right," the raykom secretary confirmed. "The job is
only half done so far. And paradoxical though it may seem, it is
the easy part. The ordinary, peasant life, albeit a very busy life
for everyone, lies ahead. And problems will crop up which we
should be thinking about right now. Even welcome guests get to
be a burden sometimes. It is a well-known fact: Two women in
the kitchen spells trouble..."
Kostroma is right: Tomorrow's preoccupations and concerns
are alread looming large. The way everything connected with the
evacuation was efficiently handled (for example, full bulletins on
the arrival of evacuees were issued hourly) is reassuring. It makes
one believe that they will also cope with the new difficulties.
Every morning at exactly 0900 the experts give their verdict at
the Kiev Gorispolkom: The radiation level in the city today is
such-and-such, the amount of drinking water is such-and-such.
The city leaders are keeping representatives of scientific research
institutes current with the Chernobyl AES accident situation.
The most up-to-date scientific research institute equipment has
now been switched from academic use to the area of the everyday
needs of people in the city and the oblast.
It is not for nothing that we return to this in our reportage.
Despite the fact that materials on atmospheric pollution have
already been published, many IZVESTIYA readers are still
concerned about the situation in the city. In short, it is a normal,
working situation. Here is what specialists think about this.
"To speak of the trend," Professor M. Shandala told our cor-
respondent S. Tsikora, "according to our graphs, the background
249
radiation in Kiev will return to normal somewhere around 19
May. Of course, it is still higher than normal today, but it does
not represent a dager to people." Let us "open" the reference
book. Radiation (or emission) has been inherent on our planet
from time immemorial, since before man appeared on it.
Therefore, every one of us feels its influence on himself
throughout his life. Naturally, this influence does not do us any
harm. An increased influence is a terrible enemy. The principle
for assessing what is and what is not dangerous is the total
radiation dose "absorbed" by a person in a year.
"The following norms for radiation safety are in effect in the
USSR," the scientist continued. "For professionals working with
radioactive substances the permitted annual dose is 5 roentgens'.
For those who do not work with such substances but live close to
where they are produced, the dose is reduced tenfold and is equal
to 0.5 roentgen a year. This applies to ordinary working and living
conditions. In emergency situations ? and they are always
short-lived ? different safety norms apply. But even these do not
in any case go beyond doses which threaten people with any
serious ailments ? radiation sickness, for example.
"I will illustrate these points with reference to the recent situation
in Kiev," the professor said. "The entire city has now been
switched to the emergency situation normatives, and the
permitted radiation dose rplanka' radiatsionnoy nagruzkil has
been raised to 10 roentgens a year. So: Given the present level of
radiation in the city, to obtain that dose every inhabitant of Kiev
would have to be irradiated continuously for 2,000 days, that is,
for more than 5 years! This is why all specialists claim with one
voice that the present level of radiation in the city, even though
it exceeds the normal background radiation, poses no threat to
people's health." Of course, painstaking preventive measures are
needed. This means that it is necessary to observe hygiene,
prevent the buildup of dust indoors, wipe it away with a wet cloth,
limit the time young children spend out of doors....
Announcements of this kind have now been carried on local
television, and doctors are writing articles in the press.
The city of Chernobyl, 10 May. The AES is 18 km away. An
offensive sets out from here with the purpose of neutralizing the
center of radiation. And this is what has happened! 1.S. Silayev,
deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers: "Today it
is possible to speak firmly of a new stage in the work on liquidat-
ing the aftermath of the accident. The main danger has been
removed, and it is possible to work calmly. The possibility of a
disaster, about which Western mass media have been writing a
great deal, is now ruled out. But, naturally, this does not Mean
that we can curtail all our activity. Great work lies ahead. One
of the chief tasks is to carry out tl)e total decontamination of the
station and the adjacent locality."
Academician Ye.p. Velikhov, vice president of the USSR Acad-
emy of Sciences: "Indeed, theoretically until today there existed
the possibility of a disaster ? a large quantity of fuel and reactor
graphite was in an incandescent state. This is not the case now.
As already stated, specialists are faced with a very difficult task.
They will set about decontaminating and encapsulating all radio-
active substances. This will in turn guarantee against their
getting into subsoil waters. But, for the time being, special work
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is being carried out inside the block under very difficult conditions of high
radioactivity. Construction workers are doing a great deal now. They are
freezing the soil and putting down a large quantity of concrete. The purpose
of the actions is to 'bury' the damaged reactor."
IZVESTIYA CITES OFFICIAL ON CLEANUP TECHNIQUES
WA131300 [Editorial Report] Moscow IZVESTIY A in Russian
on 13 May 1986 in its Morning Edition prints at the bottom of
page 3 a TASS photograph, 7.5 by 5.5 inches, of the Chernobyl
AES site, a large arrow apparently indicating the area of dam-
age. The following unattributed commentary is printed beneath
the photograph: "At IZVESTIY A's request the photograph is
commented on by chief engineer B. Prushinskiy, first deputy
chief of the "Soyuzatomenergo" All-Union Production Associa-
tion, who has just returned from Chernobyl: "The power station's
fourth unit, where the accident occurred, is in the center of the
shot. The arrow points to the opening in the roof of the nuclear
reactor. Sand, dolomite, lead, and other protective materials have
been dropped from helicopters through it and into the building
to reduce the radioactive discharge. Materials have now ceased
to be dropped. It is now planned to enclose the damaged unit in
a thick concrete casing. All the spaces beneath the unit will also
be packed with concrete in order to completely isolate it from the
soil. A special cooling system will also be built to prevent the
temperature from rising inside the casing as a result of natural
radioactive decay.
"The elongated section behind the fourth unit is the engine room,
serving all the units. Next to the fourth, left of it, is the third unit.
As you can see, it is completely undamaged. Further left toward
the engine room is the second unit, only partly visible, and beyond
that is the first unit, not on the picture. In the foreground you
can see the liquid and solid waste storage facility and, next to the
second unit, further toward us, the building housing laboratories
and amenities. In the top right-hand corner of the photograph
are the pylons for the high-voltage switchgear lines.
"Decontamination operations are currently being carried out at
the station site. The outer surfaces of the buildings, starting with
the roofs, are being washed, the waste water being directed into
special channels and thence into decontamination installations.
Similar operations will also be conducted in the settlement near
the station. The topsoil is being removed in the danger zone, and
the whole area will be concreted over. When this work has
finished the Chernobyl AES will be operational again."
SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA REPORTS ON CHERNOBYL CLEANUP
PM131608 Moscow SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA in Russian 14 May 86 First Edition page not
given
[Report by TASS correspondents V. Zhukovskiy, V. Itkin, and L. Chernenko under
the rubric "TASS Correspondents Report From Chernobyl Specially for SOVETSKAYA
ROSSIYA": "The Headquarters Acts"]
[Text] Kiev Oblast ? The helicopter came straight in to land,
without taking aim. A familiar spot. It has taken off many times
from here, close to Chernobyl, and set course for the AES. There
have been crew changes, but the machine has worked faultlessly,
obediently fulfilling the will of courageous people. It was in such
an "experienced" helicopter that we arrived at Chernobyl, or, as
people here say, at the "zone." You can get there only with
special passes. It is just over 15 km in a straight line from
Chernobyl to the station. TASS special correspondents and a
Central Television team were permitted to view the city and
attend a session of the government commission.
Chernobyl is beautiful: graceful streets, fresh greenery, flower
beds. And clean. Dozens of sprinkler machines are continuously
250
washing and swabbing ? this word suggests itself? its roads,
streets, and squares. Not a speck of dirt or dust. In the situation
which has taken shape here now, after the accident, it is precisely
dust that represents one of the chief dangers.
The headquarters ? the government commission ? imparts the
rhythm, pace, and mood to everything that happens here. It is
possible to say without exaggeration that the volume of work is
huge. In addition to very complex technical problems, it is
necessary to solve questions associated with the human factor ?
and solve them without the right to make a mistake. Communi-
cations are operating at full capacity. Moscow, Kiev, the regions
which have taken evacuees, and the headquarters, sited at the
nuclear station itself, keep in constant contact.
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"I can tell you," I.S. Silayev, deputy chairman of the USSR
Council of Ministers, told journalists, "that at this session we
reached the conclusion that the chief, basic danger has been
removed. The disaster at Chernobyl forecast by certain Western
newspapers will not happen. Today we have the right to speak
firmly of a new stage in the work to liquidate the aftermath of
the accident. It is possible to act calmly. But this, of course, does
not mean that the time has come to cut back all our activity.
Great work lies ahead. One of the chief tasks is to carry out the
full decontamination of the station and the adjacent locality."
The headquarters is drawing up the strategy and the tactics of
the struggle aimed at eliminating the aftermath of the accident,
very important decisions are being adopted, and intense collective
work is beitig done, in which prominent leaders and eminent
specialists and scientists are participating. They include Ye.P.
Velikhov, vice president of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The
academician called today a turning point.
"Hitherto a large quantity of fuel and reactor graphite had been
in an incandescent state," he pointed out. "Of course, this was of
concern. The temperature has now fallen, and a new stage of the
struggle lies ahead. As already stated, specialists are faced with
carrying out a difficult new task. They will set about decontami-
nating and encapsulating all radioactive substances.
"It is necessary to carry out a whole series of measurements and
investigations and determine the most polluted places. All this is
being done under exceptionally difficult conditions. Radioactiv-
ity remains high within the reactor unit. But the work there must
not be suspended. It is being carried out. The foundations
beneath the reactor are being additionally strengthened. Con-
struction workers are putting concrete under it."
"In certain places it was necessary to freeze the soil. When the
entire package of these measures has been carried out, we will
sum up the investigations, and a decision will be adopted on
resuming the work of the Chernobyl ABS. Within a certain time
dictated by safety norms the station will be rehabilitated and will
start generating current. Of course, there will be no fourth
reactor unit. It is planned to liquidate and bury it, observing the
same safety measures as is done with other radioactive waste."
"Are things difficult?" we asked Yevgeniy Pavlovich.
"I will say this: For those who have remained here it is just a job.
In Chernobyl today we have the people we need ? courageous,
skilled, choice people. We talked with one of the active partici-
pants in the Chernobyl epic ? Yevgeniy Ivanovich Ignatenko,
deputy chief of the "Soyuzatomenergo" Association. At the
headquarters we noticed him at once ? tall, broad-shouldered,
open-faced, kind of big and strong. This expression is current
here: "How much have you caught?" Well, Ignatenko has
"caught" a lot ? several tens of roentgen. But he is a specialist
in this matter and knows perfectly well the permissible norms.
"Nothing terrible," he said confidently. "There are people with
more. No way can I go away from here. I am needed here. There
is such a concept as need. And it is the best medicine for all
diseases." Ignatenko has been at the station since 26 April. He
was one of the first to give the commission a technical picture of
the state of the devastated reactor unit and to determine the
radiation situation...
Specialists here are acting with fortitude and courage. Vladimir
Konstantinovich Bronnikov, chief engineer of the Minsk Nuclear
Heat and Electric Power Station; Eduard Saakovich Saakov,
chief engineer of one of the associations of the USSR Ministry
of Power and Electrification; Taras Grigoryevich Plokhiy, for-
mer deputy chief engineer of the Chernobyl ABS and now one of
the leaders of the Balakovo Nuclear Station. And Ignatenko
himself. It was they who organized the draining of the water
which had formed as a result of the accident beneath the reactor.
People in protective drysuits descended into the radioactive zone.
(Only after this did other work begin). Amazing, really heroic
people. And there are very many of them here.
Life will win the day. For the black-and-white stork standing by
its nest on the roof of one of the abandoned houses is waiting and
waiting for people. There will be people, flowers, and weddings
in Chernobyl.
ACADEMICIAN INTERVIEWED ON CHERNOBYL AREA TASKS
LD132228 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1700 GMT 13 May 86
["Our special correspondents" A. Krutov
AES "area"; from the "Vremya" newscast]
[Text] The rate of work in eliminating the consequences of the
accident rises daily. From the first light of day to late in the
evening, unloading of vessels proceeds at Chernobyl's rivet' port.
There are more and more vehicles on the Chernobyl-Pripyat
road. People, concrete, sand, gravel and other construction mate-
rials are carried in shuttle trips. [video shows cranes unloading
vessels on river; shot of truck by large pile of sand; brief shot of
truck speeding along road followed by three tanker trucks; shot
of sign indicating boundary of Chernobyl]
and Ye. Shmatrikov report from Chernobyl
The level of radiation in Chernobyl -- this is 18 km from the
ABS ? is not threatening the lives and health of those working
here. However, all precautionary measures are being observed.
[video shows shots taken from moving vehicle showing parked
(?concrete) truck; groups of workers at roadside; workers
standing, dressed in blue overalls, all with caps or hats, most
sporting face mask hanging round neck]
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The houses, shops and schools await the return of their occupants.
It is difficult to say when this will be, but there is every ground
to hope that this will definitely happen. [video shows shots of an
apartment block, focusing on doll in bridal gown left standing by
a window]
One of the main tasks is being resolved by the chemists. Active
decontamination of the soil, buildings and structures is under-
way, particularly in those place where emissions were particu-
larly strong. This is basically near the station's fourth unit. You
can understand for yourselves that we can't show you any closer
to this place, but believe me, the rates of work are high. [vide
shows helicopter in flight; aerial views from a distance of the
Chernobyl nuclear complex, including brief shot of what is
presumably the damaged unit; video switches to show unidenti-
fied correspondent speaking to B.V. Gidaspov, corresponding
member of the USSR Academy of Sciencies standing on tree-
lined road in front of unspecified building]
[Gidaspov] In general we have established a unique collective
here; this temporary collective is very unusual. It includes party
workers, local soviet workers, ministers, top-rank leaders of the
defense ministry, and scientists with most diverse specializations.
To be honest, when I was invited here for brief consultations I
did not imagine that I would meet what is for me such an unusual
spectrum of scientific problems. Here we have had to find
commonplace [trivialnyy] or simple ways out of very complex
situations because we simply did not have the time required for
profound study [words indistinct]. However, the problems of
decontaminating the soil and the area [territoriya], on which the
fate of many tens of thousands of people who have temporarily
moved from these localities is, in general, dependent, has touched
us deeply, and we have spared no efforts. and by the united labor
of these many collective ? and of course with the widespread
creative participation of workers and engineers ? we have
managed in a short space of time, in difficult field conditions, to
organize the production of the necessary chemical materials with
which we can now cover and decontaminate an area of 150,000
- 200,000 square meters.
Our task is not ending, it is only beginning. It will develop in
quantative terms, and there is no doubt that it should also have
new qualitative shifts.
[Correspondent] In such a difficult, tense and extreme situation,
simple solutions are being found, and when the situation is calm...
[Gidaspov interrupts] Well, you answered the question. Solutions
come when life requires them of you; when there is exertion of
all inner forces some sort of new resources are found, and man is
then capable of resolving considerably more than in a calm office
environment. [video shows Gidaspov turning to exchange words
with man in brown overall, with face mask round his neck] Well,
(Georgiy Artemovich), how much sleep are we getting? About
2-3 hours per day, but nobody wants to sleep. And what pleases
me very much is that we haven't written a single report, we
haven't signed a single technical decision. We resolve everything
on the telephone, in personal contacts. And this itself makes it
possible to work quickly, efficiently, and I hope qualitatively too.
[Correspondent] How do you assess the future prospects?
[Gidaspov] I think that in general, events are developing nor-
mally. They should not be hurried. A very great deal of work is
still in prospect. What is most important is that we are controlling
the situation and we can picture how we must proceed to resolve
the problems.
SCHERBINA BRIEFS W. EUROPE, U. S . ENVOYS ON CHERNOBYL
LD131133 Moscow TASS in English 1112 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 13 TASS ? Boris Scherbina, a deputy
chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, had a meeting
? today with the ambassadors of Britain, Spain, Italy, Canada, the
Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Turkey and the Federal
Republic of Germany, the charges d'affaires ad interim of Aus-
tria, Denmark, Luxembourg and France and representatives of
the U.S. Embassy accredited in the Soviet Union.
Taking part in the meeting were Andranik Petrosyants,
chairman of the State Committee of the USSR for the Use of
Atomic, Energy, Yevgeniy Vorobyev, a first deputy minister of
public health of the USSR, Yuriy Sedunov, a first deputy
chairman of the State Committee of the USSR for
Hydrometeorology and Monitoring of the Environment, and
Vladimir Petrovskiy, a member of the collegium of the Foreign
Ministry of the USSR.
The ambassadors were given detailed explanations .on issues
connected with the situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power
station. They were informed of measures being taken to nullify
the consequences of the accident and the radiation situation in
the territory of the Ukraine and Belorussia and on the western
borders of the USSR. The diplomats were briefed on measures
to decontaminate the zone of the station and transport commu-
nications. They received answers to all their questions.
Ambassadors Sandor Rajnai of Hungary, Kwon Hui-kyong of
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Tserengiyn Gur-
badam of Mongolia, Wlodimierz Natorf of Poland and Traian
Dudas of Romania, charges d'affaires ad interim Nguyen Van
Quang of Vietnam, S. Koerner of the German Democratic
Republic and S. Soukhaseum of Laos and the councillor-envoys
Luis Felipe Vazques of the Embassy of Cuba, M. Jotov of the
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Embassy of Bulgaria and Z. Cerny of the Embassy of
Czechoslovakia were received in the Foreign Ministry of the
USSR today.
In addition to data regularly provided by competent Soviet
organizations to corresponding institutions in these countries,
V.P. Loginov, a deputy foreign minister of the USSR, gave the
participants in the meeting detailed information about the state
of things and measures being taken to nullify the effects of the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station.
Taking part in the conversation were N.P. Kozlov, a deputy
chairman of the State Committee of the USSR for
Hydrometeorology and Monitoring of the Environment, and
B.A. Semenov, a deputy chairman of the State Committee of the
USSR for the Utilisation of Atomic Energy.
CIVIL AVIATION MINISTRY COORDINATES CLEANUP
LD132016 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1800 GMT 13 May 86
[Correspondent Vladimir Mikhaylenko report from the Central Controllers Office
of Civil Aviation; city not specified, on 13 May?recorded]
[Text] [Mikhaylenko] For 17 days now the Central Controllers
Office of Civil Aviation has been operation in a state of tension.
As well as the day-to-day routine work of Aeroflot there has been
special concern about Chernobyl. For 17 days all the requests
have been streaming in here to the control office for the transfer
of specialists and special cargoes required for the liquidation of
the consequences of the accident at the nuclear power station.
Leading staff of the ministry are constantly on duty here at the
present time in the Central Controllers Office. At our micro-
phone is Nikolay Vasiliyevich (Khlomots) head of the main
directorate of aviation operations and transportation.
Nikolay Vasiliyevich, what are the main worries for Aeroflot at
this time?
[(Khlomots)] From the very first hours following the accident at
the Chernobyl nuclear power station, Aeroflot began fulfilling
urgent tasks. Civil aviation planes were sent out to pick up those
who were affected, and transportation was then begun according
to the task of the government commission for delivering special-
ists, equipment, and special technology designated or the
elimination of the consequences of the accident.
[Mikhaylenko] How is all this work being coordinated; I see that
the situation has been tense so far?
[(Khlomots)] On the very first day a special headquarters was set
up at the ministry headed by a first deputy minister, to coordinate
work. Immediate control is being carried out by the minister of
civil aviation. The work is being carried out precisely, without
the slightest delay and according to a strictly planned schedule.
A specially formed unit made up of aircraft and helicopters,
which are fulfilling the tasks of the state commission, is operating
directly in the Chernobyl area.
It must be noted that the Aeroflot crews participating in this work
are constantly showing examples of labor heroism. In other
words, it may be said that people are giving their all. These
include Anatoliy Vladimirovich (Vetlichko), Comrade Aleksandr
Grigoriyevich (Nosenko), Oleg Iva novich (Zamatalov) command-
ers of air craft [komandiry vozdushnykh sudov], and many others.
[Mikhaylenko] It now looks as though the chief of the Central
Production-Control Department of Civil Aviation, Andrey Kon-
stantinovich Andreyev, is free. Andrey Konstantinovich, what
has today been like?
[Andreyev] Today, like previous days, all the freight required to
eliminate the consequences of the accident at Cernobyl AES is
being delivered by Civil Aviation aircraft in the shortest possible
time. Three flights have already been carried out today, and the
traffic of the remaining aircraft is under the control of the central
controllers.
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run vrritAAL UJE liINLI
PRESS TOLD CHERNOBYL INDUSTRIES 'WORKING NORMALLY'
LD122012 Kiev Domestic Service in Ukrainian 1915 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] A group of Communist Party paper correpondents from
Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, West Berlin, Israel, Italy,
Canada, Luxembourg, the United States, the FRG, Finland,
Sweden, France and Japan are visiting the Ukrainian capital.
They have arrived to learn about the progress in eliminating the
results of the Chernobyl AES accident. The guests visited the
obkom, where Revenko, first secretary of the Kiev Obkom
described how the evacuation from the danger zone was carried
out, and what is being done now in the sphere of settling the
evacuees, providing services, and [word indistinct]. He informed
them about the situation in the 30 km zone of the AES: Thanks
to the efforts of party, soviet and economic bodies, all industries
and services of the national economy are working normally. One
can see good organization and efforts to eliminate the results of
the accident everywhere.
Revenko, first secretary of the Kiev party obkom and (Mart-
ynyuk), second secretary of the Kiev Obkom answered journal-
ists' questions.
The representatives of. the Communist press also visited the
Soviet Rayon of the Kiev Oblast, where they met representatives
of party and soviet bodies and visited a sovkhoz and its vocational
college.
MEDICS AT CHERNOBYL 'OPERATING AS THOUGH IN COMBAT'
PM130936 Moscow TRUD in Russian 9 May 86 p 4
[Report by TASS special correspondents V. Zhukovskiy, V. Itkin, and L. Chernenko:
"Medics in the Chernobyl AES Area Are Operating as Though in Combat"]
[Text] Vitaliy Alekseyevich Melnichenko, chief doctor at the
Lesnaya Polyana Health Clinic, had not slept for 2 days. The
clinic had received a reserve group of workers from the Cher-
nobyl AES for a rest. The emergency actions and the evacuation
of families had, of course, all affected people's condition. It was
therefore necessary to create all the conditions necessary for
them to feel at home ? that was the task that the chief doctor
had set the medical personnel. Round-the-clock duty was
instituted for the medical teams, and the workload of the lab-
oratory, which has to carry out dozens of blood analyses, was also
stepped up.
That was how Lesnaya Polya greeted those who will soon have
to continue their vigil at the Chernobyl AES. Although the
reactors have been shut down, essential operating procedures
[nuzhnyy rezhim] have to be maintained. The people who have
been entrusted with this responsible work must be in good shape.
And the doctors are taking care of that.
"The results of the examinations show that our patients are
perfectly healthy and will be able to start work after a rest," the
chief doctor believes. The radiation monitor has become a famil-
iar figure in the avenues of the clinic. The radiation "patrol", .
closely monitors the state of the air and soil. This new specialist
field has also been mastered by the medics.
Vasiliy Korchevskiy, a young paramedic at the Teterevskaya
Hospital, has, for example, swapped his stethoscope for the
headphones of a radiation monitoring instrument. He is aware of
the special responsibility of his mission and carefully "listens to"
his patients, accurately sifting the slightest deviations out from
254
the background. It is not, of course, a pleasant sensation when
you are probed by the instrument or when a slight crackling in
the headphones is heard and the needle flickers scarcely percep-
tibly. We discovered this for ourselves when we were checked out!
"The health services in Vasilkovskiy Rayon, for example, have
set up radiation posts. They monitor the state of the air and soil.
The output of the local dairy combine is double-checked. The
work of the medics at the Vasilkovskiy Rayon polyclinic has also
increased. Preventive examinations of people evacuated from the
danger zone are being carried out there," Vladimir Petrovich
Poluneyev, chief doctor at the polyclinic said. "Doctors from
other oblasts are helping us examine and carry out medical
observation of them. The medics are now operating as though in
combat.
"The medical task force working in the Chernobyl AES area
consists of more than 1,300 doctors, nurses, laboratory workers,
and radiation monitors and 240 ambulances," Ukrainian SSR
Deputy Health Minister A. N. Zelinskiy said. He had a report
on the accommodation of the evacuated population. "The village
of Peskovka, for example. It has received more than 2,000 people
from the danger zone. We have sent 12 medical teams from other
oblasts to help local medics treat them.
"The Ukrainian SSR Health Ministry ,constantly receives-
requests to be sent to the Chernobyl AES area," the deputy
minister continued. "Many medical workers joined in the fight
to eliminate the consequences of the accident at the very outset
of the emergency. The Ukrainian SSR Health Ministry was one
of the first to be alerted to the calamity at the AES. Measures
were taken straightaway to provide immediate medical assis-
tance to the victims and monitor the environment. Within an
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hour ambulances were speeding toward Kiev and other cities.
Leading specialists of the Republic's health ministry headed for
the accident area."
Radiation monitors measured the level of radiation and doctors
examined patients at the station itself. Those who were in need
of emergency assistance were hospitalized. They were admitted
by the Kiev Oblast Hospital and other specialist clinics in the
Ukrainian capital. The most seriously affected workers at the
AES and firemen were airlifted to specialist clinics of the USSR
Health Ministry in Moscow.
Leading specialists from Moscow and Leningrad arrived in Kiev
to give advice and help. These included L. Ilin, vice president and
academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, Profes-
sors L. Romanov, Ye. Gogin, V. Kharitonov, 0. Pavlovskiy, and
others. Kiev city and oblast medical establishments have all the
requisite medications at their disposal.
Large-scale health education work is being carried out.
Ukrainian SSR Health Minister A. Romanenko has appeared on
Ukrainian television and radio to describe the preventive mea-
sures necessary in the prevailing situation.
Almost half the patients admitted to hospitals after the accident
at the AES have already been discharged. Through the efforts of
doctors people are recovering their health and through the efforts
of party and Soviet workers and various specialists life is return-
ing to normal in the Chernobyl area.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS BRIEF NEWSMEN AT 8 MAY SESSION
PM091555 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 10 May 86 Morning Edition p 6
[Report by special correspondent Andre
With Journalists in Kiev"]
[Text] What is happening in Chernobyl? This question was posed
in various ways by foreign correspondents at an 8 May meeting
at the Ukrainian SSR Council of Ministers. A group of journal-
ists from various countries accredited in Moscow had come to
Kiev. The meeting was opened by Ukrainian SSR Council of
Ministers Chairman A.P. Lyashko. It was also attended by
Yu.A. Izrael, chairman of the USSR State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control; L.A. Ilin, vice
president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and other scien-
tists and specialists.
"The temperature in the fourth unit's reactor has fallen to 300
degrees," A.P. Lyashko said. "This means that the graphite in
the reactor has stopped burning and the radiation is tending
steadily to reduce." A.P. Lyashko talked in detail about the
evacuation of people from the power workers' city and 30-
kilometer zone, about the assistance the state has given and is
giving to people, and about the work of the 230 teams of medics
who have arrived from all over the Republic. "The entire pop-
ulation has been checked by medics," A.P. Lyashko said, "and
people needing treatment have been hospitalized.
"The Kiev reservoir is the city's main drinking 'cup.' Imme-
diately after the accident checkpoints were set up along the
length of the reservoir and on the Pripyat River itself. The results
of their analyses, made every hour, show that there is no danger."
Monitoring of the condition of the air and the soil was, of course,
established. A cordon has been thrown around the 30-kilometer
zone and checkpoints are operating. The only people inside the
zone are those engaged in eliminating the breakdown and its
consequences and people keeping the first, second, and third AES
Illesh: "Situation Normalizing. Meeting
[Atomic Energy Station] units in proper condition. These units
have not been affected and are ready to start up.
"Human genius has placed the atom at man's service," A.P.
Lyashko continued. "AES's are being built all over the world.
Some 41 units are already operating in the USSR, 10 in the
Ukraine. Others are being erected. Note that the fifth unit has
been under construction at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Sta-
tion. For obvious reasons, construction has been suspended, but
I am sure that the process of building nuclear power stations will
continue. Mankind is using up too many nonrenewable forms of
energy. The future belongs to nuclear power. But, certainly,
lessons must be learned ? very serious ones too ? from the
accident and the ensuing calamity. It is to this end that the major
Soviet scientists and specialists in the government's commission
are working today."
Asked about the protection of the health of people working at
present to eliminate the breakdown, L.A. Ilin, vice president of
the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, answered: "The mon-
itoring norms and regulations used in our country are virtually
no different from those used by the IAEA," he said. "Hence the
regulations covering exposure doses for all who are presently in
the zone ? and I have arrived in Kiev from the AES area and
can state this with utmost responsibility ? are being fully
obseryed. These measures rule out any exposure in excess of 25
roentgens, the dose established worldwide for this type of acci-
dent work. The word of medical scientists in this type of work is
the final one and, in fact, the only one. People exposed to such a
dose cannot take part in work in the danger zone for a period of
I year."
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Foreign journalists wanted to know about the radiation situation
in the Ukrainian capital. Explanations Were supplied by Yu.A.
lzrael, chairman of the USSR State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control.
"The small particles of burned graphite released during the
accident carried a dose ? albeit a small one ? of radiation.
These particles spread over a certain distance. This is the sit-
uation which determined the evacuation of people. Even though,
of course, these radioactive particles could not, even theoreti-
cally, have spread over the entire are of the 30-km zone. As far
as Kiev is concerned, the monitoring here is, of course, particu-
larly thorough. I can set all your minds at rest: The radiation level
in the city today does not exceed 0.35-0.4 milliroentgens per hour.
This poses absolutely no danger for the population's health. Let
me mention a few other cities where background radiation has
increased in connection with atmospheric pollution. For example,
the radiation level in the Belorussian SSR today stands at 0.3
milliroentgens per hour in the city of Gomel and 0.5 milliroent-
gens per hour in Zhlobin.
"People may ask: To what can we compare this? When a patient's
teeth or, let us say, his stomach, are x-rayed; he is exposed to a
dose of up to I roentgen. So, judge for yourselves." Journalists
were told that the population will return to their places of
residence only when the decontamination of soil and all housing
and public. buildings is fully completed. It was said that 8,000
foreign students are studying in Kiev, and 8 of them have left the
city. This fact is evidence of the normal situation prevailing in
Kiev today.
MEDICAL OFFICIAL SAYS 'SITUATION STABILIZED'
LD101657 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1430 GMT 10 May 86
[Interview with USSR Academy of Medical Sciences Vice President Leonid
Andreyevich Ilyin by an unidentified correspondent; date, place not given;
from the "Vremya"'newscast]
[Text] [Ilyin] The situation has stabilized and is steadily
improving. Very intensive work is currently being carried out in
the station's operational area [promploshchadka] to eliminate the
consequences of the accident, and decontamination work is being
carried out at the station on a very large scale. I must say that
the staff working at the station, the people taking part in
eliminating the consequences of the accident in the operational
area, are undergoing thorough radiation monitoring. The level of
exposure is regulated very accurately, and in this respect, as I see
it, medical supervision is being conducted with great care and
quality.
The situation in Kiev. Oblast also is steadily improving. For
example, compared to yesterday [date not specified], today's rate
of gamma-radiation dosage ? it is true, naturally, that it's in
small quantities in Kiev ? has dropped by a factor of two, and,
of course, this dose does not present any danger.
I must say that much work is being carried out by the medics as
well by the specialists working in the field of radiation monitoring
in those places to which the population has been evacuated from
the 30-km zone around the Chernobyl atomic electrical power
station.
[Correspondent] What can you say about the monitoring of water
and foodstuffs?
[Ilyin] Monitoring is being carried out regularly. Let us say that
monitoring of the water in the Kiev water reservoir is being
carried out several times throughout the day, and the situation
in this respect is safe according to the analysis now at our
disposal.
[Correspondent] What can you say about the work of the other
services engaged in eliminating the accident?
[Ilyin] It is with a feeling of pride in our people that we can state
today that people are carrying out the work without consideration
for time and under very great pressure. I must say that this
pressure, of course, is justified, because a very great job is being
done. It is essential that we localize and eliminate the con-
sequences of this accident as quickly as possible.
It must be said that the situation in Kiev is calm and people are
at work. A very important point is that we are all convinced of
the effectiveness of the enormous measures being taken both by
people working on eliminating the accident and literally of all the
services brought into action to tackle the very complex problems.
Of course, one must not oversimplify the situation. There is still
a great deal of work to be done, and this is quite natural. I express
my unequivocal hope that the situation will, in general, become
sufficiently calm in the near future... [interview ends in mid-
sentence]
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MOSCOW ON CONDITIONS AT MIRGOROD HEALTH RESORT
WA131101 [Editorial Report] Moscow Domestic Service in Rus-
sian at 1800 GMT on 12 May carries a 1-minute Vitaliy
Pidchenko report from Mirgorod health resort. He first describes
the spring flowers and blossom, and says that people coming to
the four health homes will enjoy the pleasant climate and excur-
sions on the Khorol River. He goes on to say: "Of course, you
know about the incident at Chernobyl AES, which is about 300
km from here. The press of Western countries claims that
everything here is scorched with radiation and that nothing living
is left," to which an unidentified woman replies: "We are fine
here; the waters are excellent, the climate is doing us good, the
birch grove here is lovely, and the nightingales are singing."
Pidchenko continues his report by saying: "The Khorol River is
linked with the Pripyat, which flows through the Chernobyl
region, so naturally, precautionary measures are being taken.
Health service posts have been set up to check the level of
radiation of the water day and night." He then asks a health
service post official, Dr Nikolay Vasilyevich Alefir, to comment
on the situation. Alefir says: "The instrument readings show that
the radiation levels do not exceed the permissible danger levels;
there is practically no danger to people vacationing or using the
river." Pidchenko ends his report by pointing out that about
60,000 people will rest and restore their health here this year.
IZVESTIYA DESCRIBES FACILITIES FOR CHERNOBYL EVACUEES
PM131230 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 11 May 86 Morning Edition p 6
[Special correspondent Andrey Illesh report:
Reactors"]
[Text] Kiev Oblast ? It is bright and sunny here now. Kiev and
its suburbs, often praised for their special spring beauty, are
really charming. And thoughts about the danger lurking within
the nuclear reactor in nearby Chernobyl are completely out of
place in all this splendor.
I have sent dispatches to the editorial office from places where
the elements were in turmoil ? scenes of floods, fires, and
earthquakes. But in the Far Eastern taiga enveloped in flames
and in villages shattered by earthquake high in the Pamir moun-
tains the disaster was clearly visible and its traces were there to
see. There are no outward signs of the accident at the Chernobyl
AES. Even the pilots now working in the zone speak about the
normal "picture." There are probably fewer people within the
exclusion zone, although there are vehicles on the roads. They
are hurrying toward the same point ? the power industry
workers' town of Pripyat, which now houses the headquarters for
eliminating the aftereffects of the accident.
As we have already reported, 150 people are on duty at the
station's power units. The fictions that the AES is deserted
remain just fiction. Readers of the oblast newspaper KIYIVSKA
PRA VDA have been able to see for themselves the correctness of
these words by viewing the photreportages about the people who
are still working at the AES.
The "Skazochnyy" Young Pioneers camp is located 28 km from
the station. It has now become the operational workers' base.
Although they will only be living here for a short time life is
following a normal, well-established course: There is a canteen,
a postal section, medical assistance, and every other essential
servtee available here.
"The Shift Sets Off for the
"People have the time and, the main thing, the inclination to play
chess, read newspapers, and talk peacefully with their friends and
colleagues in the difficult and dangerous work," our Kiev corre-
spondent N. Baklanov said. "It is natural that in the breaks
between shifts their thoughts should be occupied with the matter
that is worrying us all: How to eliminate the after-effects of the
accident?" "We are fighting for the station's existence," V.
Klepikov, chief of a shift at the No. 1 turbine shop, said. "We are
monitoring the condition of the equipment of the first three
reactors. Our shift was the first to go on duty after the accident.
We are continuing work now. We are living and working in
unusual conditions but according to the normal routine: We have
the statutory days off and shift changes. The accident at the
fourth power unit did not affect the first three. They have stopped
but they need to be serviced, of course. We are carrying out that
task, too." After a silence he added: "I am confident that the
AES will survive. We will not abandon it! Nor will we abandon
our hometown. Many of the power workers whom we met during
these extraordinarily tense days think think the same way."
"There are only male volunteers working at the station now," V.
Kholosha, deputy secretary of the AES party committee, said.
"No one wanted to go on leave even though the opportunity was
immediately offered to those who wanted it." IZVESTIYA has
; reported in detail about the evacuation from the 30 km zone
surrounding the station. The families of those working at the
AES were also moved out. How are the fathers and husbands
faring ? this question is now naturally of interest to the power
workers who have left the cities of Pripyat and Chernobyl. To
maintain links between members of families a special postal
"section" has been set up here at the Young Pioneers' camp. It
is run by postal communications operator Valentina Dmitriyevna
Zhukova.
257
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"I receive correspondence from the Polesskoye section. Con-
sequently everyone who is sent to work at the reactors has an
interest in this service." Zhukova sees the impatience of those
waiting for letters here. The evacuation occurred at a time when
some of the AES service personnel were at their work stations.
Thus not everyone at "Skazochnyy" knows yet where their
families have gone or how they have settled in at their new
location. Zhukova received a telegram which read: "Help me find
my family!" Replies to these messages are greeted with particular
feeling. Yes, Valentina Dmitriyevna is a very popular person
here: Families are "reunited" and contacts between relatives are
restored through here.
...A bus came into the camp nestling among the pine trees. The
next shift is going on that bus and after by special transport to
work at the AES. According to the latest figures, the radiation
level in the station's service buildings is falling all the time.
PLACEMENT. OF CHERNOBYL WORKERS ELSEWHERE IN PROGRESS
LD112014 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1430 GMT 13 May 86
[From the "Vremya" newscast]
[Text] The Novovoronezhskaya AES has been standing on the
banks of the Don for more than 20 years. It operates in a reliable
and steady way. [video shows-ground-level external shots of
powerplant, pylons, cooling towwers] At present, there is a rou-
tine, planned, but complicated operation in progress: refuelling
the largest power unit, which has a capacity of I million kw. Since
August last year it has been registered as meeting with Interna-
tional Atomic Energy Association [IAEA] standards. [video
shows brief clip of indoor meeting of officials, followed by
outdoor interview with man identified by caption as station
director V.A. Zverev)
[Zverev] At present, IAEA inspectors are inspecting and taking
part in the process of refuelling the reactor.
[Unidentified correspondent] Are there any adverse observa-
tions?
[Zverev] No, no adverse observations. The work is proceeding
normally. Well, at present, employees from the Chernobyl station
are coming to us here at Novovoronezhskaya AES. We are
accepting them, fixing them up with work, and supplying them
with everything needed for their families to lead a normal life.
[video shows clips of family groups near apartment block]
[Correspondent] The job of nuclear power engineering worker is
still a rather rare one, requiring special knowledge and skills. For
this reason, the Novovoronezhskaya workers are temporarily
258
accepting their labor comrades into their ranks. [video shows
interview with man identified on captain as worker Ivchenko]
[Ivchenko] When we arrived here at Novovoronezhskaya they
received us pretty well; we were taken to the job placement
department, where they said we would be fixed up in no time at
all.
[Correspondent] And today?
[Ivchenko] Today we shall finish our medical checks, and in the
next 2 days we shall be on the job.
[Correspondent] What job will you be doing?
[Ivchenko] The same job I was doing at Chernobyl. (?Everything
is O.K.)
[Correspondent] And how do you feel?
[Ivchenko] Fine.
[Correspondent) Children adapt to a new place more quickly than
anyone. They have already been to kindergarten. School has
started for them. And in their mark-books the first 5's have
already been scored. [video shows children playing in sand-pit,
mothers and children walking near school, street scene]
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ruii V1.1' RAM, yDr,
PARTY'S, MILITARY'S AID TO EVACUEES PRAISED
PM131106 Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA in Russian 11 May 86 Second Edition p 3
[Report by own correspondent Colonal A. Polyakov:
and Fortitude; From the Chernobyl AES Area"]
[Text] The fact that Soviet Armed Forces servicemen are taking
part in the work to eliminate the consequences of the accident at
the Chernobyl AES graphically shows the inviolable unity of the
Army and the people and the fusion of the thoughts and aspira-
tions of the motherland's armed defenders with the affairs and
concerns of urban and rural working people. This thought was
expressed to me in conversation by Major General B. Sharikov,
first deputy chief of the Red Banner Kiev Military District
Political Directorate.
"Servicemen are operating efficiently and selflessly and are
showing great conscientiousness, fortitude, and courage," he
said. "Communists and Komsomol members are setting an
example..." Yes, it is always the same, when things are difficult
Communists and Komsomol members set an example. Senior
Lieutenant and Communist A. Berdyugin has only a few years
of service to his credit. But he has fitted a good deal into those
years. Aleksandr discharged with honor and dignity his patriotic
and international duty. as part of the limited contingent of Soviet
troops in Afghanistan and was awarded the "For Valor" medal
He is now a Komsomol worker and when, on his arrival in the
AES area, he was asked to take charge of work in a crucial sector,
he coped with it successfully.
Senior Lieutenant and Communist S. Bryankin is a company
commander. The company has an excellent rating. And as befits
excellent-rated men, his subordinates resolve all the tasks con-
fronting them to a high standard.
I have recently heard many warm words about the servicemen
from people of various ages and professions. And I will be frank:
The words filled me with a sense of pride. They were not just
praise of particular servicemen but a manifestation of Soviet
people's love for the defenders of the motherland ? the heirs of
the heroic traditions of the older generations.
Borodyanka settlement is the administrative center of the rayon
northwest of Kiev to which hundreds of families from Chernobyl
AREA CHILDREN RECEIVE HOLIDAY HEALTH CARE
"Conscientiousness, Courage,
have been moved. On the morning of 9 May our car was stopped
at the militia post at the entrance to the settlement's main street
and diverted. The reason for this enforced maneuver was that a
festive demonstration was being held in the center of the settle-
ment.
"Today's victory holiday will be specially memorable for us,"
Party Raykom Secretary T. Ugnivenko said. "The local residents
are marching shoulder to shoulder in the Victory Day parade
with those who have been temporarily moved here from the
accident area. You know, they have only been here with us a few
days," Tamara Nikolayevna went on, "and yet we are like friends
who have known one another for years." The family of Lieuten-
ant Colonel Mikhail Ivanovich Kovalev, retired, a war veteran,
has been accomodated in the apartment of Boris Prishchepa, a
fitter. On the very first day Mikhail Ivanovich -asked about a
photograph of his host in military uniform.
"I served on the western border," Boris explained, "and I will
always remember my years in the army." And a minute later
Mikhail Ivanovich and his hospitable host were embracing like
relatives meeting each other after along absence. It turned out
that Sergeant Prishchepa had served at the border post which
Lieutenant Kovalev used to command. The post took part in its
first battle 22 June, 1941.
"Those who came through the war are always in the forefront
even today, and do not seek easy work," Lieutenant Colonel I.
Bidukha, military commissar of Borodyankovskiy Rayon, said.
"And during these difficult days their courage and strength of
spirit has been particularly evident." The whole Kovalev family
is today in the forefront of those who are engaged in eliminating
the consequences of the accident. His son Lieutenant Colonel V.
Kovalev, a military helicopter pilot, has been dropping loads onto
the damaged reactor.
On parting from Kovalev I again remembered words I had heard:
No misfortune is to be feared when you have such people.
LD131813 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1500 GMT 13 May 86
(Text] Pioneer bugles sounded out over the coast of the Black Sea
today. Boys and girls who came here from the area around
Chernobyl AES for their school summer holidays took over the
many children's health centers. (Gurskiy), chairman of the
Odessa Oblast Trade Union Council, told a TASS correspondent
how they had prepared for the season which began 2 weeks earlier
than usual. Everything is ready to receive the children at each of
the pioneer camps ? and we have about 50 of them, he said. The
holiday period for each group has been increased to 45 days. It
has been organized as at a sanatorium. All expenditure on
improving the children's health is being met by the trade unions
and the state. Special attention is being paid to medical checks
259
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on the children's health. For this purpose, doctors and nurses
have taken on extra duties. The oblast culture and theater
department of the town and sports organizations have prepared
special programs for events in the camps, worked out routes for
interesting excursions to the sites of the hero-city, and have
drawn up programs of sports festivals and competitions.
ACTIVITIES AT UKRAINIAN SANATORIUM REPORTED
LDI01731 [Editorial Report] Moscow Television Service in Rus-
sian at 1430 GMT on 10 May, in its regular "Vremya" newscast,
broadcasts a 1-minute video report from a Mirgorod sanatorium.
The video shows people walking in the grounds and drinking
water from spa fountains, and then cuts to shots of rowboats on
a river.
The reporter says: "The Khorol River, like the Pripyat, flows
into the Dnepr basin. This is why the health resort here has set
up sanitation posts to closely monitor the level of radiation in the
water." The camera then shows a man taking readings on
instruments; and the reporter asks him about his tasks, to which
the man replies: "There is no threat whatsoever to the health
of the people who are resting or who are using the water basin."
The report ends with the reporter interviewing a group of people
"who have come from various parts of the USSR." They empha-
size how much they enjoy the sanatorium's facilities.
IAEA THANKS USSR FOR 'READINESS TO COOPERATE'
PM121122 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 10 May 86 First Edition p 4
[TASS report: "Session Held"]
[Text] Vienna, 9 May ? A session of the IAEA Administration
and Budget Committee which comprises 35 states including the
USSR has been held here.
The committee discussed a work program for cooperation in the
spheres of the nuclear power industry, nuclear safety provisions,
the international system of nuclear information, and thermonu-
clear research. The IAEA budget for 1987-1988 was also dis-
cussed. Touching upon the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant, the committee thanked the Soviet Government for
inviting the IAEA director general to visit the Soviet Union in
connection with the incident and welcomed the readiness of the
competent Soviet organs to cooperate with the agency by provid-
ing it with the necessary information.
260
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BLIX TO SWEDISH PAPER: 'SATISFACTION' WITH VISIT
LD121619 Moscow TASS in English 1604 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Stockholm May 12 TASS ? General Director of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Hans Blix has
expressed satisfaction with the results of his visit to the USSR at
the invitation of the Soviet Government in connection with the
Chernobyl accident.
It is important, he said in an interview to the Swedish newspaper
DAGENS NYHETER, tht the Soviet side will efficiently send
information on the radiation situation and the results of measure-
ments. Hans Blix positively appraised the fact that the accord
with the Soviet representatives on the issue was reached very
promptly. Such a positive stand, in his opinion, can promote
creation of an international system of providing the International
Atomic Energy Agency with the necessary data with the aim of
controlling the radioactive situation and timely warning on
atomic power plant accidents leading to grave consequences.
Touching upon the stay in the USSR, Hans Blix noted that a
possibility was granted to him and his company to familiarize
themselves with the situation in Chernobyl and to visit directly
the accident area where work is now broadly under way to
eliminate its consequences. Hans Blix familiarised himself with
the information on the results of the medical check-up of part of
the population, which, he said, are fully reliable.
PRAVDA CARRIES COMMUNIQUE ON IAEA OFFICIALS' VISIT
PM121107 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 12 May 86 First Edition p 5
[Unattributed "communique" on visit to USSR by
Rosen, and others from 5-9 May]
[Text] At the invitation of the USSR Government IAEA Director
General Hans Blix, visited the Soviet Union 5-9 May 1986. He
was accompanied by Deputy Director General Konstantinov and
Rosen, director of the nuclear safety division. Hans Blix and the
IAEA officials accompanying him were received by Comrade
[Boris Y.] Shcherbina, deputy chairman of the USSR Council of
Ministers, and also in the USSR Foreign Ministry and the USSR
State Committee for Utilization of Atomic Energy.
During the visit Blix and the specialists accompanying him were
given information about the accident at the Chernobly AES.
There was a discussion about ways of improving the safety of
nuclear power engineering by expanding international cooper-
ation and enhancing the role played by the IAEA in that sphere.
Soviet experts provided the IAEA representatives with a detailed
description of the accident on power set No 4 at Chernobyl ABS
and the measures taken to overcome the consequences of the
accident. Blix was informed that the necessary duty staff were at
the three undamaged and shut-down power sets of Chernobyl
ABS. Blix and his colleagues accepted an invitation to visit the
area of Chernobyl AES, where they obtained additional informa-
tion about the situation at the site and the measures being taken
to over come the consequences of the accident.
The Soviet side, in accordance with the request by the !AEA
director-general, expressed its readiness to provide information
about the accident as it becomes available which can be discussed
at a conference of experts on nuclear safety to help the IAEA
member countries take this experience into account with a view
to further enhancing the safety of nuclear power engineering.
261
IAEA officials Hans Blix, Morris
The Soviet side is ready to provide the IAEA with information
about the level of radiation from a [monitoring] station 60 km
from the AES, and from a number of other stations along the
western border of the Soviet Union, for transmission by the
agency to the appropriate national bodies concerned with radi-
ation safety. The Soviet side declared that the accident that
occurred will not affect the implementation of the plans that have
been outlined for the development of atomic power engineering
in the Soviet Union.
Consderation was given to ways of increasing the safety of
nuclear power engineering and to international measures which
it was expedient to devise within the IAEA framework to reduce
the possible consequences of accidents at nuclear power plants.
Such measures could, in the opinion of the sides, include devising
a mechanism for the prompt notification of radioactive dis-
charges that might give rise to consequences beyond national
borders, receiving information about the levels of the natural
radioactive background, and also introducing possible additional
technical means at nuclear installations to prevent accidents and
reduce their consequences.
The two sides stressed the imporiance of the IAEA's activities
directed toward ensuring both nuclear safety and the exclusively
peaceful use of atomic energy.
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TASS: BLIX CRITICIZES WESTERN REPORTING ON CHERNOBYL
LD140942 Moscow TASS in English 0925 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] Vienna May 14 TASS ? Hans Blix, director general of
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), addressing the
assembly of the International Press Institute here, criticised the
Western mass media for their coverage of the accident at the
Chernobyl atomic power station. He said that the "Western
style," which the mass media used in covering the accident, could
well have triggered extensive and unwarranted panic. The IAEA
director general stressed that Western reports were often mis-
leading, especially as regards damage and the number of casual-
ties.
REPORTAGE, ANALYSIS OF WESTERN CHERNOBYL COVERAGE
'Malicious' Campaign Abating
[From "The World Today" program presented by Farid Seyful?Mulyukov]
[Excerpt] Hello comrades. The malicious campaign in the West,
mounted around the accident at Chernobyl AES is gradually
abating. Some politicians have criticized the immoderate mag-
nifying of the incident. In a number of countries the precaution-
ary measures introduced in connection with the accident have
been lifted. It should be said that contradictory reports spread by
the anti-Sovieteers finally caused panic in the internal markets
of the Western countries themselves, where it is said that is now
very difficult to sell even hothouse vegetables.
U.S. Exaggerates Incident
PM130804 Moscow SOVETSKAYA KULTURA in Russian 6,May 86 p 7
["Transatlantic Reportage" by TASS correspondent A. Shalnev
SOVETSKAYA KULTURA: "Custom?Made Slander"]
[Text] Washington ? Colonel Robert Berls, air attache at the
U.S. Embassy in Moscow, put it briefly and clearly on his return
from Kiev: Everything there is normal.
The colonel returned to Moscow on a day when many American
? journalists and administration spokesmen rushed to outdo each
other ? as if afraid that someone else might be the first to break
the sensational news ? and started telling the world that sup-
posedly the number of people who died as a result of the Cher-
nobyl AES accident was in the hundreds and thousands and
rising, that supposedly everyone was gripped by panic, that
supposedly the Ukraine's cities are like ghost towns, and that
supposedly...
written specially for
Altogether, some lengthy yarns were spun on that day. By way
of "proof," reference was made to intelligence sources, which, of
course, are well aware of everything; both press and television
? displayed a few blurred and faded snapshots taken by photo-
graphic equipment onboard satellites.
When this proved to be still insufficient, recourse was had to
another method: A radio ham apparently turned up, tapping out
Morse code messages right from Chernobyl itself and reporting
blood-chilling details of the occurrence. We have a source! ? the
newspapers shouted. ? 100-percent reliable! But what about Col
Robert Berls? Never mind him, this is a reliable source indeed!
Namely an anonymous radio ham or, still better, anonymous
intelligence sources, which, judging by press and television
reports, are absolutely identical for all reporters ? but this is
262
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FUR Uttql.AAL, 1)3r, VOILA.
something else. References to these reports created panic. No,
not among Soviet people ? this was not to be ? but among
Western diplomats and tourists.
An exodus was organized almost as though by command. Tourist
trips were canceled and travelers were offered ? in a display of
almost paternalistic concern for their health ? return trips to the
states or a switch to Western Europe.
Fair enough, they returned. Take for example a group of 31
tourists from Long Island, near New York. They had hardly got
off the aircraft at Kennedy Airport when they were surrounded
by people with Geiger counters in their hands and, naturally,
dozens of photographers and television reporters.
They were checked. The diagnosis? "No danger," according to
Charles (Maynkhold), leader of the Geiger counter group.
In fact the tourists had returned from Kiev. They left there on
the day Col Berls returned to Moscow.
What about the radio ham from near Chernobyl, the one who
revealed to the world the "truth" which was being covered up by
the USSR?
Here is an admission finally made by THE WASHINGTON
POST: Radio hams in many countries have voiced doubts about
the existence of the man in Chernobyl. No one had ever managed
to raise him on the airwaves before. And Jack Nelson, spokesman
of the British Radio Society, considers it an extremely strange
fact that the alleged conversation with the man from Chernobyl
was not monitored by a single other ham, even though the
mysterious conversation was held on a most popular frequency.
In general, the propaganda machine set in motion at full speed
by the Washington administration ground to a halt.
Here is an excerpt from a press conference transcript: Question:
The director of the George Washington University Nuclear
Medicine Institute declared today that it is most likely that
indeed only two persons died as a result of the accident, as the
Soviets said. Could it be that they are really telling the truth?
Answer: I do not think that we are in a position to know the
correct answer. It is perfectly possible that (the Soviet Union) is
correct...
The answer was given by Harold Denton, nuclear science spe-
cialist and member of the so-called interdepartmental group set
up on President Reagan's instructions to "investigate questions
connected with the accident" at the Chernobyl AES.
Why then, to quote one of the reporters who attended the press
conference given by specialists from the interdepartmental
group, "draw irresponsible conclusions regarding" the scale of
the incident? But this is a different question, and Harold Denton
would hardly answer it. After all, he is only a physicist...
Postscript: Since 1979, U.S. nuclear power stations have regis-
tered a total of more than 20,000 small, medium, and major
incidents and breakdowns. This has just been announced by the
"Public Citizen" social research organization. No one remem-
bers the administration releasing this Figure at any time...
'Pack of Lies'
LD081954 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1700 GMT 8 May 86
[Video talk by writer Genrikh Borovik; from the "Vremya" newscast]
[Text] Hello, comrades. We have just seen new material on the
situation in the areas adjacent to Chernobyl AES. Having flown
over the site of the accident, Director General Blix of the IAEA
testifies that the situation is normalizing there. The fabrications
of Western propaganda about a mass grave for 15,000 people and
incredible destruction all around, are being destroyed. This pack
of lies has been circulating, and still is, as if being directed from
a single center.
Letters are coming in to television and newspaper editorial
offices, the authors of which note how amicably, in what an
agreed manner, just as if at a command, the West launched the
propaganda attack against us. In fact, we are not talking about
a misfortune, but about a crime, just like, for example, the
continuation of underground nuclear testing in Nevada, like the
stockpiling of nuclear and binary weapons and the development
of space weapons, and so on. Whose hand is guiding these pens,
many of the authors of these letters ask? I would like to talk not
so much about this question itself, as much as the circumstances
that give rise to it.
263
We live in a harsh world, in a world in which, as is now being
confirmed anew, there are highly placed people who rejoice in
the misfortune of others, just as the Hitlerites rejoiced when they
managed to destroy a Leningrad food store. We are not a
frightened people, we are not getting ourselves scared over for-
eign terrorist death squads, but the question people are asking
arises from the situation that prevails in the world. I have in mind
the explosion in the West Berlin discotheque, the bombing of
Libya, and the provocation with a South Korean aircraft, and
many other things. The naturalness, the legitimacy, so to speak,
of this question is one of the manifestations of the tragedy of the
modern world. It is one more warning that people, whose stan-
dard of morality is immeasureably lower than the destructive
level of the weapons they possess, are pushing the world toward
catastrophe.
The newspapers have reported many facts, like the nuclear
accident in the United States, that have led to tragic con-
sequences. I would add just one instance, when a Hollywood film
crew were Filming a feature film several years ago in the Nevada
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desert, where the Pentagon, as is known, regularly tests nuclear
weapons. All the members of the film crew, including the famous
American film actor John Wayne, died from the same illness. As
far as I know, there were no official reports about this at all in
the United states.
Time will pass. The monstrous propaganda show with which the
West has surrounded the misfortune in Chernobyl will be packed
away, passions will cool and the people who today have come
under its influence will think about just what did happen. And I
think that they will understand that the campaign was guided by
those for whom the Soviet proposals for a moratorium on nuclear
testing and destruction by the end of the century of nuclear
weapons undermine all their life's plans. They have thought to
get from their propaganda explosion an anti-Soviet political
fall-out and to spread it as widely as possible round the earth.
People will realize that this whole spectacle based upon a misfor-
tune tells of the lack of morality of its organizers no less than the
bombing of Libya, the shelling of Beirut, or the poisoning of
Vietnamese land with chemical weapons.
Paper on U.S. 'Malicious Reaction'
PM120937 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 10 May 86 Morning Edition p 4
[Correspondent V. Soldatov report:
"Unworthy Behavior"]
[Text] New York ? The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear
power station aroused in a number of American statesmen and
politicians and the mass media not a sense of sympathy with the
victims, but flagrant schadenfreude.
Many American newspapers and the television and radio have
deliberately reported fantastic rumors which are enough to make
your hair stand on end.
This malicious reaction is a common phenomenon here. During
my years of work as a correspondent in the United States I have
had repeated opportunities to see for myself that both the Amer-
ican right and the so-called liberals are prepared to break into a
dance the minute a "Russian failure" is reported. But it is not a
case of schadenfreude alone. There are other motives too.
In recent months the Republican administration has been firmly
on the defensive. The peace initiatives of the Soviet Union, which
proposed a plan for radically reducing and then eliminating
? nuclear weapons and which has not carried out any nuclear
explosions for a long time, caused confusion in Washington. It
became much more difficult for the administration to convince
the Americans and their allies that its promises to promote
nuclear disarmament are not simply fine phrases spoken in order
to reassure people who are worried about the nuclear danger.
It was no accident that the State Department recently spoke of
the need to stop the "public diplomacy," which has become
extremely disadvantageous to Washington, and go over to confi-
dential talks.
And then the Chernobyl accident happened. The administration
immediately went into a propaganda attack, misrepresenting,
through old habit, both the event? and its significance. THE
264
WASHINGTON POST correspondents in Tokyo reported on 3
May that at briefings for correspondents, U.S. officials con-
stantly drew the reporters' attention to the accident at the nuclear
power station in the Soviet Union and denied that they were
exaggerating the danger represented by this event.
The accident at Chernobyl, American propagandists say and
write, is evidence that the United States should not trust the
Soviet Union in anything. In particular, they say, the Russians
cannot be trusted on arms control questions. This idea was
expressed most concisely by the well-known THE NEW YORK
TIMES observer and well-known chauvinist W. Safire, who
expresses the views of the hardest right. "Flirting with arms
control agreements based on mutual trust," he writes, "will
inevitably lead to cheating."
The White House also inspired the present anti-Soviet campaign
in order to justify in the public's eyes its own feverish activity in
preparation for "star wars" and the lack of progress at disarma-
ment talks.
At the same time it is becoming increasingly obvious that the
U.S. Administration has no desire to achieve success at Soviet-
U.S. strategic arms reduction talks. This is indicated by its
attitude toward the Soviet proposals on eliminating nuclear
weapons, the White House intention to continue underground
nuclear explosions with a view to creating new models of nuclear
weapons, and the demand for an increase in the Pentagon's
budget.
Justice requires me to say that by no means all Americans
approve the noisy anti-Soviet campaign being pursued by the
administration. They draw quite different conclusions than
Washington does from the Chernbbyl accident.
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'Cacophonous Pandemonium'
LD101544 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1400GMT 10 May 86
[From the "International Panorama" program presented by PRAVDkpolitical
observer VsevOlod Ovchinilikov]
[Text] The participants in the Tokyo meeting linked their voices
to the anti-Soviet hullabaloo raised in connection with the acci-
dent at the Chernobyl AES [Atomic Energy Station]. Of course,
a calamity took place in Chernobyl. But the human being
approaches the cognition of nature, the mastery of its secrets by
a thorny path. The Arctic, the ocean depths, or space do not
submit without tragic losses. And it is possible only to regret that
against the broad backdrop of sympathy, understanding and the
sincere desire to help, attempts were revealed to use what had
happened for unscrupulous speculations. Cock-and-bull stories
are whipped up about thousands of dead, fires at a completely
destroyed station, a radioactive threat not only to Europe but to
the United States also. Throughout this cacophonous pan-
demonium a single leitmotif is clearly to be heard: there, it goes,
you have a new example that the Soviet Union is a closed society.
Terrible things take place there, they say, and they try to hide
them from the outside world. From this it emerges that it is not
possible to trust the Soviet Union. And once you cannot trust it,
then it is useless negotiating with it, and it would appear that the
Soviet peace initiatives do not deserve attention.
By means of hysterics about the accident in Chernobyl attempts
are made to hush up the nuclear explosions in Nevada, the
demands to stop nuclear tests, and to liquidate nuclear weapons
as such. But what has happened has reminded people of what a
threatening force the energy of the atom is, of how circumspectly
it is necessary to have dealings with it, even when it is a question
of its peaceful use. What calamities await humanity indeed, if,
instead of an accident at a nuclear reactor, which it is possible to
get under control and whose consequences it is possible to remove,
devices for nuclear charged lasers start to explode in orbit, if, on
the earth and in space a nuclear missile conflict breaks out, the
scale of which no one will be able to control and whose con-
sequences no one will be able to control and whose consequences
no one will be capable of removing?
In a word, the sensation about Chernobyl forces people to think
even more deeply about the dangerous consequences of the
military course of Washington and lends additional weight to
Moscow's peaceloving intiatives against the calculations to dis-
credit them.
'Red Menace' Stereotype Behind Propaganda
LD121753 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1500 GMT 12 May 86
[Commentary by political' observer Vladimir Tsvetov]
[Text] Studying the many articles, commentaries and reports in
the bourgeois mass media concerning the accident at the Cher-
nobyl AES, one notes their general biased nature [zadannost]
along with a varied assortment of slanderous fabrications. This
bias is a rehash of the extremely worn-out old stereotype that was
expressed by the term "Red menace." There was a time when
the argument used to prop up this stereotype was that the Soviet
Union opposed disarmament and disagreed with the liquidation
of nucler weapons under international monitoring. The numerous
lucid and realistic proposals put forward by the USSR to
eliminate nuclear weapons by the year 2000 and to create an
all-embracing system of international security have knocked the
foundation out from under the stereotype.
The accident at Chernobyl AES is being used to try to prevent
this stereotype from collapsing altogether. It amounts to accusing
the Soviet Union of concealing the truth over what happened at
the nuclear power station. The "Red menace" is still there
because the Soviet Union just cannot be trusted ? that is the
logic behind the current propaganda campaign. This is the rule
the Soviet Union should follow, according to the West: Report
immediately about everything that happened at the AES, with-
out waiting for a thorough check and scientific analysis of the
facts.
265
How would bourgeois propaganda like it if 'such haste led to
inaccuracies in the depicting of the situation and to errors in its
appraisal? In that event, the stereotype of the "Red menace"
could be reinforced by accusations that the Soviet Union was
lying.
What sort of authority have those who are writing rules for us to
follow? If you recall, the U.S. Congress was informed about the
accident at the U.S. nuclear power station at Three Mile Island
within 10 days, whereas the International Atomic Energy
Agency learned about it almost 2 Months after the accident. That
deals with the question of the time factor. Now, regarding the
substance of the information: It was incomplete and in many
ways contradictory and has remained that way ever since.
What happens when honest people in the U.S. analyze the
reasons for a serious accident, and the public finds out the truth
about these reasons? (Alan Macdonald) and (Roger Bodgeley),
employees of a firm that took part in the creation of the U.S.
"Challenger" spacecraft told the truth about the criminal negli-
gence that led to the spacecraft being destroyed. (Macdonald)
and (Bodgeley) were demoted. Their colleagues believe they got
off lightly.
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One recalls how former U.S. Secretary for War [as heard] Arthur
Sylvester reacted to the demands by U.S. journalists to tell the
truth about U.S. Army crimes in Vietnam. Listen, Sylvester said,
if you believe that any U.S. leader intends to tell you the truth,
then you are fools; fools; do you hear me?
The U.S. authorities still hold to that principle today, including
when they give out information about the leakage of radioactivity
during underground nuclear explosions in Nevada and about
accidents at nuclear power stations.
FRG MEDIA SOW PANIC OVER CHERNOBYL
PM131000 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 12 May 86 First Edition p 5
[Own correspondent Yu. Yakhontov dispatch: "The Real Goals of the Hostile
Campaign"]
[Text) Bonn, II May ? Certain circles in the FRG and their
mass news media that do their bidding are continuing to exploit
the Chernobyl AES accident as an opportunity to whip up
anti-Soviet hysteria. The tone of this unsavory and inhumane
campaign is set by the United States, which, citing "data"
obtained with the help of spy satellites, is spreading all kinds of
fairytales.
Right-wing publications and the gutter press in the FRG eagerly
take up these lies and, blowing them up, sow panic among the
country's population. The organizers of the hysteria campaign
are circulating a downright lie alleging that "thousands" of
people in Chernobyl died as a result of the accident and that
"there is no one to bury them." It is true that a few days later the
newspapers reported that the Soviet figures "have proved to be
accurate," but this appeared, as always, in small print instead of
under the banner headlines which accompany the "sensational
reports." All this is having an effect. No one buys fresh greens
or vegetables at markets or stores in the FRG capital and other
cities. No children are to be seen in Bonn's streets. Children's
playgrounds are deserted. Tennis courts, swimming pools, and
many parks are closed. Feeling that they may have overdone the
panic-mongering, the authorities have started backpedaling. The
FRG minister of the interior delivered a more or less reassuring
statement on television, and the setting up of a special commis-
sion of scientists dealing with radiation protection has been
announced. This statement said: "There is no danger to people
or animals in the FRG, nor is there any need for any restrictions.
There are absolutely no grounds for panic." But such explana-
tions are, of course, effective only for unprejudiced people, cer-
tainly not for those who act on the instructions of the opponents
of peace and socialism. UNSERE ZEIT wrote in an editorial that
the scheme of the initiators of the latest anti-Soviet campaign
boils down to an attempt to undermine confidence in the USSR,
its peace-loving policy, and its peace initiatives. By causing
unjustified fear and sowing panic, the FRG right-wing forces
want to diminish the impact of the program that the Soviet Union
has put forward for the stage-by-stage liquidation of nuclear
Weapons by the end of the century.
266
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WESTERN TV 'LED UP GARDEN PATH' BY YUGOSLAV VIDEOTAPE
LD141053 Moscow TASS International Service in 'Russian 1012 GMT 14 May 86
[Text) Rome, 14 May (TASS) ? The Italian state television
company RAI TV has questioned the authenticity of a videotape
shown on Italian television, in which a fire at the Chernobyl AES
was allegedly depicted. The U.S. television companies NBC and
ABC showed this subject on their stations on 12 May after RAI
TV.
The film, it was maintained, was taken by a Yugoslav tourist at
a distance of 14 km from the AES several days after the explo-
sion. On 14 May Italian television showed another film with a
picture of an industrial district of Trieste, a town in the north of
Italy. The buildings represented during the showing of both tapes
turned out to be similar, and Italian television recehled hundreds
of letters from people who recognized the alleged Chernobyl AES
to be ...a cement factory in Trieste.
Later RAI TV confirmed that the Yugoslav tourist's film turned
out to be a forgery depicting an industrial district in Trieste.
According to reports from the United States, the NBC and ABC
television companies started to investigate the circumstances in
which the Yugoslav tourist's film was obtained. However, it is
hard to acknowledge the coincidence of the fact that three major
Western television companies, including American ones, were led
up the garden path by a trickster.
In its effort to exaggerate the extent of the accident and its
possible consequences, the Western press has repeatedly pub-
lished different "sensational" and slanderous material, contrary
to the facts. It is obvious that a quest for such information was
the real reason that led to the showing of a forgery on Italian and
American television.
EMBASSY IN FRG STATES USSR SAFE FOR TOURISTS.
LD131851 Moscow TASS in English 1845 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Bonn May. 13 TASS In conjunction with the accident
at the Chernobyl nuclear power station reports have appeared in
the West German press alleging health hazards to West German
citizens going to the USSR on tourist tours.
Groundless claims are, being made about allegedly increased
radioactivity levels on a considerable part of the territory of the
USSR, the penetration of radiation into water reservoirs, the
"radioactive contamination" of foodstuffs in the USSR and the
like. On this basis recommendations are being made not to travel
to the Soviet Union. The embassy of the USSR in the Federal
Republic of Germany would like to declare the following on this
score:
"The systematic monitoring of the radioactive state of the terrain
has shown that on the territory of the Ukraine, Belorussia and
Moldavia radiation levels do not exceed the radiation safety
norms set by the IAEA and the Public Health Ministry of the
USSR.
267
"The radiation situation in air space, the water reservoirs on all
itineraries and in all cities visited by foreign tourists does not have
deviations from normal.
"This applies also to foodstuffs which undergo obligatory checks.
Since the accident not a single foreign tourist in the USSR has
suffered damage to his or her health.
"Kiev has been visited by IAEA Director-General Hans Blix and
a group of foreign correspondents who have seen for themselves
there that there is no threat to the health of the city's residents.
"Any apprehensions concerning tourist trips to the USSR are
unfounded. They are based on incorrect information coming
from incompetent sources."
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LITHUANIAN FARMERS USE LASERS TO LEVEL FIELDS
WA131050 [Editorial Report] Moscow Domestic Service in Rus-
sian at 1500 GMT on 12 May broadcasts a 3-minute com-
mentary by Semen Astakhov on the latest agro-industrial
developments in Lithuania. He introduces a report by correspon-
dent Elan (Krukletite) who says she visited some land
improvement workers in Kaunas Rayon. They are working with
laser equipment.
(Krukletite) introduces three members of the team who are trying
to fulfill double daily quotas. One of these workers says: "We
have sent several machine operators, along with equipment, to
take part in eliminating the consequences of the accident at
Chernobyl AEA. Of course, we miss using that equipment now,
but we will all work to compensate for it by working for each
another."
(Krukletite) asks how much work quality has improved since
workers began using laser equipment. A worker says that "pro-
ductivity has increased by around 15 percent and quality is 3 or
4 times higher."
Astakhov then continues his comments from the studio: "Let me
explain that the laser beam is used in marking out the fields and
leveling them [pri planirovke, vyravnivanii poley] because it is
hard to achieve good cultivation in uneven fields. This is merely
one example. Land improvement workers, in constructing and
operating new systems, make wide use of automation, long-life
chemical materials, and the latest equipment. The state does not
stint on funds for the development of land improvement.
TEXT OF 14 MAY GORBACHEV TELEVISION ADDRESS
PM151200 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 15 May 86 First Edition p 1
[M.S. Gorbachev's Address on Soviet Television--PRAVDA headline]
[Text] Good evening, comrades. As you all know, a misfortune
has befallen us ? the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant. It has painfully affected Soviet people and caused the
anxiety of the international public. For the first time ever we
encountered in reality such a sinister force as nuclear energy that
has escaped control.
Considering the extraordinary and dangerous nature of what had
happened in Chernobyl the Politburo took into its hands the
entire organisation of work to ensure the speediest liquidation of
the breakdown and the limitation of its consequences.
A government commission was formed and immediately left for
the scene of the accident while at the Politburo a group was
formed under Nikolay Ivanovich Ryzhkov to solve urgent ques-
tions.
All work is being conducted actually on a round-the-clock basis.
The scientific, technical and economic possibilities of the entire
country have been put to use. Operating in the area of the
accident are organisations of many union ministries and agencies
under the leadership of ministers, prominent scientists and spe-
cialists, units of the Soviet Army and the Ministry of Internal
Affairs.
A huge share of the work and responsibility has been taken upon
themselves by the party, government and economic bodies of the
Ukraine and Belorussia. The operating staff of the Chernobyl
nuclear power station are working selflessly and courageously.
So what did happen?
As specialists report, the reactor's capacity suddenly increased
during a scheduled shut-down of the fourth unit. The consider-
able emission of steam and subsequent reaction resulted in the
formation of hydrogen, its explosion, destruction of the reactor
and the associated radioactive release.
It is yet early to pass final judgement on the causes of the
accident. All aspects of the problem ? design, projecting, tech-
nical and operational ? are under the close scrutiny of the
government commission.
It goes without saying that when the investigation of the causes
of the accident is completed, all the necessary conclusions will be
drawn and measures will be taken ruling out a repetition of
anything of the sort.
As I have said already, it is the first time that we encountered
such an emergency when it was necessary quickly to curb the
dangerous force of the atom that had escaped from under control
and keep the scale of the accident to the minimum.
The seriousness of the situation was obvious. It was necessary to
evaluate it urgently and competently. And as soon as we received
reliable initial information it was made available to Soviet people
and sent through diplomatic channels to the governments of
foreign countries.
On the basis of this information practical work was launched to
liquidate the accident and limit its grave aftermaths.
268
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In the situation that had taken shape we considered it our top
priority duty, a duty of special importance to ensure the safety
of the population and provide effective assistance to those who
had been affected by the accident.
The inhabitants of the settlement near the station were evacuated
within a matter of hours and then, when it had become clear that
there was a potential threat to the health of the people in the
adjoining zone, they also were moved to safe areas.
All this complex work required utmost speed, organisation and
precision.
Nevertheless the measures that were taken failed to protect many
people. Two died at the time of the accident ? Vladimir Nik-
olayevich Shashenok, an adjustor of automatic systems, and
Valeriy lvanovich Khodemchuk, an operator of, the nuclear
power plant. As of today 299 people were in hospital diagnosed
as having radiation disease of varying degree of gravity. Seven of
them have died. Every possible treatment is being given to the
rest. The best scientific and medical specialists of the country,
specialised clinics in Moscow and other cities are taking part in
treating them and have at their disposal the most modern means
of medicine.
On behalf of the CPSU Central Committee and the Soviet
Government I expressed profound condolences to the families
and relatives of the deceased, to the work collectives, to all who
have suffered from this misfortune, who have suffered personal
loss. The Soviet Government will take care of the families of those
who died and who suffered.
The inhabitants of the areas that heartily welcomed the evacuees
deserve the highest appreciation. They responded to the misfor-
tune of their neighbours as though it was their own, and in the
best traditions of our people displayed consideration, responsive-
ness and attention.
The CPSU Central Committee and the Soviet Government are
receiving thousands upon thousands of letters and telegrams
from Soviet people and also from foreign citizens expressing
sympathy and support for the victims. Many Soviet families are
prepared to take children to their homes for the summer and are
offering material help. There are numerous requests from people
to be sent to work in the area of the accident.
These manifestations of humaneness, genuine humanism, of high
moral standards cannot but move every one of us.
Assistance to people, I repeat, remains our top priority task. At
the same time vigorous work is under way at the station itself and
the adjacent territory to limit the scale of the accident. In the
most difficult conditions it proved possible to extinguish the fire
and prevent it from spreading to the other power units.
The staff of the station stopped the three other reactors and
switched them into a safe state. They are under constant control.
A stern test has been passed and is being passed by all ? firemen,
transport and building workers, medics, special chemical protec-
tion units, helicopter crews and other detachments of the Minis-
try of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
269
In these difficult conditions much depended on a correct
scientific evaluation of what was happening because without such
an evaluation it would have been impossible to work out and
apply effective measures of coping with the accident and its
aftermaths. Our prominent scientists from the Academy of Sci-
ences, leading specialists from the union ministries and agencies,
the Ukraine and Belorussia are successfully coping with this task.
I must say that people have acted and are continuing to act
heroically, selflessly.
I think we will yet have an opportunity to name these courageous
people and assess their exploit worthily.
I have every reason to say that despite the entire gravity of what
happened the damage turned out to be limited owing to a decisive
degree to the courage and skill of our people, their loyalty to duty,
the concerted manner in which everybody taking part in liquidat-
ing the aftermaths of the accident are acting.
This task, comrades, is being solved not only in the area of the
nuclear power station itself but also in scientific institutes, at
many enterprises of the country which are supplying everything
that is necessary to those who are directly engaged in the difficult
and dangerous struggle to cope with the accident.
Thanks to the effective measures taken, it is possible to say today
that the worst has passed. The most serious consequences have
been averted. Of course, it is too soon to regard the matter as
closed. This is no time to rest content. Extensive and long work
still lies ahead. The level of radiation in the station's zone and on
the territory in the immediate vicinity still remains dangerous for
human health. The top-priority task as of today, therefore, is
operations to deal with the effects of the accident. A large-scale
program for the decontamination of the territory of the electric
power station and the settlement, of buildings and structures has
been drawn up and is being implemented. The necessary man-
power, material and technical resources have been concentrated
for that purpose. In order to prevent the radioactive contamina-
tion of the water basin measures are being taken at the site of the
station and on the adjacent territory.
Organizations of the meteorological service are constantly mon-
itoring the radiation situation on the ground surface, on water,
and in the atmosphere. They have at their disposal the necessary
technical systems and are using specially equipped planes, heli-
copters and ground monitoring stations.
It is absolutely clear ? all these operations will take much time
and will require no small efforts. They should be carried out
meticulously in a planned and organized manner. The area must
be restored to the state that is absolutely safe for the health and-
normal life of people.
I cannot fail to mention one more aspect of that affair. I mean
the reaction abroad to what happened at Chernobyl. In the world
as a whole, and this should be emphasized, the misfortune that
befell us and our actions in that complicated situation were
treated with understanding.
We are profoundly grateful to our friends in socialist countries
who have shown solidarity with the Soviet people at a difficult
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moment. We are grateful to the political and public figures in
other states for the sincere sympathy and support.
We express our kind feelings to foreign scientists and specialists
who showed readiness to come up with assistance in overcoming
the cosenquences of the accident. I would like to note the partici-
pation of the American medics Robert Gale and Paul Terasaki
in the treatment of the affected persons and to express gratitude
to the business circles of those countries which promptly reacted
to our requests for the purchase of certain types of equipment,
materials and medicines.
We evaluate in a fitting manner the objective attitude to the
events of the Chernobyl nuclear power station on the part of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Director-
General Hans Blix.
In other words, we highly appreciate the sympathy of all those
who treated our trouble and our problems with a open heart.
But it is impossible to leave without attention and political
assessment the way the event at Chernobyl was met by the
governments, political figures and the mass media in certain
NATO countries, especially the U.S.A.
They launched an unrestrained anti-Soviet campaign. It is diffi-
cult to imagine what was said and written these days ? "thou-
sands of casualties", "mass graves of the dead", "desolate Kiev",
that "the entire land of the Ukraine has been poisoned", and so
on and so forth.
Generally speaking, we faced a veritable mountain of lies ? most
dishonest and malicious lies. It is unpleasant to recall all this, but
it should be done. The international public should know what we
had to face. This should be done to find the answer to the
question: What, in actual fact, was behind that highly immoral
campaign?
Its organizers, to be sure, were not interested in either true
information about the accident or the fate of the people at
Chernobyl, in the Ukraine, in Belorussia, in any other place, any
other country. They needed a pretext by exploiting which they
would try to defame the Soviet Union, its foreign policy, to lessen
the impact of Soviet proposals on the termination of nuclear tests
and on the elimination of nuclear weapons, and at the same time,
to dampen the growing criticism of the U.S. conduct on the
international scene and of its militaristic course.
Bluntly speaking, certain Western politicians were after very
definite aims ? to blast the possibilities for balancing interna-
tional relations, to sow new seeds of mistrust and suspicion
toward the socialist countries.
All this made itself felt clearly during the meeting of the leaders
of "the seven" held in Tokyo not so long ago. What did they tell
the world, what dangers did they warn mankind of? Of Libya
groundlessly accused of terrorism, and also of the Soviet Union
which, it turns out, failed to provide them with "full" information
about the accident at Chernobyl. And not a word about the most
important thing ? how to stop the arms race, how to rid the word
270
of the nuclear threat. Not a word in reply to the Soviet initiatives,
to our specific proposals on the termination of nuclear tests, on
ridding mankind of nuclear and chemical weapons, on reducing
conventional arms.
How should all this be interpreted? One involuntarily gets the
impression that the leaders of the capitalist powers who gathered
in Tokyo wanted to use Chernobyl as a pretext for distracting the
attention of the world public from all those problems that make
them uncomfortable, but are so real and important for the whole
world.
The accident at the Chernobyl station and the reaction to it have
become a kind of a test of political morality. Once again two
different approaches, two different lines of conduct were revealed
for everyone to see.
The ruling circles of the U.S.A. and their most zealous allies ?
I would like to mention specially the F.R.G. among them ?
regarded the mishap only as another possibility to put up addi-
tional obstacles holding back the development and deepening of
the current East-West dialogue, progressing slowly as it is, and
to justify the nuclear arms race.
What is more, an attempt has been made to prove to the world
that talks, moreover, agreements, with the USSR are impossible,
and thus to give a green light to the further military preparations.
Our attitude to this tragedy is absolutely different. We realise
that it is another sound of the tocsin, another grim warning that
the nuclear era necessitates a new political thinking and a new
policy.
This has strengthened still more our conviction that the foreign
policy course worked out by the 27th CPSU Congress is correct
and that our proposals for the complete elimination of nuclear
weapons, the ending of nuclear explosions, the creation of an
all-embracing system of international security to meet those
inexorably stringent demands which the nuclear age makes on
the political leadership of all countries.
As to the "lack" of information around which a special campaign
has been launched ? a political campaign in both content and
nature at that ? the whole thing is an invention in this case. The
following facts confirm that this indeed is so. Everybody remem-
bers that it took the U.S. authorities ten days to inform their own
Congress and months to inform the world community about the
tragedy that took place at Three Mile Island atomic power
station in 1979.
I have already said how we had acted.
All this enables one to judge who and how approaches the matter
of informing one's own people and foreign countries.
But the essence of the matter is different. We hold that the
accident at Chernobyl, just as the accidents at U.S., British and
other atomic power stations pose to all states very serious prob-
lems, which require a responsible attitude.
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Over 370 atomic reactors now function in different countries.
This is reality. The future of the world economy can hardly be
imagined without the development of atomic power. Altogether
40 reactors with an aggregate capacity of over 28 million kilo-
watts now operate in our country. As is known, mankind derives
a considerable benefit from atoms for peace.
But it stands to reason that we are all obliged to act with still
greater caution, to concentrate the efforts of science and technol-
ogy to ensure the safe harnessing of the great and formidable
powers contained in the atomic nucleus.
The indisputable lesson of Chernobyl to us is that in conditions
of the further development of the scientific and technical rev-
olution the questions of reliability and safety of equipment, the
questions of discipline, order and organisation assume priority
importance. The most stringent demands everywhere and in
everything arc needed.
Further, we deem it necessary to declare for a serious deepening
of cooperation in the framework of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA). What steps could be considered in this
connection?
First, creating an international regime of safe development of
nuclear power on the basis of close cooperation of all nations
dealing with nuclear power engineering. A system of prompt
warning and supply of information in the event of accidents and
faults at nuclear power stations, specifically when this is accom-
panied by the escape of radioactivity, should be established in the
framework of this regime. Likewise it is necessary to adjust an
international mechanism, both on a bilateral and multilateral
basis, for the speediest rendering of mutual assistance when
dangerous situations emerge.
Second, for the discussion of the entire range of matters it would
be justifiable to convene a highly authoritative specialised inter-
national conference in Vienna under IAEA auspices.
Third, in view of the fact that IAEA was founded back in 1957
and that its resources and staff are not in keeping with the level
of the development of present-day nuclear power engineering, it
would be expedient to enhance the role and possibilities of that
unique international organisation. The Soviet Union is ready for
this.
Fourth, it is our conviction that the United Nations organisation
and its specialised institutions, such as the World Health
Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP), should be involved more actively in the
effort to ensure safe development of peaceful nuclear activity.
271
For all this, it should not be forgotten that in our world where
everything is interrelated, there exist, alongside problems of
atoms for peace, also problems of atoms for war. This is the main
thing now. The accident at Chernobyl showed again what an
abyss will open if nuclear war befalls mankind. For inherent in
the nuclear arsenals stockpiled are thousands upon thousands of
disasters far more horrible than the Chernobyl one.
In conditions when the attention to nuclear matters increased,
the Soviet Government, having considererd all circumstances
connected with the security of its people and entire humanity,
has decided to extend its unilateral moratorium on nuclear tests
till August 6 of this year, that is till the date on which more than
40 years ago the first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese
city of Hiroshima, as a result of which hundreds of thousands of
people perished.
We urge the United States again to consider with utmost respon-
sibility the measure of danger looming over mankind, to heed the
opinion of the world community. Let those who are at the head
of the United States show by deeds their concern for the life and
health of people.
I confirm my proposal to President Reagan to meet without delay
in the capital of any European state that will be prepared to
accept us or, say, in Hiroshima and to agree on a ban on nuclear
testing.
The nuclear age forcefully demands a new approach to interna-
tional relations, the pooling of efforts of states with different
social systems for the sake of putting an end to the disastrous
arms race and of a radical improvement of the world political
climate. Broad horizons will then be cleared for fruitful cooper-
ation of all countries and peoples, and all men on earth will gain
from that.
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r tin jrr,titti. vat, vim,.
TASS REPORTS GALE, ARMAND HAMMER PRESS CONFERENCE
'Soviet Specialists Lauded'
LD151221 Moscow TASS in English 1213 GMT 15 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 15 TASS ? Professor Robert Gale of the
University of California, Los Angeles, who chairs the advisory
committee of the International Bone Marrow Transplant Regis-
try, spoke highly of the work done by Soviet medical experts to
treat the victims of the accident at the nuclear power station in
Chernobyl. The U.S. specialist is staying in the Soviet Union to
help determine the levels of radiation the patients have absorbed
and treat them.
By the time he had arrived, he said, a group of Soviet physicians
led by Professor Vorobyev, Professor Guskova and Dr Baranov
had already done much to determine the levels of radiation
exposure of the 35 most seriously afflicted accident victims and
give them corresponding treatment.
Gale was speaking at a news conference for Soviet and foreign
correspondents here today, which was also addressed by Andrey
Vorobyev, a corresponding member of the Academy of Medical
Sciences of the USSR and head of the hematology department
of the Central Institute of Advanced Training for Physicians, and
Armand Hammer, a prominent U.S. public figure and member
of the U.S. business community.
Gale said his view was that his Soviet colleagues had been
exceptionally well prepared for such emergencies and that their?
preliminary estimation of radiation damage and the choice of
therapy for the patients had been correct to the extent it had been
possible in those circumstances.
He said he believed that despite the fact that the data base had
been limited, the best possible patient evaluations had been
made.
Gale expressed confidence that in the coming months specialists
would be able to judge the results of the forecasts made and
introduce certain corrections, although the original evaluations
had been exceptionally correct. A total of 299 persons who had
received significant doses of radiation from the Chernobyl
nuclear source were now hospitalized. A group of 35 persons,
appeared to have received the highest radiation doses. Twenty
eight of them were now alive. A total of 19 bone marrow
transplants had been performed. Gale voiced the hope that a
substantial number of those people would survive.
Speaking of the problems of medical treatment given to the
patients, he said he had been impressed by Soviet medical
expertise and conditions at the clinic. But that kind of treatment
on that kind of scale, he said, could be beyond the means of any
single country, which was why it was essential to mobilize
additional resources and means to treat the radiation patients.
Answering questions about the motives he had been guided by
when organizing assistance to the victims of the Chernobyl
accident, Hammer said they had been purely humanitarian, lie
recalled that 65 years ago he had first come to Soviet Russia as
a physician to help fight typhus and famine.
After hearing the news of the Chernobyl accident, he said, he had
decided it was the case where he could give another form of aid
to those affected by the unfortunate event at Chernobyl.
Vorobyev spoke in detail about themedical service monitoring
the situation in the area ()lithe Chernobyl nuclear power station,
pointing out that all data concerning the radiation situation there
and on the borders of the USSR was being daily reported to the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
"We report everything we know in this field," he said. "And
everything we report can be easily checked." Answering news-
men's questions, Vorobyev said the Kiev zone was quite safe and
there was no danger either to the people's lives or to their health
there.
AFP: More Deaths Expected
AU151223 Paris AFP in English 1210 GMT 15
[Excerpt] Moscow, May 15 (AFP) ? Of the 35 persons who
suffered heavy radiation exposure in the Chernobyl nuclear plant
explosion, 28 are still alive, but some of them will die of "irrevers-
ible injuries," an American specialist said Thursday [15 May].
? Dr. Robert Gale, a University of California bone marrow
transplant specialist, told a press conference that 299 persons had
received "substantial doses of radiation" in the April 26 accident.
said "35 have received the highest dose of radiation. Nineteen
received transplants, 28 remain alive." Two other people were
killed immediately after the accident. "Other victims of irrevers-
ible injuries will die," said Dr. Gale. "We anticipate more
272
May 86
deaths." The doctor was to meet later Thursday with Soviet
leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
He said the most critically injured in the accident had suffered
tissue and bone marrow lesions. But he said it was unlikely that
persons outside a 30-kilometer (18 mile) radius of the plant had
received "even moderate" doses of radiation. And it was
"extremely unlikely," he said, "that individuals who are at
considerable distances could suffer consequences of the acci-
dent." 'The accident, which some experts have termed the worst
in'the history of civil nuclear power, demonstrated "our very
limited capacities to react to the consequences of a nuclear war,"
Dr: Gale said.
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Dr. Gale declined to estimate the possibility that the accident
could increase the future incidence of cancer, saying "no eval-
uation is possible for the time being." "In the near future we will
be able to make the necessary estimations," he said. "For the
moment, we do not have the dosage data to make the calcula-
tions."
He said treatment of the Chernobyl victims had been "very
complex," and had met with "serious problems and difficulties."
"The large number of individuals exposed to radiation may
exceed the resources of a single transplant center," he said.
Dr. Gale, who heads an international exchange of bone marrow,
banks, said marrow transplants had been done on a total of 19
Chernobyl victims, some of them performed by Soviet surgeons
before his arrival. He said bone marrow lesions from radiation
doses above the 800-900 rad level was "probably irreversible,"
with little probability of survival. If the dose is less than 500 r4ds,
"even a moderately intensive" treatment is sufficient for the
patient to recover, he said.
Andrey Vorobyev of the USSR Academy of Medicine said 100
rads was the radiation dose beyond which there is a health
danger. Only persons in the immediate vicinity of the Chernobyl
reactor at the time of the explosion received radiation exposure
in excess of 100 rads, he said.
PRAVDA CITES BLIX CRITICISM OF WEST'S REPORTING
PM141559 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 15 May 86 First Edition p 5
[TASS report: "If Only To Mislead"]
[Text] Vienna, 14 May ? H. Blix, director general of the IAEA,
has condemned the fuss made by American propaganda, with the
support of a number of Western countries, in connection with the
accident at the Chernobyl AES. At the general assembly of the
International Press Institute which is taking place here, the
IAEA leader stressed that Western reports, especially in the first
few days after the accident, were "often misleading, especially
as regards the damage and casualty figures." In this connection
he expressed regret over the lack of a sense of responsibility on
the part of certain Western observers, who published such panic
items and often misled people. H. Blix noted that there arc always
some experts, or even politicians, who tend to panic in assessing
a situation. The way the Western mass media covered the events
in the Soviet Union could easily have caused unnecessary panic.
In a tense situation, he stressed, it is necessary to maintain a
correct awareness of the scale of what is happening.
The IAEA director general, citing WHO experts, noted that
there are no grounds for restricting imports of foodstuffs from
East European countries, including the USSR.
LOGINOV BRIEFS SFRY, PRC ENVOYS ON CHERNOBYL
LD141706 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1606 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] Moscow, 14 May (TASS)? Today in the USSR Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, there were talks with Milojko Drulovic, the
ambassador of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to
the USSR, as well as Li Zewang, the ambassador of the People's
Republic of China to the USSR.
In addition to information received earlier, Vadim Loginov,
USSR deputy minister of foreign affairs, briefed them in detail
about the situation at the Chernobyl AES and the measures
being taken to eliminate the consequences of the accident,
273
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IlJli Ut RAAL UL
MOSCOW TV SHOWS CHERNOBYL 'FORGERY' VIDEOTAPE
LD141657 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1.445 GMT 14 May 86
[From "The World Today" program presented by Boris Kalyagin]
[Text] Hello, comrades. In the West the unworthy hullabaloo in
connection with the accident at Chernobyl AES continues. True,
there has now been some sobering-up. Many experts have been
forced to admit that the initially fabricated assessments of the
incident were exaggerated. Western correspondents who have
visited Kiev have reported their findings. From their reports it,
has become clear that life in the Ukrainian capital, despite the
conjectures, is proceeding normally. Everywhere there are radi-
ation checks and careful monitoring of foodstuffs and drinking
water. Nevertheless, certain circles continue to spread fairy tales,
exaggerating the results of the accident. This is being done to sow
distrust toward the Soviet Union.
Obviously, this explains the broadcasting of another sensational
bit of news from the Soviet Union. The U.S. television companies
NBC and ABC, and following them the Italian state television,
showed a videotape allegedly depicting the Chernobyl AES. You
can sec it now. [video shows very cloudy scene of industria,1 plant
with buildings around and hills in distance, shot from inside a
car] You see everything is smoky. It looks as if a fire is raging.
The tape was accompanied by an explanation that the scene had
been filmed illegally from a distance oil 4 km by a foreign tourist
who had managed to get close to the site of the accident unde-
tected and then secretly got the videotape out of the country.
True, when .the film was shown on Italian televisibn, some staff
members said it strongly reminded them of something. Then the
deceit was exposed. The television station received a phone call
from someone in Trieste, which as you know is located in northern
Italy, who said the plant depicted as Chernobyl AES was none
other than the steelworks in Trieste. It always smokes like that,
the town's people explained. Those who enjoy gloating at other
people's misfortune found themselves in an unenviable position.
The question remains as to whether that scandalous exposure will
bring them to their senses.
USSR JOURNALISTS VISIT AES FOR FIRST TIME 15 MAY
LD151013 Moscow TASS in English 0956 GMT
[Text] Kiev May 15 TASS ? A TASS special correspondent
reports from the Chernobyl nuclear power station:
Soviet correspondents today were allowed for the first time to
visit the Chernobyl nuclear power station. Our itinerary was
strictly defined: first a medical control station, where we
changed our clothing and underwent a gasometric check, then a
change of vehicles as we got into armored personnel carriers
which reduce the danger or radioactive exposure and make travel
quicker.
The first thing that struck was that every group was busy doing
a specific job of its own. If it is needed to join the efforts, for
example, of power experts and builders, the instructions come in
advance from the headquarters of a government commission
through the operations staff at the station. -
Today there were some 50 workers on shift duty at the first three
generating sets, excluding repairmen. Those at the control panel
were recording the parameters of the reactors' operation. Though
15 May 86
274
the latter are shut down, the station keeps living even in this
condition.
Operators were busy at the central control board of the station.
Water supply services were ensuring quality purification of
water. The temperature regime was being strictly observed. Fire
and radiation safety were being closely monitored. The workshop
of underground fuel utilities was functioning at an even pace. The
people were working calmly, answering questions, smiling. The
most often spoken word the journalists heard in reply to their
questions was "normalno" ("Everything is O.K.").
On the territory of the station, lorries were bringing concrete to
unit 4 every few minutes. Armoured personel carriers were
coming and going and several people were seen Walking. The
journalists were told that, according to radiological tests of The
air above the nuclear power station, the radiation level dropped
nearly by a ratio of four to one over the past three days.
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CHERNOBYL FIREMEN, WORKERS LEAVE KIEV HOSPITAL
LD131504 Moscow TASS International Service in Russian 1420 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Kiev, 13 May (TASS) ? Fireman Stanislav Yuzishin
discharged himself from the hospital today. During the first
minutes of the accident at Chernobyl AES he arrived at the
fourth power set together with his team. Along with his comrades
he fought the fire boldly and helped the AES workers leave the
danger zone. Yuzishin was taken with other injured people to
Kiev Hospital. kwhole floor and the best words were allocated
to them. Leading specialists conducted their treatment. Compre-
hensive treatment aimed at the detoxification of the organism of
people arriving with symptoms of primary radiation reaction was
of help. Among those who discharged themselves from hospital
were the firemen Nikolay Knrilovich, Stepan Sheherbak and
Mikhail Kovalskiy, AES engineer Vladimir Lyamets, radiation
supervisor [dozimetrist] Vladimir Moskin and others. Now
almost half the patients who arrived at Kiev hospitals after the
AES accident have already been discharged.
All the people taken out of the danger zone have undergone
medical inspection. New medical establishments were deployed
for this work, 230 medical brigades from other oblasts of the
Ukraine were formed, 240 ambulances are on constant duty. The
brigades consist of doctors, nurses and laboratory assistants.
The Lesnaya Polyana Sanatorium is ensuring rest for the reserve
group of workers from Chernobyl AES. All conditions have been,
created for them to feel at home here. For they will have to
coontinue the watch at Chernobyl AES. Although the reactors
have been shut down, the necessary control has to be maintained
there. And the people to whom such a responsible matter has been
entrusted must be in good shape. The medical specialists of the
santorium are looking for this. Along with other specialists, the
medical experts have taken under their control the state of the
environment and the quality of food products. A great deal of
health instruction work is being carried out.
KIEV OBLAST CHILDREN BEGIN PIONEER CAMP VACATIONS
LD141427 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1400 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] As of today practically all schoolchildren from the rayons
of Kiev Oblast, which took in the evacuees from the area of the
Chernobyl AES, have begun to be sent to Pioneer camps. After
them, schoolchildren from junior classes in Kiev will be sent away
too. Although doctors say the children are in good health, at
present conditions it is acknowledged that it is desirable to offer
them an extra vacation. The journey to the camps on the Black
Sea and the stay there are free.
WORKERS DONATE PAY TO RED CROSS, RED CRESCENT
LD122305 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 2100 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Odessa: Dock machine-operators of the No 308 inte-
grated work team, led by (Nikolay Timun), Hero of Socialist
Labor and delegate to the 27th CPSU Congress, have decided to
help those who suffered in the accident at the Chernobyl AES.
This is our aspiration: not to remain an observer but to come to
the aid of those who have come to brief, says the fine team leader..
And so at Quay No 14, where the Black Sea meter vessel
Nikolayev lay at anchor, the port workers set to work. They
'displayed exemplary high organization in their labor, fulfilling
275
their day's norm by 154 percent. The money earned by the work
team has already been sent to Moscow into the current account
of the Executive Committee of the'Union of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies of the USSR. Let us note that the collectives
of many harbors in the Black Sea Shipping Company have
warmly supported this initiative and decided to work an extra
shift, transferring the money to the aid fund for those who
suffered in the accident at the Chernobyl plant.
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SELSKAYA ZHIZN ON RURAL LIFE NEAR CHERNOBYL
PM121638 Moscow SELSKAYA ZHIZN in Russian 13 May 86 pp 1, 3
[S. Luzgan report: "Together Against the Disaster. A SELSKAYA ZHIZN Correspondent
Reports From Regions Adjacent to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant"]
[Excerpts] The vernal land of the Ukraine is arrayed in the lush
green of crops and grass and the white and pink of orchards in
blossom. This spring has brought certain amendments to the
Usual rhythm of spring tasks and concerns, to our great chagrin.
Leaving Kiev we are stopped at a check point: the car is tested
for "radioactive cleanliness." And later, wherever we happened
to bc, a great deal reminded us of the accident at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant in one way or another.
At the "40 Let Oktyabrya" Kolkhoz in Vasilkovskiy Rayon the
woman on duty informed us that the chairman had gone to
inspect the houses where it is proposed to accomodate those
evacuated from Chernobyl. A middle-aged man comes into the
office, lie asks that the chairman be told that he is prepared to
take any family into his home. Several other visitors make the
same request.
N.P. Sobchuk, the kolkhoz chairman, soon arrived. Finding out
about the visitors, he said that the kolkhoz will not have to take
in any evacuees, that there is no longer any need.
Real people always treat a neighbor's misfortune as if it is their
own, Nikolay Petrovich said. It is only our enemies who rejoice
in what has happened. Honest people understand what is what.
The kolkhoz workers, N.P. Sobchuk said, are now struggling to
make an appreciable leap forward in the 1st year of the 5-year
plan.
When I entered the office of M.N. Burnashov, first secretary of
the Vasilkovskiy Ukrainian Communist Party Gorkom, the latest
report on the radiation situation was placed on his table.
Although our rayon, Mikhail Nikolayevich said, is close to the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant, background radiation has not
caused and is not causing alarm. Our radiation monitoring posts
"cover" the whole territory of the rayon and we are given
information on the radiation condition of the soil, water, and
crops twice if not three times every 24 hours. This information is
regularly given out on local radio. Why is this done? So that
people are aware of the situation.
And how are matters progressing in the rayon's fields and farms?
This is what has been reported by the rayon agro-industrial
association. The plan relating to the sale of all types of livestock
products has been overfulfilled, the sowing of spring crops has
been completed, and the tending of crops is under way. The
276
second fertilization of crops has been carried out in fields of
intensively grown witner wheat.
To tend crops in good time and to a high standard, and to daily
increase the output of farm products, M.N. Burnashov said, is
our particular concern. But today the most important thing for
us is to assist with feed the farms in those rayons of the oblast
where people have been evacuated from the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant zone. As arranged, we are sending our neighbors up
to 20 tons of straw and up to 60 tons of silage every day.
...The village of Kopylovo. I talk with M.D. Makaro, head of the
medical section. True, he still calls himself a sector therapeutist.
But today he has dozens of specialists and laboratories at his
disposal.
How are things going? Miroslav Dmitriyevich asks. Things are
fine on the whole. We are doing what has been laid down. We
are examining people arriving from the nuclear power plant zone.
We are pleased that of the thousand people we have checked, only
a few have aroused suspicion of illness, and we are testing them
repeatedly. There is a lot to do. We are working around the clock.
From the numerous meetings and conversations, from the usual
and unusual scenes I witnessed these days, no one can draw the
comforting conclusion that no misfortune will break our good,
heroic, human people. Misfortune is misfortune. It has also
revealed the fainthearted and the feeble. When the bitterness of
' the unexpected losses and the passion and emotion recede, every-
one who was involved in these events in one way or another will
be given his due.
Someone once said: Heroism is crowned with tragedy, but
tragedy gives birth to heroes. Tragedies are not needed, of course,
to test us for fortitude. But if a tragedy happens... Any lesson,
even a sad one, must be stored up for future use.
Any misfortune is easier to surmount and overcome together.
When this report had been dispatched to the editorial office N.I.
Priymachenko, first secretary of the Polesskiy Ukrainian Com-
munist Party Raykom, telephoned the correspondents office. He
reported that the majority of those who had come to them
temporarily from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant region had
already started work. He also said that rural meetings, sessions
of rural and settlement soviets, and meetings of primary party
organizations of "hosts" and "guests" are being held in the rayon.
Every vitally important problem is being discussed at them.
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KOMSOMOL OFFICIAL DESCRIBES WORK IN KIEV
LD142100 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1315 GMT 14 May 86
[Telephone interview with Anatoliy Plevachuk, secretary of the Kiev Komsomol
Obkom, with unidentified correspondent; date not given--live or
[Text] [Correspondent] Work is continuing to eliminate the con-
sequences of the accident at Chernobyl AES. Self-discipline
[sobrannost] and precise actions are things which typify the labor
of courageous people. While I was preparing this broadcast I
phoned the Kiev Komsomol Obkom. Anatoliy Plevachuk, the
obkom secretary is on the line. What is the obkom doing at the
present time?
[Plevachuk] Our obkom is working and leading a normal life.
Headquarters and working groups have been set up at the
Komsomol and on site to render assistance to Komsomol raykoms
which are in the area which people have been evacuated to. The
activity of these headquarters is constantly monitored by the
obkom and by the Central Committee of the Komsomol of the
Republic.
[Correspondent] Do you often go to the site?
[Plevachuk] I worked there in the first group. Four Komsomol
obkom workers and myself went out to Polesskiy Rayon. What
did we have to do? Well, just the general work which was being
carried out in the rayon; that is receiving and deploying the
evacuees and all the work connected with that. My impression of
those first days and what was striking about the people was, one
could say, that they are true patriots of their town. Literally the
day after the evacuation they were asking when they could go to
the town, when they could help there in carrying out the decon-
tamination of industrial enterprises and of housing. Well, it was
obvious that they all loved both their town and the nuclear power
station very much and that they were worried about the fate of
the town and of the station and were impatient to see them again.
I don't want to separate Komsomol members and young people
into particular categories, but I would simply like to say that our
Komsomol aktiv showed its best aspects. A fire broke out at the
wrecked fourth set of the station. It was a very severe fire and it
was the men of the 7th militarized fire unit who took on the first
blows of the flames. Among them was Viktor Kupinok, secretary
of the unit's Komsomol organization; Viktor Romashevskiy,
member of the unit's Komsomol committee was also there. And
despite the fact that the fire was in the radiation zone, virtually
all the workers on shift during the night of 26 April helped the
firemen. People went to dangerous places. Aleksandr Lyushenko,
member of the Pripyat town committee of the Komsomol ? an
operational worker in the No 2 reactor shop ? did this. And as
the specialists are now noting, it was due to the selfless actions
of the teams of firemen who came from the oblast and also the
workers on the shift who helped that it was possible to localize
the scale of the accident. It could have been far greater. And, of
course, the injured who had been in the danger zone were given
medical aid first. I can cite an example of real courage: It is
Doctor Valentin Petrovich Blokhin. While helping others in the
radiation zone he virtually did not think of himself. Valentin
277
recorded]
Petrovich gave aid and helped remove many of the injured from
the danger zone. And what I would like to say is this: From the
moment the accident occurred, the staff of the station carried out
and are continuing to carry out its labor watch. Aleksandr
Bacherov, secretary of the Komsomol committee, and his deputy
Mikhail Borosyuk worked along with all the others. I wish to say
that the lads were responsible for providing food for the shift on
duty. They were at the station constantly.
[Correspondent] Yes, and yet Western propaganda has been
continually speaking of panic.
[Plevachuk] I can tell you that this is nonsense and pure rubbish.
There was no panic there. People arrived there calm and con-
fident of the future, and the opinion expressed by the majority of
the population is that everyone understands that the evacuation
is a temporary affair. I have already said that what struck me
was the great love for their town, the great love for the station,
and their confidence in tomorrow. There was no talk there such
as, for example: Where shall we go? I'm going to change my
job to another town ? there was virtually no such talk. All are
waiting to return to their town. And despite the fact that Western
voices are asserting that the waters of the Dnepr have been
contaminated with radioactive dust, all of us young people, all of
us representatives of all the towns and rayons, along with veter-
ans of the Great Patriotic War, have been taking an active part
in peace cruises on the Dnepr, and an antiwar meeting has taken
place at the (?Bukrinskiy) bridgehead. Large functions have been
taking place over the last few days. For example, in Pereyaslav-
Khmelnitskiy Rayon there is our oblast rally of young peace
fighters devoted to International Peace Year and the Interna-
tional Day of Youth Solidarity. In the village of (?Sinyalo) in
Rakitnyanskiy Rayon a youth demonstration has taken place
within the framework of the Keep Up the Revolutionary Pace
actions. Many other examples could be cited.
The work of sections of the working rural youth is not stopping
here. The spring sowing has been completed. They are summing
up the results to determine the victors of the socialist competition.
So the life of the Komsomol obkom is proceeding according to its
work plan. We are now preparing to conduct a plenum of the
Komsomol obkom.
I should also like to tell you this news. When we visit labor
collectives and talk to people, we are sincerely convinced that
eliminating the consequences of the accident has at present
become the cause of our republic and the country as a whole.
When you are in the villages, you meet medical specialists and
other specialists who have come from all corners of the republic.
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And also, there were many calls to the obkom ? especially in the
first days after the accident ? from Komsomol committees of
fraternal republics. People are offering assistance to the pop-
ulation which has suffered and are expressing a desire to work
on restoring the station. I should like to take this opportunity to
thank all of them for their sympathy and concern for the town's
inhabitants and for the fate of the Vladimir llyich Lenin nuclear
power station at Chernobyl.
IZVESTIYA INTERVIEWS OFFICIALS, STUDENTS IN KIEV
PM121513 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 13 May 86 Morning Edition-T 3
[Special correspondent A. Illesh telephone report: "Kiev: Several Interviews
on the Same Question"]
[Text] Kiev, 12 May ? "What are the main concerns for you
today?" ? that was the question which IZVESTIYA's Kiev
correspondent Nikolay Baklanov and I asked people of various
professions. Two prominent specialists answered us from the
Headquarters for the Elimination of the Consequences of the
Chernobyl AES Accident.
Academician B.A. Legasov, deputy director of the I.V. Kur-
chatov Atomic Energy Institute:
"The reactor has lost its criticality and is not producing radioac-
tivity. But, as is known, radioactivity was released to outside, and
today intensive operations are under way aimed first at reducing
it, and ultimately at completely eliminating it. The accident, as
you know, has been localized, but there is still much work to be
done, and it is being done in the most unusual and, frankly,
difficult conditions. Nonetheless we are coping. I wish to note
that all the scientists' and specialists' requests and recommenda-
tions are being fulfilled without delay."
Yu.A. lzrael, chairman of the USSR State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control:
"The country's meteorological stations are constantly, inten-
sively monitoring the level of radioactivity. To this end the State
Committee for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control is
using specially equipped planes and helicopters and other
equipment. The data obtained are being constantly analyzed at
our scientific research institutions. As has already been reported,
agreement has been reached for the regular transfer of data on
the background radiation from one of the stations of the
Ukrainian Administration of the State Committee for
Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control to the IAEA."
For students in the Ukrainian capital, this is the tense time before
the examinations. Some 8,000 foreign students are studying at
Kiev's V UZes. There are 700 at the Polytechnical Institute alone.
The majority of these people took the news of the misfortune
calmly, and only eight of them have left the city. Mohammad
Kasem from Afghanistan says:
FOR
278
"Our concerns are everyday ones. Lectures, writing essays... This
is my impression: The West wants to extract as much advantage
as possible from the misfortune for its own policy. And that policy
is a dirty, dishonest one. Remember, for instance, the nuclear
explosions in Nevada..."
He is backed up by his colleague, Roli Sikst from Burundi, a
student at Kiev State University:
"The slander campaign does not surprise me: the usual Western
propaganda tactics. Everything is in order here. And as far as I
know the consequences of the accident are being successfully
eliminated."
A rather unexpected interview ? A. Puzach, one of the trainers
of Dinamo Kiev, whose team recently won an honorable-trophy,
the Cupwinners Cup, says:
"The last match which we were to play in the country's 'cham-
pionship was canceled. But the reason the match did not take
place was not because the team, on returning from its victory in
Lyons, found itself under the influence of radiation at home. I
would not be surprised if some people in the West try to 'explain'
the cancellation of the match in that way, but it was only because
the Dinamo Kiev team is well represented in the national team
which will soon be setting off for Mexico for the world champion-
ship. The trainers have asked nine of our leading players to join
the main team. Because of this, the question of our club's possible
release from its match in the domestic championship is now being
discussed."
Our conversation with V. Pechorin, a fifth-grade welder, took
place after his return to the Lesnyye Polyany Sanatorium from
his latest shift at the AES.
"What we were doing at the power station was, in general, an
ordinary job, but in an unusual situati6n, it is true: We were
sealing up doors to eliminate draughts and stripping down the
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electricity circuit [elektroskhema]. There is plenty of tidying-up
work [khozyaystvennyye raboty] too. What is the situation? Well,
for instance, we were given the job of repairing an aperture
[vosstanovit okoshko] between the third reactor and the fourth ?
the damaged one. We had to do the job in no more than 12
minutes ? that was the time set by the radiation specialists as
safe for remaining in the work zone. The shift chief, the foreman,
and the other guys were a great help in speeding up the work...
As a result we kept within 10 minutes. Then, it goes without
saying, the doctors examined us. Everything was within the
norm. Now we have a rest, then we go back. We will be given our
specific mission, as usual, immediately before entering the
zone..."
The Ukrainian SSR Council of Ministers resolution on organiz-
ing the labor and leisure of students and the health ofchildren in
Kiev and the oblast is commented on by A. Romanenko,
Ukrainian minister of health:
"This year it has been decided to end the school year at general
educational schools in the Kiev Oblast rayons which have
accepted evacuated schoolchildren on 15 May. The kids will then
be sent to labor and leisure camps in the southern oblasts. In Kiev,
the school year will also end on 15 May for the first through
seventh grades. Students in those grades will be sent for their
summer vacation to camps and health institutions in other oblasts
of the republics. In the senior grades the dates of the summer
vacation have not been changed. A large number of trains and
motor vehicles are now being assigned to take the children out."
KIEV DAILY DESCRIBES INITIAL CHERNOBYL 'HELL'
AU141427 Kiev RADYANSKA UKRAINA in Ukrainian 8 May 86 p 3
[Report by V. Zhukovskiy, V. Itkin, and L. Chernenko, TASS?RATAU correspondents:
"A Battle Without a Front Line--Resolute Actions Performed by Staff Members of
Internal Affairs Organs at the First Hours and on the First Days of the Accident
at the Chernobyl AES"]
[Text] The general slipped his uniform off his shoulders. There ,
was a golden flash of the epaulets, a sparkle of the colorful mosaic
on the medal ribbon bar. The general took a last look at the
uniform, which had been tailored only recently, thought for a
moment, and removed the badge of the Honored Worker of the
USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. His uniform and trousers
with stripes now had to be destroyed; this was a requirement of
the precautionary measures. This was how the battle field was .
left by the commander who, along with his combat comrades, had
fought a bitter battle there.
In the biography of Gennadiy Vasilyevich Berdov, militia major
general and Ukrainian deputy minister of internal affairs, there
have been quite a few complicated situations. He has fought
bandits and dangerous criminals... But the single combat that has
now been going on for 9 days running in Chernobyl has proved
to be a particular one. People have perhaps never been in contact
with such a formidable enemy: invisible but powerful, and for
this reason very perfidious. And responsibility in this clash was
without precedent.
The war diary initiated by the general at dawn on 26 April,
immediately after his arrival in the area of the Chernobyl AES,
has become for Major General Berdov and his many colleagues
a kind of chronicle. Behind the laconic lines of this document
there is the chronicle of the feat performed by the thousands of
staff members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were
among the first to engage in battle against the accident. Firemen
were alerted only two minutes after what occurred. The units
commanded by Lieutenants V. Pravik and V. Kibinok imme-
diately rushed to the fourth power block that was engulfed in
flames. More than 50 firefighting teams were sent to the afflicted
facility from Kiev and Kiev Oblast. The heat was unbearable,
but the firemen courageously advanced into this hell. Smoke
blinded the eyes, melted bitumen stuck to boots, and burning
graphite hailed down on helmets. The fire could spread over to
the roof of the third block. But Major L. Telyatnikov chose the
right tactics to fight the fire and skillfully distributed his men.
And the third block was in safety. And by 5 o'clock in the
morning the fire at the AES was practically stopped. But the
price paid for the first victory was considerable: 17 firemen,
including Major Telyatnikov, were sent to the hospital.
The situation continued to be obscure. Radiation supervisers
were in action, and specialists tried to assess what had happened
in the fourth block. The militia took over the relay baton from
the firemen. They blocked all roads to the AES and the settle-
ment. After all, the AES area is very picturesque, and people like
to spend time there on their days off. And it happened to be
Saturday. since the recreation areas had now become dangerous,
militia details, quite naturally, sealed them off.
An operational headquarters, set up by General G.V. Berdov at
the Pripyat city militia station, was already in operation. Staff
members of Polesskiy, Ivankovskiy, and Chernobylskiy Rayon
militia stations arrived to help. The militia actually launched
combat operations. Under those very unusual circumstances,
militiamen on their way to the posts were additionally armed with
279
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dosimeters. Colonel V. Sporishko made more and more entries in
his "war diary." Reinforcements were continuously arriving in
the Chernobyl AES area. Thousands of militiamen were already
engaged there.
One cannot assess the situation correctly without seeing things
for oneself. That was how G.V. Berdov thought, and that is why
he did not spend his time in the "headquarters," but was con-
stantly at the "hottest" spots. Posted in the danger zone were not
only sergeants and master sergeants, but also militia colonels.
And under these highly complex conditions, no one left his post,
and there was not one single refusal to carry out one's duty. The
tasks to ensure order and to protect the danger zone, as well as
to find the victims and to assist them were also accomplished by
staff members of internal affairs organs. Colonel General I.D.
Gladush, Ukrainian minister of internal affairs, quickly arrived
at the site of the accident and took over command over all actions
of the militia.
In the emergency, staff members of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs also performed functions which seemed to be out of their
competence.
"When the problem of evacuating the settlement rose," Gen-
nadiy Vasilyevich said, "we gathered all divisional inspectors and
told them: let us have all data on how many buildings and gates
are their in your respective division. We obtained these data and
determined the necessary number of motor buses, as well as
worked out a plan for the evacuation. In this respect, everything
must be clear and well organized. In such cases chaos is imper-
missible..."
Of course, the announcement about the ensuing evacuation
disturbed the people. An entire delegation arrived at the execu-
tive committee headquarters. General Berdov was commissioned
to meet the people and to calm them down. Gennadiy Vasilyevich
went out to see the people in his general's uniform. Tall, grey-
haired, and calm, he was able to find the most suitable words to
use about the ensuing evacuation of the city.
"Someone tried to complain," the general recalls, "but the
troublemaker was silenced by the others. Although with dif-
ficulty, people saw the real danger."
A thousand buses were already standing at the AES city. Their
column moved in at exactly 1400 hours. A vehicle stopped at
every gate. Many people did not think that they would have to
stay away long, and left everything as it was. The militiamen
checked every dwelling to be certain: all have left the settlement.
"Under those circumstances," G.V. Berdov considered, "a great
deal depended on the acts of our staff members, on their calm
and confident behavior. After all, the people were di$urbed,
excited. For this reason we had to be particularly restrained,
tactful, kind, and willing to help."
And this was precisely why, in that tense and distressing sit-
uation, vigorous political and educational work was constantly
conducted among staff members of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs. Provisional party organizations and groups were set up
in combined detachments, and meetings were held. All this work
280
was spearheaded by Militia Major General A.I. Borovik, chief
of the political section of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal
Affairs. Political work was conducted in conformity with a clear
plan which, under those emergency conditions, encompassed the
most important issues, including enrollment in the party. Here is
what Oleg Dmitriyevich Kazakov, militia captain authorized for
the operation, wrote in his application: "As a Communist I would
like to carry out my official and civic duty in eliminating the
consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl AES..." V.A.
Kuybin, Yu. G. Vergel, and A.S. Vdevichenko, party members
for many years, gave the colleague the references he needed.
During the first 3 days, nearly 20 applications of this kind were
made. In accordance with the statutes, all of them were immedi-?
ately examined. We have been told in Kiev Gorkom that the
decisions of the party meetings held in the settlement of power
engineering specialists were given a priority treatment.
The work performed under the emergency conditions at the AES
has become a test for the highest marks. The number of those
who creditably passed the test includes Militia Master Sergeant
S. Matyukha, Major V. Kucherenko, Junior Lieutenant V. Vish-
nevskiy, and Sergeant First class V. Denisenko. All militiamen ,
? from private to general ? received a baptism of fire in
Chernobyl, and were part and parcel of the force that blocked
the way of the sudden calamity.
The evacuation flooded the roads with thousands of vehicles. But,
largely to the credit of the workers of the Automobile Highway
Inspection, there were no accidents and no major bottlenecks.
Transport militiamen were also actually masters at Yanov Sta-
tion which is located near the AES.
There were small villages whose inhabitants were taken to safety
by militiamen. The events in Chernobyl turned into a severe test
for the characters and true moral qualities of people. They
sharply revealed cowards and new heroes. The. accident at the
AES will be not only a bitter technical lesson for us, but also a
moral one.
The days in the area of the Chernobyl AES have become the most
important days in the lives of G.V. Berdov and of his colleagues:
V.V. Durdinets, first deputy minister; Yu.A. Voshkin and V.D.
Pitsyura, deputy ministers; and others.
The leaders of internal affairs organs are now alternating.in their
trips to the Chernobyl area, whose problems and concerns keep
them busy. All that has to be comprehended and appraised.
Justice has to be done to those who have distinguished them-
selves. In his thoughts, General Berdov again and again wanders
to the danger zone where his comrades are continuing the combat
effort. They are at their posts, patrolling the streets of the
deserted settlement, and making responsible decisions. More and
more entries are being made iii the militia's war diary. Junior
lieutenants and ensigns are going prematurely grey. Contact with
a danger whose reality is hardly believable leaves a deep imprint
on human souls. In the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs,
reports from Chernobyl are expected like reports from the front
line.
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MILITIA'S HEROIC FEATS AT CHERNOBYL DESCRIBED
PM121544 Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA in Russian 9 May 86 Second Edition p 5
[Report by correspondent Lieutenant Colonel A. Polyakov: "The Soviet Character.
From the Region of the Chernobyl AES"]
[Text] Everyone involved in liquidating the accident at the Cher-
nobyl AES during these bitter days for us deserves to be men-
tioned in the loftiest and most glowing terms. Many names have
already been featured in the press and have been heard on
television and radio broadcasts. As a correspondent for a military
newspaper, I would like to speak of people with shoulder boards
? servicemen and representatives of fire and militia subdivisions
? who are worthily fulfilling their duty under extreme con-
ditions.
"Much has been spoken about the beauty of the soul of our
people," Internal Service Colonel N. Khoroshok, chief of Kiev's
Fire Protection Administration, said in conversation with me.
"Chernobyl and the tragedy that has been played out there have
brought to light many new colors in that soul. I am unable to
speak without emotion with some of my subordinates: I want
to doff my cap to them. Take Sergeant Aleksandr Nemirovskiy,
driver and department commander. Outwardly he's unremar-
kable and taciturn. But when courage of a high order was
demanded, he found it at once: He resolutely drove a special
fire truck to the reactor to pump out water. Was the man aware
of the extent of the danger? Yes, our people are competent and
erudite. But Aleksandr did not think of himself, of his own fate.
The chief thing for him was to divert misfortune and danger from
other people. And that was precisely how all the other firemen
acted." "Everyone is now under a great strain, with business
cares," said Militia Captain A. Zarubitskiy, deputy chief of Kiev
city Internal Affairs Administration's Political Department, con-
tinuing, as it were, the thoughts expressed by Khoroshok. "And
when the danger is over and everything has calmed down, great
gratitude will have to be expressed to many, very many people.
On behalf of our entire people. And once again we shall have to
take stock and take, a detached view of ourselves. Soviet charac-
ter makes our individuals great and unflinchingly strong. No
misfortune can bend or break them." Militia Captain A. Kara-
chenko was one of the first to arrive in Pripyat with the subdivi-
sion he commands. It took him a matter of minutes to size up the
situation and ascertain the details on the spot. Then came mil-
itarily precise and unambiguous orders comprehensible to every-
one. People did not simply understand the militia worker, they
derived calmness, coolness, and staunchness from him. The
evacuation of residents was carried out quickly and with the
strictest discipline.
I learned with pride that Capt Karachenko had Army training.
He did his normal military service in the Group of Soviet Forces
in Germany and was a platoon deputy commander. He is now
one of the foremost militia officers.
281
"Several years ago," Militia Capt Zarubitskiy recalled, "the
press carried reports on an incident connected with a temporary
electricity outage in New York. There was an immediate out-
break of robberies and a sharp increase in the number of attacks
on residents. I even feel awkward comparing that picture with
what has happened at Pripyat. They are things that cannot be
compared. The misfortune has brought Soviet people still closer
together. They were and are a single family, in which everyone
seeks to take upon himself the heaviest possible burden and to be
wherever reliable, strong-willed people are most needed. During
these days and nights we have encountered only man with a
capital 'M'."
I have repeatedly had occasion to talk also with helicopter pilots.
Before writing these lines, I met with Major General of Aviation
N. Antoshkin, first deputy commander of the district's air forces.
Nikolay Timofeyevich was in the power workers' settlement on
the first day of the accident. He has been both over the reactor
and around it.
I peered particularly closely and inquiringly into my inter-
locutor's face: How did he feel at heart? The general smiled in
reply: "Of course, none of us has the right to belittle the danger
or the scale of the misfortune. That would be an unforgivable
mistake. But neither can we lose our head in the complex
situation. My conclusion, my personal conclusion is this: Our
people met this absolutely sudden and quite unforeseen occur-
rence fully armed. lam sure they could not have acted any better.
People are showing themselves to be heroes. Lieutenant Colonel
Yakovlev, for example, made more than 30 flights in one day and
dropped loads weighing tens of metric tons onto the reactor. I will
not be sparing of the loftiest epithets for Lieutenant Telegin and
Senior Ensign Vyshkovskiy." My interlocutors repeatedly
emphasized that their allies in a difficult situation are sensitive
and accurate instruments which make it possible to constantly
determine the real degree of danger. Even those people resolving
tasks at the very epicenter of events, which is the most dangerous
spot, are not receiving radiation doses that would threaten their
life. There is no need for such a risk.
"Everyone can determine at any moment with the help of an
individual dosimeter what dose of radiation he has received," said
Major General of Aviation V. Kobyakov, member of the Military
Council and chief of the district Air Force Political Department.
"And yet even we senior comrades sometimes need to have
recourse to monitoring. Certain pilots are very reluctant to report
the dose received and are afraid that it wiil be recognized as high
and that they will be taken off flights and removed from the
region. We have to explain: You will be replaced at once by
another crew, a fresh one ? don't worry..." We fell silent in
meditation. After a pause Kobyakov summed up what had been
said: "With such people no misfortune is terrible. They are
ready for anything for the sake of the common cause."
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TRAVELERS FROM KIEV SAY FOOD SHORTAGES WORSENING
AU111948 Paris AFP in English 1940 GMT 11 May 86
[Excerpt] Moscow, May 11 (AFP) ? Travelers to Moscow from
the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, 130 km (80 miles) south of the
Chernobyl plant, said food shortages in the region were worsen-
ing under embargoes on livestock, dairy products and produce
exposed to radiation from the April 26 accident. Long lines were
reported outside food shops, which were offering only canned and
frozen foods.
Draconian health measures were in force, and residents were
being cautioned to go outdoors only when essential to avoid
exposure to radioactive fallout, travellers here said. One mother
who arrived here from the Ukraine on Friday to leave her three
children with her sister said, "In the block of flats where we live,
we take turns shopping, because we have to look after the children
and reassure the old folks."
However, the Soviet Government newspaper, IZVESTIY A, said
"economic activity in Kiev is normal." The paper quoted a
specialist as saying the city's radiation levels were "above normal,
but pose no danger for the population...and could return to
normal around May 19."
WEST'S ARMS POSTURING 'MAIN LESSON' OF CHERNOBYL
LD131511 Moscow TASS in English 1440 GMT 13 May 86
[By TASS political news analyst Aleksey Grigoryev]
[Text] Moscow, May 13 TASS Influential quarters in the
West have visually demonstrated over the past few days that they
are prepared to exploit even such an unfortunate event as the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station to further their
selfish ends.
Circulating bizarre allegations about "mountains of corpses
around Chernobyl", they have sought to whip up anti-Soviet
hysteria and the fear of a "nuclear threat from the East".
Some people in the West have proved capable, as British Foreign
Secretary Geoffrey Howe admitted in a BBC interview, of turn-
ing a human tragedy into political football.
There is also another conclusion to be drawn from the Chernobyl
misfortune. Writing to U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de
Cuellar, Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said the
accident at the nuclear power station at Chernobyl had under-
lined most graphically the dangers of a nuclear catastrophe
threatening mankind. Such a catastrophe, he added, could
mostly be a consequence of the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The Greek leader urged the U.N. secretary general to take all
necessary measures to bring about a moratorium on all nuclear
testing and thus freeze the nuclear arms race. Andreas Papan-
dreou also proposed constant and automatic exchanges of more
important information on any events at nuclear power stations.
But the main and overriding need, he said, was world nuclear
disarmament. All the responsible political leaders of mighty
powers, he added, should ponder a nuclear catastrophe's con-
sequences to the world as a whole and to everyone.
This appeal, which the Greek prime minister as well as the
leaders of Argentina, Mexico, India, Tanzania and Sweden have
addressed to the great powers more than once, has found in our
282
country not only complete understanding but also a practical
response. It is responding to such an appeal by the leaders of the
six nations to suspend nuclear tests until the next Soviet-U.S.
summit meeting that the USSR has displayed goodwill once
again, by declaring readiness to refrain from nuclear blasts also
after March 31 ? until the first nuclear explosion in the United
States. The U.S. response to the humane Soviet position has been
further nuclear tests in Nevada.
The propaganda outcry in the West is gradually dying out. More
and more people are coming to realize that an accident like the
one at Chernobyl could have happened anywhere else. "Cher-
nobyl reminds us again that the power we are playing with is
bigger than we are," Bruce McLeod, minister of the Toronto
Metropolitan United Church, wrote in THE TORONTO STA R.
"No one can say for sure what won't happen. Nuclear accidents
are not times for blaming or gloating, or for nourishing national
self-righteousness. We are a single fragile human family. We still
have some time left to learn to live together," he said.
The accident makes one think of what has not yet led to catas-
trophe but is a cause of great concern all over the world, namely
the negative reaction of the United States and its allies to Soviet
proposals for putting an end to all nuclear testing and eliminating
all nuclear weapons even before the end of the century.
This posturing by the West is by far more dangerous than the
unfortunate event at our nuclear power station. This is the main
lesson of Chernobyl.
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W. EUROPE SAID VICTIM OF OWN PROPAGANDA ON RADIATION
LD131957 Moscow TASS in English 1841 GMT
["Propaganda Boomerangs--Losses";
Grigoryev"--TASS headline]
13 May 86
"By TASS Political News Analyst Aleksey
[Text] Moscow May 13 TASS ? Less than a week separated
statements on the radio by two West German ministers.
First the West Germans were addressed by Friedrich Zimmer-
mann. The Federal interior minister declared: "The serious
accident at the Soviet nuclear power station has plunged us all
into confusion", but he added right away: "For us there has not
existed and does not exist any danger...the World Health Orga-
nization does not see any danger to people outside the affected
area in the USSR either."
Contrary to any logic, however, Zimmermann's ministry imme-
diately after began provoking panic among the West German
population, urging them to seal their windows and wash vegeta-
bles and fruits, as if these had previously been eaten dirty.
The U.S. television network CBS admitted that the avalanche of
often conflicting pieces of advice had stirred up fear. The official
thesis throughout Europe, it said, was that there was no danger
but if that was so, many people were wondering, why so many
pieces of advice on safety precautions.
The results of the fear-fostering campaign were quick to tell. The
anti-Soviet hysteria fanned up in the West by official propaganda
services and the mass media made people buy less farm produce
and so made farmers suffer losses.
This was why another West German cabinet member, Economics
Minister Martin Bangemann, went on the air to speak to the
nation. He reported that tomorrow, May 14, the agriculture
ministers of the country's federal lands will hold a conference in
Bonn to discuss the issue of compensating the West German
farmers for their losses. Bangemann said also that the govern-
ment will consider the possibility of demanding that the USSR
pay damages.
In the opinion of a whole number of officials in the Federal
Republic of Germany, such a demand is groundless from the
standpoint of international law. What happened was clearly a
boomerang effect: It is anti-Soviet allegations about the "radio-
active contamination of Western Europe" that caused losses to
farmers in West Germany and other Western countries. Regard-
less of all this, influential circles in the West are obviously itching
to launch yet another propaganda campaign against the USSR,
only this time they are aiming to gain not political capital but
capital proper.
The issue of a possible suit to be filed against the Soviet Union
was raised also in the U.S. mass media, although there are no
grounds, including international legal grounds, for it also there.
[sentence as received]
It is relevant to recall that the increased radiation levels in
Western Europe as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl
nuclear power station were considerably lower than the standards
set by the IAEA and determining when and what precautions are
to be taken.
lithe West German authorities took such precautions even if
they were unnecessary, it is they that should bear responsibility
for this. The opinion of most prominent experts on radiation
safety did not give any causes for rash and panicky reports on the
"contamination of farm produce" either.
At their meeting in the WHO headquarters it was stressed that
as of May 6, radioactive substances over the European Continent
had dispersed and most of the short-life elements of the radioac-
tive substances had disintegrated.
The experts said that the coverage given in the Western mass
media to the accident had caused an undesirable reaction among
the population, which did not correspond to the actual extent of
the danger. Since those scientists said there were no reasons to
recommend restrictions on the import of food produce from East
European countries, including the USSR, it was all the more
unjustified for the West German authorities to make the people
in their country scared over the "harmfulness" of the products of
their own agriculture.
So the ones that have to pay now are those who have frightened
themselves through their own efforts.
283
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ZHOLKVER: U.S. 'CRISIS OF TRUST' COUNTERED BY SALT II
LD131836 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1500 GMT 13 May 86
[Commentary by political observer Aleksandr Zholkver]
[Text] In June 1979 I had occasion to witness the signing of an
important agreement at the Soviet-American summit meeting in
Vienna which is called for short SALT II. It is true that even
then, certain of my U.S. colleagues who had gathered for the
festive ceremony in the Vienna Hofburg Palace warned: SALT
II will hardly be ratified by the United States since the military
industrial complex sees it as a threat to its business.
These predictions have been fulfilled. The treaty has not even
been presented to the Senate for approval. However, because of
the popularity of the idea of disarmament throughout the world,
including among the American public, Washington did not risk
simply renouncing the Vienna accords and announced that the
treaty, although unratified, would be observed by the United
States. It is true that all this time SALT II has been a thorn in
the flesh of American military industrialists, and they have been
striving in all possible ways to get rid of it. Sometimes they
expatiated on the treaty's imperfection and sometimes they
accused the Soviet Union of violating it.
Meanwhile, the very idea of arms limitation was being under-
mined. And now that Washington has openly begun to implement
a strategy of neoglobalism ? from the bombings of Libyan cities
to the stepped-up production of nuclear and space weapons ?
the present U.S. Administration evidently considers it possible to
finally discard the SALT-II treaty too. In any case, as TIME
magazine has reported, it was decided at a secret conference of
the U.S. National Security Council to violate that treaty, in
particular concerning number of cruise missiles. Appropriate
plans, as TIME also points out, were expounded to the partici-
pants of the recent Tokyo conference of the Big Seven.
It is true that, as is noted for example in the West German press,
these plans gave rise to no small degree of concern even among
the closest U.S. allies. FRG Chancellor Kohl is even alleged to
have sent a special message to President Reagan calling upon him
not to violate SALT II. Of course, it is difficult to contemplate
that Washington will in this case ? as in all other ones ? listen
to the opinion of its partners. However, for the sake of fairness it
is worthwhile asking the question: In connection with the Cher-
nobyl accident, Washington has expatiated a great deal about
the crisis of trust in international relations. But what trust is there
at all when the Washington administration both practically, and
now evidently also formally, breaks off a very important treaty
under which stands the signature of the President of the United
States?
PONOMAREV: WEST EXPLOITS ACCIDENT TO PROVOKE ENMITY
LD131651 Moscow TASS in English 1625 GMT 13 May 86
[By TASS commentator Leonid Ponomarev]
[Text] Moscow May 13 TASS ? The governments of several
Common Market countries are trying to take advantage of the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station for the unseemly
end of kindling enmity to socialist countries in Europe.
This is demonstrated by yesterday's decision by a session of the
EEC Ministerial Council at foreign minister level to suspend the
import of meat, dairy products and vegetables from the European
socialist countries on account of their alleged radioactive con-
tamination.
The attending ministers were clearly guided not by objective data
now available to any government but by purely time-serving
political and economic considerations and a reluctance to extend
cooperation, strengthen trust and promote goodneighbourly rela-
tions in Europe.
Commenting on the EEC decision, the American and West
European press called attention to the fact that the EEC
284
"experts" had not had the objective scientific facts to work out
acceptable universal standards for radioactive contamination
levels. The EEC's actions are nothing other than sanctions, this
time under the pretext of "safety".
The Polish Foreign Trade Ministry described the Common Mar-
ket ruling to stop food imports from Poland as discriminatory.
The Hungarian newspaper MAGYi4R HIRLAPsaid the decision
is totally unjustified and is hardly explained by concern for public
health.
The Yugoslav newspaper BORBA stressed the groundless nature
of the EEC's actions which are not supported by any compelling
arguments. Similar views were expressed by the press in other
socialist countries.
The EEC leadership's actions, prompted from Washington, show
very clearly a desire to draw public attention from the issues
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uppermost on the minds of people in Western Europe and else-
where, namely the problems of delivering mankind from nuclear
and chemical weapons and preventing the militarization of outer
space.
The Soviet Union's proposals on these issues, taking into account
the interests of all sides, have long been before the leaders of the
United States, Britain and other NATO countries.
It is high time there was a practical response to these proposals
but cold winds keep blowing from the West as before. There, they
are looking for any pretext to dodge taking concrete measures
and signing accords with the USSR on arms control.
NATO figures have tried to exploit even such an unfortunate
event as the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station to
poison international atmosphere and provoke strife and mistrust.
Socialist countries have been subjected to all manner of boycotts,
blockades, economic blackmail and pressure more than once
before but each time those disciminatory measures have failed.
The same lot is awaiting also the EEC's cabbage and onion
embargo.
COLUMNIST EXCORIATES SENATOR DOLE'S 'MUDSLINGING'
PM151029 Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian 14 May 86 Morning Edition p 5
[Melo Sturua article under the rubric "Notes Apropos":
Soviet Aria"]
[Text] When, on the eve of the 1976 elections, President Ford
made Robert Dole, senator from Kansas, his running mate, the
uninitiated were rather surprised. But the connoisseurs of politi-
cal intrigues understood very well the significance of this deci-
sion. Ford needed Dole, the magazine U.S. NEWS & WORLD
REPORT wrote at the time, to "sling mud" at his rival Carter.
Republican strategists were hoping that the "foul-mouthed
Dole" would be able to "bring Carter out of his equilibrium and
annoy him," provoking the rival to make mistakes. This strategy
proved unjustified. The team of Ford and Dole lost the election.
It is no accident that I am recalling this old story. Robert Dole,
who now heads the Republican majority in the Senate, is still
considered leader in the sphere of "slinging mud" at his political
rivals. And when it comes to the socialist countries, in particular
the Soviet Union, Dole's eloquence begins to resemble a mud
Niagara.
The other day the Kansas senator unleashed his latest Niagara
against us, in connection with the accident at the Chernobyl
AES. The anti-Soviet radioactivity of his speech was unusually
high even for this grand master of political bad language. Dole
expatiated on the Soviet Union's "irresponsibility and cynicism"
and its allegedly "unprecedented disregard for the fears and
apprehensions of millions of inhabitants of the planet," saying
that "the Russians have the potential to cause tremendous,
potentially lethal problems for us all" and that they are "ignoring
Chernobyl, but we cannot ignore it," and so forth, all in the same
vein.
Frankly speaking, there is a great temptation here to fall. into a
rage. After all, according to Dole it appears that we all but
deliberately provoked the accident at the Chernobyl AES, appar-
ently in order to intimidate, if not actually destroy, all mankind.
But despite the extreme irresponsibility and cynicism of such
expatiations by the American senator, let us not lose our equilib-
rium, let us take a look at the sources of his "eloquence." And
"Robert Dole's Anti?
Dole himself leads us to those sources, warning in highly signifi-
cant terms that "the Russians cannot be blindly trusted." (Blind
hatred is another matter.)
Imperialist circles seized on the accident at the Chernobyl AES
as an "argument" against the attainment of realistic accords with
the Soviet Union on curbing the arms race and eliminating the
threat of nuclear missile war. To this end they distort not only
the actual facts about Chernobyl, but also the lessons of Cher-
nobyl, which have shown once again how fragile our planet is and
how destructive is the might of the atom, especially if it is chained
not to peaceful concrete, but to military armor. It is not we who
cause "potentially lethal problems" for mankind, but the U.S.
ruling circles, to which Robert Dole has the dubious honor of
belonging. It is they who refuse to stop the nuclear tests, they who
continue to_ create ever more powerful instruments of mass
destruction, they who try to take atomic death into space, they,
finally, who sow the seeds of distrust in order to reap the
poisonous fruits of international tension. The latest example of
this is the anti-Soviet song and dance around the accident at the
Chernobyl AES.
285
Into what muddy depths you have to plunge in order to accuse us
of "ignoring Chernobyl"! We must admit that Robert Dole has
succeeded, with the help of ignoring common sense, and, most
important, the true needs and aspirations of mankind. But will
he succeed in extricating himself from these depths? That is
another matter. Malevolence once failed to bring him the position
of vice president. Nor will it yield the expected dividends for him
now. In trying to bring us out of our equilibrium he is losing his
own. In trying to vent his spite on us, he is removing his own mask.
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CHERNOBYL 'PRETEXT' FOR BANNING FARM IMPORTS
PM121626 Moscow PRAVDA in Russian 13 May 86 First Edition p 5
[V. Bolshakov "Rejoinder" under the general heading "Who Needs the Anti-Soviet
Campaign in.Connection-With the Accident at the ChernobylAES": "Warming
Their Hands..."1.-
[Text] There is one infallible indicator of moral health ? the
desire to help someone who has gotten into trouble and not to
profit from another's misfortune. Alas, this indicator is absent
where the practice of pursuing profit is considered "ethical" and
quite "moral." What connection could there be, you might think,
between the "trade war" raging on both shores of the Atlantic
and also within West Europe itself and the accident at the
Chernobyl AES? It turns out there is a connection, albeit an
artificially created one.
The United States, which long ago threatened to take "punitive
measures" against West European suppliers of agricultural pro-
ducts to the United States, is forcing legislation through Con-
gress "banning" imports of foodstuffs from the Old World on the
pretext of the supposedly "sharply increased radiation there."
Even though WHO experts publicly announced a few days ago
that there are no reasons for such a ban, nor for continuing the
precautionary measures originally introduced, fears continue to
be stoked intensively.
According to the French TF- I television channel, the accident at
the Chernobyl AES was "a convenient pretext for certain politi-
cians to establish an embargo on agricultural products whose
importation was scheduled under agreements." It cites as an
example Italy's refusal to accept certain French products. Italy
in turn complains that its EEC partner-rivals are not buying its
milk, even though it has been proved that its is safe...
The fabrications disseminated in the Western press have done
direct harm to exports of foodstuffs from Finland and other
countries. But the strategists of "psychological warfare" have
directed their primary blow against the USSR and the other
European socialist countries. Despite convincing proof submitted
by these countries' national organizations and by international
organs, and despite the painstaking measures to monitor the level
? of radiation and the quality of the goods, the EEC countries and
? also certain states which are not members of this grouping have
announced a ban on imports of a number of kinds of agricultural
products from East European countries.
L'HUMANITE DIMANCHE regards this measure as "overtly
discriminatory and dictated by purely political considerations."
The Polish PAP agency adds: "This is not the first instance
when wrenches have been thrown in the works of the socialist
countries and of East-West economic cooperation on farfetched
pretexts." The Hungarian press points out that the EEC decision
is scarcely motivated by health considerations but, rather, is
designed to protect the "Common Market" countries' food mar-
ket, which is burdened by tension.
In this situation the actions of certain "fighters against radioac-
tive products" rather resemble attempts to profit from other
people's misfortune and, at the same time, to trip up competitors.
It was for this that the current massive "irradiation" with
anticommunism was needed.
SHLENOV ON EEC COMMISSION'S BAN ON FOODSTUFFS
LD131048 Moscow in Portuguese to Portugal 2100 GMT 12 May 86
[Viktor Shlenov commentary]
[Text] The EEC commission has imposed a ban, to last until the
end of the month, on imports of foodstuffs from the European
socialist countries. Radio Moscow commentator Viktor Shlenov
writes:
The EEC has joined the anti-Soviet campaign unleashed in the
West in connection with the fault at the Chernobyl nuclear power
station. It has done so despite the fact that each day the inconsis-
tency is becoming increasingly obvious concerning the rumors
spread about radioactive contamination in the countries border-
ing the USSR and despite the fact that it has been officially
declared that Soviet products pose no radioactive threat to the
population of the USSR nor to citizens of other countries.
Other socialist countries are also monitoring the levels of radio-
activity and are forwarding detailed reports to the International
Atomic Energy Agency. It should be pointed out that consump-
tion of the foodstuffs included in the EEC's banned list is not
absolutely restricted [nao esta absolutamente limitados] in the
exporting countries. The impression emerges that the EEC Com-
mission's discriminatory measures have in no way been dictated
by concern for the health of the people of Western Europe but
? rather by political considerations. And the question
arises: Why has the EEC ban not been extended, for example,
to Sweden, Denmark, and Austria where radioactivity levels have
not been lower than those registered in the socialist countries?
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The possibility cannot be ruled out that the EEC Commission
acted on the suggestion of the farming and commercial mono-
polies seeking to supplant the socialist countries in the Western
markets. In the capitalist world, all means of fighting the com-
petition are acceptable, sometimes even base and unworthy
means. It is also hard not to think that Brussels was waiting for
a pretext to deal a blow to East-West economic cooperation.
From the standpoint of the enemies of such cooperation, this is
an opportune moment, for possibilities had recently emerged for
the establishment of mutually beneficial trade relations between
the EEC and CEMA.
Obviously such actions damage the international agreements
concluded between the EEC members and the socialist countries
on cooperation in the trade, economic, industrial, technical, and
scientific spheres. It is also obvious that the EEC's discriminatory
actions undermine the 'political confidence that is so necessary
for the success of the talks under way in Geneva, Vienna, and
Stockholm. Such actions also serve to show that while on the one
hand the Europeans are coming out with increasing resolve
against the nuclear threat hanging over the world, on the other
hand certain politicians are doing their utmost to divide Europe
and sow fresh seeds of mistrust and enmity.
'U.S. NUCLEAR PLANTS SAFER' CLAIMS DISCOUNTED
LD121639 Moscow Television Service in Russian 1445 GMT 12 May 86.
'[From "The World Today" program presented
[Text] Hello comrades. Whipping up an anti-Soviet campaign in
connection with the accident at Chernobyl, a number of official
representatives of the U.S. Administration have made gloating
statements saying tht- the safety techniques in Soviet nuclear
power engineering are allegedly useless, and that U.S. nuclear
reactors are much safer than Soviet reactors.
(Marvin Resnikoff), the well-known U.S. nuclear scientist, writ-
ing in the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER refutes these conjec-
tures. He claims that, on the contrary, I quote him: In some
respects, U.S. reactors are more dangerous than Soviet ones. For
instance, to generate the same quantity of electricity, U.S. reac-
tors use much more radioactive substances than Soviet ones. In
particular, the reactor of the U.S. (Limerick) nuclear power
station, located near Philadelphia has, in the words of the U.S.
scientist, 10 times more radioactivity than Soviet reactors, and
in the event of any incident it would pose a serious threat to the
populace of that city.
287
by Igor Fesunenko]
(Marvin Resnikoff) considers that the attempts of the leaders of
the U.S. nuclear industry to give the public of their country a
false sense of security can be qualified as criminal. This disinfor-
mation hampers the drawing-up of appropriate emergency plans
to be usedin the event of an accident threatening people's lives.
And in the view of TIME magazine an important lesson learned
from the accident at Chernobyl is the fact that the authorities
must always be ready and able to evacuate people living in the
vicinity of a nuclear power station, and to isolate them from the
effects of radiation. In this connection, the U.S. observers draw
attention to the fact that the Soviet authorities were able to carry
out an organized and very rapid evacuation of 49,000 people from
four population centers near Chernobyl AES. It is difficult to
imagine how the populations living near the U.S. nuclear power
stations of Indian Point, (Zion) and (Limerick) located near such
major population centers as New York, Chicago and
Philadelphia could be quickly evacuated, TIME magazine
writes.
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RADIO CRITICIZES WESTERN
LD121816 Moscow Domestic
[From the "International
PROPAGANDA ON CHERNOBYL
Service in Russian 1645 GMT 12 May 86
Diary" program presented by Boris Andriyanov]
[Text] The events of the past few days convincingly show that
resolute and effective measures are being taken in our country in
order to restrict and eliminate in the shortest possible time the
consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl AES. However,
these measures have absolutely no interest to certain circles in
the West. Confirmation of this is the fact that these circles are
continuing to inflate the provocative ballyhoo, sowing panic
among the population.
In this way, says the French Communist newspaper
L'HUMANI7'E, in the West they are trying to gather as many
political dividends as possible from what happened at Chernobyl,
while the eminent Australian writer and journalist, editor of the
magazine SURVEY, William Brown, called the West's reaction
to the events in Chernobyl the fiercest flare-up of anti-Sovietism
in recent years.
Washington is especially eager in this respect, having forgotten
the most elementary decency. In the White House, for example,
they have gone so far as to accuse the Soviet Union of uncivilized
behavior. Let us leave such an incorrect ? to put it mildly ?
statement to the conscience of its authors. Let us just note that
it, like the entire inflated campaign of fear and hatred, was
needed by some one across the ocean in order to distract world
public attention from their own acts, which are a danger to peace,
and which, according to generally accepted humane concepts,
can in no way, be described as civilized.
Suffice it merely to recall just a few terms which are currently
especially in vogue among leading American figures. After all,
they keep on about the nuclear stick, about the space stick, and
other such sticks, clearly taken from the lexicon of some sort of
troglodyte dictionary for contemporary neanderthals. And what
is the worth of their arguments which are conducted with uncon-
cealable lust for ? having deployed their "star wars" system ?
the U.S. gaining the opportunity to deal an industrially developed
country such damage as would set it back at least to the level of
the 18th century? Surely such arguments are unworthy of a
civilized peronality?
An unambiguous answer to this is given?by every honest person
on earth. And this answer reflects the miscalculation of the
Washington organizers of the propaganda ballyhoo' around the
accident at Chernobyl. While shouting about this misfortune,
which is incomparable in scale with the threat which Washing-
ton's nuclear space schemes represent, the U.S. Administration
has merely emphasized what a lethal danger for mankind is
contained in the plans of the transatlantic neoglobalists.
LITERARY PAPER CITED ON U.S. 'HYSTERICAL' PRESS
LD132126 Moscow TASS in English 2044 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Moscow May 13 TASS ? The Soviet press reports on the
accident at the nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylva-
nia, "contained no hint of a speculation around other people's
misfortune. Deplorably, this cannot be said about the American
press, which raised an anti-Soviet propaganda wave around the
Chernobyl accident," LITERATURNAYA GAZETA points out
in its issue of May 14.
The banner headlines in New York newspapers sound hysterical.
"The Atomic Nightmare in Chernobyl," "A Death Power
Plant", "The Lesson of Chernobyl Is That the Russians Should
Not Be Trusted in Anything". The newspaper NEW YORK
POST carried a colourful story of an anti-Soviet demonstration
in New York where a crowd of dregs chanted: "Russians, go to
hell".
The whipping up of mass anti-Sovietism is designed above all for
the local man in the street, who is frightened with consequences
of the Chernobyl accident. The U.S. press put the death toll as a
result of the accident First at 60, then at 2,000 and later even at
15,000. Yet it was soon found out that the lfirst faked report had
been cooked up by a professional misinformer in Tel Aviv, the
second ? a liar named Kofman in the Netherlands, and the third
was cooked up by an epigonus of Bandera Men, who settled in
New Jersey, USA. In conclusion it was found out that the clouds
carried out, by winds from the Ukraine And by which the
? Americans were particularly frightened, reached the United
States but did not carry along any dangerous radiation.
Two groups of American tourists arrived from Kiev at Kennedy
Airport in New.York on May 2 and 3. They were met by sobbing
relatives, a crowd of reporters and a special team of radiation
experts. After a medical check on all tourists, Charles Maynhold,
who was in charge of the check, said: "All of them are abso-
lutely healthy." The relatives began to smile, and the tourists
laughed. One of them, Alice Ehrensohn, exclaimed: "EveryL
thing in Kiev was normal, everything was superb". The next day
THE NEW YORK TIMES again published under a panicky
headline "Nuclear Disaster" five pages of absurd gossip stories,
LITERATURNAYA GAZETA says in conclusion.
288
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'ANTI?SOVIET HUE AND CRY' CONTINUES OVER CHERNOBYL
LD141503 Moscow World Service in English 1310 GMT 14 May 86
[Excerpts] What is the situation in the Chernobyl nuclear power
station arca? What is being done to eliminate the consequences
of the accident? Are there any health hazards? These and other
questions are asked by many people around the world. The Soviet
Union has been giving extensive and detailed coverage to the
accident. Summing up the opinions of experts on the situation
leads to the conclusion that the main danger has passed, although
many problems still exist.
Soviet papers and television have reports on the work to decon-
taminate the terrain and stop the radiation leak from the dam-
aged reactor. Tens of _thousands of square meters of the nuclear
station area have been covered with a special film. Military
helicopters have been dropping bags of sand and other materials
on the reactor. Preparations are under way to encase the reactor
in a solid concrete shell. There have been reports on radiation
levels in various regions.
There has been extensive information on the situation in the
Chernobyl nuclear power station area. There have been unam-
biguous statements by authoritative experts. And still a number
of mass media in the West have continued the anti-Soviet hue
and cry over the Chernobyl accident. The technique used by them
is simply outrageous. For instance Italian television played a
video recording of what it claimed to be a fire at the Soviet power
station. It turned outlater that the facility shown in the program
was a cement 'mill in Trieste. It was Italian televiewers that
caught the slanderers redhanded. The directors of the television
have had to confess to the fraud. Incidentally, the same fraud
was broadcast by two major American television networks, NBC
and ABC.
This campaign has met with worldwide condemnation. And now
one more report on the same subject: Washington has
announced with much pomp and hypocritical sympathy that it is
going to send dried milk to Poland, allegedly affected as a result
of the Chernobyl accident. A Polish Government spokesman,
Jerzy Urban, has told a news conference that the Poles do not
need the milk offered by the American Senate because he said
that milk is (?contaminated) [words indistinct]. However, if the
United States (?does) send us milk, Jerzy Urban pointed out,
Poland is ready to reciprocate by providing blankets and sleeping
bags for the thousands of homeless New Yorkers.
'NEW GENERATION' MEETING TEST OF ACCIDENT 'TRIAL'
LD091615 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1509 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] The scarlet flag, the unchanging companion of our fes-
tivals, like everywhere else in the country of the Soviets on 9 May,
Victory Day, has also appeared on the Chernobyl AES. It was
raised by those who are on watch today which can be called, quite
justifiably, a militant watch.
It is difficult now: Titanic work is under way, exhausting work,
without the right to a rest, to a break. But these people who have
gone though fire and ashes, who, with their courage are making
progress every minute, are already victors.
Those with whom correspondents came into contact in Cher-
nobyl, who were leaving to go on watch or were returning from
it, were, for the most part, young people. There was no war in
their biographies: War passed through the life and the hearts of
their fathers and mothers, turning their hair to silver, leaving -
them with wounds, wastes and losses. But then there arose a trial
for the new generation such as never existed in the day of the
veterans. And in this unprecedented battle, not one of these
young people faltered, gave way, gave up.
They are different years, the forties and the eighties, but the
individual is the same, the Soviet individual.
289
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'ABSENCE OF INFORMATION' FROM USSR NOTED
WA081500 [Editorial Report] TIRANA ZER1 1 POPULLIT in
Albanian on 1 May carries on page 4 a 300-word report, citing
unnamed news agencies stating that the Chernobyl disaster took
place on 26 April, damaging one of the four reactors. An Inter-
national Atomic Energy Spokesman is quoted on the "absence of
details" from the Soviet Union. The report also mentions DPA
and AFP reports of radioactivity levels in Poland and Austria.
ZERI I POPULLITon 3 May on page 4 carries a300-word item
citing unnamed news agencies' reports that the effects of the
disaster are still being felt in the Soviet Union. AFP is cited on
radioactivity levels in Poland, and TANJUG is cited on radioac-
tivity levels in Yugoslavia. ZER1 I POPPULLIT on 3 May also
carries an ATA announcement on page 1 identical with the
referent item, but adding the words:
"As prophylactic measures it is advised that fresh vegetables be
washed carefully, and that water from open springs and reser-
voirs not be drunk. Pregnant women and small children should
not spend too long out of doors."
RADIATION LEVELS NEAR NORMAL, RESTRICTIONS LIFTED
AV151025 Tirana ATA in English 0915 GMT 15 May 86
["Announcement of the Commission on Environment Protection
Albania"--ATA headline]
[Text] Tirana, May 15 (ATA)? The continuous examination of
the radioactive pollution of the environment, made by the Insti-
tute of Nuclear Physics during the whole period after the Cher-
nobyl accident in the Soviet Union, shows that now the level of
radioactivity has fallen and has approached considerably the
basic natural level.
Under such conditions, the prophylactic measures recommended
through the press on May 3,1986 are abolished. Hence, it is not
ALBANIA
of the PSR of
dangerous for the children and the adults to stay in the open air,
the drinking of water in open resources, the use of vegetables,
fruits and medicinal herbs, after they are cleaned as usually. All
the fresh foodstuff products such as milk, which is sold to the
people, fish, oysters, frogs, etc. should continue to be used nor-
mally. Likewise, no restriction are imposed on taking bath in the
seas, lakes, etc.
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FATHERLAND FRONT OFFICIAL COMMENTS ON ACCIDENT
AU070840 Sofia BTA in English 1931 GMT 6
[Text] Sofia, May 6 (BTA) ? Mr. Nikolay Georgiev, deputy
chairman of the National Council of the Fatherland Front and
chairman of the National Committee for Environment Conserva-
tion, spoke today on environment conservation in Bulgaria. At a
meeting on the occasion of the traditional declaring of May as a
month of environment conservation, he declared himself for a still
greater public activity in the field of environment conservation
and for wide international cooperation in this field. He recalled
the initiative of the Bulgarian party and state leader Mr. Todor
Zhivkov for the working out and the signing of a Balkan Treaty
for Ecological Protection and for adopting an appeal in this
respect to all European peoples.
BULGARIA
May 86
Mr. Nikolay Georgiev dwelled on the accident at the Chernobyl
nuclear power station, stressing that this is an accident which met
sympathy among the wide world public. Along with this, he also
noted the attempts of certain circles in the West to use the
accident for political anti-Soviet-and anti-socialist purposes. And
this is being done by those who are stepping up the arms race,
who are working out plans for the militarization of space and
increising the threat of the annihilation of life on the planet, the
speaker pointed out.
RADIATION SAID POSING NO THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH
AU081237 Sofia BTA in English 1915 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Sofia, May 7 (BTA) Prof Lyubomir Shinderov, cor-
responding member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, first
deputy minister of public health, and sanitary inspector general,
and senior research associate Ivan Pandev, M. Eng, chairman of
the Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy,
appeared on national television here tonight to explain, in detail
the radiological situation in the country. ?
The two experts.sa id that systematic monitoring has shown solar
lowering radiation levels and that there is a tendency towards
their normalization. Prof Shinderov and Mr Pandev specified
that levels up to three times higher than the natural background
radiation readings were registered only in separate'areas after
May 2, when there was a wind shift from the north. The level of
radioactivity, its short-lived character, and the pronounced ten-
dency towards normalization had given the health authorities no
reason to recommend iodine prophylaxis.
Prof Shinderov stressed that no threat at all was posed to public
health. Nobody in Bulgaria was exposed to significant doses of
radiation, and the slightly increased levels, all the more only in
separate areas, do not endanger the health of children, mothers,
pregnant women or elderly people, he said.
Radiation levels in Bulgaria are expected to go back fully to
normal in the coming days. ,
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FOREIGN MINISTRY REJECTS WESTERN 'DISINFORMATION'
AU092015 Sofia BTA in English 1736 GMT 9
[Text] Sofia, May 9 (BTA) ? The mass media in Holland and
other Western countries are circulating reports that the People's
Republic of Bulgaria has allegedly failed to release any informa-
tion on radiation levels in this country after the Chernobyl
nuclear accident.
Today, May 9, the ambassador of the Netherlands to Sofia, Mr
Johan Faber, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
where he was notified of the serious concern expressed by the
Bulgarian side in this connection. Apart from the official
announcements published in the Bulgarian press and boradcast
May 86
on national radio and television on May 4, 6, 7 and 8, Ambassa-
dor Johan Faber, in his capacity as envoy of the country presiding
over the commission of the European communities, was addition-
ally briefed on the level of radioactivity in the People's Republic
of Bulgaria at meetings in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on
May 4, 6, and 9 this year. The ambassador was told that such
reports disinform the Western public about the real state of
affairs on such an important matter, something which could lead
to a deterioration of economic, tourist and other relations
between the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the West Euro-
pean countries.
AGRARIAN JOURNAL CARRIES ARBATOV INTERVIEW
AU121345 Sofia ZEMEDELSKO ZNAME in Bulgarian 9 May 86 p 4
[Interview given by USSR Academician Georgiy Arbatov to "Western radio and
television stations, in connection with the accident [avariya] in the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant": "Misfortune [neshtastiye] Should Not Be a
Reason for Hatred"; time and place of interview not given. Interview dis?
patched "especially for ZEMEDELSKO ZNAME by NOVOSTI.1
[Textj In connection with the accident in the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant, many Western radio and television stations
addressed questions to Academician Georgiy Arbatov, the noted
USSR scientist and public figure.
[Question] Many Western mass media accuse the USSR of
delaying information on the accident. What can you say about
this?
[Arbatov] The case required verification and the obtaining of
reliable information based on real facts and the instruments.'
data. It seems that the situation in the region of the nuclear power
plant during the initial period was connected with circumstances
that complicated the investigation into the reasons behind the
unexpectedly occurring trouble [beda]. First of all we had to take
care of saving people who were in immediate danger. In addition,
clarifying the reasons behind such an accident is no simple task.
It is known that the United States is still clarifying the precise
reason for the "Challenger" disaster.
After the first report from the Soviet government all the neces-
sary information was given to the IAEA. The director general of
the agency, Hans Blix, was invited to the USSR in order to get
acquainted with the situation on the spot. By the way or compari-
son we can recall that the United States informed the IAEA
about the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant
2 months after the incident [proizshestvie]. I do not recall any-
body in the West making an issue of it. However, now hatred for
the USSR is hiding behind this uproar about the accident in our
nuclear power plant. We are witnessing an artificial exaggeration
of what has happened, with the goal of provoking hysterics. This
at least is not honest. It is shameful and undignified.
[Question] Did the level of radiation threaten neighboring coun-
tries? What measures were taken to decrease the danger?
[Arbatov] Our scientists can have no data on the radiation level
in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Japan, simply because
these countries are rather far away from the USSR. In Kiev,
which is situated 130 km from Chernobyl, the radiation level did
not exceed the safety limit for people. Radiation in the accident
area has increased.
Good sense indicates that all measures must be adopted to
decrease the consequences of the accident. Recently, highly
qualified Soviet specialists equipped with appropriate instru-
ments departed for Romania and Poland. You know that the level
of radiation is not a constant value. It depends on the distance
from the location of the accident, the direction of the winds, and
so forth. In the immediate proximity of the reactor ? in a radius
of 100 meters ? the radiation level increased sharply; the
possibility of radioactive fallout existed up to a distance of 10 km;
only negligent deviations from the natural level were noted in
several regions located 100 km from the reactor.
292
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[Question] In the West many people are sincerely concerned with
the fate of the population in the regions affected by the misfor-
tune. What form of assistance was rendered?
[Arbatov] We are very grateful to those thousands of voluntary
donors who offered bone-marrow for transplants and blood for
transfusions. We are touched by the manifestations of sympathy.
We gratefully accept the assistance offered, if it is offered with
good intentions.
I do not recommend that one seriously accept, let alone believe,
the Western mass media which are trying to turn the case into a
sensation and to disseminate panic. This is precisely what the
"Liberty" and "Free Europe" radio stations ? financed by the
CIA and the United States ? are doing in their broadcasts to
the USSR, Poland, Romania, and other countries.
[Question]One of the main obstacles to the United states' accept-
ing the Soviet peace proposals is the issue of verification [kontrol].
Can the Americans believe the USSR if it did not immediately
give information on the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant?
[Arbatov] The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is
being used by the American side as an excuse for their refusal to
conduct a serious dialogue on the issue of control over the arms
race and disarmament.
Such an approach is incorrect according to us. It aims at diverting
mankind's attention from the main goal ? to avoid a nuclear
catastrophe that will be millions of times more terrible than
similar accidents in all nuclear power plants combined.
The USSR is against the nuclear threat, including the one that
emerges as a result of accidents at peaceful nuclear power plants.
The Chernobyl accident provided another lesson as to how vul-
nerable modern civilization is in conditions in which technology
is developing dynamically.
The world exists while 50,000 nuclear warheads also exist, and
NATO has the intention of using nuclear weapons first.
Mankind can be saved from alarm about the future and can deal
peacefully with its daily deeds, if it receives an assurance that the
atom, and primarily the military atom, will not be used against it.
EEC FOOD IMPORTS BAN FROM E. EUROPE FAULTED
Termed 'Discriminatory'
AU131020 Sofia Domestic Service in Bulgarian
[Text] The Council of Ministers of the Common Market has
announced that the import of certain agricultural goods from
Bulgaria, the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary,
Romania, and Yugoslavia is being halted until the end of this
month. This is a completely unjustified discriminatory action and
a fomenting of psychosis around the accident [avariya] at the
Chernobyl nuclear power station. As is well known, after a
special conference devoted to this question the World Health
Organization officially reported that food products from the
socialist countries are completely safe for consumption and are
not radioactive, as is maliciously being asserted in the West.
0900 GMT 13 May 86
Further Criticism
AU131747 Sofia BTA in English 1349 GMT 13 May 86
["Discrimination or Subversion Against Peaceful Coexistence
hea-2.1ine]
[Text] Sofia, May 13 (BTA commentator Ivo Garvalov) ?
Simply discrimination? Or maybe a provocation? And why not
an attempt at subversion?
This strong ? unusually strong ? language outlines the possible
range of motives underlying the decision of the Common Market
293
and Trade"--BTA
foreign ministers to ban the import of foods from the U.S.S.R.,
Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and
Yugoslavia until May 31. The pretext is the accident at the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
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Why comment on the ethics of government officials who try to
make discriminatory policy out of a mishap? But if we would
grasp the essence of such a puzzling decision, we should take a
look back in time. Precisely when was this decision made?
Perhaps when the scope of the Chernobyl disaster was still
uncertain in quantitative terms? No, it was taken weeks after
some quite competent Soviet and foreign experts had determined
that the radiation hazard is insignificant and declining. Maybe
there is still something unclear? No, if those statesmen would not
give credence to the specialists on site, then let them trust their
own press, which has repeated, time and again, that radioiodine
131 has a half-life of eight and a half days! Or maybe the West
knows better, so that can afford [as received] to raise political
noise? Yes, some countries do. such states as Finland, Austria,
Greece and others, which are much closer to the accident site
than the United States, and even countries who were first inclined
to succumb to alarm, if not to panic, have no, come up with
official statements that radiation levels on their territory pose no
danger at all.
The Common Market has decided to take discriminatory action
at a point which has its explanation in other coincidences. It came
only days after the United States forced its Western partners in
Tokyo to put their signatures (if not to reach a consensus) on a
declaration directed against the socialist community. And yet
another coincidence. Months before the Chernobyl accident,
disregarding the Soviet proposals on a nuclear testing mor-
atorium, Washington carried out two nuclear explosions at the
Nevada desert. And only days before April 26, official Washing-
ton decided to launch a campaign to convince the world of the
impossible: that its nuclear tests are harmless, despite the
undisclosed dose of radiation released in one of them.
The campaign is far-reaching in its objectives: It seeks to legalize
nuclear tests, to undermine the road leading to peace and nuclear
disarmament. The Chernobyl disaster is now taken as an unfair
opportunity to suggest that nuclear tests are "harmless", while
peaceful atoms pose a threat, although mankind simply cannot
do without them at this stage.
That is why today's decision of the Common Market, as part of
NATO's overall political propaganda campaign, can be only
described as a subversion against peace and international cooper-
ation, against East-West trade.
SOFIA PAPER: RADIATION LEVEL 'BACK TO NORMAL'
AU141107 Sofia BTA in English 1029 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] Sofia, May 14 (BTA) ? As of 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the
atmospheric air in this country is practically free of radioactivity
and the background gamma radiation is already within its nor-
mal values. Potable water throughout Bulgaria is good for
drinking. Cow's milk and meat are also safe. There are still some
problems with leafy vegetables and fodder which have been
exposed to rain.
These facts have been announced in today's RABOTNI-
CHESKO DELO by representatives of the Research Institute of
Roentgenology and Radiobiology with Bulgaria's Medical Acad-
emy. The data is reliable, because, as the scientists stressed,
Bulgaria's regular participation in the I.A.E.A. programmes for
analyses quality control is a guarantee that the results obtained
reflect the real levels.
The feature explains that indications of the presence of certain
short-lived products of nuclear fission in this country were first
detected in the rain water at 15:30 hours (local time), on May 2.
Since then atmospheric air, water supplies and food throughout
the country have been constantly monitored. All food products
for export are also closely checked.
294
The representiatives of the research institute emphasise that the
slightly increased background radiation levels do not pose a
threat to the population, including children and women in
childbearing age. This categorical conclusion is based on the
readings which show that despite the increased radiation levels
for several days, the year's exposure will still remain far below
the maximum permissible dOse of annual radiation determined
by the I.A.E.A.
The experts also stress that the analyses show so far that the
contamination is mainly confined to the surface, which gives
them reason to believe the crops will not be affected.
The article dwells also on the monitoring of the environment
around the nuclear power plant in Kozloduy. The surroundings
there have been constantly monitored ever since the first reactor
was put into operation. It is stressed that if anything at all is being
detected there, it is far below the sensitivity of the up-to-date
equipment and it remains within the normal fluctuations of
background radiation.
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CHARTER 77 PROTESTS LACK OF INFORMATION
AU071914 Vienna Domestic Service in German 1615 GMT 7 May 8.6
[Austrian radio correspondent Otto Hoermann report from Prague]
[Text] The latest statement of the CSSR authorities on Charter
77 was given during the party congress in March, calling Charter
77, quote, a small group of renegades who hate the regime and
therefore write nasty anticommunist remarks which are spread
all over the world by Western media, unquote. Today the three
Charter 77 spokesmen, Martin Palous, Anna Sabatowa, and Jan
Stern again published a paper. It bears the number 15 and is
addressed to the government and National Assembly of the
CSSR. It deals with the Chernobyl reactor disaster in the USSR.
To say it right at the beginning: in this paper the nasty anti-
communist remark of Charter 77 consists in reproaching the
CSSR authorities for their keeping silent about the accident and
at the same time demanding extensive information. Official
information by the CSSR state media started on Wednesday, 30
April, with a report saying that regular measurements are carried
out on CSSR territory and no elevated radioactivity levels can be
detected. This was said on 30 April, that is, 2 days after the
official USSR news agency TASS felt compelled to make the
first official announcement. On Monday, 5 May, 5 days after the
first announcement, there followed the second announcement
stating that a slight increase in radioactivity had been noted. On
Monday, 5 May, RUDE PRA VO, the party daily, carried a small
note in the lower right corner of the front page saying that
measurements are being carried out twice a day and that in some
CSSR towns those measurements showed a slight elevation of
radioactivity, whose level is more than 200 times lower than that
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
which is dangerous to human health. The environment and food
are being kept under observation, the note stated.
In this connection the Charter 77 paper says that it is no wonder
that many people in the CSSR follow the recommendations and
advice of the radio and television stations of the neighboring
countries. So, the official CSSR media did provide information,
but at a late date, and the overshoot [ueberreichweite] of Western
transmitters made it possible for the people in the CSSR to
compare the abundance of Western information with the paucity
in their own country. The result is a strong uncertainty among
the population. Thus the Charter 77 spokesmen express in their
paper the mood in the country.
Later in this paper Charter 77 insists on the right to life and
health. It demands the fastest possible publication of all available
data, the uncolored opinion of experts on the existing risks. The
government in Prague is also requested to gather all information
from the USSR Government. Beyond the topical issue, the paper
demands that the public be told which practical lessolns are
drawn from the reactor disaster, in particular concerning the
security of the nuclear power plants on CSSR territory. Yester-
day, at the first official press conference in Moscow, it was said
that the USSR nuclear power plant program will be continued,
and the Charter 77 spokesmen cannot expect any different
answer from the authorities ? if they get an answer at all and
not merely official condemnations.
295
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HEALTH OFFICIAL ASSURES NO DANGER FROM RADIATION
LD061928 Prague Television Service in Czech and Slovak 1730 GMT 6 May 86
[Interview with Dr Dana Zuskova, chief public health officer of the Czech SR,
by unidentified interviewer--date and place not specified; live or recorded]
[Text] [Question] The general public has learned from reports
that an increased level of radioactivity has been recorded on
Czechoslovak territory. Is this increase important?
[Zuskova] The measured levels are higher than normal but this
is not a cause of concern for health. Even in the first days, when
an increase of radioactive substances in the environment was
recorded, this was many times lower than what could affect
human health even if it went on continuously.. In addition, this
increase of radioactive substances is only temporary. It will
gradually fall to the normal level, and, for example, the content
of radionuclide in the air has significantly fallen already.
[Question] Are you following daily developments?
[Zuskova] Naturally. Several organizations throughout the terri-
tory of our state are making use of highly sensitive scientific
instruments to measure all the components of radiation. Twice
daily, health bodies analyze all data with regard of their effect
on human health. Some measures were adopted in agriculture
and food production for ? I emphasize ? reasons of prevention.
They concern in particular the method of feeding milking cows.
With regard to current dry weather, we are trying to reduce the
dustiness of streets by spraying them with water more often.
[Question] Citizens keep asking how should they behave in this
situation. Can you advise them?
[Zuskova] Above all, they have to trust us, and not create
unnecessary nervousness, because, as I have already said, the
health of our people is not in danger. All foodstuffs and drinking
wafer are checked by health care, veterinary, and water con-
servation bodies. Therefore, there is no need to be concerned
about milk sold in shops. I would like to stress in particular that
babyfood is absolutely unaffected.
With regard to the measured levels, citizens should live quite
normally. They can travel, they can send their children on school
courses in the countryside, and so on. However, we suppose that
they will observe all principles of personal hygiene, including
washing fruits and vegetables before eating them.
[Question] Some people, concerned by the news from the exces-
sive measures of some neighboring states are demanding potas-
sium iodine or they are buying iodine tincture in pharmacies.
[Zuskova] I would like to 'ay, first, that giving potassium iodine
is not necessary in our state in relation to the accident at the
Chernobyl nuclear power station. People who are taking iodine
on their own initiative could badly damage their health. I would
like to assure the citizens of our republic and if it is necessary ?
and the development of the situation does not indicate this ? all
the necessary measures to protect their health will be adopted.
[Announcer] Thank you for the interview. May I bring your
attention to the fact that all the information provided by Dr
Zuskova will be carried in the daily press tomorrow, and nat-
urally we will broadcast further information as it comes.
HYGIENIST SPEAKS ON INCREASED RADIATION LEVELS
LD062050 Prague CTK in English 1954 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Prague May 6 (CTK) - "Radiation levels have increased
in Czechoslovakia since the Chernobyl nuclear accident but pose
no health hazard," Dana Zuskova, main hygienist of the Czech
Socialist Republic, told CTK today.
She added there had been no threat to human health even in the
first days following the accident, as the levels were much lower
than those considered dangerous.
All the measurements are analysed twice a day by experts to
prevent any possible negative effect of radiation on human
health. Zuskova said, adding that several measures have been
296
adopted in agricultural production, mainly in the field of cow
feeding. She went on to say that food and drinking water in
Czechoslovakia are permanently checked, stressing that milk
sold in the shops can be drunk without any fear of contamination.
People can freely maintain their way of life ? travel, send
children to open-air school courses, etc., she said.
Zuskova advised all the hygienic standards like washing fruit and
vegetables before eating should be observed carefully, but said it
was in no way necessary to administer iodine tablets to people,
warning it could, in contrast, have a negative effect on health.
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PRAGUE TV DESCRIBES SCENES NEAR CHERNOBYL, KIEV
LD082256 Prague Television Service in Czech and Slovak 1730 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Let us take a look, on live TV, at how people evacuated
from the Chernobyl area. These are shots from districts which
are next to the area of the accident. This is the area to which the
people from the town of Pripyat and a number of villages were
evaucated. Consequently in thesedistricts the number of inhabi-
tants has substantially increased for ? it is expected ? 2 or 3
months. In this connection the local infrastructure has been
reinforced. For example, even the number of telephones has
substantially increased, including telephones for dialing
throughout the USSR, as can be found in Kiev. Demands for
such phones have multiplied. The Ministry of Communications
has introduced a continuous service to suit all customers. A
number of people have been moved in a hurry, and everyone must
receive their letters. Naturally, relatives keep phoning, often
from distant parts of the USSR. Chernobyl itself places a great
demand on communications since the government commission is
there; it makes a number of operative decisions, and for their
implementation it asks help from different places in the USSR.
Evacuated livestock from kolkhozes sovkhozes, and private plots
,
have also found new homes. The districts that received evacuated
citizens arc supplied preferentally with everything they .need,
including fodder for livestock. According to information, all
those evacuated have been given jobs and suitable accomoda-
lions. In the majority of cases, local people vacated parts of their
homes for them.
The Kiev river port. Dozens of cargo and passenger ships leave
it daily, either up or down the Dnepr, sometimes toward a barrage
lake which locals call the Kiev Sea. The artificial lake covers 920
square kilometers. Pripyat river, which passes by Chernobyl,
leads into it. There was concern that the water from the lake may
be contaminated. Therefore ships now regularly leave the Kiev
port to take water samples. Koval, chief officer of the local
sanitary services, said that despite the natural initial concern,
analysis of the water shows that it is within safe norms.
One hundred and thirty kilometers further north, work on liqui-
dating the cause of the accident continues with intensity. Protec-
tive mounds were piled up along the river to protect it from
. pollution. Well-known academician Velikov, who works with a
group of experts in Chernobyl, said to PRAVDA reporters that
work continues, not only around the reactor but underneath it
too. Our role is to neutralize the reactor entirely ? as is said, to
bury it. In his view the experts are now tackling problems which
have never been confronted before.
.:The accident brings us many lessons, and not only for the experts.
It show i us how bad a nuclear war could be. This accident is
.nothing in comparison.
SOVIET HEALTH MINISTER ON MEASURES AT CHERNOBYL
LD082023 Prague Domestic Service in Czech 1630 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] A news conference was held today in Moscow at which
leading Soviet experts spoke about cleaning up after the
breakdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. Stefan
Simak reports:
[Simak] Investigations into the cause of the breakdown of the
fourth block at the Chernobyl nuclear power station will take at
least another 2 months. Soviet experts agree, however, that most
likely there was a heat explosion in the reactor after the over-
heating of steam as a result of a technical fault or inCorrect
procedures by the attending personnel. .A nuclear explosion
would have destroyed surrounding buildings and would have
caused great damage to grass.
Yevgeni); Vorobycv, deputy minister of health of the Soviet
Union, said that health workers are making extensive checks on
all citizens who were evacuated from the 30 kilometer radius.
They have, however, found no serious organic changes of any of
them. The best medical care is being given to 204 hospitalized
energy workers and firemen who were working during the time
of the accident at the nuclear power station. With the participa-
tion of American professor Gale and Tarasaki six of the affected
people have had bone marrow transplants. A third worker at the
power station died in the evening in Kiev as a result of radiation.
The greatest danger for the health of the people is .caused by
iodine 131 which escaped into the atmosphere. The period of its
'decomposition is, however, only 8 and 1/2 days. Strict hygcnic
norms and controls can insure that the iodine does not enter the
human organism in milk or in fresh vegetables.
(?Around) the station they are at the same time taking measures
so that rain does not wash the radioactive materials into the
waterways. The level of radiation around the power station is
continuously falling and according to Soviet experts it does not
represent any danger for people in a wider radius. This fact was
also confirmed today by the director general of the International
Atomic Energy Agency, Hans Blix, who acquainted himself with
the situation in Chernobyl itself. -
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PRAGUE CONTRASTS SHULTZ REMARKS, 'EVIDENCE'
LD061139 Prague International Service in Czech and Slovak 2230 GMT 6 May 86
[Unattributed commentary]
[Text] On behalf of the USSR Government, the Soviet press
agency TASS on Sunday expressed gratitude to all who
expressed sympathy and understanding and who offered assis-
tance to the Soviet Union in connection with the accident in the
Chernobyl AES. However, the offer of sincere help is not the only
reaction which the accident has evoked in the world; the other
reaction is discussed in the following commentary:
Sensible people everywhere in the world understand that acci-
dents can happen anywhere and that no one is Immune to them.
Despite this, some Western circles literally exploited the accident
in the Chernobyl AES to launch an anti-Soviet propaganda
campaign. Yesterday, British Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe
spoke about this campaign with some concern in a BBC telephone
interview from Tokyo. He expressed hope that the natural expres-
sion of concern would not grown into an anti-Soviet propaganda
campaign. However, a campaign has already begun and is con-
tinuing.
At the same time that the British foreign secretary was speaking
from Tokyo, his U.S. colleague George Shultz was speaking in
Tokyo with the U.S. ABC television station. In his interview,
Shultz once again cast doubt on Soviet information about the
accident, saying that the Americans have other information on
this. However, the evidence shows the opposite: Each measure-
ment carried out, from checks of Western citizens in the Ukraine,
to checkS for radioactivity in fish caught by Danish fishing
vessels near the USSR shore, to atmospheric checks, has shown
the same negative results . The fabrications about the thousands
of dead, the alleged panic among the population of the Ukraine,
and the claims that the United States has its own information
simply add to the arsenal of those for whom the spirit of trust and
detente are alien and for whom the fanning of hostility among
nations is an undeniable practice.
In addition, Swedish Government experts have criticized the
measures introduced in many Western states, calling them exag-
gerated reaction. There surely has been an exaggerated reaction
to the accident, but from the political point of view this reaction
has been carefully calculated to gain political capital from the
accident. First of all, there is an attempt to use the accident to
undermine the trust in the Soviet peace policy and to undermine
the prospects of the U.S.-USSR disarmament talks, which will
resume this week in Geneva. By the same token there is an
attempt to divert the attention from accidents [as heard] which
? unlike the one at Chernobyl ? have been caused deliberately.
These include, for example, the U.S. nuclear blasts in Nevada,
and of course the U.S. feverish arms buildup, including in space.
These U.S. Governmental circles are not interested in people's
health; they only want to continue with this policy which poisons
the entire international atmosphere.
CHERNOBYL 'HYSTERIA' FURTHER DIVIDES EAST, WEST
AU061131 Bratislava PRAVDA in Slovak 5 May 86 p 5
[Julius P. Loerincz commentary in the "Word on the Events" column: "Back?
ground of Shameful Hysteria"]
[Text] In January 1986, after the explosion of the American space
shuttle challenger, in which seven people perished, when the
American CBS television network commentator asked one of the
experts of the American NASA center for acronatuics and space
research what his first thought was after hearing the report on
the catastrophe, the expert replied; "I thought: The Russians
will be glad, it will be a holiday for them" This angry expression
of anti-Sovietism was followed by television shots of reportage
from the streets of Moscow; and a woman worker from one of the
plants in the Soviet capital replied to that very same question:
"When something like this happens, it is no longer important
whether we are Russians, or Americans; we are all simply people.
We feel sorrow for those who have perished, and we share the
grief of their close relatives...."
298
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After the many expressions of commiseration from the Soviet
Union and after the Soviet cartographers had named two craters
on Venus after the two tragically perished participants in the
challenger flight, Christa McAuliffe and Judith Resnik, there
was even talk in America about the "Russians' surprising ges-
tures." The decent and normal expressions of commiseration
surprised those who are branded by the ideological influence of
some kind of tertiary and sick anti-Sovietism. They cannot, and
frequently even do not want to, grasp that this is neither excep-
tional, nor extraordinary for us.
It is hard to reconcile oneself to the human sacrifices in pioneer-
ing work on the road of progress in science and technology, too;
but This is the price to pay for getting to know the unknown, for
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searching for new horizons of perfection, for achieving new
possibilities of making use of the natural resources of the earth
and of the surrounding outer space for the benefit of mankind.
The price, of course, the greatness of the risk which we are
striving to diminish.
What is surprising, these days, even shocking is the absolute lack
of this very same human sympathy on the part of the West in
connection with the tragic accident in the Soviet nuclear power
'station? in Chernobyl. And "lack". is a very weak word. ,The
formally voiced condolences are followed by a wave of hysteria,
a slanderous anti-Sdviet campaign which is flooding the world
from the United States and Other NATO countries, combined
with What is almost a terror of intimidation of the population.
Although all radioactivity measurements in areas outside the
immediate 30-km radius around the Chernobyl nuclear power
station and in countries neighboring the USSR, as well as in more
distant ones measurements which have been confirmed by the
IAEA in Vienna show that not the slightest danger is
threatening man and his environments, the atmosphere of panic
on our continent is quite intentionally .provoked. It can be said
that an attempt is even being made to erect a kind of new "iron
curtain" between the East and the West:
The fabriciations and deceit are boundless. TASS commentator
Sergcy Kulik wrote that, at one time, gentlemen whose deceit
had been unmasked used to fire a bullet into their heads in order
to save their honor. The authors of the current lies who, contrary
to facts, are claiming that not two, but two thousand people had
perished and that the radiation level from the Chernobyl nuclear
power station is "2;000 times stronger than during the explosion
of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima," obviously have no longer
anything to save. In Tokyo, at the summit conference of the seven
most important capitalist countries, they would like to turn
Chernobyl into a world problem. At the same time they are
keeping silent about the fact that not the nuclear power stations,
but the test nuclear explosions and the feverish nuclear arma-
ment have brought the world so far that the present potential of
nuclear arms could destroy human civilization more than 60
times over. This is the main and fatal problem of the world.
299
But this is the very thing that the organizers of the present
hysteria would like to distract attention from. They would like to
try and make the world forget that during the last 9 months the
Soviet Union has unilaterally not once carried out underground
nuclear tests, whereas the United States has several times tor-
pedoed the generous Soviet peace initiative with the moratorium
nuclear tests by its Nevada tests. The apostles of imperialism's
military-industrial complex, above all American ones, would like
the world to forget that Washington has rejected the Soviet
comprehensive proposal to eliminate all nuclear arms by the end
of this century, a proposal which is both understandable to
everybody, and realistic. Washington would like the nations to
forget the ruthless American attack on Libya, and to relax their
vigiliance toward preparations for new American aggressions
against Nicaragua and the people and states of the Near and
Middle East.
The set of Soviet disarmament measures provides an opportunity
for a positive way out of the dilemma between perdition and
survival, and also the possibility to release immense means for
resolving mankind's many serious problems. These include the
insurance of sufficient sources of energy, including nuclear power
-- this enormous force which is both destructive and creative.
The main thing is that it should serve solely peaceful purposes:
Deplorably, nobody is at present insured against accidents simi-
lar to that in Chernobyl, not even the United States ? we may
recall only some of the accidents on U.S. territory during the past
fe years, for instance in Harrisburg, Zion, South Carolina. The
Soviet Government authorities will draw conclusions from the
Chernobyl accident, which will benefit the entire world commu-
nity. And, as was said by Boris Yeltsin, CPSU Central Commit
--
tee Politburo candidate member, at the eighth congress of the
German Communist Party, the Soviet Government "is doing
everything to remove the consequences of the accident and, in the
spirit of the implementation of the energy program, to force the
atom to serve peaceful purposes in the future too." The Soviet
Union and the other socialist states have affirmed time and again
that they are in favor of a constructive cooperation of states also ,
in this sphere ? that they are in favor of cooperation in the name
of mankind's secure and peaceful future.
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RUDE PRAVO DENOUNCES 'HYSTERICAL CAMPAIGN'
AU061126 Prague RUDE PRAVO in Czech 4 May 86 p 6
[Zdenek Horeni commentary in the "We Comment" column:
Chernobyl"]
[Text) The accident at one of the reactors of the nuclear power
station in Chernobyl in the Ukraine has for quite natural reasons
immediately become the object of general international atten-
tion. Expressions of sincere sympathy are being sent to the Soviet
Government. The energetic intervention of the appropriate
Soviet authorities and the selfless struggle of Soviet experts and
rescue services in localizing the source of radioactive radiation
that escaped as a result of the accident are being praised.
In essence, this extraordinary occurrence is a misfortune [nes-
testi] that affects people and, in a way, also scientific -technical
progress, the significant economic effort of the Soviet society.
Quite naturally, the attitude of the international public should
also proceed from this aspect. One cannot help noticing, however,
that, since the moment the TASS report on the Chernobyl
accident flew around the world, this extraordinary and unfortu-
nate event has become a springboard for impudent speculations, ,
for an accumulation of lies and slanders. Certain Western press
agencies have even begun to spread false claims about
2,000-3,000 dead, despite the Soviet Government statement
giving specific data about the number of dead and injured.
In Washington some people in high places are even abusing this
extraordinary event ? the first in the history of Soviet nuclear
energetics ? for political extortion against the Soviet Union,
trying to create a political problem in international relations from
the misfortune. At the same time Washington is showing a
surprising forgetfulness. As though there have not been similar
accidents in the United States! It is only 7 years since the big
accident at the nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylva-
nia, when radioactive matter also escaped. There were other
incidents in nuclear facilities later, too, and in other countries.
The leading circles of certain NATO countries ? apart from the
United States, mainly in the United Kingdom, ?are striving to
whip up around the Chernobyl accident what literally amounts
to hysteria. Yes, hysteria. This is how a Canadian student called
it ? we quote his words in RUDE PRA VO of I May.? when he
disagreed with his being recalled from Kiev where he is studying.
There is no doubt about the background of the hysterical cam-
paign of the past few days. In the first place it is based on
anticommunism and anti-Sovietism, on the notorious effort to
muddy international relations and slander the Soviet Union and
the world of socialism whenever some pretext can be found, even
"About Events in
a misfortune. Moreover, in the case of the Chernobyl accident,we
can see obvious efforts to drive a wedge between the Soviet Union
and other European peoples, above all its closest neighbors.
Finally, we also have here a transparent attempt to divert atten-
tion from today's real issues of substance, which are being
urgently raised in the international arena precisely by the Soviet
Union, such as the ban on all nuclear tests and chemical weapons,
to say nothing of the well-known set of proposals regarding
nuclear and conventional arms.
The stormy scientific-technical progress brings with it not only
the successes of the discoverers of the unknown. It also brings
with it sacrifices, both material and human. No scientific field,
no sector of human activity is an exception. All mankind's
progress has to be paid for ? and even by human sacrifices. Even
the discovery of electricity from traditional sources involved
tragedies among the ranks of both its discoverers and users. And
the same situation exists to this very day. Even when conquering
space, or other spheres of human research, man has not been able
to evade a tragic toll ?let us recall, for instance, the accident
that occurred on the 25th ? it might already appear to have been
well-tested ? the launching of the American space shuttle.
As regards this human toll, even the explorers in the sphere of
nuclear energetics are no exception, despite the extraordinary
and extremely costly safety measures that are being taken.
Without delving into the technical details of such a complicated
and extraordinary event as an accident in a nuclear power station,
one can truthfully say that man's fight to master all the forces of
nature can never be considered concluded. Many "freaks of
chance" and many hidden snares continue to be an obstacle in
man's way...
In times like these, the Soviet Union's friends are standing at its
side with full understanding; and not merely with expressions of
sincere sympathy, but ? above all ? with feelings of unbreak-
able faith that it is exactly the Soviet Government that is doing
everything it can to place at man's service the sources of nature
that surround us. So that it can force the atom, too ? this source
of immense power, a force that is both destructive and creative
? to serve peace, and only peace.
This is the essential thing, this. is the background of the Soviet
people's decisive effort. Herein also lies the reply to the question
about the background of the hysteria whipped up by certain
circles in the capitalist world around the events in Chernobyl.
300
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UNDERGROUND ANTIATOM' PROTEST REPORTED DEVELOPING
AU091257 Vienna KURIER in German 9 May 86 p 5
["Exclusive Report": "Fear and Protests Against Nuclear Power'.']
[Excerpt] In the CSSR a citizens' initiative going by the name of "antiatom"
has developed in the underground, which operates under the Damocles sword of
the authorities. It informs people on postcards that another 12 nuclear
reactors are to be put into operation in the CSSR in the next few years, some
of them in the immediate vicinity of residential areas and without any bio-
logical shield. The biggest nuclear power plant, in Temelin, the protest
card says, will constantly emit gigantic quantities of Moldau water in the
form of radioactive steam. Apart from that there is also the problem of
final storage of the radioactive waste.
RADIOACTIVITY LEVELS IN AIR FOUND DROPPING
AU131345 Prague RUDE PRAVO in Czech 6 May 86 p I
[Text] Prague (CTK)--The authoritative Czechoslovak agencies monitoring the
occurrence of radioactive substances in the CSSR's environment announce that,
according to the latest knowledge, the content of these substances in the air
has dropped. Experts are devoting constant attention to ensuring that food-
stuffs and drinking water are perfect.
301
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riitirritAAL UL IJINLY
GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
SAFETY OFFICE REPORTS NO RADIOACTIVITY DANGER
LD071717 East Berlin ADN International Service in German 1444 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Berlin, 7 May (ADN)--The State Office for Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection of the GDR has issued the following statement from its president,
Secretary of State Professor Georg Sitzlack:
In the GDR all important natural environments (air, water, soil, plants) and
selected foodstuffs have for years been subjected to continual and careful
monitoring for radioactivity by the State Office for Nuclear Safety and
Radiation Protection. On the basis of this monitoring network, which is in
constant existence, the measurements for radioactivity were immediately
intensified and continually evaluated in the territory of the GDR after the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station.
The results of the concentrated checks carried out by the State Office for
Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection prove that, as already announced, on
the basis of the situation on GDR territory with regard to radiation follow?
ing the accident at the nuclear power station in Chernobyl/USSR there have
neither been any nor are there any health hazards whatever to the GDR popu?
lation.
CHERNOBYL RUMORS USED TO MASK REAL THREAT
LD052316 East Berlin Voice of GDR Domestic
[Talk by Hans?Guenter Moerike: "Facts
[Text] The accident in the Chernobyl nuclear power station with
its tragic consequences for the people employed there is a fact.
The readings of radiation measurements are another fact.
According to the FRG Nuclear Research Center in Karlsruhe,
the radioactivity level poses no health danger. Yet media in the
FRG, of all countries, are having a field day. Their motives are
obvious. BILD-ZEITUNG is once again serving up horror stories
as ordered. Banner headlines are the order of its day: Atom
Dust-Fresh Danger; Children's Playgrounds Contaminated; or
Mothers, Shower Your Kids.
Service in German 1600 GMT 5 May 86
and What To Make of Thee]
It conjures up apocalyptic visions against its better knowledge
yet well knows what impact is enlightenment will have. Its main
purpose is to project the Russians as the power of evil, a sinister
menace looming on the horizon. Crop Losses in Prospect; Fear of
Poison Rain; Vegetables May Be Contaminated; and other hor-
rific reports round out the picture. The gutter press like BILD
quote from each other, hoping perhaps to enhance their
credibility. They run all this under the heading of Nuclear
Catastrophe and want to send chills up your spine. The very
mention of Moscow is meant to frighten B1LD readers. East is to
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imply danger from the East. Now the east wind has joined this
verbiage.
With such monumental horrors, who will look for the small print?
The only outdoor danger just now is to get sunburned, replies a
scientist, bursting that propaganda soap bubble, a spray of mist
intended to hide the real threat to mankind: the U.S. "star
wars" plans and Washington's various arms programs for imple-
menting them.
Noisy but feigned indignation and synthetically manufactured
fear are to make people forget the real threats to mankind. They
are to repress recollection of the very concrete, verifiable, and
clearly phased Soviet ideas to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
Today's real dangers come from the Nevada nuclear tests,
intended to enable the United States to develop new and still
more dangerous types of weapons. The Soviets remain ready to
abstain from such tests on the basis of reciprocity. That is worth
remembering when security is under discussion; worldwide safety
for everyone.
303
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HUNGARY
RADIOACTIVE LEVELS DOWN; FOOD WARNINGS IN EFFECT
LD061509 Budapest in Hungarian to Australia and New Zealand 0900 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] No further radioactive contamination has been observed in the airspace
of Hungary, and the radioactive level of the air has further decreased.
Experts still recommend however that the population should purchase milk only
from state?run stores and that they should thoroughly wash fresh vegetables.
RADIOACTIVITY REMAINS LOW; FOOD, MILK SAFE
LD072039 Budapest MTI in English 1748 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Budapest, May 7 (MTI) ? The radioactive radiation level
of air in Hungary basically has not changed over the past 24
hours. Measurements continue to show a very low radioactive
pollution. As a consequence of changing air movements in the
Central European region, smaller fluctuations can be exper-
ienced.
Istvan Feher, head of the Radiation Safety department of the
Hungarian Central Physics Research Institute (KFKI), said
Wednesday that the joint value of the three radiation effects that
can be observed in Hungary as a consequence of the accident is
very low: about the same as the value used for various medical
examinations, for instance, a chest x-ray. This means that, on the
basis of the current soil, air and food pollution level, this is
expected to be the total amount that will be intaken by the human
body until the total breakdown of the radioactive polluting
materials, expected to take place in one or one and a half months.
The measurement instruments of the KFKI Radiation Safety
Department are operating continuously, not only the instruments
for sampling at intervals, but also those which constantly indicate
the momentary radiocative value, stressed Istvan Feher. The
Meteorological Institute examines the radioactive pollution of
the air, and the radioactive materials that fell on the soil
throughout the country. Competent units of the Ministry of
Agriculture and food also carry out control of food, and particu-
larly milk, throughout the country. The network of national
health and epidemiological authorities measures the radioactive
pollution of food and water. Experts of the national headquarters
of the Civil Defence are continuously on the road with measuring
cars, to observe the level of soil pollution.
Dr byorgy Koteles, deputy director and head physician of the
Hungarian Radiation Biology and Radiation Health Institute,
stressed that the task now is to avoid, or to reduce to the lowest
possible level, the intake of radioactive materials by the body.
Rational precaution is necessary, therefore experts continue to
recommend the population to consume only milk sold by the state
and cooperative industry, as it is continuously controlled by the
health authorities.
He said that Hungarian drinking waters are not polluted at all,
and conduit and well-water can alike be consumed. Swimming
in Lake Balaton and Lake Velence is not dangerous. The radio-
active pollution that fell on the soil does not harm the sown
cereals and other produce. Meat and meat preparations are also
continuously controlled, and no radioactive pollution has been
found in these, said the radiation biologist.
304
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rkin kir r akariu Var. l/1,41,1
'MORE THAN ENOUGH' IODINE TABLETS, YET NO NEED
LD062034 Budapest Television Service in
[Excerpts] A large number of our viewers have inquired about the
consequences to health of the accident in the Ukraine. We hear
that worried parents are forcing doctors to prescribe iodine
tablets or iodine solutions for their children. Some pharmacies
are also complaining about this.
County civil defense commands have been given iodine tablets,
which, since they lose their effect after two months, have been
freshly prepared. To check this, we came here, to the Budapest
Hungarian 1730 GMT 6 May 86
Command of Civil Defense. It has been calculated that there are
165,000 children under the age of six in Budapest. It is this age
group which might be given the medicine if the occasion arose.
Oh yes, and pregnant women might also need to take the pills.
There is more than enough medicine here; several times the
amount, in fact, which might be needed if the occasion arose ?
in other words, not yet. So, the pills are there, but at the moment
there is no need for them.
SZUROS SPEAKS AT NATIONAL PEACE COUNCIL SESSION
LD081349 Budapest Domestic Service in Hungarian 1000 GMT 8 May 86
[Report on speech by Matyas Szuros, secretary of the MSZMP Central Committee,
at a National Peace Council session in the Budapest Congress Hall; date not
specified--passages in italics recorded]
[Text] The festive session of the National Peace Council opened
the peace and friendship series of events. Ilona Banki reports on
the meeting at thc Congress Hall of parliament:
The participants were greeted by Mrs Nandor Sebestycn,
chairman of the National Peace Council and deputy president of
the World Peace Council. In her opening speech she spoke about
the significance of VE day, recalling the events that had taken
place 4 decades ago and paying tribute to the memories of the
victims. Speaking about the present, she said an important task
of peace fighters is to turn the current International Peace Year
into a year of radical change, into an event expressing the
strengthening of confidence, understanding, and cooperation,
and the joint effective action of peace-loving states and peoples.
After the chairman's ocpning speech, Matyas Szuros, secretary
of the MSZMP Central Committee, approached the rostrum. He
said that one of the historical paradoxes of our age is that, while
a significant proportion of peoples and even governments stand
for peace and security, the threat of the arms race and war,
instead of abating, is becoming more intense from day to day.
Matyas Szuros pursued this theme further:
[Szuros] A characteristic feature of the early 198()s was man-
kind living in unceasing fluctuations between hope and anxiety.
In international relations, the strengthening of rivalry and a
conscious intensification of tensions appeared simultaneously
and parallel to one another along with the recognition of inter-
dependence, the dangers accompanying confrontation, and of an
endeavor to limit the arms build-up and resolve disputed inter-
national questions by negotiations. Developments burdened with
danger and those eliciting hope alternated.
305
The grinding to a halt of the development of East-IVest relations,
the rise of mistrust, the Soviet-U.S. tension that has become
permanent, and the acceleration of the arms race accentuated,
in the early 1980s, the unpredictability in international reld-
lions. At the same time, the resumption of dialogue between the
two 'leading superpowers, the dynamic initiatives of Soviet for-
eign policy and the other socialist countries, the realistic atti-
tude of sober-minded bourgeois political factors, and the
survival of the system of institutions of the Helsinki process gave
rise to the hope of an improvement in the international sit-
uation."
The Central Committee secretary then spoke about the domestic
tasks of the Hungarian peace movement:
[Szuros] I believe that one of the fundamental preconditions for
popularizing our peace endeavors at home and for getting them
accepted in as wide a circle as possible is honest and open -talk
and the acceptance of publicity. It is the inaliable right of
everyone to be able to understand and to be aware of what goes
on in the world and in his more narrow surroundings. Honest
and open dialogue is also necessitated by the anxiety that can
be seen among a wide range of people and arises as a result of
Certain consequences of-the sCientific-technological revolution,
which is increasingly influencing our daily lives.
The peace movement is not an heir to the Luddite tradition. It
says yes to scientific progress, but at the same time it must also
take into account, and deal with, the fear living in people, which
can be justified or unfounded, whether it is connected with the
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environmentally damaging effect of nuclear tests serving direct
military objectives, or of a regretful catastrophe at a nuclear
power plant.
Following Matyas Szuros' speech, the festive session of the
National Peace Council is continuing with contributions from the
floor.
NEP SZABADSAG CITED ON CHERNOBYL 'MANIPULATIONS'
LD071002 Budapest MTI in English 0857 GMT 7 May 86
[Quotation marks as received]
[Text) Budapest, May 7 (MTI) ? "We have no intention to
convince the reader that what happened in Chernobyl is merely
a harmless episode in the history of the peaceful uses of nuclear
energy. Such an attempt would be doomed to failure, as would
endeavours to exaggerate the case and use it for the service of
particular political interests, runs an article in the Wednesday
issue of NEPSZABADSAG.
There are numerous examples in the history of press to show how
short-lived some reports and commentaries are, but now we only
quote an American colleague, the Moscow correspondent of the
TIIE NEW YORK TIMES, as writing in the May 5 issue of the
newspaper. 'Months, maybe even years have to pass until we
learn what really happened in Chernobyl, (the report begins,
suggesting perhaps that there is no sufficient information avail-
able on the event. But with the elapse of 24 hours, an on-scene
report was published in PRAVDA in confirmation of the official
Soviet statements and carrying further details. It said that the
explosion had occurred in the Reactor Bloc No 4 of the Cher-
nobyl nuclear plant on April 26, the blast caused fire and two
people died and 204 were injured in the accident. Nevertheless,
the U.S. CBS television company refused to accept the official
Soviet communique and, referring to the information of 'a
woman from Kiev', it spoke about '2,000 casualties'. Even State
Secretary George Shultz said, 'I will bet ten dollars that the
casualty list given by the Soviets does not match facts.' The bet
was not considerable, and losing it was obviously not too painful
to Shultz. A day later, a British Embassy staffer in Moscow said
to REUTERS that the story about 2,000 casualties was a
rumour.
"This is just to indicate the rapid spreading of reports and
tumours in the West about the melting of reactor(s) and Gamma
radiation. An increase in radiation levels beyond the borders of
the Soviet Union was first observed in Sweden, where the first
precautions were taken, which have since been lifted.
Restrictions have just been announced in other West iEuropean
countries. In Italy a two-week ban was imposed on locally grown
vegetable and fruit sales, alarming the population and causing no
small damage to peasants at a time when radiation levels hardly
differ from the normal.
This is perhaps the reason why the Common Market standing
Committee decided to introduce unified control, 'lest the crisis
serve as a basis for protectionist measures that restrict free trade,'
writes the AFP news agency.
"Nevertheless, the concern of people in Kiev and Chicago, Buda-
pest and Rome is justified, as our age is ridden with the hazard
of disasters, although it is not the accident of a nuclear plant for
peaceful uses that carries the biggest danger.
"Yet, what accounts for the conduct of leading politicians respon-
sible for the fate of tens of hundreds of millions, who ? as the
participants in the Tokyo capitalist summit ? devote a separate
statement to the Chernobyl accident and set demands for the
Soviet Union which they have never met?
"In the United States, for instance, last year 2,974 accidetits were
recorded in 100 civilian reactors, 20 percent more than the year
before. One can wonder at the calls for 'prompt information' and
'international inspection', when THE WASHINGTON POST
says that the 1979 'mysterious overheating' at the Pennsylvania
nuclear plant was not commented on by the American Author-
ities for three weeks, and the causes of the accident have not been
investigated up to the present day.
"Of course, Chernobyl also has its lessons and, as the Soviet side
stressed, the necessary conclusions will be drawn after the inves-
tigations, including safety meaures, international cooperation to
overcome dangers carried by similar accidents, or the
improvement of the international information service. The same
intention is reflected by the Moscow talks with leaders of the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
"It is obvious that the peaceful use of nuclear energy is an
international affair of greater importance than to enable some
circles to use it for their political ends, inadmissible manip-
ulations and the poisoning of the international atmosphere. Such
attempts meet with the aversion of all people of good will,"
concludes the commentary in NEPSZAI1ADSAG.
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GRAZING HALTED IN SOME AREAS; FOOD UNCONTAMINATED
LD101002 Budapest Domestic Service in Hungarian 0430 GMT 10 May 86
[From the Press Review]
[Text] Hungarian foodstuffs remain uncontaminated even after
the accident at Chernobyl. This unambiguous statement of
affairs is made by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food
Laszlo Papoczi in an interview with Istvan Matko, published in
MAGYAR HIRLAP.
The subject of the interview is the EEC countries' ban on the
purchase of certain foodstuffs from seven socialipt countries. The
article stresses that it is measurable and can be proven that
Hungary has not been touched by the radiation effect harming
foodstuffs. Thus, if Hungarian goods need to be withheld for any
reason then these goods would not be allowed to be consumed
domestically either, Istvan Matko writes. Food producers are
constantly informed about the situation and, if needed, measures
are taken as well. For example, in some areas grazing has been
stopped as a precaution. I quote here the deputy minister's
statement that milk processed and sold by the state and cooperat-
ive milk industry may be consumed with complete safety.
WEEKLY SUMS UP CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT CHRONOLOGY
WA130815 [Editorial Report] Budapest MAGYARORSZAG
No. 19 on 11 May on pages 6 and 7 carries a 3,500-word report
by Tams Oltvanyi under the title: "Nuclear Power Station ?
Chernobyl ? Dossier Of Events". The report presents a
chronological sequence of the Chernobyl accident stating:
"It seems that ? last but not least due to the Western countries'
attitude in striving to make use of the accident primarily for
propaganda purposes ? the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear
power station in the Soviet Union may also have an effect on the
world political atmosphere.
"here is the chronological order of the accident and the various
statements connected with it:
"27 April: Increasing radiation levels are measured in the city of
Kuopio in Finland, not far from the Soviet border. First among
the press agencies, REUTER reported on radiation levels several
.)
times higher than the normal in the central areas of Finland.
"28 April: In the early morning hours an increased radiation level
is also measured in the area of the Forsmark nuclear power
station in Sweden. From the direction of the wind it is understood
that the radiation is coming from across the border. An increase
in radiation levels is also detected in the well-known resort center
around the Mazur lakes in Poland.
"In the evening [of 28 April], a communique of the Council of
Ministers of the Soviet Union announces that an accident has
occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station,and that one
of the reactors has been damaged. Measures are said to have been
taken to avoid the consequences of the accident and the injured
are givedmedical attention. Not much later, TASS points out in
a background report that this is the first such accident in the
Soviet Union."
The chronological sequence of events then continues with factual
reports on the government committee appointed on 29 April, the
IAEA data on the type of nuclear reactor in Chernobyl, Reagan's
reaction, the measures taken in Warsaw, and measurements in
Hungary. The report continues by mentioning the TASS commu-
nique on the USSR Council of Ministers session on 30 April,
international press reactions, a Soviet Television news
"VREMYA" commentary, iodine pills being administered in
Poland, the fact that some countries have banned food and
vegetable imports from Eastern europe, and a NEPSZABAD-
SAG interview by a duty engineer at the Paks Nuclear Power
Station in Hungary.
The events described for 1,2,3,4,5, and 6 May contain references
to the Boris Yeltsin interview to GDR television, preventive
measures taken in Romania, the "wave of hysteria" in the West,
the history of nuclear accidents compiled by the .INTERNA
TIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, measures taken in Austria,
U.S. expert Robert Gale's visit to Moscow, IAEA'S Blix' visit to
Moscow, Arbatov's interview to the BBC, Soviet Government
communiques on measures taken at and around the site, and a
Pravda on-the-spot report on the operations carried out in order
to contain the radiation.
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AIR RADIOACTIVITY LEVELS 'PRACTICALLY' NORMAL
LD121253 Budapest MTI in English 1230 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Budapest, May 12 (MTI)--The radioactive content of air in Hungary's
atmosphere--following continuous decrease over the past days--has practically
returned to the natural level prior to the Chernobyl reactor accident. Radio?
activity of the soil, plants and surface waters is also very near the natural
value. Regular measurements are continuing.
NATIONWIDE RADIATION LEVELS RETURN TO NORMAL
LD131302 Budapest MTI in English 1148 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Budapest, May 13 (MTI)--The latest data of
ments show that the radioactive content of the air
the natural level. The radioactivity of the soil,
is close to the natural value.
BUDAPEST PAPER QUESTIONS EEC SANCTIONS ON FALLOUT
LD140819 Budapest MTI in English 0722 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] Budapest, May 14 (MTI) ? Wednesday NEPSZABAD-
S AG carries a commentary by its correspondent Sandor Gyori in
Bonn on EEC's discriminatory measures affecting agricultural
imports from Eastern Europe.
The commentary runs, "Contradictory decisions like that have
been rare during the decades-long existence of the Common
Market. We have no intention to debate the right of the West
European governments to protect the health of their citizens, but
the nature, extent and timing of the measure all allow to suggest
that there were not only health considerations behind the deci-
sion.
"As the over the past decades EEC's internal agricultural pro-
duction has increased far more rapidly than consumption, the
accumulated piles of meat, butter, milk powder and other food
radiation level measure?
in Hungary has returned to
plants and surface waters
reserves have become an unbearable burden for the organization.
On the other hand, peasants in some member states, such as the
Federal Republic of Germany, find themselves confronted with
the contradictions of Common Market rivalry and its agrarian
system. The suspicion is then justified: The EEC wants to get
rid of this 'burden', if momentarily.
"There also are other, indirect indications of the protectionist and
political considerations that motivated the Brussels decision. It
is difficult to find a plausible explanation why do hothouse
vegetables from Western Hungary pose a greater danger to EEC
consumers, than from neighbouring Burgenland which is not
affected by any embargo. And how does the argument hold up
about 'inadequate information', while government circles from
Bonn to Brussels appreciate Hungary for its examplary cooper-
ation in the exchange of information."
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RADIOACTIVITY DATA EXCHANGED WITH FRG
AU131433 Budapest NEPSZABADSAG in Hungarian 7 May 86 p 3
[MTI report:
"Hungarian?West German Exchange of Information"]
[Text] People in Bonn appreciate the fact that good cooperation
has developed with Hungary in exchanging data on radioactive
pollution, stated the West German news agency in its report from
Bonn. This DPA report notes that following the Chernobyl
catastrophe, the FRG's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent doctors
with Geiger counters to the West German embassies located in
the Warsaw Pact countries and that no actual radiation pollution
has been reported so far.
According to the experts of the Juelich (FRG) Nuclear Research
Center, one single nuclear weapons test carried out in the atmo-
sphere prior to the nuclear moratorium agreement provided a
greater danger to the world than the latest catastrophe in Cher-
nobyl.
According to the latest measurements ? on Tuesday [6 May] ?
radioactive pollution in the atmosphere of our homeland was very
low, and decreased compared to the level on Monday [5 May].
The population's attention was again called to the dangers of
consuming iodine pills unnecessarily. This was done on Hungar-
ian Television on Tuesday [6 May] by Laszlo B. Sztanyik,
director general of the National Research Institute for Radiation
Biology and Radiation Medicine. As was stated in the broadcast,
part of the population intended to protect themselves against the
presumed effects of radioactive pollution caused by the accident
[baleset] at Chernobyl nuclear power station by buying and
taking iodine preparations. In this context, the radiation biologist
stressedlhat there are people who are sensitive to iodine and they
would expose themselves to various ill effects by taking iodine
tablets unjustifiably, since in our homeland the radioactive pollu-
tion of the environment is far below the level that is dangerous
to health. He also pointed out that, by taking iodine tablets, after
a while the system of a person who is not sensitive to iodine could
also be damaged. Nobody can take iodine tablets indefinitely and
if these tablets are used unnecessarily, it may happen that people
are not able to take them when doctors need it, for example to
examine the thyroid gland.
RADIATION DIFFERS SLIGHTLY FROM NORMAL LEVELS
LD141412 Budapest MTI in English 1243 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] Budapest, May 14 (MTI)--According to data of radiation level measure?
ment on Wednesday [14 May], the radioactive content of the air in Hungary has
returned to the natural level prior to the Chernobyl reactor accident. The
radioactivity of the soil, plants and surface waters slightly differ from the
normal average value.
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POLAND
SPOKESMAN URBAN DISCUSSES RADIATION SITUATION
LD062333 Warsaw PAP in English 2230 GMT 6 May 86
["Government Spokesman's Press Conference" by Waldemar-Janiec and Miroslaw
Luniewski--PAP headline and byline]
(Text] Warsaw, May 6 ? The issues related to the increased
radiation level registered in Poland last week dominated today's
press conference of spokesman for the Polish Government Min.
Jerzy Urban. He also presented the Polish Government's answer
to the discriminatory moves by the U.S. authorities which limited
the freedom of travel by staff of Polish diplomatic missions in the
U.S., and answered a few questions concerning attempts to
disturb social order on May 1st and 3rd.
Radioactivity: The Safety Level Was Not Exceeded
Touching upon the issue of the increased radiation level in Poland
after the accident at the Soviet power station in the Ukraine,
Min. Urban made an extensive statement.
I accuse the Western mass media of ill will in passing forth
information concerning the radioactive contamination of
Poland's territory. I accuse them of conduct incompatible with
the principles of human solidarity. In particular, I charge the
American "Free Europe" radio station with unjustified and
unfounded, but deliberate actions aimed at scaring Poland's
population. The station aimed at spreading panic throughout
Poland, at whipping up the emotions and using them to pitch the
public moods against our state authorities. Poles' common sense
and composure on one hand and the low credibility of the
information broadcast from Munich by the American radio
station on the other prevented the RFE from reaching its objec-
tives. The aim was to use the accident for political ends, to spread
panic here, the results of which would be incalculable in the days
when part of Poland's society was upset and anxious. The RFE
provocations were hitting out at the vital interests of the entire
Polish society. The RFE lies thus assumed an inhuman character.
Examples: On May 2, Radio Free Europe screamed hyster-
ically that Poland's authorities were concealing the ,perils for
Poland's population, that the operation of giving children iodine
was started too late. Let me further quote: "Poland's author-
ities prefer to be silent instead of saving the population with
extensive and detailed information on the danger and preventive
measures." Unquote.
The RFE further said that information was concealed about the
increase of radioactivity on Poland's territory by 50 to 100 times,
that the government was Withholding this information from the
nation. Free Europe did not add, however, that this radiation
level, although many times higher than before the reactor broke
down, did not pose any health hazards, and was very far from the
safety limits for human organisms, as American experts later
confirmed. The 100-fold increase of radiation sounds frightful,
and the point was to scare people in Poland, leading them to
dispair and spread panic.
On May 4, Radio Free Europe quoted American newspapers in
such a way as to spread horror and distrust in Poland in what the
authorities were saying. It claimed the government commission
lied by stating there was no hazard to health and life in Poland.
The evacuation of the families of various embassy staffs was to
prove that. Note that no such evacuation has- actually taken
place, and the urge to leave was caused bi-vironrestimation of
the situation.
"The evacuation proves that other governments are more worried
about the radiation level than the Polish authorities," RFE cried
out. "Polish society does not know where exactly the threat lies
and what it is. Consequently, it is not immediately known where
one should refrain from eating they most contaminated food
products." abetted the RFE.
Radio Free Europe tried at any cost to undermine the confidence
in the assurances, recommendations, and actions taken by Polish
authorities. If it managed to reach these ends under existing
circumstances, chaos and panic would have been the result.
On May 2, for instance, RFE cried out to the inhabitants of the
Mazury, the north-eastern region of Poland, that they were
sleeping peacefully while being exposed to a 500-fold radiation
level, and that the government was silent, deliberately endanger-
ing even those who were going to spend their holidays in the
Mazury unaware of the danger. (I shall refer to, the issue of
Mikolajki later).
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Quoting WASHINGTON POST, the Voice of America beamed
the worries of individual Poles who erroneously thought the
danger real, and were certain they learned about it too late and
did not take the necessary measures to protect themselves and
their children in time. The station was astounding Poles, quoting,
for instance, a pregnant women as saying "I could not help
myself, and now nobody can help me." The intentions behind
beaming individual statements by a subversive radio station can
only be imagined. The station extensively quoted various rubbish
published by Poland's underground on leaflets issued on this
occasion.
In its May 2 broadcasts, the French radio described an
apocalyptic image of Poland quoting the liberation daily ?
people besieging drugstores, which did not have any radiation-
protective medicine available anyway, phsycians waken up in the
middle of the night did not know what to do because of lack of
proper instruction.
Children-protective methods depend upon radiation level, but the
latter is kept secret by the government. I quote: "Gigantic queues
are lining-up in front of drugstores and hospitals; the preventive
operation at schools proves futile." The radio further maintained
that instead of informing people, Polish authorities made jokes
of the population, and a certain general admitted on the TV that
milk quality is not being monitored, but the cow breeders'
conscience is being appealed to. All this is obvious rubbish,
broadcast with ill will at a highly inopportune moment.
After several days of attempts at spreading panic in Poland and
leading the population to despair, after attempts to undermine,
in such a delicate moment, social confidence in our authorities,
their information and recommendations, a sudden change
occured in Western propganda.
It was confirmed ? based on the research conducted by Western
experts ? that Poland had not been and was not threatened with
radiation. It was confirmed, for instance, by the American
Department of State and the British authorities. An American
Government expert who arrived in Warsaw found the results of
his measurements to be the same as those reported by Polish
authorities. It was stated that the information policy of Polish
authorities was open and honest. It was also published that all
preventive measures taken by Polish authorities, including the
ones aimed at human health protection, were proper and prudent,
and introduced on time. This was admitted by the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna yesterday.
The Polish-lanauge Western radio stations did not retract their
previous lies, though. And no apologies appeared in the Western
press saying "we did not tell the truth, we are sorry."
Let me ask in public: By what right has it been attempted to
spread panic, despair, and distrust in Poland? In the name of
what human rights has it been done? How is it possible for the
Western journalists to express even their justified doubts in a
fashion so inhuman to Polish mothers, who were told' anybody
cared for their dimpled children? Where was the human solidar-
ity, the sense of responsibility and good intentions of the initiators
of this provocative campaign?
I accuse some of the Western forces of resorting to mean methods
in their struggle against Polish authorities, thus taking for noth-
ing the security and nerves of Polish society.
In this context I would like to comment on the declarations of
some Western governments, foundations, and organizations con-
cerning their readiness to aid Poland by sending food and medi-
cations. We are very thankful, but under the existing
circumstances these undertakings are in majority superfluous.
Poland did not run short of the necessary iodine medication.
Despite some disturbances in retail sales, we did not run short of
noncontaminated food either. Only a shortage of powdered milk
was noted, followed by immediate purchases of proper Polish
institutions. The transports of imported milk are on their way.
We are cordially grateful to all organizations which desire to help
us in meeting our market's increased demand for powdered milk.
We have always been, and still are grateful for any aid based on
humanitarian grounds. We would like to tell some Western
governments and political forces so eager all of a sudden to help
us what follows:
"Stop harming Poland, and that is all. It is the best and free aid
you can send to Poland."
As a state official in charge of informing, I would like to state
that Poland's society has been kept informed honestly and in due
time on the existing contamination, possible health hazards, and
appropriate preventive measures.
The measuring equipment registered the presence of first con-
tamination in the air over Poland on Monday, April 28. That
resulted in a series of measurements of soil, water and air
contaminations reaching as far up as to the stratosphere. The
measurements had to be analysed in order to draw proper conclu-
sions. Late Monday night appropriate services concluded we had
a significant contamination of the air over a considerable part of
Poland with radioactive iodine. When this became apparent, a
government commission was set up with Vice-Premier Zbigniew
Szalajda in chair, and a first communique was issued on Tuesday
Morning, April 29th. Afterwards, communiques was issued
daily. They presented honestly the existing situation. Experts
were invited twice to answer questions on TV. The range of
contamination was published in detail as soon as it could be
determined based on several days' measurements.
It is true we did not report daily where the air, grass or milk
contamination was the highest in Poland at a given moment. We
did not do so because the radiation levels were nowhere near the
hazardous limits at any point or time in Poland. Reporting the
current contamination figures for various parts of Poland was
superfluous from the point of view of human health protection.
On the other hand it could lead to unnecessary anxiety, resulting
in various unnecessary reflexes. It could cause, for instance, a
shifting of a part of Poland's population from one place to
another, and that would make no sense. First, because nowhere
and at no time was anybody in danger (except, in some regions,
for children drinking milk from pastured cows). Second, because
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the radiation levels here were changing quickly, and whoever fled
less contaminated regions, could find himself at a place more
contaminated than his previous whereabouts.
Let me illustrate the problems of our information policy by
referring to the example of the town of Mikolajki, north-eastern
Poland. One of our experts told the foreign press the highest
contamination level was reported in Mikolajki, and that it
totalled 500 times the natural radiation level.
500 times more ? that sounds frightening. How could a man
with no knowledge of radiation whatsoever react to the news he
has been exposed to radiation 500 times higher than the normal?
Western radio stations stirred panic without understanding, or
wanting to understand the meaning of the information broadcast
to Western correspondents. In Mikolajki, neither, nobody was
threatened with irradiated air. Let me use an analogy here. Let
us imagine a room, where nobody ever smoked. If suddenly
someone lights up a cigarette there, a measurement apparatus
could indicate the smokiness to rise 500 times in comparison to
the previous condition. It does not mean, though, that anyone
could get poisoned with nicotine by entering the room.
Meanwhile, Western radio stations broadcast the news on
Mikolajki in an alarming fasion. A WASHINGTON POST
journalist went there and reported that nobody in Mikolajki was
aware of the danger. Let me repeat: There was no danger in
Mikolajki. The American journalist lamented the town's shops
and schools are opened. The town has been stricken a blow, he
despaired. People were already feeling sick; they had head and
stomachaches. The naughty authorities said, in turn, that it had
nothing to do with the radiation and administered children with
iodine preparations.
Any man could get nausea or a stomachache when he is told he
has been exposed to radiation 500 times higher than normal.
We said in general that the largest contamination was registered
in north-eastern Poland. We did not specify, though, the exact
location of size of the contamination since, I repeat, human
health was nowhere threatened, nobody had to flee, no schools
had to be closed down, and nobody fell ill because of radiation.
Had we informed the way THE WASHINGTON POST did, we
would have stirred unnecessary panic and hysteria. It is not easy
to explain to the entire nation the complicated matters concern-
ing the kinds of radiation, safety standards, etc. Thus our infor-
mation policy was open, we informed the people fast, but only in
such a detail as it was called for.
At present, the Western press changed its opinion, without
retracting the previous ones, considering our policy correct and
right. The CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR called our com-
muniques open, fast, honest, and increasing the authorities'
credibility.
Similar views were expressed by the Swiss TAGES ANZEIGER.
Analogical statements were made by some American papers, and
even by some American officials. Why all of a sudden the praise
of the same information policy that yesterday was called a
criminal suppression of truth?
The reason has to do with a new unfair game. The point here is
to construct contradictions of an anti-Soviet edge. This is a new
kind of the same political game carried on by a part of the
Western press from the very beginning, preying on the Chernobyl
nuclear power station breakdown. It is not the first Western
attempt to use Poland as an instrument in setting up contradic-
tions of this kind. It will not be a more efficient attempt than the
other ones aimed at upsetting the Polish-Soviet relations of
friendship and confidence.
On behalf of Polish authorities let me express our sympathy with
the Soviet citizens who suffered in result of the nuclear plant's
breakdown. I also express our deep sympathy with the families
of the persons who died as a result of this tragic mishap.
Speaking next on the measures adopted following the reports on
the increased amount of radioactive iodine in the air over Poland,
Urban stated:
"After the breakdown at the nuclear power station in Ukraine,
weather conditions were particularly unfavourable for Poland.
Contamination ? which one could have hardly anticipated ?
advanced mostly towards Poland.
"We adopted a particular kind of safety measure, and we kept
people informed about them. The preventive measures were
adopted just in case. Fortunately, no real, direct threat to human
health occurred.
"We started to act when the contamination measurements over
Poland informed about them. The preventive measures were
adopted just in case. Fortunately, no real, direct threat to human
health occurred.
"We started to act when the contamination measurements over
Poland justified it. We were not late either with preventive
measures or with providing information. We denied the existence
of any threat from the very beginning. Thus, we could not have
been warned against danger ? as Western press would wish ?
as there was no danger.
"Both sides, however, were drawing conclusions from the sit-
uation which had developed. After all, it is a new experience,
unprecedented in our region. The thing is to unify safety stan-
dards and principles concerning the level of contamination and
the time at which the sides should notify one another on the
issue," Urban went on.
"According to today's press reports on Vice-Premier Szalajda's
meeting with Soviet experts, this work started to make it possible
to draw all the necessary conclusions for the future, including
ones on the systems and principles of notifying one another,
stemming from the effects of .the breakdown at Chernobyl,"
Urban stated.
Next Spokesman Jerzy Urban and his guest, Deputy Chairman
of the State Atomic Agency Andrzej Rodowicz, answered many
questions, mostly about the degree of the radioactivity threat
which occurred over Poland April 28 - May 2 this year.
Presenting detailed data on the state of radioactivity in Poland
following the breakdown in the Ukrainian nuclear power plant,
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Rodowicz stressed that there was not one moment after stations
registered increased amounts of radioactive elements in the
atmosphere Monday afternoon in which the state of health of the
population was endangered.
The average national contamination of the atmosphere with
radioactive iodine was five times lower than the Polish norm and
fifty times lower than the international norm.
As far as the amount of radiation from external sources received
by the populace throughout 4 days equal to 25 milirems is
concerned, it was 4 times lower than the annual amount and
twenty times lower than the Polish norm and 400 times lower
than the alert level recommended by the International Atomic
Energy Agency.
On the other hand, the level of radioactive contamination of milk
was in some cases exceeded to some extent, and in the north-
eastern parts of Poland was above the norm recommended by the
IAEA. This caused an immediate response of the government
commission which banned open-air grazing of cows, Radowicz
said.
Rodowicz also stated that no increased presence of strontium in
the atmosphere was registered in Poland and that the level of
other radioactive elements, such as caesium and tellurium, did
not exceed trace amounts. He added that a report on the
radiological situation in Poland was submitted to the manage-
ment of the IAEA in Vienna on Monday.
Asked for a presentation of an estimate of losses sustained as a
result of the radioactive contamination, Urban stated that they
were not estimated but added it was certain they were not high
and wound down primarily to the costs of supplying 10 million
Polish children with a preventive amount of iodine and redistrib-
uting milk.
Neither did he share fears showed by some Western newsmen as
to the consequences of the existing state of affairs for Polish food
exports. "Food exported by Poland is being appropriately tested,"
he said and added: "I cannot imagine either that the EEC
countries could make a decision banning imports of food from
Poland. If such a decision was made, however, then, I cannot
imagine that the ban on Polish food imports could last longer than
the process of radioactive disintegration."
Asked whether the Polish Government intended to ask the Soviet
Government to compensate for the losses caused by the radioac-
tive fallout, Urban once again stressed that these losses were not
too big. "In the whole of Polish-Soviet cooperation and in the
context of great assistance extended to Poland by the Soviet
Union, this issue is not of such a dimension as to be raised
separately," the spokesman said.
Answering other questions, Urban stated that the Polish author-
ities had no information about any Polish citizen staying in the
USSR to have been affected by the breakdown at the Ukrainian
power station. Next, he pointed out that the Polish standards of
radioactive danger are far stricter that the international ones and
stressed once again the great speed with which the Polish author-
ities had taken appropriate preventive measures, as well as
honesty and responsibility which characterized the authorities'
policy of providing information in the period of radioactive
fallout in Poland.
Poland's Reply To U.S. Restrictions
Urban also briefed the conference on the Polish Government's
reply to the introduction by the U.S. of curbs on travel by the
staff of Polish diplomatic missions in the U.S. as of last January
6.
"I would like to stress once again that curbs on travel within the
U.S. imposed on the staff of the Polish Embassy in Washington,
the commercial counsellor's office and the Orbis Travel Office
in New York, as well as on the staff of Poland's general con-
sulates in New York and Chicago and on families of employees
of all these missions are the violation of international law, and
particularly of immunities and privileges contained in the Vienna
conventions on diplomatic and consular relations, the signatories
of which are both Poland and the U.S. These moves also run
counter to international customs and are clearly of a dis-
criminatory character.
"I have already said that the Polish side proposed the U.S. side
to hold talks in order to totally lift these restrictions. Such talks
were held in Warsaw.
? "Despite the Polish side's insistence, the talks have not resultedin
the lifting by the U.S. curbs introduced on last January 6. In this
situation, Poland was forced to apply real reciprocity as of May
1," Urban said.
"The point was to introduce restrictions corresponding in the
sense of the degree of inconvenience to those applied by the U.S.
side. Because of the basic difference in size of the Polish and U.S.
territories and, in connection with this, more frequent use of other
means of transport, the introduction by the Polish side of the
same curbs as those imposed by the U.S. side would not provide
the same control over travelling by the U.S. missions' staff as the
one already exercised by the U.S. over the employees of Polish
missions in the U.S.
"Thus, it was introduced as a rule that the U.S. Embassy in
Warsaw and the U.S. consulates in Krakow and Poznan must
notify in the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic protocol about every
trip by their employees and their families outside the voivodship
in which the mission is based. The obligation of notifying
excludes heads of diplomatic missions in the two countries.
"I would like to stress that the Polish side will lift these limita-
tions on travel as soon as the U.S. side lifts its curbs imposed on
last January 6 through a unilateral decision of the US. author-
ities," said Urban.
Attempts To Disturb Public Order
Answering next a couple of questions concerning recent attempts
to disturb public order in Poland, Urban disclosed that on May
4 militiamen apprehended a group of people, including Western
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correspondents, who gathered on a road leading to the locality of
Machowa, Tarnow Voivodship, where the grave of Otto Schimke
is situated. These people were apprehended to explain the causes
of the gathering. "No person was arrested," the spokesman said.
Urban also stated he had no information about the number of
people arrested for illegal attempts to disturb the May Day
celebrations and the celebrations of this year's anniversary of the
May 3rd Constitution. He added that some of them had already
appeared before a misdemeanour court.
Commenting on the security measures undertaken by the author-
ities ahead of May Day and May 3rd to head off illegal dem-
onstrations Urban emphasized, replying to a question, that the
"cost of such an operation constituted barely a fraction of the
expences borne by Poland in 1981 when demonstrations and
strikes were daily routine."
COMMISSION REPORTS LATEST RADIOLOGICAL READINGS
LD072117 Warsaw PAP in English 1957 GMT 7 May 86
["Government Commission's Communique"--PAP headline]
[Text] Warsaw, May 7 ? At a session held today the government
commission headed by Zbigniew Szalajda acquainted itself with
the results of the current radiological readings from around
Poland.
The commission stated that the concentration of active iodine in
the air ranged from 0.3 bq/m3 to 6.6 bq/m3, the concentration
permissable by national standards being 1000 bq/m3 and
according to recommendations of the International Atomic
Energy Agency ? 10,000 ba/m3.
The dose of radioactivity did not exceed 0.05 - 0.06 mrem/hour
with a permissible amount of 500 mrem/hour according to
national recommendations, and 10,000 mrem/hour according to
IAEA recommendations.
The contamination of water from water pipes was 1.5 bq/l - 14.9
bq/l, and for surface water 1.7 bq/l to 19.7 bq/l with a per-
missable concentration equal to 1000 bq/l and according to
IAEA recommendations, 10,000 bq/l.
The contamination of milk reached ep bq/l to 700 bq/l, that is,
it did not exceed the permissable level which is 1000 bq/l and,
according to IAEA recommendations, 1000 bq/l for children and
10,000 bq/l for adults.
As these readings and evaluations of specialists show, the con-
tamination of the atmosphere has decreased radically and has
returned to normal. At the current stage of the situation there is
still temporary contamination of earth surface and surface
waters.
The commission unequivocally stated that drinking water from
water pipes and wells was not hazardous to health and was
perfectly suitable for consumption. One should not believe any
stories about the alleged contamination of drinking water. Such
a rumour was circulated, for instance, in Warsaw and Katowice
Wednesday. It was aimed solely at deliberately disinforming the
populace.
As authoritative results of research and experiments conducted
in recent days confirm, milk from crows, goats and sheep fed on
dry fodder is suitable for consumption, including fresh milk
drinking. Cattle for slaughter can be let out to graze in open
pastures and can be fed on grass. Milk cows can also be fed on
grass if their milk is destined for industrial processing.
The current stage of the effects of the movement of the radioac-
tive cloud is characterized, also due to weather conditions, by a
temporary concentration of active iodine on the earth surface and
plants. Taking this into account, as well as the accelerated
? growing period of plants, the commission reviewed in detail the
issue of the contamination of vegetables. The commission recom-
mends temporarily refraining from or limiting the consumption
of vegetables such as, for example, lettuce, spinage, and sorrel by
children pregnant women and nursing mothers.
The government commission recommended the continuation of
radiological readings of water, earth surface and food. The
commission announced that a system of inspecting food exports
and imports and foodstuffs in transit was set up. The inspection
is conducted according to international ? principles and
requirements.
The commission announced tha,t the presented results of readings
have been submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency
in Vienna. The agency's director general, Hans Blix, positively
assessed the information supplied by the Polish specialists and
gave assurances that experts of this U.N.-based organization
would continue cooperation with Polish experts.
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MESSNER REFUTES RUMORS ABOUT RADIOACTIVITY
LD072251 Warsaw Television Service in Polish 1730 GMT 7 May 86
[Interview with Premier Zbigniew Messner by unidentified reporter in Warsaw on
7 May following meeting of government commission on radioactivity?recorded]
[Text] [Messner] As you know, the commission was created
immediately on the establishment of an emergency situation in
our country. General Jaruzelski and our party's political leader-
ship and the government came to the conclusion that, in such a
situation, it was imperative to appoint a body composed of experts
which would direct preventive, remedial, and explanatory actions
regarding the situation in the country, in a centralized way. It
was to operate according to one principle: maximum security
for society with the minimum of panic. As we knbw, all societies,
not just ours, are susceptible to various types of unfavorable
phenomena which may produce panic.
I must say that the commission got more than full marks in
fulfilling this duty, because from the very beginning, it presented
successive reports ? of course, within the limits of its knowledge
and recognition of the situation and, within, the limits of its
possession of a greater amount of information, these reports were
more detailed than the recommendations.
The commission is fulfilling this role to this very day. Among
others, it has visited the IAEA in Vienna, has contacts with
various international organizations, and has cooperation with
Soviet experts in order to provide a full explanation of the matter
and to inform the public. The first stage of its action was the
decision to give children up to the age of 16, doses of Lugol
solution.
[Question] Premier, the commission has not yet ended its work.
What tasks now face this team which has worked with great
self-sacrifice so far?
[Messner] The commission cannot complete its work while other
tasks still face it. The first tasks have already been named, that
is, control of the current situation and taking specific decisions
and directives to suit the current situation, which are to be
fulfilled throughout the country. The commission also has to
calm society, reveal the truth, and at the same time show what
in fact should result from (?collective) action. But there is also a
second task which faces the commission at this time, that is, the
matter of briefing and informing (?society). For example, the
farmers will have a whole series of questions to ask. For example,
whether the fruit from trees which are in blossom now will be all
right or not, whether, let us say, hay will be all right or not,
whether one can go on vacation or not....
[Reporter interrupts).., to the Mazury lakes.
[Messner] Yes, to the Mazury lakes ? human questinns. This
will have to explained. The commission, with the help of experts,
will have this task of explaining, in all kinds of reports, talks, and
information explanations, in the nearest future.
[Question] Premier, I cannot resist one question, if you will allow
me: each day more and more rumors appear ? I do not know
whether this is normal and what effect this will have ? that
water is contaminated, that one should not eat this or the other.
Recently, there has even been a rumor ? I do not know whether
you have heard about it ? that you are in an underground
bunker, but I have an opportunity to speak to you now in the
office of the Council of Ministers. What do you think about this
as premier of the Polish Government?
[Messner] First of all, I would like to say that rumor is always an
additional phenomenon in this type of situation. It is almost
unavoidable psychologically, that is, the normal human type of
rumor, when one person knows better than the next one. People
are agitated, everyone wants to ward off disaster for himself,
everyone is concerned for his own health, and doubt is sown in
this way. Various invented situations and such are repeated. Such
rumors always manifest themselves somehwere and aggravate
the situation. I must also take this opportunity to say that a
negative and deliberatlyu malicious form of rumor also manifests
itself, which excites the public and which aims to create panic.
This type of rumor is verging on sabotage, is on the verge of, let
me say, well, it is difficult to say, well, I don't want to use great
words but, of an antisocial attitude because it produces in people
unnecessary agitation, many unnecessary and unfavorable phe-
nomena which manifest themselves. We cannot fight these
rumors, because how can that be done? They can only be denied
when they are universal. For example, the case of contaminated
tap water in Warsaw. There will be a clarification of this matter
in the report today: there is no contaminated water because
there was never any contaminated water anywhere in Poland.
But today, I heard two versions?you spoke about one but I have
heard two versions ? one, that there was a thunderstorm over
Krakow and that radioactive dust fell into the Vistula and
everything is flowing to Warsaw; and the second, that somewhere
in the Azoty in Pulawy, a leak occured which then poisoned the
lake. Well, such rumors, unfortunately, are spread by someone
who does this deliberately, which results in panic. A second
person repeats it but does not do it with hostile or negative intent,
but has simply heard it and since the public is agitated ? which
is not surprising ? these rumois also arise from this. But I think
that our activity, that of the commission and of the people in the
commission, of well-known and first-class experts, with not only
national but also international acclaim and authority, continue
to explain and clarify, and hopefully the rumors will cease.
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MESSNER ATTENDS COMMISSION MEETING ON CHERNOBYL
LD071912 Warsaw Television Service in Polish 1730 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] The government commission for monitoring the effects of
the breakdown at the electricity power station in the Ukraine,
under the chairmanship of Zbigniew Szalajda, had another
meeting. Taking part in today's proceedings of the commission
was Zbigniew Messner, chairman of the Council of ministers.,
On behalf of Wojciech Jaruzelski, the party central committee
Politburo, and the government, the premier thanked the commis-
sion's members; the specialists conducting systematic measure-
ments; officials of the health service, of the SANEPID stations;
and the chemical troops for their efficient work, full of self-
sacrifice. The government expressed its appreciation for the
scientists and experts participating in preventive and protective
action.
URBAN CRITICIZES WESTERN REPORTING OF RADIATION
LD061334 Warsaw, PAP in English 1200 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Warsaw, May 6 ? At the start of today's news conference
for foreign journalists, spokesman for the Polish Government,
Minister Jerzy Urban made a statement in which he accused
Western mass media of ill will in reporting from Poland on
radioactive contamination. Urban stated that those dispatches
aimed to terrify Polish society and were marked by an inhuman
character.
Urban said that the measurements in individual regions of the
country were not released as the level of radiation has nowhere
and never before endangered human life. The releasing of such
information could have led to an unjustified concern and people
moving to other regions.
Urban stated that in answer to discriminatory moves by U.S.
authorities from Janaury 6, 1986, which limited the freedom of
traveling by staff of Polish diplomatic missions in the U.S., the
Polish Government has introduced as of May 1 an obligation to
notify each trip made by staff members of U.S. diplomatic
mission in Poland outside the voivodship in which the mission is
situated, excluding beads of ,those missions.
URBAN: EEC BAN ON POLISH FOOD IMPORTS POLITICAL
LD080935 Warsaw International Service in Polish 2230 GMT 7 May 86
[Excerpts] Continuing this broadcast from Radio Polonia in
Warsaw, we would now like to invite you to listen to the gist of
an interview which the government press spokepman Jerzy Urban
gave to our station, in connection with the propaganda campaign
following the nuclear plant accident at Chernobyl in the Soviet
Ukraine.
The spokesman finally reacted to the wild allegations made in
the West in connection with the Chernobyl accident. Dozens of
such accidents were noted in the past, most of them in Western
countries. That is the price of civilization and progress.
The EEC introduced a ban on food imports from Poland on the
very same date as? the IAEA in Vienna, which is the most
authoritative international body in this field, confirmed Polish
data on radioactivity. That level was more or less the same as in
Sweden, said the spokesman, so, if there is no ban on food imports
from Sweden, while there is one on imports from Poland, this is
a sign that political motives are the underlying factor. Urban said
that it is more than scandalous to behave in such a manner at a
moment when the whole international community should be
showing solidarity with Poles, who have suffered from the acci-
dent. This is hardly a reason to use against the Jaruzelski
government, concluded Jerzy Urban in his exclusive interview for
Radio Polonia.
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URBAN ANNOUNCES TRAVEL CONSTRAINT ON U.S. DIPLOMATS
LD062204 Warsaw Domestic Service in Polish 1700 GMT 6 May 86
[Marek Kassa report on 6 May press conference by Polish Government spokesman
Jerzy Urban in Warsaw; portions within quotation marks denote recorded
passages]
[Text] To fill up our program, there remains the report by Marek
Kassa from today's press conference of the government press
spokesman. Here is our reporter.
[Kassa] One of the first questions was about the Polish author-
ities' estimates on the results of the radiation.
[Urban] "No, the Polish Government does not have such an
estimate. Neither can I say whether it will make such an esti-
mate, since these are n6t significant damages from the point of
view of the whole economy. The costs amount to giving out an
inexpensive, preparation to over 10 million children, a certain
prophylactic activity, just in case. In the case of the contamina-
tion that occurred, this is not necessary, though experts
acknowledged this precaution as justified in case the contamina-
tion were to continue to return."
[Kassa] It was asked whether losses would ensue in view of the
ban on importing food from Poland by the EEC countries.
[Urban]'! do not imagine that such a resolution could have been
made on the basis of any rational data. If, however, it is made,
then I do not imagine that the restriction of food imports would
last longer than the process of decay of those factors that deter-
mine the contamination levels of food. After 8 days, for instance
in milk, the contamination reduces by one half. After a further
8 days, it is reduced by another half. In a word, this is a very fast
process."
[Kassa] It was also asked why it is said in Poland that the emission
of contamination has ceased, when the Soviet side talks of its
limitation.
[Urban] "A wrongly directed question. We describe what is
happening in Poland and, from the point of view of Poland, the
drop has already been in progress for a long time and from our
point of view, nothing is rising and everything is dropping."
[Kassa] Krzysztof Bobinski, of THE FINANCIAL TIMES,
asked whether Poland is interested in the introduction of a system
of international information in such cases as the Chernobyl
accident.
[Urban] "I wish to say yes in response to this, and that this
affirmative reply stems from, among other things, the content of
the communique or report published by today's Polish press
about the adoption [as heard] by Deputy Premier Szalajda, who
is leading the government commission dealing with the contami-
nation, and the Soviet experts who were working in Poland ?
and these conclusions stem from the text of this information."
[sentence as heard]
[Ksaas] During the 2 hours-plus duration of the conference,
matters other than the breakdown in Chernobyl were mentioned
only twice. Michael Kaufman from the United States asked
whether the measures undertaken on 1 May to prevent disrup-
tions of order were too costly.
[Urban]" Preventive measures have as their goal that no gather-
ings whould take place which have not been legalized, and,
through this, that there should be no need to employ measures to
disperse these gatherings in order to enforce law and order.
To answer the question on the cost of this mobilization, I can
answer, sir, that it amounted to a fraction of the costs that Poland
incurred in 1981 when an everyday tradition was to hold numer-
ous marches, demonstrations, and strikes."
[Kassa] Jerzy Urban also referred to the directive of the U.S.
Administration that limits the freedom of movement of the
representatives of our outposts [placowka] in the United States.
[Urban] "I have already said that the Polish side has proposed to
the American side that talks be held in order to totally annul
these limitations. Such talks have taken place in Warsaw.
Despite the urging of the Polish side, the talks did not result in
the United States withdrawing the limits introduced on 6 Jan-
uary, and in this situation the Polish side has been forced to
introduce, as of 1 May, an effective reciprocity.
In view of the substantial difference in the size of Polish and U.S.
territories and the frequent use, because of this, of different
means of transportation, the introduction of limits identical to
those imposed by the U.S. side would not present the same
restriction to movements of personnel at U.S. outposts.
As a matter of principle, we have therefore decided that the
Embassy of the United States in Krakow and Poznan will notify,
through a diplomatic protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the departure of Members of their personnel and families in cases
of journeys outside the boundaries of the voivodship in which the
outpost's office is situated. Heads of diplomatic representations
in both countries are excluded from the need of notification. The
Polish side will immediately lift the travel limitations as soon as
the American side sets aside the limits imposed on 7 [as heard]
January this year by a unilateral decision of the U.S. author-
ities."
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IAEA APPROVES POLISH 'PROPHYLACTIC MEASURES'
LD070932 Warsaw Domestic Service in Polish 0330 GMT 7 May.86
[Text] After a discussion in Vienna of specialists of the International
Atomic Energy Authority and representatives of the commission functioning
under the chairmanship of Deputy Premier Zbigniew Szaljda, it was stated
that the prophylactic measures undertaken by the Polish authorities were
the right ones and were used at the appropriate time; the increased level of
radioactive contamination does not constitute a danger for the health of the
population.
WARSAW WATER SAID SAFE; HOARDING DISCOURAGED
LD071048 Warsaw Domestic Service in Polish 1005 GMT 7 May 86
[Excerpts] Here is a report which will be of interest to Varsovians.
In connection with numerous questions from listeners concerning
the purity of water in the Vistula in the Warsaw region, the press
spokesman for Warsaw Mayor Zygmunt Janik has informed us
that the level of contamination [zanieczyszczenie] of surface
? waters in the Warsaw City Voivodship has not changed from the
norms. In connection with this, the municipal water supply from
pipelines is fit for use. Water should not, therefore, be stored in
baths and other containers, because its increased consumption
may result in a lack of water on higher storeys. Our reporter
Wieslaw Malak has been to the Urban waterworks;
[Begin Malak recording] Rumors are circulating in Warsaw that
water contaminated by radioactive substances is flowing into the
capital via the Vistula. Is this true?
[Stefan Pluciennik] No, it is not true.
IAEA PUBLISHES POLISH RADIATION LEVELS
[Malak] That was Stefan Pluciennik, director of the urban water
and sewage works in Warsaw.
[Pluciennik] I deny this rumor. There are no radioactive sub-
stances in the water in pipelines or in the Vistula: [passage
omitted ? hoarding water in the temperatures current-in War-
saw will only mean that it has to be thrown out and the water
supply will be in general difficulty]
[Malak] Is it possible that the water will be contaminated in
several days? -
[Pluciennik] I do not think that there will be any kind of contami-
nation of the water in several days. The level :of radiation,
according to the official communiques, is dropping; [word indis-
tinct] it is almost nonexistent. [passage omitted ? everyone can
use water as before, without danger; there is no need to hoard it]
AU071010 Vienna NEUE AZ in German 7 May 86
[Excerpts] In Austria no comprehensive data concerning the
radiation load of foodstuffs or the soil have been published. Now
Polish radiation experts, through the IAEA in Vienna, have
published a list of the Polish people's exposure to radiation during
recent days. According to this, from 28 April to 1 May the
average radiation burden in the air was 25 millirem. Before the
disaster, 0.1 Becquerels per cubic meter were measured in the
air, and on 29 April the maximum level was 571. On the same
day the level for milk increased from the normal level of 42 to
2,000. The level for grass exploded from a normal 3,223 Bec-
querels per kilogram to 105,000.
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WARSAW REPORTS ON USSR PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHERNOBYL
LD081848 Warsaw Domestic Service in Polish 1700 GMT 8 May 86
[Unidentified correspondent's report from Moscow]
[Text] During a meeting with journalists, USSR First Deputy
I lealth Minister Yevgeniy Vorobyev reported that of 204 people
who were in the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power station
accident, 18 were in serious condition, including five who were
very serious. In spite of doctors' efforts the third victim has died
in a Kiev hospital. The cause was a high dose radiation. Five
people are being treated in specialist hospitals in Moscow. Con-
sulting assistance is being provided by two American doctors who
have arrived,in the Soviet Union, Professors Gale and Terasaki.
Yevgeniy Vorobyev Ms? declared that all residents within a
30:km radius zone in the vicinity of the power station and who
had been evacuated, had been medically examined and, above
all, had had their blood tested. Except for a group of people who
had been close to the place of the accident, no changes in them
were found.
Vuriy Sedunov, first deputy chairman of the USSR State Com-
mittee for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control, who
was taking part in the conference, also reported that competent
services were taking systematic measurements of contamination
throughout the Soviet Union. Yuriy Sedunov also said that under
the effects of winds and air currents some of the contaminated
air mass resulting from the Chernobyl accident passed over
Poland and also over Romania, Hungary and Yugoslavia. A
higher degree of radiation was recorded in those states, but it did
? not present danger to human health. In the Soviet Union higher
radiation was recorded among other places in Kiev and in the
south of the country. However, these phenomena presented no
danger.
Soviet media carry many reports by their correspondent from the
vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear power station. TASS journal"
ists write that real struggle against the elements is in progress in
the area of the nuclear power station ? planned struggle,
supported with the results of scientists' and specialists' research.
The damaged reactor is continually showered with sand, clay,
lead and boron. Unfortunately, the struggle against radioactivity
is not over yet and is still in progress. It is being conducted by
thousands of people. The building up of the banks of the Pripyat
River and the dismantling of a 200-meter bridge, along which
the population had been evacuated, are also in progress.
A government commission is at work at the rayon party commit-
tee in Chernobyl. This is where all the information arrives and
where decisions, which are immediately implemented, are
reached. According to Academician Yevgeniy Velikhov, nobody
has had to deal with a similar accident. The extreme situation,
he emphasized, required the solution of problems never before
encountered by scientists or specialists.
In their report, IZVESTIYA journalists describe the living con-
ditions of the evacuated population, emphasizing that at present
more than 90 percent of the children are regularly attending
school. The IZVESTIYA journalists also write that the events in
Chernobyl have also had an effect on the lives of the inhabitants
of Kiev. As purely preventive measures a swimming pool has been
closed in the city and the street sales of ice cream have stopped.
All produce brouht to markets is being checked for radioactivity.
Kiev schools also look different as there are no usual crowds of
children in their sports grounds. Teachers are making sure .that
children stay indoors in accordance with doctors' recommenda-
tions. The possibility of declaring earlier summer vacations is also
being considered.
SOVIET MINISTER SAYS FIVE VICTIMS IN SERIOUS DANGER
LD081439 Warsaw Domestic Service in Polish 1400 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Work is continuing in the region of the Chernobyl atomic
power station with the aim of liquidating the consequences of the
:emission of radioactive substances.
During a meeting with journalists, Yevgeniy Vorobyev, the first
deputy minister of health of the USSR, stated today that of the
204. persons who were in the vicinity of the breakdown [awaria]
18 are in danger, 5 of them seriously.
In the Kiev hospital, despite efforts by doctors, a third victim has
died. The cause was the large dose of radiation received. As is
known, the first two people died as a result of burns and injuries
sustained directly as a resuIt of the disaster [katastrofa]. Five
people are being treated in specialist hospitals in Moscow. Con-
sultative help is being given by two U.S. doctors who have come
to the Soviet Union: Professors Gale and (?Trasakin).
Yevgeniy Vorobyev also said that all persons living in the legion
of the po*er station and evacuated from a 30-mile radius have
undergone medical tests and, above all, blood tests.
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TOURISM CONTINUES DESPITE HEIGHTENED RADIOACTIVITY
LD080853 Warsaw PAP in English 0719 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Warsaw, May 7? As PAP learned at the Main Commit-
tee of Physical Culture and Tourism, preparations for the tourist
season, including the reception of foreign guests, were proceeding
without disturbances.
The temporary occurence of heightened radioactive contamina-
tion of the atmosphere and an increased level of radioactivity did
not pose and are not posing any threat to human health. All of
the organizers of tourism in Poland, including travel and airline
offices, are realizing, without limitations, the agreements signed
with foreign and domestic contractors and are providing the
agreed programme of stays in Poland. Appropriate service is also
secured for individual tourists.
URBAN SAYS EEC MEAT IMPORT BAN NOT JUSTIFIED
Termed 'Discriminatory'
LD091753 Warsaw Domestic Service in Polish 1700 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] The EEC decision to ban meat imports from Poland cannot
be justified on the basis of the contamination levels published by
our country, government spokesman Jerzy Urban told a repre-
sentative of the REUTER news agency. The spokesman pointed
out that the IAEA ? a UN agency ? has accepted the detailed
Polish report. Therefore, the EEC decision is even less under- ,
standable, especially in view of the fact that Poland carries out
checks on exported food. The politically discriminatory nature of
the Common Market decisions is indicated by the fact that the
import ban concerns only the majority of the socialist countries
whereas physical contamination knows no political boundaries. ?
Plants and animals cannot be more contaminated because they
grow and live under socialism, said Jerzy Urban.
Ban 'Insult' to Scientific Authorities
LD101143 Warsaw Domestic Service in Polish 1005
GMT 10 May
86
[Report on press conference addressed by Polish Government spokesMan'Jerzy
Urban; date and place not given]
[Text] We begin with n statement by government spokesman
Jerzy Urban.
[Begin recording][Urban] The EEC has decided to ban the meat
imports from Poland. The alleged radioactive contamination of
meat has been used as a pretext. Today a decision is to be made
whether the ban should encompass other than meat food pro-
ducts.
We consider the decision as unjustified from the health point of
view'. No meat has been contaminated in Poland sufficiently to
harm human health. This also applies to other food products,
excluding fresh milk which is not a subject of export. There were
recommendations issued in Poland that children and pregnant
and nursing women should not eat leafy vegetables cultivated in
open fields, but the recommendation is becoming outdated. It was
issued as a precaution, out of the conviction that it is better to
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sustain economic losses than to expose even one child to health
haiards.
The halting of exports from Poland is an insult to Poland's
highest scientific authorities in many domains. With highest
precision, scientists have established a strict system of food
control and recommendations expressing concern for consumers.
It also insults the UN bodies, the IAEA and WHO, which
confirmed Polish measurements of contaminations and stated
that in principle there has not been in Poland any threat to health
arising from the temporarily increased radiation. Food in Poland
is the subject of inspection, and it is additionally inspected before
being exported.
The fact that the ban on meat imports to EEC countries affected
only socialist countries proves that the radioactive contamination
is regarded only as a pretext for introducing politically motivated
obstacles. Similar, and sometimes higher contarnination than in
Poland was observed in Sweden, Finland, Austria, Italy and
many other western countries. But these countries have not been
included in the ban. For these reasons, Poland considers the
discriminatory steps in international trade as an expansion of
political restrictions, this time under the pretext of care for
health.
Since the end of 1981 alone these political restrictions have
affected Polish agriculture and Polish exports and other areas.
Besides, we see the EEC decision as a trick based on unfair
competition. Even the temporary halting of imports of Polish food
products favored by consumers leads to the permanent ousting of
Poland from the market. There was a similar situation in 1981
as regards Polish coal, when some Western countries supported
strikes in the Polish mining industry, and subsequently took
Poland's place as coal suppliers to West Europe.
Poland is repaying its debts. The creditor countries should be
'sensitive to our solvency through the normalization of trade and
financial relations with Poland. Instead, they create new
restrictions striking at Polish food exports to the West valued at
about $1 billion annually.
I regret that the EEC countries, breaking human solidarity, are
preying on common all-European concern created by the con-
tamination of the atmosphere and soil, and under this pretext are
striking at Poland and its interests.
On this occasion I want to say that yesterday Radio Free Europe
reported that the EEC spokesman in Brussels stated that the
authorities in People's Poland applied to that organization for the
delivery to Poland of surplus milk and other food. The spokesman
assumed that the Polish authorities fear the consequences of
human consumption of Polish milk and other food produced in
Poland because of their contamination. The authorities' request
was delivered through a nongovernmental relief organization.
This is all untrue. It is untrue that Poland is in need of food in '
general, and asks for food because its own is contaminated, and
it is untrue that Poland applied for any help. Poland did not apply
for any help, Poland simply bought for cash some quantities of
needed powdered milk and asked some Western countries to
facilitate the purchase and delivery in a short period, in connec-
tion with the urgent need.
In such way, a usual purchase caused by the situation is firstly
used against us as a proof that Polish food is contaminated, and
also a false impression is created that Poland needs charity
assistance, food assistance.
[Unidentified speaker] Does the Polish Government intend to
submit a claim for damages?
[Urban] That is a premature question for the moment. We are
awaiting the second EEC decision ? we do not know what the
decision is going to be yet. Then we shall examine the situation,
estimate the losses and we shall then take appropriate decisions.
[end recording]
Jerzy Urban also replied to questions from Guenter Schubert, a
journalist of the West German ZDF television network.
Ban Said 'Political'
LD111938 Warsaw PAP in English 0536 GMT 10 May 86
[Text] Warsaw, May 9 ? The Executive Commission of the EEC
decided Thursday [8 May] to halt imports of meat from most
European socialist states, including Poland.
The meat concerned is fatstock, beef, port, lamb and horse meat
and venison. A possibility of blocking imports of other articles is
being considered, among others, fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy
products, fresh water fish, horses, sheep and calves, poultry and
rabbits and-eVeti snails and frog legs.
What end does this -decision serve? It is doubtless that this
decision is not subject to concern for the protection of health of
'Western 'societies but to political aims. The "policy of pretexts"
is practised in relation to Poland not for the first time and it is
not the first case of setting up barriers for socialist states and
East-West economic cooperation.
We perfectly well understand the anxiety which is stirred by the
possibility of procurement and consumption of contaminated
food. We ourselves keep our society informed in detail and
recommend appropriate procedures to be followed. Meanwhile,
Western mass media, without any grounds, accuse us of conceal-
ing information on the degree of contamination in Poland. This
is countered by precise numerical date carried in the Polish press.
Is the West reluctant to notice them?
The truth is quite the opposite from what some Western countries
would like it to be. It was precisely in the interest of the buyers
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of our goods, through concern for Poland's prestige as a good
supplier that even before the EEC introduced restrictions against
Poland we ourselves had introduced rigorous inspections of
exported goods supplying them with certificates of compliance
with radioactivity norms.
Since May 6, sanitary inspections were carried out by various
specialized institutions on radiation levels in all Polish ports and
two border check points at Swiecko/Slubice and Zebrzydowice.
They cover, external checks of ships, cars and railway carriages
and all the goods they contain. The results of checks are con-
firmed by Polcargo tests. Only goods with radioactivity levels
below 0.15 milliroentgens/hour are cleared for shipment. Any
confirmation of higher levels causes the goods to be stopped.
Poland informed the buyers of her goods about all these activities.
Our surprise and anxiety over the EEC decisions is the greater.
The more justified is the question whether the thing was in the
interests and protection of the health of consumers in some
Western countries or whether it was an occasion to jump at the
opportunity of eliminating Poland from Western markets and
setting another difficulty by the West to hamper the repayment
of the Polish foreign debt.
Every month our country exports food worth about 40 million
:dollars only to the EEC markets themselves. The alleged radio-
activity of Polish products, which can so easily be checked by the
contractors of our goods, is only a pretext.
And, by the way, would the question why the restrictions did not
touch, for example, Sweden, Denmark or Austria in which
countries the radiation was not lower than in Poland, be
groundless?
This is probably where the answer is hidden, namely, that the
real aim of the restrictive measures taken against Poland was a
wish to make use of the arising opportunity to eliminate Poland
from the markets of the EEC. Other countries, which do not
belong to the West European community, have not introduced-
such restrictions, limiting themselves only to stricter inspection
of Polish goods.
What is also meant here is an attempt to create a situation in
which Polish goods would be deemed as of poor quality. And if
that is the case then why were Polish goods thus far bought so
eagerly by residents of Western Europe. Everything points to the
fact that the "policy of pretexts" has surfaced once again.
RADIATION SITUATION SEEN RETURNING TO NORMAL
LD091844 Warsaw Domestic Service in Polish 1800 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Today the government commission chaired by Zbigniew
Szalajda analyzed the results of the latest radiation measure-
ments. These confirm the earlier assessments of a systematic
decline in contamination. The situation is gradually returning to
normal. A decisive decline in the contamination of milk over the
last 2 days deserves emphasis. The commission reiterates that the
recommended temporary restrictions on the consumption of some
vegetables ? lettuce, spinach, and sorrel ? applies only to
children and pregnant and nursing women. The radiation sit-
uation in the country, which in practice is returning to normal,
allows the government commission to declare that the prepara-
tions for the tourist season, summer rest, and all forms of
recreation for children and young people should be continued on
full scale.
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URBAN SAYS FOOD EXPORT BAN TO COST $45-50 MILLION
LD13115.2 1,4r= PAP in English 1120 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Warsaw, May 13 ?According to, preliminary assess-
ments, the losses resulting from the ban on Polish food exports to
Western markets will total at the end of this May some 45-50
million U.S. dollars," press spokesman for the Polish Govern-
ment Ministry Jerzy Urban told today a press conference for
foreign newsmen. "We do not know what will be the outcome of
this ban after it is lifted, for the return of Polish food to the
Western markets may be difficult because of this bad publicity,"
he added. .
URBAN ON U . S . MILK AID, EEC BAN ON FOOD
LD1 3 18 5 9 Warsaw PAP in English 1731 GMT 13 May 86
["Minister Urban's Press Conference"--by Stanislaw Filipczak and Janusz Zaleski]
[Excerpt] Warsaw, May 13 ? The main topics discussed by
Government Spokesman Jerzy Urban at today's press conference
for foreign journalists included the resolution of the U.S. Senate
calling on President Reagan to deliver aid to Poland in the form
of powdered milk, the Polish humanitarian aid for the homeless
in New York, losses sustained by Poland as a result of the EC
ban on food imports from Poland, the stand of the government
towards the call of the episcopate to lift the law allowing abor-
tions, and the stance of the Polish Olympic committee on the
summer Olympics in both Korean states.
"On May 7, the Senate of the United States passed a resolution
calling on the U.S. President to send aid in the form of powdered
milk to Poland. The Polish Government did not ask anyone for
such assistance," stated Jerzy Urban.
"The shortage of this kind of milk in Poland is only temporary.
The Polish Government ordered to purchase the immediately
necessary amount of powdered milk for children in Western
Europe on an urgent basis. The supply of Polish powdered milk
will soon be exceptionally plentiful. Despite all these circum-
stances the Polish authorities are accepting with due gratitude
every reaction of human solidarity and kindness towards Poles,"
he went on.
"Unforutnately we cannot limit our commentary to this
statement," the government spokesman said and added: "Every
tonne of milk designated for Poland is accompanied by a portion
of abusive, arrogant words which the Senate's resolution contains
and which were uttered in the American Senate during the.
debateon the milk resolution."
"One has an impression that the real aim of sending milk is not
assisting Polish mothers but finding a pretext for more political
declarations hostile to Poland. In declaring the milky gift, the
Senate calls ? with great exaggeration ? the radioactive con-
tamination over Poland a tragedy. It also implies that the U.S.
Government is concerned with nothing else but supplying perma-
nent aid for Poland. The Senate stresses in the resolution ? with
tact which is characteristic of it ? that the U:S. Government has
at its disposal great surpluses of powedered milk and connects
precisely this surplus with the declaration of friendship toward
Poles," Urban said.
The transport of powdered milk is treated by the U.S. Senate as
. an opportunity for questioning the good intentions and honesty
of the Polish authorities. An amendment was adopted which puts
to question the honest intentions of the Polish Government and
which excludes cooperation with it even in distributing the milk
among children, he went on.
This stirs surprise and indignation because it is contrary to the
elementary principles of international relations. A question arises
as to with whom the United States Government maintains diplo-
matic relations, Urban said.
Senator Dole spoke about the desperate need for milk in Poland
which has, in his opinion, become a victim of a nuclear nightmare.
He forgets that it is precisely the arms policy of the U.S. that
threatens Poland and the world with a real nuclear nightmare,
said he [Urban].
The American Administration is sending U.S. 50 thousand ton-
nes of powdered milk which, as is stressed, it absolutely does not
need, stated Jerzy Urban further on.
Meanwhile, the American restrictions on Polish agriculture and
food industry have themselves caused losses for Poland in the
range of a few billion dollars. Talking about aid for the Polish
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nation on the part of the authorities of a country which in recent
years tried to incur losses on it as only it could and did indeed
cause immense losses, not only economic ones by the way, is at
least an exaggeration, continued Urban.
At the same moment in which the American Senate was passing
the resolution, full of hostility and hypocrisy, on the shipment of
powdered milk which is being served to us on a dirty dish, the
allies of the U.S. grouped in the European Economic Community
groundlessly, under the pretext of contamination, adopted a ban
on imports of food from Poland, the spokesman said.
The losses which Poland will sustain as a result of this will not
be compensated by the donated powdered milk. One might say
that forcing Polish products out of the Western market, which is
being carried under an unfair pretext, will cause that Poland's
position as an exporter of foodstuffs will be takeitover by, among
others, the U.S. The United States can earn many times more
through new anti-Polish restrictions than what the cost of unnec-
essary for it surpluses of powdered milk is.
The Polish Government has declared and is currently declaring
a wish to improve relations between Poland and the U.S, Urban
continued.
Statements by some representatives of the U.S. Administration
went in a similar direction of late. Unfortunately, not all of them.
Vice President Bush delivered a speech extremely hostile towards
people's Poland. The debate in the Senate which was character-
ized by hostility towards Poland proves that there are still forces
in Washington which want to hamper the improvement of rela-
tions with Poland. We deplore this. Sending milk to Poland could
have been a gesture of friendship. Unfortunately, American
powdered milk has been more contaminated than the iodine-
contaminated milk from Polish cows because it has been con-
taminated with hostility, Urban stated.
We are thankful for the shipment of milk sent from American
non-governmental organizations which did not season their ship-
ments with words full of poisonous hostility, added the
spokesman.
We have learnt from the American press that in New York City
alone there are many thousands of homeless people who sleep in
the streets. For the Poles it is a shocking phenomenon. I have
been authorized to state that Poland, being guided by humani-
tarian reasons, decided to give five thousand sleeping bags and
blankets to the homeless in New York City, Minister Urban said.
This gift will be conveyed to the American charity organization
CARE. Knowing the Reagan administration's dislike for the
programme of social assistance, and for support to the extremely
poor who are so many in that richest country in the world ? we
would rather entrust a non-governmental institution with distrib-
uting the Polish gift.
Losses following the ban on imports of Polish foodstuffs to
Western markets will amount to 45-50 million dollars at the end
of May, according to preliminary estimates, the spokesman said.
No one knows, however, what the effects of that ban will be after
it is lifted, the effects of pushing Poland temporarily out of its
traditional markets, he went on.
Poland's food exports were expected to amount to over 900
million dollars this year. So far, some 200 million dollars worth
of exports were materialized, Urban said.
Recently Poland has signed an agreement with the Soviet Union
on increasing her exports of fresh vegetables to the Soviet border
republics.
MEASURES TO PROTECT POLES FROM RADIATION OUTLINED
LD130959 Warsaw PAP in English 0900 GMT
[Text] Warsaw, May 13 ? Following are excerpts from an
interview granted RZECZPOSPOLITA government daily by
General Prof. Jerzy Bonczak, an expert in biomedicine. The
general spoke on the preventive measures taken in Poland to
protect our population from the influence of the radioactive cloud
which passed over Poland's territory.
"We started informing people on the current situation as early
as the first night hours of April 29 through the government
commission's communiques," said the general. "First of all,
though, we had to organize on a very short notice an action aimed
at protecting the health of, let us say it frankly, 37 million citizens
of our state."
"The main attention over that period, because of the character
of the threat, which involved iodine 131, was focused on children
324
13 May 86
and teenagers below 16 years of age. The nation-wide preventive
action, which took only three days, encompassed more than 10
million children and teenagers. I will not mention here the several
million grownup citizens who administered themselves with
Lugol fluid on their own, which was utterly unnecessary."
"It would be good to realize, too, that the enormous preventive
action we conducted in Poland on the first days of the radionuc-
lide threat was, in principle, the first and the only action of such
a wide scope in the history of medicine," concluded Nonczak.
"For this reason, the opinions and postulates stemming from the
Polish experience will certainly be used also by the World Health
Organization, WHO, which pays much attention to the situation
in our state, too."
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AIR, WATER 'ALMOST RETURNED' TO NORMAL CONDITIONS
LD141925 Warsaw Television Service in Polish 1730 GMT 14 May 86
[Excerpt] The government commission at a meeting chaired by
Deputy Premier Zbigniew Szalajda analyzed the test results
from 9-14 May and established that the air, surface water, and
drinking water have almost returned to the state they were in
before the accident [at Chernobyl and the radiation level is at
normal background level.
The contamination of milk which was higher before is steadily
falling and the maximum does not exceed 500 becquerels per
liter, with the local permitted level being 1,000 becquerels, and
according to the IAEA 1,000 becquerels for children and 10,000
becquerels for adults.
Tests on vegetables show that the contamination on Polish terri-
tory ? which the commission has reported on in previous
announcements ? is also below the level permitted locally of
5,000 becquerels per kilogram.
On the basis of the favorable development in the radiological
situation ? which has been confirmed by assessments and
analyses by Polish specialists, as well as specialists from the
IAEA and the WHO ? on 15 May the commission is lifting the
partial temporary recommendations concerning the consumption
of milk and some vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach, and sorrel
by children and pregnant and nursing mothers. The commission
says that there are no grounds for restrictions on the grazing of
cows in open pastures. There are no other restrictions on the
normal life and work in Poland.
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ROMANIA
RADIOACTIVITY LOWER IN SOME, HIGHER IN OTHER AREAS
AU051902 Bucharest AGERPRES in English 1829 GMT 5 May ,86,
["From the Party and State Environmental Monitoring and Control Commission"--
AGERPRES headline]
[Text] Bucharest AGERPRES 5/5/1986--According to the measurements conducted
throughout Romania, radioactivity, dropped continually on May 4 and 5, 1986, in
some of the affected areas, Bucharest city included, owing to a favourable air
circulation.
In other areas, radioactivity is higher, without posing any danger to the
, population's health.
The evolution of radioactivity is permanently monitored by the relevant
stations and laboratories and the population will be further notified until
it falls back to acceptable limits across the country's territory.
RADIATION DROPS; ABOVE NORMAL IN 'CERTAIN ZONES'
AU121946 Bucharest AGERPRES in English 1830 GMT 12 May 86
["From the Party and State Environmental Monitoring and Control Commission"--
AGERPRES headline]
[Text] Bucharest AGERPRES 12/5/1986--The measurements
Romania showed that in the last few days radioactivity
recede, nearing normal limits, in most of the affected
included. In certain zones, however, radiation levels
normal owing to air circulation fluctuations, but they
hazard.
carried out all over
had continued to
areas, Bucharest city
are still higher than
present no health
The previously set prophylactic measures remain in force. Radiation levels
are being monitored by specialized stations and laboratories and the popula-
tion will be kept informed until radioactivity returns to permissible margins
throughout the territory.
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RADIATION DECREASES, PRESENTS 'NO HEALTH HAZARDS'
AU141851 Bucharest AGERPRES in. English 1806 GMT 14 May 86
["From the Party and State Environmental Monitoring and Control Commission"?
AGERPRES headline]
[Text] Bucharest AGERPRES 14/5/1986--The measurements carried out all over
Romania showed that on May 13 and 14 radioactivity had continued to recede in
all the affected areas, Bucharest city included, nearing normal levels and
presenting no health hazards. Vegetables and fruit may be eaten after
thorough washing. Radiation levels are being monitored by special stations
and laboratories and the population will be kept informed until radioactivity
reaches permissible margins.
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YUGOSLAVIA
TANJUG ON TOKYO DECLARATION, TERRORISM, CHERNOBYL
LD070304 Belgrade TANJUG in English 0236 GMT
(Text] Belgrade, May 7 (TANJUG) - The Tokyo meeting of the
seven, the Belgrade daily POLITIKA writes in a commentary
today, has passed under the shadow of dramatic developthents
such as the epidemic of terrorist violence and the breakdown at
the Soviet nuclear plant at Chernobyl. The former led to the
adoption of a declaration on terrorism whereby Washington has
been "given an opportunity to interpret the support of the Tokyo
summit as final isolation of Al-Qadhdhafi's Libya".
The impression nevertheless remains that "that which is not
mentioned in the Tokyo declaration might be of greater impor-
tance than the generalised, provocative denuncement of the
Libyan Jamahiriyah", the commentator of the Belgrade daily
notes. And what is left out is not only the approval of Washing-
ton's proclivity towards using military power to assault the
"fountain-heads of terrorism" but also the mention of economic
sanctions on which the Reagan administration has been insisting
for such a long time, POLITIKA writes.
RADIATION LEVELS IN VOJVODINA STABILIZE
7 May 86
Regarding the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear station, the
seven rich countries addressed two messages to Moscow which,
taken together, give an impression of restraint, the Belgrade daily
comments. The impression is, the daily notes, "that, in spite of
the deep differences existing even in such fundamental matters
as information at this social and civilisation level, there is never-
theless hope for greater understanding and assistance in the
handling of technology which is by its nature of a planetary
character".
"Is the radioactive cloud from Chernobyl not actually a terrify-
ing and perhaps the last warning that control of nuclear energy
presupposes international cooperation of a higher degree", asks
the Belgrade daily. "Does not a precondition for such cooperation
lie in timely and complete information that rules out ideological
and all other artificial, self-defeating obstacles".
It remains to be seen, POLITIKA concludes, whether the mes-
sages from Tokyo too carry this motive and whether they are thus
understood also in Moscow, to which they are addressed.
LD062212 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo?Croatian 1807 GMT 6 May 86
[Summary] Novi Sad, 6 May (TANJUG)--According to a statement by the Committee
for Information, the situation in Vojvodina continues to stabilize, although
grass, sheep's milk, and cheese made from fresh cow's milk are still con?
taminated.
The earlier announced preventive measures remain in force, but it is believed
that school trips do not have tcy be cancelled, .
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HIGH RADIATION LEVELS FOUND IN KRAGUJEVAC MILK
LD062129 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo-Croatian 1600 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Kragujevac, 6 May (TANJUG)--Today, 100 metric tons of milk produced
by the Mladost Dairy in Kragujevac were withdrawn from use. The order to
withdraw the milk from sale was given by the chief republican inspector
because the Belgrade Veterinary Faculty has established that it had a radia-
tion level of 240 becquerels. Thirty tons of milk produced yesterday were
also withdrawn from use, and purchases from private farmers have been
suspended until further notice.
REDUCED RADIATION PERMITS RESUMED SOWING IN BOSNIA
LD071001 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo-Croatian 0844 GMT 7 May 86
[Summary] Sarajevo, 7 May (TANJUG)--The Republican Committee for Agriculture,
Forestry and Water Management of Bosnia and Hercegovina has issued a recom-
mendation to the effect that sowing operations in the republic can resume
because there has been a reduction in radiation.
RADIOACTIVITY 'CONTINUES TO FALL' IN SERBIA
LD071103 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo-Croatian 1004 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Belgrade, 7 May (TANJUG)--The air radioactivity in Serbia continues to
fall. According to information released by the republican committee for
health and social policy, the average radiation value at 1100 was 50 micro-
roentgens per hour, which is 65 percent down compared to what was registered
on 2 May.
LOWER RADIATION RECORDED IN MACEDONIAN AREAS
LD071721 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo-Croatian 1428 GMT 7 May 86
[Summary] Belgrade, '7 May (TANJUG)--No radioactivity in the air was recorded
in Skopje in the past 24 hours, and its level in precipitation was five times
lower than yesterday. Radioactivity in Djevdjelija was 70 percent lower than
the previous day. Monitoring of the atmosphere continues, and special atten-
tion is paid to drinking water, milk, and basic foodstuffs. The same preventive
measures apply as before.
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RADIATION 'BOUNCED OFF' MOUNTAINS, BYPASSED ADRIATIC
LD071223 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1040 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Belgrade, May 7 (TANJUG) ? Intensified radioactivity
which has been causing concern and uneasiness throughout
Europe in the past several days has by-passed the Yugoslav
Adriatic Coast. Experts say that the radiation wave bounced off
the mountain range which stretches like an endless wall along the
entire 1,000-km long coast and that favourable air currents have
helped, too.
Measurements taken yesterday in the tourist centre of Split,
central Adriatic coast, showed no contamination of the air. A
negligible level of radiation of 0.48 microrentgens was recorded
in the split area in the afternoon of Thursday last, when the
radiation level inland measured above 100 microroentgens an
hour.
The tourists, who have flocked to the Yugoslav Adriatic coast in
larger numbers than last year, as well as the population of the
littoral, are basking in all the amenities of spring, with no
restrictions placed on movement, on bathing in the sea or on
consuming fresh vegetables.
Precautionary measures are still in force in most of Yugoslavia.
The people are advised not to use leaf vegetables, rain water and
milk from animals grazing in fields. Vegetables from the coast,
where they ripen much sooner than inland, will be sent to the
country's interior in large quantities than usual.
RADIATION DECREASING 'THROUGHOUT COUNTRY'
No Health Hazard
LD072243 Zagreb Domestic Service in Serbo-Croatian 2000 GMT 7 May 86
[Excerpt] The Federal Committee for Labor, Health, and Social
Welfare announced this evening that radiation and the con-
centration of iodine 131 is decreasing throughout the country.
And according to the latest information from the interdepart-
mental working group of the Croatian republican organs, basic
radiation is 60 microroentgens per hour, and the concentration
of iodine 131 in the air is 2.39 becquerels per cubic metre, and
as experts stress is not a health hazard. Detailed tests confirm
that the greater part of Yugoslavia has not been affected by
significant radioactive precipitation. On the Adriatic and in most
of Montenegro there has been no radioactive contamination at
all.
The federal committee, on the basis of all this, is altering some
of its measures and recommendations, so that for pregnant
women and babies, and all other citizens, there are no longer any
restrictions on going out and spending time out of doors. Green-
leaf vegetables can be used after thorough washing in running
water, but because of remnants of contamination these are not
recommended for children under 15 or for pregnant women. Rain
water can be used for drinking only where it was collected before
28 April or after controls.
Levels Continue To Fall in Slovenia
LD062138 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo-Croatian 1807 GMT 6 May 86
[Summary] Ljubljana, 6 May (TANJUG)--Radiation levels in Slovenia continue to
fall. The radiation levels fell 20-25 percent compared to yesterday's levels.
Milk and eggs have not been contaminated and are currently on sale. Fresh
vegetables, however, have been withdrawn from sale and will be destroyed.
Fresh meat will only be sold after it has been analyzed. It is also advisable
not to hold sporting events in the open or in rainy weather.
330
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LCY PRESIDIUM'S VIDIC ON CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT
AU061509 Belgrade POLITIKA in Serbo?Croatian 5 May 86 p 2
[Article by Dobrivoje Vidic: "Time for Agreements"]
[Text] It often happens that a particular event causes something
to be no longer what it was yesterday, to be no longer able to
remain what it was. This, you see, is the case with the accident
in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Why can it no longer be
what it was? Is it because of 104 or because of 120 mic-
roroentgens, because of the 3 percent of radiation received by a
person from one chest X-ray?
It is so because every single layman now understands that he is
also exposed to the horrible side of the nuclear age and that he
can be systematically destroyed and finally annihilated by the
silent fires of radiation. Now even "only" one Chernobyl seems
to be enough to remind us all of this.
The world gains experiences and on the basis of these experiences
it reflects on the meaning of the events that make up these
experiences. In the fitie,s and sixties the degree of radiation was
not measured from hour to hour as it is nowadays but atomic
bombs continued to explode on all sides and we were passing
through a stage of intensive tests of new nuclear weapons. The
nuclear age was taking its toll for a breakthrough. Relying on
their monopoly, the nuclear powers were arrogantly entering the
stage of a new quality of armaments. Even at that time enough
was known about the dangers of radiation and the lethal power
of new weapons. The Nonaligned Movement came into being in
1961, among other things, primarily as a result of the awareness
of the fact that in the event of continued irreconcilable confronta-
tions between. the blocs, the bloc division of the world, which is
entering the nuclear age and the age of nuclear weapons, could
and necessarily would lead to the nuclear' annihilation of man-
kind. The Belgrade 'conference sounded the alarm bells and
called attention to the roots of the dangers we all face.
If we are already entering the nuclear age, then everything must
be done to ensure that the atoms serve peace. The slogan has been
raised: "Atoms for peace."
The agreement on banning all nuclear tests except underground
ones was an expression of this awareness. Recently the Non-
aligned Movement has intensified its actions and it is appealing
for an end to all nuclear tests. An expression of this is also that
part of Gorbachev's disarmament plan which stands on the
position that nuclear tests should be completely stopped. The
United States has not accepted this and has refused to follow this
road.
Scientists stay silent or have been silenced and they are not saying
what they could about underground nuclear explosions.
But at the same time all possibilities hay already been created to
put nuclear weapons into orbit around the earth.
Numerous incidents in nuclear weapons tests and in the storage
of these weapons have followed one another, there have already
been incidents of nuclear submarines running aground in shallow
and deep ocean waters, and no real information is available about
what happens with the fuel that is stored or removed to "nuclear
dumps."
The frightening aspects of the nuclear age have already acquired
proportions that are barely still on the border of control.
Therefore it would be naive and irresponsible to create the
impression that the only problem now is the question of how the
nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors can be controlled. As
though in this case everything is in order.
Of course, international organizations should be fully authorized
by all UN member-countries to monitor the quality of protection
of man and the human environment in nuclear power plants, at
the centers of installed reactors, and so forth, and also to exercise
control over the purposes for which they are used.
For, at the same time, the production of plutonium continues
unhindered. The monopoly of nuclear powers is complete and it
is being defended by invoking the interests of mankind. We all
continue to subscribe to the treaties on the nonproliferation of
nuclear weapons as though the whole matter depended on this.
Unfortunately it has become possible for us to measure the
degree of development of human civilization by the firepower of
lethal weapons. About this, too, no real and reliable information
is available and all such information is guarded as the greatest
military secret as though what is involved were not the fate of
all people of the world.
It is believed that in the Vietnam war more bombs were dropped
on that small country than all the bombs dropped during the
whole of World War II. Hypocritical civilization was reconciled
to this: Let them, for, after all, they are not nuclear bombs.
Thus the effect of the past nuclear weapons tests and other
experiments connected with nuclear energy also has not been
measured to this day.
Drawings of nuclear devices that can be turned into tools of
individual terrorism have appeared in the press and, at the same
time, the terror of nuclear armaments and of the continued race
in these weapons hangs over the entire mankind.
At the same time, the general social awareness of the dangers of
the nuclear age and awareness of the need for organized opposi-
tion to these dangers are growing.
After Chernobyl it has become strikingly obvious how great is
the responsibility of statesmen, the elected holders of public
authority, to seek and find internationally agreed ways of dealing
with the negative aspects of the nuclear age in the interests of all
mankind.
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At the same time, the organized and progressively oriented public
faces the increasing duty to undertake on its part strong public
activities and actions for this purpose, activities and actions that
would lead in this direction. For, Chernobyl has shown how even
because of those few microroentgens pregnant women must stay
in closed rooms. We have already reached the point where the
question is raised: What is the sense of bearing children? What
a question and what an answer!
Creating an illusion of action by reducing the contemporary
problems of the protection of mankind merely to the limited
sphere of control of nuclear reactors should not be allowed.
It is time for peace in the true sense of the word and for human
solidarity, it is time to resolutely start the process of real and
complete disarmament on the basis of the policy and practice of
active peaceful coexistence between peoples and states with
different sociopolitical systems, the only policy and practice
possible in our period.
'BELATED' INFORMATION CAUSES 'MISTRUST' IN POLAND
AU071301 Belgrade BORBA in Serbo?Croatian 6 May 87 p 7
[Permanent correspondent N. Burzan report]
[Excerpt] Warsaw, 5 May ? A radioactive cloud has been
hanging over Poland for at least a week, but it was only today
that the first specific and exact data were published on the
radiation level measurements between 28 April and 2 May. Such
incomplete and belated information to the public has caused
much indignation among the people and mistrust of everything
that has been published in official communiques.
The latest announcement by a special government commission
points out that "the appearance of radioactive iodine in the air
has virtually ceased" and that only routine measurements are
taken.
POLITIKA DISCUSSES 'LESSONS OF CHERNOBYL'
AU061421 Belgrade POLITIKA in Serbo?Croatian 4 May 86 p 2
[Bosko Jaksic commentary: "Chernobyl Radiation"]
[Excerpts] Long threatening shadows have extended over tremen-
dous areas. The radioactive cloud that we are "spying upon" with
an existential interest in our fate is already over Britain in the
West and Saudi Arabia in the South. We all know what Cher-
nobyl is and where it is. We are tormented by what we do not
know: How did it all happen, who has the right to restrict
information, what will the consequences be ...?
It may seem cynical, but a considerable part of mankind has been
shaken by an accident at only one of the four nuclear rpactors at
one of the 360 atomic power stations in the world. What is this
against a single thermonuclear bomb of 100 megatons?
The tremendous stocks of "A" weapons ? and this may be one
of the lessons of Chernobyl ? are incomparably more dangerous.
Albeit Einstein said a long time ago that mankind behaves like
a monkey touching a nuclear trigger. Luckily enough, there has
been no nuclear war. There seem to have been more than enough
nuclear accidents. There may be a lesson in that, too. States
prepare for war like giants, but in the race for prestige they
sometimes remind one of pygn?ies with their incomplete mastery
of (dangerous) technologies.
There is another dimension which has caused concern ? not
without serious reason ? in the modern world. It is correct to
say that this mankind of ours is divided by various "iron cur-
tains," obstacles of an ideological or any other kind. It is also
correct to say, however, that in the situations like Chernobyl
there are no curtains that will stop the threatening radioactive
clouds of iodine, strontium, cesium ....
332
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Has anybody the right to try to prevent the flow of information
in what we call the fateful interdependence of the world? It does
not matter whether it is to one's own or to another people. All
children are the same. Both those near Kiev and those 2,500
kilometers away must know that they will be deprived of lawns
(for a few days, luckily).
There is no "higher aim," whether it be called ideological vigi-
lance, military secret, or technological suspicion that could be put
above the right to live. If an attempt is made to deprive us of such
information as measurable facts, even if only for a short time,
what can one think of the hundreds and thousands of other pieces
of information which at this moment, in their secrecy, determine
our future fate?
The lessons of Chernobyl will continue to be gathered. One of
them, strongly manifested, is the solidarity of the world in
working together when facing danger that touches us all. The
block obstacles have to some extent been overcome in the case of
Chernobyl; aid has been offered. Along with the acceptance of
this aid, this is the only road to prevent catastrophes or to
eliminate their consequences.
Nuclear power stations are not harmless like macaroni factories.
"The Einstein monkey" continues to live in us.
Therefore, when demands come from various sides for true and
complete information about what happened in Chernobyl, one
must know that such information serves very well indeed a better
perception of all the consequences. All the consequences concern
all of us. Mastering the atom for military and peaceful purposes,
mankind has opened to itself too many sources of dangerous
radiation.
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NOT MENTIONED IN CROATIAN PLAN
Nuclear Waste Storage Omitted
LD062056 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1856 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Zagreb, May 6 (TANJUG) ? The proposed location for
nuclear waste storage from Yugoslavia's first nuclear power
plant at Krsko is not to be found planned in the Republic of
Croatia, western Yugoslavia.
At its session here today, the Croatian Assembly approved
Croatia's draft development plan for the 1986-90 period. This
draft does not have the construction of another nuclear power
plant, Prevlaka, in Yugoslavia whose location was planned before
close to Zagreb, capital of Croatia.
Further on Station
AU071649 Paris AFP in English 1626 GMT 7
[Text] Belgrade, May 7 (AFP) ? Yugoslav anti-nuclear cam-
paigners, their movement strengthened by the Chernobyl acci-
dent, have succeeded in bringing about a decision in Croatia to
postpone indefinitely plans for a nuclear power station near
Zagreb, the Belgrade daily VECERNJE NOVOSTI reported
Wednesday.
Work on the Prevlaka power station on the River Sva, in the north
Of the country, should have started in 1988, and 12 foreign firms
had already submitted tenders.
Yugoslavia has only one nuclear power station, some 50 kilo-
metres (30 miles) west of Zagreb, brought into service in 1981
333
The draft does not mention locations for storing nuclear waste of
medium and low radioactivity from the Krsko plant built on the
boundary between Yugoslavia's Republics of Slovenia and Cro-
atia. This storage was planned in the areas of Mount Papul and
Mount Psunj.
People living in the areas held several local and regional gather-
ings last winter and sent their demand to the Assembly of Croatia
to drop Mount Papuk and Mount Psunj as possible locations for
nuclear waste storage.
Postponement
May 86
with the help of U.S. firm Westinghouse. It generates 668
megawatts.
The Croatian parliament, looking at plans for development in the
region up to 1990, decided that. after the Chernobyl accident in
the Soviet Union a debate on energy policy was called for, with
particular reference to the Yugoslav nuclear programme.
Opponents of nuclear energy, who form an appreciable majority,
will press for a referendum, which would be a first for socialist
Yugoslavia if it took place.
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RADIATION LEVELS CONTINUE TO FALL IN BELGRADE
LD080836 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo?Croatian 0706 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Belgrade, 8 May (TANJUG)--Air radioactivity in and around Belgrade
continues to fall. Measurements carried out near the Boris Kidric Institute
in Vinca at 0600 GMT this morning showed radiation to be 67.7 microroentgens
per hour.
RADIATION DECREASING THROUGHOUT NATION
LD082300 Zagreb Domestic Service in Serbo?Croatian 2000 GMT 8 May 86
["Chronicle of the Day" program]
(Text] Here are details on radiation today in our country. Reports
from all areas of Yugoslavia show that radiation is continuing to
decrease. In Zagreb, at a session of the commission of experts for
monitoring radioactive contamination of the Croatian Repub-
lican Committee for Health and Social Welfare, it was said that
basic radiation measured 66 microroentgens an hour, while the
concentration of lodine-131 in the air was 1.61 Becquerels per
cubic meter. Radioactive contamination will continue for some
time. Radioactive iodine is gradually disappearing from the
atmosphere because of its natural disintegration, and after about
y weeks it will completely disappear. Other elements contribute
very little to the overall dose of radiation. Analysis of drinking
water shows that this is not contaminated. Since rain is expected,
citizens are advised to prevent rain water from getting into
cisterns. Eggs, meat, and meat products can be used without any
restrictions. Examinations of citizens who spent the May Day
holiday in the countryside or on excursions in other countries
have revealed that the dose of radiation received has had no effect
on their health. No one should take iodine preparations as a
preventive measure, nor are special examinations of our citizens
at medical institutions necessary.
According to information from Slovenia, in this republic the level
of radiation has not changed significantly in comparison with
yesterday. Thus all preventive measures and recommendations
for protection against possible consequences of radiation are still
in force. This was concluded at today's session of the coordination
group in the Republican Committee for Health and Social Wel-
fare.
Examining the state of the contamination of the biosphere in the
territory of Bosnia-Hercegovina, the Executive Council of the
Assembly of this republic stated that in all municipalities and in
the town of Sarajevo all measures of preventive protection have
been taken in keeping with the degree of danger to the region. In
this connection the activity of the organs, organizations and
communities in informing working people and citizens on the
preventive measures taken for protection against possible conse-
quences of radiation were positively assessed.
SOVIET OFFICIALS UPDATE SITUATION AROUND CHERNOBYL
LD081448 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1405 GMT 8
[Text] Moscow, May 8 (TANJUG) ? There are no indications
by now that radiation from the leak-affected Lenin nuclear
power plant at Chernobyl contains other dangerous elements save
Iodine-131 and Iodine-132, Yevgeniy Vorobyev, deputy Soviet
public health minister, and Yuriy Sedunov, vice-chairman of the
State Committee for Hydrometeorology, told a group of foreign
correspondents here today.
May 86
This claim is based on so-far analyses, it was stated precisely, but
this does not rule out the possibility of finding other dangerous
elements on the accident site such as strontium or caesium. Soviet
physicists are optimists, however, and consider that this would be
not so high quantities as to "additionally poison the already
contaminated zone."
334
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The situation at Chernobyl has been getting stable by degrees for
all that the focus of radiation has not yet been neutralized, but
the on-the-spot radioactivity has a "tendency of mild decrease."
This is why the banks of the Pripyat River and accumulation
lakes immediately close to Chernobyl are being decontaminated
now.
As to radioactivity in other areas close to Chernobyl, the situation
is also being "step-by-step stabilized," the Soviet officials said.
In Kiev and Gomel, two cities relatively close to the leak-affected
plant, the radiation level was 0.3 milliroentgens this morning and
0.4 in other closer regions. In the opinion of Soveit medical
experts, this is no dose that should "upset the population."
NATION SUFFERS HEAVY LOSSES DUE TO CHERNOBYL
LD081734 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1629
[Text] Belgrade, May 8 (TANJUG) ? Radiation brought about
through a nuclear power plant leak in the Ukraine keeps
decreasing in Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Federal Committee for
Labour, Public Health, and Social Security said in its communi-
que here today.
According to measurements in Belgrade, radiation amounted to
45 microroentgens an hour today.
On account of intensified radioactivity, the leak at the Soviet
nuclear power plant at Chernobyl has inflicted heavy losses on
Yugoslavia's agriculture, particularly on vegetable and milk
producers, it was said at today's session of the Yugoslav Commit-
tee for Supervising Works in Agriculture.
GMT 8 May 86
WORKERS IN USSR GIVEN MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
For the time being it is unknown whether the intensified radio-
activity will affect this year's yields of wheat and other
agricultural products, it was said.
Keeping the Yugoslav market supplied with agricultural pro-
ducts, being upset for radioactive contamination, is slowly
returning to normal. Being marketed are large quantities of
frozen fruits and vegetables and fresh provisions are being
transported inlands from Yugoslavia's Adriatic coast it having
not been irradiated because of its specific geographical position
and winds.
LD081416 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1317 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 8 (TANJUG) ? Yugoslav experts are
carrying out comprehensive measurements on the site of a steel
works project at Zhlobin, a Belorussian town 150 km north of
Chernobyl, to determine radiactive contamination of air, nearby
land, the site itself and the machines.
Last Tuesday a team of five radiation experts and doctors with
most up-to-date equipment arrived in Zhlobin, where 570 work-
ers of the Yugoslav Komgrap Enterprise are engaged in the
project. Their manager, Dragoljub Melic, said that the work on
the site, resumed last Monday, was proceeding normally.
Melic also said the measurements so far indicated no danger of
increased radioactivity. All workers underwent complete medical
examination and were interviewed both in groups and individ-
ually to obtain the fullest possible picture of the sittiaiton and
definitively decide on the need for taking possible protection
measures.
' Yugoslav experts are working together with a similar team from
Austria, since Austrian workers are also engaged in the project.
Both teams daily cooperate with local medical services, and final
results of their work are expected to be announced in four days
at the latest.
Performance on the site and general mood of the workers are
reported to be good.
335
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ZAGREB INSTITUTE DEMANDS BAN ON NEW NUCLEAR PLANTS
LD081321 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1220 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Zagreb, May 8 (TANJUG)? The city institute for health
protection in Zagreb, Yugoslavia's second city, has demanded a
ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants in Yugosla-
via.
An explanation of the motion, carried by the daily BORBA today,
says that accidental emission of radioactive materials from
nuclear installations poses a problem that has not been ade-
quately solved anywhere in the world. The institute also raised
?the' issue of nuclear waste storage, another problem to which a
definitive answer has not been found.
? The institute's demand coincides with the accident at the Cher-
nobyl nuclear plant in the Soviet Union, but is also a continuation
of the heated debate in this country over the past few months on
whether nuclear plants should be built, or if existing energy
sources should be used more rationally and alternatives other
than nuclear power sought.
It is believed here that the Chernobyl accident will be used as a
new, potent argument by opponents of nuclear power. It will
probably put into question a plan under which Yugoslavia should
start building four nuclear plants by the end of the century. An
International tender for the first plant in the series was put out
last year.
Yugoslavia has only one nuclear plant, at Krsko in Slovenia, at
which there have been no accidents.
A definitive decision on the nuclear power program in Yugoslavia
is to be taken by the Federal Government. Following the latest
events, however, it is not at all certain whether it will be willing
to take the responsibility of implementing the program.
! Nuclear poWer opponents demand a national referendum on the
issue.
GOVERNMENT NOT YET CONSIDERING DAMAGE CLAIM
LD081411 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1335 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Belgrade, May 8 (TANJUG)--The Yugoslav Government has not so far con?
sidered the possibility of compensation from the Soviet authorities for losses
incurred through destruction of agricultural products on account of radiation
brought about by an accident at the Soviet nuclear power plant at Chernobyl,
Aleksandar Stanic, official press spokesman for the Yugoslav Federal Secre?
tariat for Foreign Affairs, told his press conference here today.
USSR AGREES, 'IN PRINCIPLE' TO CHERNOBYL MONITORING
LD081427 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1403 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 8 (TANJUG) ? General Director of the
U.N. International Atomic Agency Hans Blix left here this
morning for Chernobyl accompanied by two associates where he
will inspect the damaged Soviet Nuclear power plant "Lenin".
On his return tomorrow Blix will hold a press conference in
Moscow.
, Soviet official sources report that Blix has proposed to the Soviet
Government an immediate installation of a station equipped with
latest instruments for checking radio activity levels at the site of
336
the "Lenin" plant. The station would give readings on radio
activity levels several times a (lily and the International Atomic
Agency would forward the data to all interested countries. Offi-
cial:sources confirm that the Soviet Government has already
agreed in principle to Hans Blix' proposal.
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SLOVENES PROTEST CHERNOBYL, NUCLEAR STATION PLANS
LD102121 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1936 GMT 10 May 86
[Text] Ljubljana, May 10 (TANJUG) - Several hundred young
people gathered today in Ljubljana, capital of the Yugoslav
Republic of Slovenia, to express their opposition to radioactive
pollution of the planet and the planned construction of nuclear
stations in the country.
A statement by the "forcibly contaminated and insufficiently
informed population of Slovenia", addressed to the Slovenian,
Yugoslav and Soviet governments, was read out at this protest
rally, organised by the republican and city socialist youth organ-
isations.
The statement, which most strongly condemns the late and
sketchy information in connection with the Chernobyl accident,
demands that in future the Soviet Government should provide
without delay all information essential to the effective protection
of the effects of the disaster.
The protesters also sharply criticised the way the public had been
informed about the Chernobyl accident by the competent organs
in Slovenia. They wanted to know who was responsible for
dalying the initial information on the immediate dangers. The
Slovenian Government was asked to set up a commission to
determine the extent of the damage and to lodge a request for
compensation with the Soviet Government or a competent.inter-
national court.
The participants in the rally also demanded that the, Yugoslav
nuclear programme, including all technical data and lists of
proposed Yugoslav and foreign contractors, should be made
public and that the Assembly of Yugoslavia should proclaim a
moratorium on the construction of nuclear power stations. The,
only Yugoslav nuclear station is in Slovenia, near the small town
of Krsko.
REPORTAGE OF EC EFFORTS TO BAN SFRY FOOD EXPORTS
No Need for Restrictions
LD092140 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo?Croatian 1549 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Belgrade, 9 May (TANJUG) ? According to an
announcement from the Federal Secretariat for Information, the
Federal Executive Council has discussed and approved a report.
from the interdepartmental working group of experts on mea-
sures and activities in connection with the accident at the nuclear
power plant in Chernobyl. It was assessed that the measures and
activities undertaken to protect the population are timely and in
keeping with the specialized and scientific criteria applicable to
such a situation.
Dr Branko Pocek, director of the Institute for Health Protection,
who heads the interdepartmental working group of experts,
informed the Federal Executive Council that detailed investiga-
tions by specialized organisations, including aerial photography,
indicate that the degree of radiation in the country is constantly
decreasing.
In no part of Yugoslavia has the degree of radiation been
anywhere near the intensity which would pose a danger to the
state of health of the population, and there is therefore no cause
for concern.
The recommendations of the WHO on the basis of assessments
of the contamination in Europe and the preventive measures
taken fully coincide with what has been undertaken and is being
undertaken in Yugoslavia.
The Federal Executive Council positively assessed the preventa-
tive measures taken to protect the most vulnerable section of the
population ? small children and pregnant women. Taking all
these facts into consideration, the Federal Executive Council
assessed that there are no reasons to restrict the importation of
agricultural and food products from Yugoslavia and has
informed its partners in the EEC of its stance.
Certain other questions of the current economic policy and
'Yugoslav relations with other countries were also examined.
337
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No Grounds for EEC Ban
LD091653 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo?Croatian 1530 GMT 9 May 86
["A Ban on Exports of Yugoslav Meat to
TANJUG headline]
[Excerpt] Belgrade, 9 May (TANJUG) ? If the European
Community [EC] adopts the proposal to ban imports of agricul-
tural products from Yugoslavia on the basis of the assessment
that these products could be contaminated by radiation, it would
be an impermissible discriminatory measure, and one which
would inflict great economic damage on our country. It is certain
that it would have political implications, with undesirable politi-
cal consequences, Ranko Radulovic, head of the Yugoslav del-
egation for negotiations with the EC, told a TANJUG reporter.
We anticipate that the "Twelve" will not adopt such a decision,
he stressed, in light of the documented evidence on no such
the EEC Would Be a Political Decision"?
danger of radioactive contamination of Yugoslav agricultural
products exists. It has been proved that the level of radiation in
Yugoslavia following the Chernobyl disaster is no greater than
that recorded in other European countries. For example, it is even
below that in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria or the FRG. In
certain parts of Yugoslavia, such as the coastal region, no pres-
ence of radioactive particles has been registered at all: In Yugo-
slavia, strict measures of control and prevention are being
applied. And finally, experts from the World Health Organiza-
tion have stressed that there are no grounds for limiting imports
from individual European countries.
TANJUG Reports 'One?Sided' Ban
LD102139 Belgrade TANJUG in English 2104
[Text] Brussels, May 10 (TANJUG) ? The European Commu-
nity (EC) tonight agreed to ban the import of fresh agricultural
produce from six Eastern European countries and Yugoslavia, a
spokesman for the European Commission, who had previously
told journalists that there would be no ban, announced. The ban
went ahead owing to a late change of heart of Italy and France,
it was said.
The ban, which will apply to all fresh produce and livestock from
these countries, will remain in force until the end of the month.
The commission will discuss the situation on May 20 when it may
propose certain changes. The ban was imposed to prevent the
entry of products which might be contaminated as a result of the
nuclear accident in the Soviet Union, it was said.
GMT 10 May 86
The EC decision, which will cause at last 15 million dollars
damage to Yugoslav exports, is a one-sided act because it clashes
with the provisions of the cooperation agreement between Yugo-
slavia and the EC and disregards the preventive measures taken
by Yugoslav authorities. The commission's first proposal did not
envisage a ban on Yugoslav produce because Yugoslavia had
taken the same preventive measures and kept their partners
informed as the members of the European Free Trade Associa-
tion (EFTA), the spokesman said. But subsequent insistence by
somb countries, however, tipped the scales and the ban included
Yugoslav exports as well.
No EC Accord Yet
LD111919 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1725 GMT 11 May 86
[Text] Brussels, May 11 (TANJUG) ? The European Commu-
nity (EC) member-states have still reached no accord on banning
fresh food and livestock imports from six Eastern European ,
countries and Yugoslavia, as an EC Commission spokesman
confirmed here today.
The spokesman said the talks on the ban and common radiation
levels permitted in foods would continue today. He said in the
event no consensus on the food import ban was reached today,
the matter would be decided by the EC foreign ministers in
Brussels tomorrow.
338
The proposed measures, as the EC Commission spokesman said,
can take effect only if agreed to by all twelve community
member-states. Italy does not accept the draft agreement on
banning the import and on joint control of radioactive pollution
of foodstuffs and farm produce within the EC because it believes
that the section of the agreement dealing with inter-EC trade
would directly impair Italian exports.
At the EC Brussels meeting of experts, Italy demanded that the
standards on the maximum permitted radioactivity for fruits and
vegetables should be raised from the suggested 350 becquerels
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(bq) per kilogram to 1,000 bq per kg, while for milk and dairy
products the 1,000-bq limit would be lowered to 250 bq, other-
wise in compliance with Italian regulations. Lower radioactivity
limits for milk are sought by Bonn because the southern sections
of the F.R. of Germany, like Italy's north, (both major milk
producers and exporters) were hit by radioactive pollution more
badly than any other EC areas.
In the first proposal of the European Commission, Yugoslavia
was not on the list of the countries affected by the ban. A
Commission spokesman had explained that the EC was satisfied
with the food and livestock control measures undertaken by
Yugoslavia since these measures are identical with those taken
by the members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA),
who are not affected by the-ban.
A late proposal to ban meat and other foodstuff imports from
Yugoslavia came at the insistence of France, Italy and the
Netherlands. The cooperation agreement between Yugoslavia
and the Community provides for all disputes being settled by
mutual agreement. In this particular matter, the EC did not even
bother to contact the Yugoslav side.
A possible EC decision to ban the import of fresh food and
livestock from Yugoslavia would be a unilateral decision that
would cost Yugoslavia at least 15 million dollars in exports. The
Yugoslav Government announced on Friday [9 May] that there
was no reason whatever to limit the import of Yugoslav agricul-
tural produce because it was not contaminated. All Yugoslavia's
EC partners have [words indistinct] of this fact.
-
TANJUG on Consequences of Ban
LD111945 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1841
[Text] Belgrade, May 11 (TANJUG)? In Belgrade it is believed
that the decision of the European Community to ban the import
of Yugoslav agricultural produce, allegedly because of its radio-
active contamination, would be an unfounded discriminatory
measure and would jeopardise the fundamental principles of the
agreement on economic cooperation with Yugoslavia. For it is
known and proven that the degree of radiation in Yugoslavia
after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear station has not been
above that registered in other European countries. The degree of
radiation in Yugoslavia is 'even lower than, for example, in the
Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Neth-
erlands.
The decision on a ban on the import of fresh food and livestock
? from Yugoslavia would cause Yugoslavia great material damage
While the specific- propaganda drive being conducted against
Yugoslav tourism would produce unforeseeable consequences, it
is stressed here.
In Belgrade it is pointed out that the EC decision, which would
follow the unjustified accusations against Navip's plum brandy
GMT 11 May 86
and the increasingly frequent and unfounded anti-dumping pro-
cedures against Yugoslav producers would beyond all doubt
carry a certain political weight. It would hamper the forthcoming
continuation of negotiations between Yugoslavia and the EC on
the extension of the trade provisions of the agreement on eco-
nomic cooperation which is planned for the end of June. It is
known, namely, that almost all Yugoslav proposals and requests
for more liberal exports to the EC market have met with the
rejection of the other side.
It is recalled here that Yugoslavia is the only Mediterranean
country whose "sensitive" industrial products are subject to
import restrictions on the EC market. Of the 6.5 billion dollars
or so worth of the average annual volume of commodity exchange
with the European Community, Yugoslav exports have been
fluctuating around the 2.7 billion dollars mark. This has been
maintaining for years the high Yugoslav trade deficit. At' the
same time, it is stressed in Belgrade that the EC decision would
not make it easier to repay the Yugoslav convertible debts which
are for the main part concentrated in the countries of the
"Twelve".
NATION'S PRESS LAUDED FOR CHERNOBYL REPORTING
LD112105 Moscow Domestic Service in Russian 1800 GMT 10 May 86
[Text] Our correspondent Aleksandr Shakin reports from Bel-
grade:
In recent days, Belgrade newspapers have been carrying regular
reports from our town of Zhlobin, Belorussia. There are 570
Yugoslav specialists, fitters, and engineers working at a large
metal combine project there. Zhlobin is situated not far from
Chernobyl, and the attention of the press to the current state of
affairs at the project is not surprising. I am quoting newspapers:
"Life has returned to absolutely normal," "Work is going on,"
and "No reasons for alarm." This is how the situation in Zhlobin
is seen here.
I have visited the management office of the Komgrap Building
Combine whose collective is now working in Belorussia.
(Radovan Penovic), a management representative, has told me
that permanent communication is being maintained with the
group working in Zhlobin. Judging by the reports we receive here,
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(Radovan Perovic) said, the situation at the project is normal: all
are at their working places and work is proceeding according to
schedule. The timeliness of the work pleases us.
The staff of health of our comrades in Zhlobin does not cause
concern. We receive regular health information from Soviet
doctors. By the way, a group of Yugoslav medical experts is now
there, too. All of our specialists have undergone health checks
and no problems have been recorded. I have been to Zhlobin more
than once, (Radovan Perovic) noted, and I must say that one of
the best industrial installations, in the opinion of specialists, has
been built there. The first stage has been completed in record
time, 2 months ahead of schedule. I think that now, too, work will
be conducted at an accelerated pace, the management represen-
tative concluded. They have been writing and talking here about
the events at Chernobyl and information has been fed from
everywhere. Against the background of reports from Western
agencies, which are deliberately distorting the situation, and
creating an atmosphere of fear and unease among people, the
latest news in Yugoslav newspapers speaks of the stabilization of
the situation and of the absence of any health hazard.
MILITARY COMMENTATOR ON EFFECTS OF CHERNOBYL
AU082158 Belgrade BORBA in Serbo?Croatian 6 May 86 p 6
[Dimitrije Seserinac, "Military?Political
Its Consequences"]
[Excerpt] The grave disaster [teska nesreca] which occurred in
Chernobyl has caused varied reactions and provoked negative as
well as some positive effects.
The first negative effect is certainly the disaster itself, which will
have great consequences for economic trends and life in the
Soviet Union. The second is, however, the strong and unnecessary
aggravation of relations along the line of the existing ideological
and political divisions in the world. The rightist extremists,
attacking the Soviet Union for delayed and insufficiently exhaus-
tive information of the world public about the disaster go so far
as to try to show that it is implicit in the very nature of socialism
that it does not protect its own people, that it does not care for
its own people, and that consequently it wants even less to
cooperate in the field of caring for other peoples.
Commentary": "Nuclear Accident and
Noting that the necessary information has indeed not been
provided in time, one may say that anybody who is at all objective
is far from drawing such conclusions. Nobody knows yet why
information was not provided, which is to say, which motives
prevailed at the moment. Any guesses rank among senseless
speculation, but one may suppose that the responsible Soviet
factors themselves did not learn quickly enough about the exact
diagnosis of the accident or its extent.
However, we may at the same time note two positive effects of
the disaster in Chernobyl. The first is of particular significance
for us. One has now quite seriously begun to realize and to
comprehend how serious and complicated the problem of relying
on nuclear energy is. Second, it is now much more clearly
understood how serious the possible repercussions of relying on
nuclear energy may be from the viewpoint of organizing the
country for defense.
U.S. CORN MORE DANGEROUS THAN CHERNOBYL FALLOUT
LD111421 Moscow TASS in English 1352 GMT 11 May 86
[Text] Belgrade May 11 TASS ? The danger posed by the
infected corn that was imported by Yugoslavia from the United
States is much greater than the danger for the Yugoslav people
coming from the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power plant.
This has been stated in a TANJUG interview by Academician
Pavel Savic, a well-known Yugoslav scientist.
The doses of radiation to which we are being subjected cannot be
dangerous to anyone, he continued. The accident at the Cher-
nobyl atomic power plant should not become the reason for giving
up further construction of atomic power plants. P. Savic
described the ban imposed by the EEC leaders on the import of
Yugoslav farm produce by the common market countries as
absolutely unjustified.
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MILK CONSUMPTION 'RAPIDLY INCREASED' LAST WEEK
LD121301 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1211 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Belgrade, May 12 (TANJUG)? In the second half of the
last week the buying and consumption of milk in Yugoslavia
rapidly increased and virtually reached the level prior to the
Soviet nuclear part Chernobyl disaster. In some cases dairies are
even forced to lower orders for milk.
At the moment the market supply in Yugoslavia with milk and
dairy products is good, says General Director of "Mlekosim"
Associated Enterprises Tomislav Gitric. Only sheep and goat
milk and dairy products made of this particular type of milk are
still in short supply because sheep and goats feed on grass and
leaves. All milk and dairy products sold in shops have been
checked, and thus any possibility of the presence of radioactive
particles is ruled out.
Daily checks of milk samples are carried out in specialized
laboratories of institutes and agricultural faculties in all Yugo-
slav republics and provinces.
SATISFACTORY PHYSICALS FOR WORKERS NEAR CHERNOBYL
LD122131 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1926 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 12 (TANJUG)? Workers of the Yugoslav
building enterprise Komgrap of Belgrade continue work on the
construction of a steel plant in the Soviet town of Zhlobin, some
150 km from the stricken Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
A team of doctors from Belgrade has examined all 570 workers
who were in the area at the time of the Chernobyl accident, it
was announced today. The results were satisfactory, since no
health problems that could be linked to the nuclear disaster were
found.
RADIATION LEVELS FALL; PREVENTIVE MEASURES LIFTED
LD122147 Belgrade TANJUG in English 1737 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Belgrade, May 12 (TANJUG) ? Measurements of the
radiation level in Yugoslavia since May 7, when the latest
recommendations and preventive measures were announced,
have shown that the level of radioactivity has dropped consider-
ably, so that restrictions imposed earlier can be lifted, the Yugo-
slav Committee for Labour, Public Health and Social Security
announced today.
Milk and dairy products sold in shops may be used by all sections
of the population, and so can fruit and vegetables after being
washed with running water. The preventive measures which have
been in force were timely and efficacious. French expert on
protection from ionization and member of the international
commission on radiation protection, Henri Joumment, who is in
Yugoslavia at the moment, agrees with this.
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Radiation level in the air in southeastern Yugoslavia averages
somewhat below 40 microroentgens per hour. All waters in the
Republic of Serbia are fit for use. The concentration of iodine
131 in the air has dropped considerably in the west of the country
as well and has been measured at 0.04 becquerel per one cubic
metre of air. The basic radiation level is also falling and today
measured 48 microroentgens per hour in this region.
Radiation is nearing its normal values in central Yugoslavia as
well and today measured 48 microroentgens. Fruit, vegetable and
milk tests show that radiation is below the set level and standards
prescribed by the World Health Organization and that these
products are fit for human consumption.
LONCAR EXPLAINS SFRY PROTEST TO EEC IN ASSEMBLY
AU131722 Belgrade Domestic Service in Serbo?Croatian 1300 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] The last session of the present Chamber of Republics and
Provinces was held today in the SFRY Assembly. A report and
a sharp protest against the EEC decision to ban imports of
agricultural produce from Yugoslavia were adopted. Budimir
Loncar, deputy federal secretary for foreign affairs, made a
speech and read the statement by the Federal Executive Council:
[Begin Loncar recording] The Federal Executive Council
? received with regret and concern the EC decision banning the
imports of some agricultural produce from Yugoslavia after the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. The Federal
Executive Council considers this measure unilateral and
unfounded. It is contrary to the contractual relations and cooper-
ation between Yugoslavia and the EC, which are based on the
principles of equality, mutual benefit, and the necessity of con-
sultations on all possible problems and difficulties that may arise
between them.
The strict control and precaution measures which Yugoslavia has
been taking since radiation appeared, and the comprehensive
information offered to the domestic and international public
about them, should have been a guarantee for unhindered devel-
opment of economic cooperation with the said countries. Radi-
ation in Yugoslavia did not reach a level to cause concern, and
particularly not to justify the introduction of such measures.
It is unacceptable practice to adopt such and similar measures
without EC-SFRY Government consultation which is one of the
contractual principles between the SFRY and the EC. The
Federal Executive Council believes that in the interest of mutual
relations and cooperation, the EC should urgently reexamine its
decision for the purpose of establishing normal conditions for a
continuation of commodity trade between Yugoslavia and the
EC countries.
This statement was sent by Comrade Dizdarevic, federal secre-
tary for foreign affairs, to his colleague, the minister of foreign
affairs of the Netherlands, as the chairman of the EC during this
term. We are informed that the latter further informed the EC
council. At the same time, we called all 12 ambassadors of the
EC member-countries and the representative of the EC Commis-
sion to the Secretariat for Foreign Affairs. We acquainted them
with this statement and pointed out to them the following:
First, that such a unilateral discriminatory ineasure directly -
opposes the proclaimed interests of both the Community and
Yugoslavia that efforts be made by the EC precisely now, when
the second trade protocol is under consideration, to facilitate
trade and to enable the relations to become more dynamic; it is
known that relations are stagnating precisely because of dis-
criminatory or restrictive measures by the EC.
Second, that such a measure will have an unfavorable chain
reaction on other sectors of Yugoslav relations with the EC
countries and beyond, such as tourism, and we pointed out to
them the cancellation of some arrangements that have been
contracted for.
Third, we underlined that it Will have [Loncar corrects himself]
may have some influence on the position of EFTA which is also
concerned and is now considering its own meaiures, as well as on
the position of the United States and Canada.
And fourth, we particularly underlined that aligning Yugoslavia,
once again after a long time, with the group of the East european
countries, cannot but reflect ? not only apparently but also in
substance ? a political view, a regional placing of us on a
political basis which is unacceptable ,to Yugoslavia and which
contrasts with the contractual relations between the SFRY and
EC. We pointed out that such a measure creates an atmosphere
of distrust and that it cannot escape the indignation and even
condemnation of our public opinion.
At the same time we pointed out that the parallel steps taken ?
for instance, their exempting the GDR because it guarantees by
its seriousness and its well-known feeling of responsibility that it
will take all the necessary measures ? indirectly indicate that
Yugoslavia has an unserious and irresponsible government, and
that this is an indirect additional insult, which we reject and
denounce. [end recording]
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SFRY CORRESPONDENT REPORTS ON VISIT TO REGION
AU091625 Belgrade Domestic Service in Serbo?Croatian 1300 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Special TANJUG reporter Slavko Stanic, who is other-
wise a permanent correspondent in Moscow, with a group of
foreign correspondents today visited the endangered area in the
immediate vicinity of the damaged power station at Chernobyl.
[Begin Stanic recording] In Kiev, from where we are reporting,
there are at least 1 million of its people out in the streets just now.
One does not have the impression that they are adhering strictly
to the rules of protection against radiation, although these were
officially recommended.
The level of radioactivity here this morning amounted to 0.2
milliroentgens, and in the Chernobyl region around the damaged
Lenin atomic power station it amounted 130 milliroentgens.
Half an hour ago, a group of foreign reporters including your
correspondent, returned from (?Kopilov), 60 kilometers outside
the evacuated danger zone. The radioactivity registered there
today amounted to 0.35 milliroentgens, but its level fluctuazes
constantly, depending on the direction of the wind. Our hosts
would not let us go further. In this region, there are about 6,000
citizens evacuated from Pripyat, the settlement nearest to the
damaged power station. Reception centers have been organized,
a medical service has been set up and those avacuated are
constantly beuing checked, and there is a check of water, food,
and milk. According to the latest data which we received from
our hosts half an hour ago, 92,000 people have been evacuated
so far. However, there is no panic here. Many of the people ?
according to some data as many as 70 percent ? began to work
in the fields of their hosts who provided accomodation for them.
[end recording]
CALL FOR EMERGENCY EEC MEETING ON FOOD BAN ISSUED
AU141454 Paris AFP in English 1424 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] Brussels, May 14 (AFP) ? Yugoslavia has sought an
urgent meeting with the European Economic Community (EEC)
following the EEC's decision to include it in a ban on imports of
food products from seven East European countries, community
officials announced here Wednesday.
A spokesman for the community's executive commission said the
meeting would likely be held Thursday [15 May] at the earliest.
Yugoslavia has called the ban an "inadmissible discriminatory
measure" and has argued that radiation levels in the country
following the accident at the Soviet nuclear power station at
Chernobyl have been lower than those of EEC members Belgium,
the Netherlands and West Germany.
The EEC imposed the suspensions until May 31 on a range of
food products from Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, the Soviet
Union, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania to prevent the
entry of potentially contaminated produce. The commission
spokesman said Yugoslavia had requested the meeting, in accor-
dance with a 1980 treaty covering its relations with the commu-
nity, to discuss the prejudice that its agricultural exports are
likely to suffer because of the ban. Yugoslavia last year exported
353 million dollars' worth of agricultural products to the EEC,
accounting for 40 percent of its farm exports.
RADIATION PREVENTIVE MEASURES NO LONGER NECESSARY
LD141932 Belgrade TANJUG Domestic Service in Serbo?Croatian 1641 GMT 14 May 86
[Summary] Belgrade, 14 May (TANJUG)--The level of radioactivity has been
falling throughout the country. Latest results obtained from authorized
institutes in the republics and provinces show that preventive measures are
no longer necessary. Further monitoring of radioactivity in Yugoslavia will
be carried out within the framework of regular systematic examinations.
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FAILURE TO AGREE ON BAN OF E. EUROPEAN FOOD IMPORTS
AU071351 Paris AFP in English 1336 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Brussels, May 7 (AFP)? Representatives of the European
Economic Community (EEC) were Wednesday having trouble
reaching agreement on a proposal to suspend certain food imports
from six Eastern European countries in the wake of the nuclear
accident at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union, community sources
said here.
They said that during a meeting of permanent delegates from the
12 EEC members, France, Italy and the Netherlands wanted to
expand the measures to include East Germany, Albania and
Yugoslavia.
The EEC's Executive Commission, in its proposal submitted
Tuesday, had included only those countries located within a 1000
kilometer (625 miles) radius of Chernobyl, namely the Soviet
Union, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Roma-
nia.
French, Italian and Dutch officials have said the commission's
retricted list would not prevent the entry of potentially contami-
nated food products via the three countries not included.
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC,
But West Germany has refused to include East Germany, argu-
ing that intra-German trade cannot be tampered with and that
all food imports from East Germany are carefully monitored by
West German authorities.
Italy is also seeking authorization to take national measures
excluding imports from certain Eastern bloc countries if the
community does not approve the ban on food from such states as
Yugoslavia.
The commission has said it has been in contact with Albania,
East Germany and Yugoslavia, as well as with Austria and
Sweden, to determine the extent to which their food products
might be contaminated. The products the commission has said
could be banned are livestock, meat, fresh dairy products, fresh
fruit and vegetables, freshwater fish and caviar. If no agreement
is reached today among permanent representatives here, the
question could be debated Monday at a meeting of EEC foreign
ministers, sources said.
EEC SUSPENDS MEAT, LIVESTOCK IMPORTS FROM E. EUROPE
AU081449 Paris AFP in English 1443 GMT 8
[Text] Brussels, May 8 (AFP) ? The European Economic Com-
munity (EEC) has suspended all meat imports, as well as those
of live cows and pigs, from seven countries in Eastern Europe that
may be contaminated with radioactivity from the stricken Soviet
nuclear power station at Chernobyl, Community sources said
here Thursday.
The ban, to rcmain in effect until May 31, will affect imports
from the Soviet Union, Hungary, Poland,-Czechoslovakia, Bul-
garia, Romania and Yugoslavia.
May 86
EEC governments are to rule by Friday morning on other items,
including live sheep, fowl, fresh dairy products, fresh fruits and
vegetables and freshwater fish, that were part of lists proposed
by the Community's 12 permanent delegates here as well as its
executive commission.
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DECISION ON SOVIET FOOD BAN POSTPONED
NC101035 Paris AFP in English 1032 GMT 10 May 86
[Text] Brussels, May 10 (AFP) ? The European Economic
Community Saturday [10 May] postponed for five hours a deci-
slob on whether to ban certain food imports from the Soviet
Union as a result of the April 26 Ukrainian nuclear disaster, EEC
sources said here. The decision on a ban covering imports of
goats, live sheep, fresh water fish, fruit, vegetables, milk and
dairy products had been expected at 1100 GMT Saturday. The
announcement is now to be made at 1600 GMT.
The decision was put off at West Germany's request, to enable
Bonn officials to study new proposals from the European com-
mission concerning radioactivity norms, made after a reunion of
experts Friday here, the sources said. France decided Friday to
act unilaterally to ban food imports from the seven countries,
arguing that the EEC's action was proceeding too slowly.
On Thursday the European Commission announced that imports
of meat, live cows and pigs were suspended until May 31. The
decision was taken in accordance with the Commission's powers
concerning the Community's common agricultural policy.
TRAVEL DISCOURAGED TO AFFECTED AREAS
AU121637 Paris AFP in English 1619 GMT 12 May 86
[Excerpts] Brussels, May 12 (AFP) ? The European Economic
Community Monday advised against travelling and consumption
of certain foods in northern Poland, Lithuania, Belorussia and
the western part of Ukraine, where the Chernobyl nuclear plant
accident occurred on April 26.
All 12 foreign ministers of the EEC adopted a statement which
said that travel in these parts should be avoided "unless it is
absolutely necessary." People who do travel in the region "should
continue to avoid fresh milk and free range eggs", it said. Fresh
vegetables "should preferably be avoided" but in any case they
should be washed and peeled, the statement said.
The recommendation on food also applies to Romania, "where
weather patterns have meant that contamination is somewhat
greater than in the surrounding area," the statement said.
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FARM PRODUCTS 'SERIOUSLY HIT' BY CONSUMER CONCERN
HK110702 Hong Kong AFP in English 0651 GMT 11 May 86
[Text] Paris, May 11 (AFP) ? Sales of Western European farm
products such as milk, meat and fresh vegetables have been
seriously hit by the continuing consumer and government con-
cern about the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear
accident.
In West Germany and Italy, where consumer anxiety has been
high, sales of farm produce have plunged. France, where consum-
ers have been relatively indifferent, has suffered a big drop in
farm exports. The relative boom in long-conservation products
has not assuaged European farmers' losses. Denmark has
expressed fears that the United States and Japan could go as far
as suspending imports of certain European foodstuffs.
The union for the wholesale fruit and vegetable trade of the
European Economic Community asked EEC farm ministers
Friday to "urgently agree on community-wide measures" to
combat the crisis facing the industry.
The union said the market was suffering not only from "great
insecurity" among consumers, but also from protective measures
taken separately by EEC countries, which had affected intra-
community trade.
,The EEC has banned a wide range East [as received] European
imports until May 31 because of possible radioactive contamina-
tion from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The ban includes fresh
meat, fruit, vegetables and dairy produce, and livestock.
France, which banned on Friday certain food imports from
Eastern Europe ahead of the EEC vote for joint action, is, along
with Britain, one of the only Western European countries not to
have taken measures on the consumption of domestic milk and
fresh vegetables.
Bonn has warned West Germans not to cat greens or drink milk,
and has advised farmers to keep cattle in the stable. In Bavaria,
sales of fresh milk have dropped 60 per cent since the warning,
contributing to losses for Bavarian farmers of around 200 million
marks (85 million dollars), the West German farmers federation
has said.
In the Netherlands, fresh fruit and vegetables are piling up in
refrigerated warehouses, at an estimated loss of several million
guilders a day for Dutch growers (one guilder equals 2.6 dollars).
?The Italian Government is demanding health certificates on
goods entering the country, leading to complaints from France
and Sweden that Rome is unnecessarily hindering passage of
their exports. Pregnant women and children under 10 in Italy are
not allowed to drink fresh milk, and farmers are not allowed to
give fresh feed to their cattle.
The reaction of Italian consumers has been extreme. They have
forsaken potatoes and tomatos, which are not on the danger list,
and have completely bought up supplies of long-life milk and
frozen vegetables. Prices for these goods have shot up, leading to
criminal investigations on fraud and speculation.
In Denmark, prohibitions on the grazing Of 900,000 dairy cows
have reduced farm revenues by an estimated five to seven 'million
krone (around 700,000 dollars) a day.
PROVISIONAL BAN OF SOME E. EUROPE FOODS IMPOSED
AU121859 Paris AFP in English 1849 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Brussels, May 12 (AFP) ? The 12 countries of the
European Economic Community (EEC) Monday decided to
impose a provisional ban on certain food imports from seven
Eastern European countries, Community sources said here.
They said the EEC foreign ministers meeting here also agreed to
respect free trade in produce within the community.
The ministers, who met here to examine the effects of the Soviet
nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, agreed that the suspension would
remain in effect until May 31 on fresh food products from the
Soviet Union, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. They further committed them-
selves to lifting barriers to trade in fresh produce within the EEC,
which reflect very different na'tional standards of radioactivity
tolerance, sources added.
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AUSTRIA
GRATZ ON POSSIBLE DAMAGES DEMANDS TO USSR
AU072014 Vienna Television Service in German 1906 GMT 7 May 86
[Interview given by Foreign Minister Leopold Gratz to television reporter
Eugen Freund in Vienna; date not given?recorded]
[Text] [Gratz] This [demands that the USSR pay for damages
caused by the Chernobyl disaster] is not only an Austrian prob-
lem; currently this is a problem of all offices dealing with
international law in the affected European states, with whom we
are coordinating our activities, and in Austria too lawyers are
researching whether there are stipulations in international law
that justify such demands for damages.
[Freund] Does this mean that activities will be coordinated with
other states before taking any individual actions? Or could you
imagine that Austria would dare to act on its own?
[Gratz] Of course, it is always possible to act on one's own. When
there are states that are affected in the same way ? I have
reports that some states are considering the same measures ?
then it is certainly more useful to act in a coordinated fashion,
that means with the same arguments and with the same method
of calculating the damage.
[Freund] Mr Minister, there is a case of precedence: Some
years ago a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite crashed in Canada
and contaminated the area. The Canadian Government kept on
quarreling with the Soviet Government and even brought charges
against it ? at least according to information from the Canadian
Embassy in Vienna ? until Canada did finally receive some
money. Does this give you hope?
[Gratz] Of course, this gives one a certain amount of hope,
although especially in this field there exist written stipulations of
international law. These must be analyzed, as I have said, and
there are top experts and international law judges all over
Europe, and they have to work that out. But may I say that I
consider the real problem in another field ? that is, a lesson has
to be drawn from this accident: First, that our way of thinking
about nuclear power plants near the border is no longer correct
because in reality, as the current damage shows, Europe has
become one whole in this respect; second, that the existing
contracts on control, inspection, and information are insufficient,
and that it is not only we who are demanding that these contracts
be supplemented or newly concluded, but this was also done at
the summit meeting of heads of state and government in Tokyo
some days ago. And here I think that due to the shock of this
event the states will suddenly be willing to achieve such an
agreement. This would be much, much more helpful in the
future.
[Freund] Now, there could be people who say: This is again
typical for the Austrians. They are afraid of attacking the big
Soviet Union because there are big deals they want to conclude
with the Soviet Union; these deals are currently being negotiated,
and one does not want to interfere, does not want to cause any
unpleasant consequences. Could this also play a role in Austria's
decisions?
[Gratz] No, certainly not, because in all fields the Soviet Union
is a hard negotiator but a reliable contracting party. That means
that our economic relations are one thing, and the other thing is
that when one of the two states thinks that it has some specific
right in one field, it must demand this right and try to enforce it.
None of the parties is angry about this. Particularly because I
have also already heard some opinions of this sort, I think that in
this respect the Austrians should for a change keep a bit more
together ? especially when our national interests are at stake ?
and not try to place the blame bn each other already in Austria
even before we have found out what we can do abroad.
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MEASURES TAKEN AGAINST RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION
AU061915 Vienna ORF Teletext in German
[Excerpts] Vienna/Innsbruck ? The radioactivity level after the
reactor disaster of Chernobyl is still elevated in Austria.
Checks of the Innsbruck market authority showed life-
threatening radioactivity levels in sheep milk. In the afternoon
the radioactivity level of the soil in Innsbruck was four times
above. Public open air swimming pools and open areas of indoor
swimming pools closed until further notice.
Education Minister Moritz called upon schools to refrain from
any outdoor activities.
In a press release Moritz announced that civilian and self-
protection information centers will be established on a trial basis
in about 50 towns. There centers will start their work on 14 and
15 June. If these facilities prove their worth, such information
centers will be established in eacktown.
1743 GMT 6 May 86
In Vienna sand was removed from the sandboxes of playing
grounds today. Fresh sand will be supplied only after the "all
clear."
Vienna's mayor, I lelmut Zilk, issued an ordinance today accord-
ing 4o which ships from the East bloc are permitted to unload
only after it is certain that the cargo is not radioactively contami-
nated.
In Vienna air filters from the Stephansplaty subway station and
from several subway trains were changed. The fire brigade will
store the filters that have been contaminated with radioactive
dust until the radioactive emanation has decreased.
The director of the Austrian Dairy and Cheese Association, Glas,
saki today that in case of a crisis Austria can be supplied with
milk powder for 3 weeks.
BAN DECLARED ON EAST BLOC FOOD IMPORTS'
Cattle Feeding Prohibitions
AU041437 Vienna ORF Teletext in German 1406 GMT 4 May 86
[Text] Vienna ? Yesterday Health Minister Kreuzer ordered an
import ban on milk, milk products, fruit, and vegetables from the
USSR, Hungary, the CSSR, Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania.
This is to ensure that no radioactivity contaminated foodstuffs
reach the Austrian market.
On Sunday afternoon the health minister emphatically requested
the provincial governors to prohibit pasturing and feeding [with
green fodder] milk cows.
In Styria, Tirol, and Lower Austria appropriate prohibitions are
already in force.
In Carinthia and Upper Austria urgent recommendations have
been issued to refrain from feeding with green fodder and rain
water.
The province of Salzburg, however, in an extraordinary session
withdrew its ban on pasturing milk cows, which had been in force
since 0000 today, as "useless and unfeasible."
Provincial Governor Haslaucr said milk is regularly checked so
that it is absolutely certain that no contaminated milk is sold.
Milk producers are recommended to abstain from feeding with
green fodder.
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Further Restrictions
AU060739 Vienna ORF Teletext in German 0712 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Vienna ? Yesterday Health Minister Kreuzer instructed
all provincial governors to ban sales of vegetables grown out-
doors.
Pertinent ordinances have been in effect in Salzburg since yester-
day evening and in Vienna since midnight. The ban applies to
domestic vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, cabbage, savoy
cabbage, parsley, cauliflower, leguminour crops, and tomatoes.
At the same time imports of this produce from Bulgaria, Italy,
Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania, the CSSR and .the USSR, and
Hungary have been banned.
In addition, people should abstain from bathing in open air pools
and children should not engage in open air sports.
IAEA SAYS USSR AUTHORITIES 'VERY COOPERATIVE'
AU071718 Paris AFP in English 1705 GMT 7 May 86
[Excerpt) Vienna, May 7 (A FP)? Soviet officials are being "very
cooperative" with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
director-general Hans Blix, in Moscow to look into April 26
Chernobyl accident, an IAEA spokesman said here Wednesday.
Mr. Blix is accompanied by two experts ? a Soviet and an
American ? who are gathering information on the accident,
which according to the Soviet authorities, killed two and injured
197.
The IAEA chief arrived in Moscow Monday and was met by
members of the Soviet State Atomic Energy Committee and
nuclear experts, the spokesman said.
Ile was not yet visited Chernobyl, 133 kilometers (83 miles) north
of Kiev, and the duration of his visit is not yet known, the
spokesman said, adding that Mr. Blix would hold a news confer-
ence on his return here.
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USSR ASKS FOR TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION EXPERTS
AU121358 Vienna NEUE KRONEN ?ZEITUNG in German 10 May 86 p 3
[Excerpts] Moscow/Vienna ? Now tunnel construction experts
from Austria are to fight the nuclear conflagration in Chernobyl
from below: Yesterday the Soviet authorities asked the Min-
istry of Trade in Vienna to name the best experts in this field.
Indeed, the Austrian tunnel construction technique enjoys an
excellent reputation ? as is proved by large-scale international
orders.
The Soviet request for tunnel construction experts confirms the
fears of leading nuclear energy experts in the West: The melted
.reactor core has burnt through the concrete fundament and is
sinking into the earth.
TRACES OF PLUTONIUM FOUND IN VIENNA'S AIR
AU130907 Vienna NEUE KRONEN?ZEITUNG in German 13 May 86 p 10
[Report by Peter Strasser and Christian Hauenstein]
[Excerpt] New measurements have now found another radio-
active element in Vienna that is set free in nuclear fission. A
student and research team of the,Institute-of Inorganic Chemis-
try of Vienna University have found traces of plutonium in the
air. Plutonium is poisonous and particularly dangerous to man.
It mainly affects the lungs. The Nagasaki bomb, for insiance,
consisted of this material. ,
Professor Thomas Schoenfeld, the ,head of the. research team,
said: "The concentration of the poison, however, is very small and
not dangerous in any way. After the nuclear tests in the 1960's
far higher values of plutonium were measured here than today."
Cesium and strontium, two other elements that were set free by
the Chernobyl reactor disaster, currently have the same Concen-
tration in our air as in the 1960's.
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HEALTH MINISTRY PROJECTS LONG?TERM CHERNOBYL IMPACT
AU131005 Vienna NEUE AZ in German 13 May 86
[Christian Nusser report]
[Excerpt] In Austria, radioactivity values of level three, that is,
more than 100 microroentgen, were measured in only two provin-
cial capitals, Linz and Salzburg. On I and 2 May our country's'
population was exposed to increased radiation. In Vienna radi-
ation levels were always relatively low. Since this date values
have been decreasing up to now.
The Health Ministry is now starting to calculate the effects of
this radiation. According to these calculations, increased radio-
activity levels will probably be maintained over the next 20 to 30
years. About 300 additional deaths from cancer are expected.
p7
EXPERT STUDY ANALYZES RADIOACTIVITY. IN AUSTRIA
AU141240 Vienna Domestic Service in German 1013 GMT 14 May 86
[Gisela Hopfmueller report on a 14 May press conference in the Austrian
Institute for Ecology in Vienna--recorded]
[Text] Radioactivity-contaminated air has reached Austria in
three waves since the Chernobyl reactor disaster, reports Dr
Veronika Zwatz-Meise, basing this statement on synoptic calcu-
lations by meteorologists. The first wave occurred on Tuesday,
29 April, in the afternoon; the second ? carrying most of the
radioactivity ? during the night of 30 April-1 May; and the third
? via Yugoslvaia ? during the night of 3-4 May. The final
change for the better, the meteorologists say, came on 8 May for
Austria. Since then, air has been fresh and uncontaminated,
arriving from the Atlantic.
Dr Karl-Johann Hartig from the Ministry of Health now also
knows a bit more about the composition of the radiation coming
from Chernobyl. The data are not quite exact, he says, and
nothing is being hidden. The analyses are lengthy and com-
plicated, but:
[Begin Hartig recording] What we now see is clearly quite a a
large amount, relative to each other, of iodine 131, iodine 132,
and an equal amount of tellurium 132. Iodine 131 has a half-life
of 8 days and it affects the thyroid gland; the same goes for iodine
132, but this has a half-life of 3 days, the same as tellurium.
Molybdenum 91 ? a half-life of 66 hours. Then ruthenium 103
in much smaller amounts ? a half-life of 40 days. And then we
come to the more durable elements: one is cesium 137 i do
not know the exact data, but it is something like 3-5 percent of
the total activity of iodine at the beginning; then, of course, there
is strontium? current measurements shows less than 0.1 percent
of the total activity for strontium 90, and a bit more for strontium '
? 89. [end recording]
In the case of plutonium we were lucky, he said ? lucky due to
the construction and purpose of the Chernobyl reactor. Hartig:
[Begin Hartig recording] It is good luck that it was a plutonium
breeder reactor? I mean cynically speaking, it is good ? where
plutonium for bombs was produced. This means that in the
reactor core there is very little plutonium 239, compared to light
water reactors of the type we have in Austria's Zwentendorf
power plant, and in this case this was good luck, one really has
to stress this. [end recording]
Dr Peter Weiss of the Environmental Institute of the Academy
of Sciences and declared critic of nuclear power does not want to
use the original readiation values of 28 and 29 April as a basis
for assessing the current radiation.
[Begin Weiss recording] If one now takes a dust sample, what is
the percentage of durable radioactivity? I am not interested in
what was higher at one time or other, in one place or other, but
I want to know how the radioactivity level will continue in the
future ? the radioactivity lev,e1 of the substance which is cur-
rently sticking to the leaf of a vegetable or which is in an egg.
How must this be assessed? And there I think that at least
one-third of that which we have been able to measure so far ?
, or even a bit more than one-third ? has a half-life of 30 years.
And therefore, storing, freezing, fermenting, and so forth are no
measures against this radioactivity. [end recording]
Pediatrician Dr Ferdinand Sator opposes the fact that the setting
of radiation limits is always based on so-called standard human
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beings ? the standard human being weighing 70 kg and being
healthy. This is very, very rare in reality, Sator says, and in this
connection criticizes the value of 10 nanocurie radiation per liter
set as a limit for milk samples by the Health Ministry. This, the
pediatrician says, might be safe for adults, but not for children.
[Begin Sator recording] That means we must except that infant
mortality, which has been decreasing up to now, will rise again
due to increased radioactivity. That means the prognosis cal-
culating rising life expectancy has to be abandoned again as a
fanatsy. Problems with children born prematurely are certainly
due to radioactivity ? that means that a large proportion of the
problems which we in pediatrics are faced with are largely caused
also by radioactivity [end recording]
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BELGIUM
PRIME MINISTER REPORTS ON ANTICONTAMINATION ACTION
LD091446 Brussels Domestic Service in French 1422 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] The government has issued a statement on the conse-
quences for Belgium from the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear
power station. Prime Minister Wilfried Martens first condemns
the fundamental loophole in the international legal system that
allowed the USSR to not report the accident on its own. In
Belgium, as soon as an increase in radioactivity was detected,
safety measures were strongly increased, but the critical
threshold, says Wilfried Martens, was never reached, neither for
the atmosphere, nor for foodstuffs or drinking water.
Wilfried Martens also emphasized the particularly strict safety
measures in force in Belgium ? the strictest measures in the
TASS: MARTENS SAYS COUNTRY AT NO RISK
world, he states, as far as the construction of nuclear power
stations is concerned.
On emergency plans in case of an accident, Wilfried Martens
specified that a general plan would soon be drawn up, and a
permanent monitoring network would soon be formed. In addi-
tion, a permanent coordination center is currently nearing com-
pletion. Of course, a great deal of questions were posed by the
senators, who are concerned about the public confusion produced
by contradictory information released by the authorities. Some
MPs even suggested that a commission of inquiry be set up.
LD092106 Moscow TASS in English 2036 GMT 9
[Text] Brussels May 9 TASS ? The accident at the Chernobyl
atomic power station has not created the slightest health risk to
the population of Belgium. Radiation levels in the air of the
country, in drinking water or in food have never reached danger-
ous levels, Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens said here
today.
Delivering a governmental statement to the Senate on the conse-
quences of the Chernobyl accident to the country, he said that
throughout the days since the accident the international radi-
ation levels in the air had not been exceeded in Belgium. Read-
ings taken by specialists showed that radiation levels in drinking
water and fresh vegetables were far below the international
norms.
May 86
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SLIGHT INCREASE IN RADIATION LEVEL IN SOME AREAS
NC070730 Nicosia CYPRUS MAIL in English 7 May 86
[Text] The presence of fallout in the atmosphere, following the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, does not as yet
pose any threat to public health in Cyprus.
In a statement though, the government has admitted that a slight
increase in the level of radiation has already been detected in
some areas of Cyprus.
According to the statement, weather conditions and wind direc-
tions prevailing in the Eastern Mediterranean will further reduce
radiation levels in the atmosphere.
It seems that the rainfall over the weekend was the result of
clouds coming from the Balkans where radiation levels were
higher. Goyernment sources suggested that this should not cause
any alarm as rainfall in the Balkan area preceded the southbound
movement of the cloud.
The members of the European Economic Community have
already announced a ban on the importation of fresh fruits, meat,
milk and vegetables from Eastern Europe. The Cyprus Govern-
ment has not yet indicated whether it will adopt similar measures.
1
CYPRUS
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PARLIAMENT SEEKS CLOSING OF SWEDISH NUCLEAR CENTER
AU071529 Paris AFP in English 1524 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Copenhagen, May 7 (AFP)? The Danish Parliament on
Wednesday urged the government to demand the closing down,
as soon as possible, of Sweden's nuclear centre at Barsebaek, 15
kms (nine miles) from here.
A majority of M.P.'s voted for the resolution, proposed by the
opposition Social Democrat Party before the nuclear disaster at
Chernobyl, requesting the government to urge Stockholm to close
down the Barsebaek plant. The party said that it was badly sited
in a heavily populated region in northern Europe with 2,500,000
inhabitants.
Party leader Anker Joergensen explained: "The nuclear threat
is one that concerns us all, so we are not interfering in Sweden's
domestic affairs when we ask Stockholm to close down Barsebaek
which is so close to our frontier."
DENMARK
A majority of Danish M.P.'s want,the closing down not only of
Barsebaek, but also of other neighbouring nuclear, plants, par-
ticularly at Greisewald, in West Germany, 110 kms (66? miles)
from Denmark's southern coast.
DTlish Prime Minister Poul Schlueter is known to be hesitant
about approaching Stockholm over Barsebaek on the grounds
that it is interference in the internal affairs of a neighbouring
country.
Sweden decided, after a 1980 referendum, to start slowly disman-
tling its 12 nuclear plants, supplying 40 percent of its electricity,
from 1995-2010.
EDITORIALS ON LACK OF INFORMATION FROM USSR
Gorbachev 'Squandered' Prestige Abroad
PM070810 Copenhagen AKTUELT in Danish 2
[Editorial: "Disappointment"]
[Text] Yesterday CPSU General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev
stood on the dais by the Lenin Mausoleum on Red Square in
Moscow and accepted the applause of his people in the traditional
Soviet manner.
There have been such great Western expectations of the new
man. Such hopes have been attached to him as a renewer ? and
he has thrown the sympathy and most of the respect away on an
attitude that in its way is "old Russian." It has been the isolated
Soviet Union's strength to be able to orchestrate information
both inside and outside the country. It has done so because of
misguided ideas. The Soviet Union could very well have tolerated
May 86 p 10
criticism and open debate and will now have to understand that
its time of isolation is past.
It is not only of interest to us if a nuclear power station explodes
in Kiev. It also represents a danger to our lives. That is why it is
so incredibly disappointing and cynical of the Soviet authorities
not to give immediate and clear warning instead of engaging in
a foolish attempt that was doomed to failure in advance to hide
the facts. In 3 days Gorbachev squandered too much of his
prestige abroad. The Soviet Union's friends outside the Soviet
Union are hurt.
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Secrecy Over Incident Castigated
PM071140 Copenhagen AKTUELT in Danish 30 Apr 86 p 10
[Editorial: "Shocking Silence"]
[Text] When 6 years ago an accident took place at the U.S.
nuclear power station at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania,
panic almost spread throughout the world, but fortunately we
escaped with the fears alone. "The worst thing imaginable" did
not happen, but the situation did give rise to a worldwide debate
on the risks, and here in Denmark we had yet another discussion
about the unfortunate location of Sweden's Barseback nuclear
power station.
At the Soviet nuclear power station at Chernobyl near Kiev
"something or other" has happened. We do not know what this
was, but over the whole of Scandinavia rising levels of radioactiv-
ity have been measured, and at Sweden's Forsmark nuclear
power station alarm was so great that evacuation was begun.
Only then did the Soviet Union confirm that "an accident has
happened in the Ukraine and that it has claimed victims." It is
so upsettingly incredible that the Soviet Union, which on behalf
of the whole of humanity time and again appeals to the United
States to halt nuclear testing, should experience a nuclear acci-
dent ? without anyone being informed! There is a difference
between a military nuclear test and a civilian accident. This is
true, but it is for this very reason that the traditional Russian
uncommunicativeness is unreasonable and the country's long
silence is shocking. The Soviet Union should of course have raised
the alarm and given reasonable warning when the accident
happened. It is an expression of a lack of good-neighborliness to
pretend that nothing has happened and only admit to the accident
several days after it happened and only to do so after Sweden had
discovered the increased radiation. It is especially important that
when the Soviet Union is as lax in its safety regulations as it is,
there should be friendly agreements on rapid warnings about
such catastrophes which could affect other countries. Now we
have been shown the difference in the reports given of the nuclear
accidents on Three Mile Island and at Chernobyl. And that is
precisely what is appalling: Why should there be a difference
in the alarms raised over such civilian accidents?
WHO URGES COORDINATED RESPONSE TO NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS
AU071116 Paris AFP in English 1105 GMT 7
[Text] Copenhagen, May 7 (AFP) ? Eleven health experts from
European nations including the Soviet Union have urged a
coordinated international reaction after any future nuclear acci-
dent, by way of immediate information exchanges. At a meeting
here on the aftermath of the April 26 Chernobyl nuclear disaster
in the Ukraine, they also decided its "acute stage" had now
passed, and new protection measures against ionising radiation
were no longer needed. Their recommended future response
would include surveillance, with immediate data exchanges at
goth international and even national level.
"We have encountered communication problems in different
services, even in Western countries," World Health Organisation
deputy director Dr. J. P. Jardel said after the experts had
discussed the Chernobyl aftermath here Tuesday. While regret-
ting a lack of information from countries like the Soviet Union,
the experts recommended lifting post-Chernobyl measures like
travel and food import restrictions, introduced by some countries
for want of full facts. But they said nuclear fall-out from clouds
over Europe could create long-term regional problems in places
including northern Sweden, Bavaria in southern West Germany,
and Poland.
May 86
The experts urged people not to drink milk in regions where
sizeable quantities of radioactivity had been dumped on the soil,
not to drink water from wells, and to wash all vegetables. At the
same time the contaminated zone was relatively limited on a
European scale, they said, at several dozen or perhaps several
hunded kilometers (miles) round the Ukraine accident site.
Dr. Jardel said latest data indicated no further radioactivity
emission at the Chernobyl site. They also believed radiation levels
in neighbouring countries to the Soviet Union had never directly
endangered the lives of their populations.
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DANISH PAPER CITES APN CORRESPONDENT ON CHERNOBYL
PM131424 [Editorial Report] Copenhagen BERL1NGSKE
T1DENDE in Danish on 7 May publishes on page 5 a 2,000-word
dispatch from Chernobyl by APN correspondent Vladimir
Kolinko, dated 28 April, which describes Kolinko's visit to the
area around the Chernobyl power station in the days after the
reactor accident. Kolinko describes the intense activity in the
area, the efforts to measure and control radiation levels, the
attempts to contain the fallout by dropping lead and other
materials onto the reactor, and the party's efforts in the village
of Pripyat to bring the situation under control. Kolinko also
sketches the steps being taken to protect the health of the people
in the area and the preparations for the evacuation of the
inhabitants of the town of Chernobyl.
DAILY CRITICIZES USSR SECRECY OVER CHERNOBYL
PM131530 Copenhagen BERLINGSKE SONDAG in Danish 11 May 86 p 16
[Editorial: "The Fallout From Chernobyl"]
[Text] It should not really surprise anyone that the Russians are
Russian and behave as such. In the event of the biggest or the
smallest threat to their security from within or from outside in
the great unknown, they withdraw into their homes and surround
themselves with silence. Weaknesses are covered up by unap-
proachability, not only to deny their existence but also to gain
time to overcome them. It is the same in wartime and peacetime,
under czars and general secretaries, when a submarine runs
aground in an archipelago, when flight KAL-007 is shot down
over Sakhalin, and when Chernobyl blows up. The closed society
closes, itself entirely; and only when it knows how things stand
does it open up a little, and then a little more if necessary.
There is no reason to believe that the Russians did not know what
they were dealing with in the Ukraine. Perhaps people down in
Kiev were also trying to lie their way out of the danger in the first
hours of the first day, but thereafter Moscow knew about it. The
Soviet Union has carried out many hundreds of nuclear arms
tests above and below the surface of the earth, and the Russian
nuclear medicine specialists know as well as anyone else about
the effects of radioactive emissions of all sizes. The communist
system has a brutal attitude to the relationship between the needs
of society and the needs of its citizens This attitude has an effect
on the judgments which determine how much or how little is to
be invested in unproductive and expensive safety measures at
individual reactor construction projects; and the leaders of Rus-
sian society do not have the problems or the advantages of a body
of public opinion which can demand that their misjudgments be
corrected so that safety standards are improved. But when things
go wrong, they know very well why and they also know what
should be done. They do not deliberately expose their citizens to
unnecessary danger, but they do have a very restrictive view of
the difference between necessary information and frightening
details which could lead to panic and criticism of the system.
The Soviet Union is not alone in the world, and by no means alone
in Europe. Within its own borders the Soviet leadership can
perhaps do what it likes; but when it spreads its radioactivity out
across Western Europe, it comes face to face with a body of
public opinion which makes justified demands for improved
Russian reactor safety. The taciturn Soviet leaders, and the
general secretary who has been totally silent in the last few weeks,
? could take the view that this is an overreaction in Western Europe
to the fallout from Chernobyl and read a political motive into it.
? But it is there simply because public opinion is part of the
foundation of European politics. The demand for security from
Russian radioactivity has permeated deep into European grass-
? roots in the last fortnight and it has been reflected in the urgent
government calls to the Soviet Union to enter into a binding
international cooperation agreement to safeguard human life.
The Soviet Union's leaders will be forced to enter into more open
cooperation on safety standards and warning procedures. Other-
wise they themselves will give rise to stronger and even more
negative political fallout.
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, .
CONTAMINATION RISING; NO RESTRICTIONS NECESSARY
FINLAND
LD052111 Helsinki Domestic Service in Finnish 2000 GMT 5 'nay 8()
[Text] Here at home, the Institute Of Radiation Protection reports
a clear increase in amounts of Iodine-131 in milk south of
Kokkola and Kajani. However, the institute sess no need yet for
restrictions: According to the instittite's 'report, the highest mea-
sured amount of radioactive iodine has been 50 Becquerel per
litre. The liMit for rejecting milk is 2,000 Becquerel per liter. The
amount of radiation in Finland is still decreasing. At most the
amount of radiation all over the country is 4.2 milliroentgen an
hour, or over ten times the amount of natural background
radiation. Radiation is decreasing at the predicted rate, that is,
halving in about 6 days, said special researcher Leif Blomqvist
of the Institute of Radiation Protection today. Use of rain water
should still be avoided. Children should also to be prevented from
playing in mud or dried mud puddles.
RADIATION LEVELS CONTINUE TO SLOWLY DECLINE
LD071313 Helsinki Domestic Service in Finnish
[Text] According to the Institute of Radiation Protection, (?out-
side) radiation in Finland is still slowly declining. The amount of
radioactive iodine in milk has remained much the same: all over
the country it is less the 60 Becquerel units a liter. The limit for
rejection is 2,000 units. Fresh vegetables, such as (?radishes),
nettles, and spring onions, may be eaten without special
restriction, according to the Institute of Radiation Protection.
Fresh products from abroad that are in the stores have been
checked and approved by the Customs laboratory.
1:200. GMT 7 May 86
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EXPERTS EVALUATE LONG?TERM RADIATION EFFECTS
AU061847 Paris AFP in English 1817 GMT 6 May 86
[Excerpts] Helsinki, May 6 (AFP) ? About 100 Finns will
develop cancer due to the radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear
plant disaster, the National Radiological Center said here Tues-
day, while a U.S. professor predicted a 0.18 per cent rise in deaths
in Poland, Romania and Ukraine. In Finland, people received
within a week the amount of radiation they normally get in a
year, which will lead to an estimated 100 people "sooner or later"
getting cancer from the increased radiation, Professor Antii
Vuorinen of the Radiological Safety Center said.
In Vienna, W.J. Gofman, who teaches physics and medicine at
Berkeley University in California, said that the April 25 accident
would lead to an additional 9,000 deaths per five million people
(0.18 per cent) in the next 10 to 30 years in the worst-affected
regions: Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. Professor Gofman
said there would be 187 additional cancer-related deaths within
10 to 30 years for every five million people in regions further from
the site but who were still exposed to 10 millirems more radiation
than normal.
The average dose of radiation from natural sources is about 110
to 180 millirems per year. A sudden dose of 100 rem, or 1,000
millirems, will make a person sick and 500 rem will produce a
major risk of death, according to U.S. scientists.
In Austria, where radioactivity is currently at 50 microrem per
hour, Mr. Gofman said that 8.3 days of this level radioactivity
would mean 280 more deaths by cancer in the next 10 to 30 years.
He said that such a nuclear plant accident, contrary to an atomic
bomb explosion, would at first cause relatively few deaths but
would lead to more serious consequences in the long term.
In Helsinki, Finnish officials Tuesday announced that all food-
stuffs from Eastern Europe would be examined before going on
sale in Finland.
The Finnish Radiological Safety Center recommended that tour-
ists and businessman travelling in Eastern Europe avoid going
within 50 kilometers (31 miles) of Chernobyl. They were also
advised not to drink milk or eat vegetables from an area within
500 kms (312 mi.) of the plant
RADIATION 'UP TO FIVE TIMES' HIGHER THAN NORMAL
AU072033 Paris AFP in English 2017 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Helsinki, May 7 (AFP) ? Radiation levels in Finland are
steadily decreasing after the nuclear accident at the Soviet
Chernobyl power plant but the levels are still up to five times
higher than normal, the National Radiological Center said here
Wednesday. In southern and western parts of Finland radiation
levels up to 30 times higher than normal were measured soon
after the April 25 accident. But Professor Tapio Kytoemaa of the
Radiological Centre Wednesday confirmed that according to
statistical probability 100 to 300 Fins will develop cancer in the
next 50 years due to the radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear
plant disaster.
In neighbouring Sweden, the Swedish Radiological Centre ear-
lier this week estimated that up to 8,000 Europeans might
develop cancer within the next 45 years due to the accident.
The Finnish Radiological Centre Wednesday published a com-
prehensive report on the fallout situation from April 26 to May
4, and the conclusion was that even if the concentrations were
much higher than normal they were not dangerous to health in
the short term.
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FOREIGN MINISTRY DENIES INFORMATION DELAY ON ACCIDENT
LD081351 Helsinki Domestic Service in Finnish 1300 GMT 8
[Text] The Foreign Ministry has denied the idea that our country
has delayed giving information about the Cherbobyl nuclear
power station accident. The ministerial statement stresses that
Finnish officials gave the (?reported) measurements of radiation
immediately after the report came from (?Sweden) on the Mon-
day of the accident, from radiation measurements taken there.
The (?Foreign Ministry) says cooperation with Sweden has been
continuous. Contacts with the Soviet Union Concerned Finnish
officials' (?plan) to evacuate the Finns from Kiev. The statement
stresses that Finland was the first country to evacuate its citizens.
However the ministry does admit that the experience is a cause
for Finland to tighten up communications in future both with the
Soviet Union and within the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA).
May 86
Interior Minister Kaisa Raatikainen also reported on informa-
tion relating to 'radiation measurements this afternoon to the
press. Raatikainen also stressed that officials had at no stage
(?withheld) information from citizens.
[Begin Taatikainen recording] Although [words indistinct]. A
future warning will be taken from this. Apparently there is a need
alsb to develop the information system so that the country's
leading bodies will be (?given) information to disseminate as early
as possible. [Words indistinct] will not necessarily be sent yet, nor
will reasons be (?explained). The government has already started
preparations to develop the systems on the basis of these (?exper-
iences).
STATEMENT AT UN CONFIRMS NO RADIATION RISK
LD091549 Moscow TASS in English 2106 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] New York May 9 TASS ? The Permanent Mission of
Finland to the United Nations disclaimed "erroneous informa-
tion" that has come up abroad concerning the radiation effects
in Finland due to the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power
station. At no stage after the accident have the radiation levels
measured in Finland increased so much that they would have
given rise to any special measures for protecting the population
against health hazards, the statement of the Permanent Mission
released at the U.N. Headquarters says. The accident has not
increased the radiation level in northern Finland at all.
According to the information received in Finland, the statement
says, iodine tablets have been distributed in some countries
especially to children. On the basis of the radiation concentra-
tions measures in milk, the Finnish National Board of Health
does not consider it necessary to distribute iodine. The statement
also says that, according to the Finnish authorities, there is no
reason for limiting travels to Finland.
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TRADE, INDUSTRY MINISTER ON NUCLEAR ENERGY BILL
LD132234 Helsinki Domestic Service in Finnish '1900 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] In the opinion of Minister of Trade and Industry Seppo
Lindblom, decisions on Finland's fifth 'nuclear power station
ought to be postponed until after the elections. Lindblom thinks
that the building of a condensing power plant using coal and peat
could be brought forward so that the necessary increase of 500
megawatts in electricity production could be realized in the next
decade. In the Diet Finance Committee's discussion of the
,nuclear energy bill,. Lindblom said that in taking a stance on
.nuclear energy, one has to be careful because the attitudes also
?apply to plants that do not exist. Nuclear energy should not be
entirely ,excluded as an alternative, said Minister of Trade and
Industry Seppo Lindblom.
MINISTRY SETS 26 MAY FOR SAFE CATTLE GRAZING
LD131904 Helsinki Domestic Service in Finnish 1500 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry recommends
that cattle not be let out to graze before 26 May. Nor, should
cattle be fed with fresh grass in sheds before that date. The
Institute of Radiation Protection reports that radiation levels
caused by the Chernobyl nuclear accident are still declining. For
example, in Helsinki the reading at 1200 was 0.018 milliroentgen
a hour. The normal reading is 0.014 milliroentgen.
ATMOSPHERE 'LARGELY FREE' OF CHERNOBYL RADIATION
LD140849 Helsinki Domestic Service in Finnish 0700 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] The atmosphere over Finland according to this morning's
bulletin, has become largely free of radioactivity caused by the
Chernobyl nuclear accident. Radiation is now considered to be
returning to the range of normal background radiation. The total
radiation rate in Helsinki this morning was 18 microroentgen an
hour, whereas the normal background radiation is 14 microroent-
gens. According to the meteorological office's forecast, the
southerly airstream will not bring new radioactivity to Finland,
nor is it believed that rain will raise the outside radiation level.
Official recommendations that rainwater be avoided for
household use still apply.
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FRANCE
RADIOACTIVE :TRACES DIMINISH TO PRE?CHERNOBYL LEVEL
LD071047 Paris Domestic Service in French 1000 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] There are no longer any traces of radioactivity in the skies
of France. This is reported this morning by the central depart-
ment for the protection against ionising radiation. The director
of the department, Professor Pellerin, in fact points out that the
analyses made at his laboratory confirm that radioactivity in the
air has returned to practically the same level as that preceding
the accident at the Soviet nuclear power station in Chernobyl.
There is still one exception: the southeast, where radioactivity
still remains slightly higher but is nothing to worry about.
RADIATION EXPERT TO ARRIVE AT MOSCOW EMBASSY
LD061230 Paris Domestic Service in French 1200 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] A French specialist, Professor Henri-Paul Jammet, is
expected in Moscow this afternoon. The counsellor of the Grand
Commission for Nuclear Energy and an expert in ionizing radi-
ation, has been invited by the French Embassy to give his advice
to the French community in the USSR after the accident at the
Chernobyl nuclear plant. The embassy, wants to consult him
before informing our cbmpatriots in the USSR about possible
preventive measures to be taken in the coming days, weeks, or
months, and to decide on the eventual return to Kiev of the
teachers who have been recalled to the Soviet capital.
FRENCH 'ANTIRADIATION PAINT' SENT TO USSR
LD071449 Paris Domestic Service in French 1400 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] A manufacturer of industrial paint in the region of Paris,
Les Establissement Meyer of Levallois Perret, has just delivered
an important quantity of antiradiation paint to the USSR. Some
10 tons of this special paint, which fixes radioactivity somehow
like a sponge, were sent last evening by air cargo from Roissy-
Charles de Gaulle Airport. A second delivery will be made in 1
week.
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SETBACK TO GORBACHEV 'OPENNESS' CAMPAIGN SEEN
PM071426 Paris LE MONDE in French 2 May 86 p 1
[Editorial: "The Reticence of Agitprop"]
[Text] Mr Gorbachev is not having any luck with his nuclear
industry, or with one of the watchwords which he launched 1 year
ago: that of "openness" in the information sphere. While this
"new policy" was only just beginning to be implemented ? what
is more in minute doses ? the Chernobyl accident immediately
casts doubt on the whole information system behind which
leadership in totalitarian regimes protects its power and -
privileges. And this is not only because the serious nature of the
affair has forced Moscow to undergo the supreme humiliation of
?having to ask foreign countries for help.'
Soviet-style regimes traditionally ban a number of "negative"
events from their media: riots and other collective disturbances,
of course, but also crimes, accidents, and natural disasters. First,
because none of this is "edifying" and therefore does not contri-
bute to the function of education ? in fact of propaganda ?
which is the main task of information. Second, because anything
which escapes the party's control demonstrates the limits of its
power, the emptiness of its alleged "wisdom," and of the omnip-
otent planning system: it is therefore better to behave as if this
"news" did not exist.
Unfortunately, for the party itself the result of this is to encour-
age rumor. Any information thus obtained is no longer credible
even when it is true. This is especially so when it is given in
carefully measured doses under pressure from events, and
therefore becomes an admission complete with inevitable euphe-
misms and innuendos. What figure are we to take between the 2
' dead given by the official communique and the 2,000 given over
the bush telegraph? Whatever the facts it is highly probable that
the Soviet public will believe the latter.
? At all events modern means of observation at international level
have destroyed the barriers and reticence of agitprop. We do not
: really know whether American satellites can always make out at
will objects the size of a football anywhere on Soviet territory, as
has often been said. But they are sophisticated enough to examine
each building of what remains of Chernobyl power stations, and
probably also to detect a large-scale evacuation of the population.
In addition to this there are all the operations to measure
radioaCtivity directly or indirectly in any part of the world.
In these circumstances, what is the point of all this secrecy which
is still being observed both with regard to the circumstances of
the disaster and the date on which it occurred? Once again it is
the Soviets themselves --- those primarily concerned ? who are
likely to be the last to be informed. Unless they listen to Western
radio stations, including the famous Radio Liberty, against
which the defector Tumanov has just helped agitprop to win
another "victory." It is a victory which has the bitter taste of
I rearguard action.
RADIOACTIVITY OVER NATION NORMAL FOR LAST 2 -DAYS
LD081537 Paris Domestic Service in French 1500 GMT 8 May 86
[Text) For 2 days now, the level of radioactivity in the air over
France has been back to normal. This was indicated today by the
prime minister's spokesman Denis Baudouin. The central service
for protection against ionizing radiotation has been following up
the situation on a daily basis since the Chernobyl power station
accident. This was done through tests on more than 300 samples
of atmospheric dust carried by airplanes, vegetables, soil, milk,
Fish, river water, drinking water and rain water. Today every-
thing is normal; there is nothing to fear.
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NUCLEAR SPECIALIST MEETS WITH OFFICIALS IN MOSCOW
LD081450 Paris Domestic Service in French 1100 GMT 8 May 86
[Excerpts) Several countries have sent specialists to Moscow
either to help their Soviet colleagues or to meet to reassure their
countrymen. Thus the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
delegated to the spot Henri Paul Jammet, a specialist in nuclear
contamination problems. He confirmed to Ulysse Gosset that he
is in Moscow to try to reassure the French people there:
[Begin recording][Jammet]The minister's concern is that French
Communities in a certain number of countries need to be
informed and possibly to be reassured on what is going on as far
as radioactivity is concerned.
[Gosset] What did you say to the French people here in Moscow
in order to reassure them?
[Jammet] The meeting lasted a very long time. I explained to
them what the risks are and also gave them points of reference
it:, so they can understand the implications.
[Gosset] And do you think that your intervention has reassured
the French people in Moscow?
Hammet] I hope so. [end recording]
OECD NUCLEAR SAFETY EXPERTS MEET 9 MAY IN PARIS
AU091058 Paris AFP in English 1052 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Paris, May 9 (AFP) ? Nuclear safety experts from
countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) were to discuss here Friday the con-
sequences in their 24 countries of the Soviet nuclear power plant
disaster in Chernobyl, an OECD communique said here.
The experts were summoned by OECD's Nuclear Energy
Agency committee on safety at nuclear installations, the commu-
nique said, adding that the committee would hold a news confer-
ence Friday afternoon.
FRANCE UNILATERALLY BANS BLOC FOOD IMPORTS
AU091849 Paris AFP in English 1845 GMT 9
[Text) Paris, May 9 (AFP) ? France Friday [9 May] decided to
act unilaterally to ban imports from seven Eastern bloc countries
ahead of Saturday's expected European Economic Community
(EEC) vote on a community-wide suspension, the French Minis-
try of Agriculture announced here. The ban covers imports of
meat, dairy products, fresh water fish, frogs, snails, fruit and
vegetables, that may have been contaminated by fallout from the
Chernobyl accident, the Ministry said, adding that community
action was proceeding too slowly.
EEC-member governments were due to vote Saturday morning
on suspending imports of goats, live sheep, fresh water fish, fruit,
vegetables and dairy products from the seven countries. Imports
of meat, live cattle and pigs have already been suspended by the
May 86
EEC executive commission. The EEC ban had been initiated by
France to end protective restrictions imposed unilaterally by
EEC countries. But a vote on the imports not under the jurisdic-
tion of the commission has been postponed twice since Wednes-
day.
The countries affected by the bar i are the Soviet Union, I lungary,
Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yugoslavia.
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GREENS ACCUSE GOVERNMENT OF WITHHOLDING INFORMATION
Officials' Resignation Demanded
AU091446 Paris AFP in English 1426 GMT 9
[Text] Paris, May 9 (AFP) ? France's "Greens" ecology party
Friday [9 May] accused the authorities of withholding informa-
tion from the public about radioactivity levels in France after the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster and demanded the resignation of the
government official responsible.
The environmentalist group called for the removal of Pierre
Pellerin, head of SCPRI, the scientific information department
at the Health Ministry, whom they accused "of irresponsible
behaviour". "In France, the leadership continues to keep the
population in ignorance about radioactivity levels," the group
said, accusing the government of "lying by omission".
The party said there had been several cases of abnormal radio-
activity levels in France after the April 26 accident in the Soviet
Ukraine, and called for the creation of a top level independent
authority for nuclear safety. The Chernobyl disaster should lead
to a "rethink" of the entire French nuclear programme, the
largest in the world with 44 nuclear power stations providing
two-thirds of the country's electricity, the "Greens" said.
The French nuclear industry is "dangerous and vulnerable" they
added. They also called for a halt to the commissioning of the
May 86
new Superphoenix fastbreeder reactor near the southern city of
Lyons, which they termed "the most dangerous site in France."
They urged a new radical energy savings policy to allow a 30
percent cut in energy use and to bring other energy sources into
service.
The "Greens" and four other ecologist groups later went to the
Health Ministry to demand information on the exact levels of
radioactivity registered in France over the past two weeks. Mr.
Pellerin said no special medical precautions were envisaged in
France and he attacked what he called "panic, even hysteria,
which has no relation to reality."
He added that apart from France, only Britain and Spain were
keeping their heads and observing standards laid down by Euro-
pean agreements on the question of imported goods. He said
radiation to which the French population had been exposed was
less than "one tenth of the natural annual exposure" and was
"equal to what one can be exposed to during a two-week stay in
the mountains." He said "no particular chemical activity signifi-
cant for public health had been detected" in milk or food.
Authorities Criticized
LD101515 Paris Domestic Service in French 1100 GMT 10 May 86
[Excerpts] The Greens have been silent in France until now, but
things have been changing in the past 48 hours. The ecologists
are intensifying their criticism. Let us start with Prof (Robert
Berraud) interviewed by Radio France Lyon. According to tests
made by him the radioactivity levels in France are as high as
those in Germany. Here he is:
[Begin recording][Berraud] The main result is that we observe in
the samples taken from rainwater, from milk or from the oil
quantities of iodine 131 and cesium 137 much greater than in
those in the piped water, which means that this is radioactive
fallout caused by raining the last few days. The fallout has not
yet reached the water table.
[Unidentified correspondent]Soon we may fear that piped water
may also become contaminated.
[Berraud] Through infiltration it is obvious that in the final
analysis this fallout, the rain, will infiltrate and little by little
reach the water table. But here time and the life of the radioactive
material also matter, so certain elements can gradually disappear
through decay. It is clear that, depending on meterological
conditions, these amounts of radioactive elements will vary,
upward or downward, according to the weather, and it is up to
the officials in charge of civilian defense and doctors and biolo-
gists to say what is to be done about it.
[Correspondent] Do you feel that civilian defense has fully done
its information work?
[Berraud] Yes, I feel it is doing its work well but not necessarily
that of informing. [end recording]
Another scientist though, Yves Lenior, mining engineer and
scientific advisor of Greenpeace, goes even further. He says
purely and simply that the absence of information is a breach of
democracy. Here he is interviewed by Michel Forgit:
[Begin recording] [Lenoir] Weleel that this is purely and simply
a breakdown of democracy, because a public service that gathers
information and figures, instead of publishing them, is merely
publishing a commentary on this information by transforming a
considerable amount of figures ? there are 200 data collecting
centers ? into information of the kind that says radioactivity is
dropping, or people were subject to something equivalent to 15
days holidays in the mountains, and so forth.
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[Forgit] When scientists like yourself ask for information, do they
obtain it or not?
[Lenoir] No, no, not even these higher placed than we are, and
those who are in such institutions such as the Atomic Energy
Commission have been ordered to supply us with no information
[words indistinct] [end recording]
The man directly in question in this affair is Professor Pellerin,
who is the top man in charge of security regarding nuclear
energy. Michel Forgit has met with him:
[Begin recording] [Pellerin] There has never been a dangerous
threshold. There has been a noticeable and important rise for
several hours, a day, in the atmospheric radioactivity, and now
we have returned to an almost normal situation, and there will
be no ban on the use of French products. Average radioactivity
in France is between one third and half, depending on the region,
of what it was elsewhere.
[Forgit] You have been reproached for not communicating the
figures of readings taken in France. Is that correct?
[Pellerin] I am with you in order to make them known. We have
never refused to provide information. We have taken hundreds
of readings; we have sent on average 40-50 telexes every day from
our headquarters to AFP and all sorts of other agencies. Time is
simply needed for this information to filter through. Moreover,
this is technical information which, I agree, is not easily under-
stood by the wide public and maybe by the journalists too. Now
all is on the way to becoming clear. The people will soon see on
television, if the graphs and maps 1 am showing are presented,
that we have concealed nothing. In fact, we have nothing to hide.
[end recording]
This is what can be said this morning. The main thing is that the
polemics are now affecting metropolitan France. It is obvious
that there will be developments in the coming hours.
GOVERNMENT CRITICIZED FOR RADIOACTIVITY SILENCE
AU121205 Paris AFP in English 1203 GMT 12
[Text] Paris, May 12 (APF) ? The French Government, under
bitter press attack for its silence on the effects of the Soviet
nutlear disaster, today set up a national information office to
dispense data on radioactivity on French territory.
The French press has blamed the government, particularly Envi-
ronment Minister Alain Carignon and Industry Minister Alain
Madelin, for not having warned that radiation from the Cher-
nobyl plant in the Ukraine had reached France.
"The government lied," said the leftist daily, LIBERATION,
asking whether the French were to be treated like children.
Several papers ran the headline, "Radioactive Lie."
The French learned only Saturday, in anti-nuclear demonstra-
tions in many areas, that the April 26 Chernobyl disaster had
sent a radioactive cloud over parts of their country, raising
1.4:liation levels to as much as 400 times normal.
366
May 86
? The socialist daily, LE MATIN, cast suspicion on the future
credibility of French scientists who had assured the French
population that their health was not endangered by Chernobyl
radiation:
Pierre Pellerin, head of the French Central Service for Protection
Against Ionizing Rays (SCPRI), said all Chernobyl information
at the service's disposal had been relayed to the press. Radio-
active levels measures "did not justify health counter-measures,"
said the SCPRI.
Based on the SCPRI conclusion, supported by the World Health
Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), the French Government issued no
health warning, the SCPRI said.
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PRODUCE SALES FALL; RADIOACTIVITY DECREASING
LD141111 Paris Domestic Service in French 1000 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] As a direct consequence of the Chernobyl catastrophe, the
Alsace market gardeners in the region of Village-Neuf have seen
their sales fall nearly 80 percent at the market in Basel, Switzer-
land. Of course, there is no question of selling produce which is
not safe; but according to the results of analyses made recently
on all the vegetables sold in the region, no trace of radioactivity
was detected. In any case, the market gardeners are worried and
are wondering whether thought should not already be given to
compensation on the eve of the tax settlement date.
Having said that, at the national level the radioactivity of iodine
in milk is continuing to decrease more than 2.weeks after the
Chernobyl accident. As far as food products are concerned, daily
analyses of vegetables and milk products from various regions of
France show that all these foodstuffs are fit for consumption.
There is also no danger as far as water is concerned.
MINISTRY BANS CONSUMPTION OF SPINACH FROM ALSACE
AU131848 Paris AFP in English 1855 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Paris, May 13 (A FP) ? Consumption of spinach from the
eastern French region of Alsace was on Tuesday banned by
Industry Minister Alain Madelin after tests showed a level of
radioactivityabove international norms. The spinach registered
2,600 becquerels a kilo (2.2 lbs), 600 more than that permitted
under norms fixed by the World Health Organisation. The
spinach can still be frozen or canned since its radioactivity should
disappear completely in ten weeks and drop to under 2,000
becquerels at the end of a week.
Mr. Madelin said on radio on Tuesday that the measure was just
a precaution. "One would need to eat two tonnes of this spinach
in a few weeks to reach the point at which medical supervision
could be required," he said.
Alsace was reportedly one of the regions of France most affected
by the radioactive cloud from the disabled Chernobyl nuclear
plant in the Ukraine.
RADIOACTIVITY IN NATION FOUND INSIGNIFICANT
LD151034 Paris Domestic Service in French 0900 GMT 15 May 86
[Text] Radioactivity in France is insignificant. The Central
Department for Protection Against Ionizing Radiation has just
indicated this. As far as fresh produce is concerned, spinach from
Alsace remains the most affected, although its radioactivity is
well under the legal level, so there is no cause for anxiety, as Alain
Madelin minister of industry said yesterday.
367
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FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
FRG SUMMONS USSR ENVOY OVER 'SECRECY' ON DAMAGE
LD051525 Hamburg DPA in German 1407 GMT 5 May 86
[Text] Bonn, 5 May (DPA) -- The Foreign Ministry sent doctors with Geiger counters
to German Embassies in the Warsaw Pact countries which might be contaminated. However,
so far no contamination has been reported. Vladislav Teretskov, Soviet charge
d'affaires in Bonn, was summoned for the third time to the Foreign Ministry on Monday
afternoon, in order to ascertain in yet another talk the extent of the danger.
.The Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized that the Soviet diplomat was questioned
"most emphatically." This phrase makes clear the pent?up anger which diplomatic
circles have expressed, also in talks with journalists, about the.continuing secrecy
exercised by the Soviets. In this connection Bonn praised the good and cooperative
exchange of data with Hungary.
SOVIET EMBASSY SEEKS ADVICE ON REACTOR AFTERMATH
LD061237 Hamburg DPA in German 1136 GMT
[Text] [No dateline as received] ? The Soviet Embassy in Bonn
has today once again approached the German Nuclear Forum
for information about how to tackle the reactor accident in
Chernobyl. It was said afterwards that Embassy Second Secre-
tary Aleksandr I. Chagayev enquired about ways to tackle the
molten mass inside the burnt-out reactor, which is apparently still
very hot.
According to a spokesman for German Nuclear Forum,
Chagayev was referred to relevant German nuclear energy
experts. In order to help solve the problem it is, however, neces-
sary that all available data be made available by the Soviets to
the German experts to enable them to do the necessary calcula-
tions. The first objective is to cool down the molten mass.
6 May 86
The Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center, which was approached
directly by the Soviet diplomat through the intermediary of the
German Nuclear Forum, has said it is prepared to offer help in
solving the problem of the meltdown in the Soviet reactor (Cher-
nobyl). The research center spokesman referred to experiences
made by Karlsruhe with a special program in which the interac-
tion of meltdown with the concrete of the reactor foundation was
examined.
The Karlsruhe Nuclear Research center is prepared, he said, to
undertake relevant calculations in the case of the Soviet reactor,
possibly with the help of Soviet.experts. However, one condition
is that relevant data of the amount and composition of the
meltdown and type of the concrete foundation be submitted.
368
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CHANCELLOR KOHL REMARKS ON INCIDENT
LD061020 Hamburg DPA in German 0911 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Tokyo, 6 May (DPA)? Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl,
following the economic summit in Tokyo, emphasized on Tues-
day that the Federal Government's nuclear policy would continue
to give priority to "the concern for the well-being of the individual
and his health."
The chancellor emphasized that the security measures for
nuclear power stations are already today "very big" in the
Federal Republic. Kohl said it is irresponsible for "certain politi-
cal forces" to try "to derive political benefit from the reactor
accident in the Soviet Union."
The seven participating states in the summit meeting, the United
States, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, France, I taly,and the
Federal Republic, especially at the urging of Kohl, adopted a
statement on the reactor accident in the Soviet Union, which
called for substantially more precise details and higher safety
standards.
RADIATION READINGS SHOW 3 AREAS REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL
LD070858 Hamburg DPA in German 0823 GMT 7
[Excerpt] Bonn, 7 May (DPA) ? According to the Federal
Interior Ministry on Wednesday, normal readings for radioactive
radiation in the air were reached to a large extent at 9 of the 12
measurement points throughout Federal German Territory at
0500. As ministry spokesman Michael-Andreas Butz stated, the
readings fluctuate in each case according to the weather sitution
within the bandwidth for natural radiation between 2 and 10
Becquerels. Regensburg with 29.9 Becquerels per cubic meter of
air, Norderney with 26.0 Becquerels and Essen with 18.3 Bec-
querels are the exceptions.
May 86
Government sources in Bonn, referring to soil tests conducted in
the regions, confirmed that the radiation readings in the ground
are still considerably higher in some instances. These readings,
however, are a long way away from being dangerous to health.
Franz Kroppenstedt, state secretary in the Federal Interior Min-
istry, announced after another round of talks with radiation
proection and health experts from the regions that the Radiation
protection Commission, which will meet again Wednesday, will
also deal with the question of possible precautionary measures
during leisure time activity.
LATEST ATMOSPHERIC RADIOACTIVITY LEVELS REPORTED
LD060935 Hamburg DPA in German 0859 GMT 6 May 86
[Excerpt] Bonn, 6 May (DPA) ? Radioactivity levels in the
atmosphere as a result of the Soviet reactor accident have fallen
past the half-way mark of the 12-point scale, according to the
Interior Ministry today. The levels sank especially in southern
Bavaria. While a level of 34.0 Bequerel per cubic meter was
measured in Munich on Monday at 0500, this dropped to 9.2
Bequerel by the same time on Tuesday. The highest level of 39.0
Bequerel was measured in Regensburg on Tuesday ' morning,
followed by Noderney with 27 Bequerel.
369
Michael-Andreas Butz, Interior Ministry spokesman, assured
DPA that there is still no acute danger to the health of FRG
citizens. A large number of atmospheric radiation measures are
already within the natural radioactivity range of 2-10 Bequerel.
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INTERIOR MINISTER EVALUATES FRG RESPONSE
LD071711 Hamburg DPA in German 1552 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Bonn, 7 May (DPA) ? Friedrich Zimmermann, federal
interior minister in a television and radio broadcast this evening
on the consequences of the Soviet reactor disaster, said, among
other things:
"The serious accident at the Soviet nuclear power station in
Chernobyl has shocked us all. Our sympathy goes out to the
people in that region. That is why the federal government offered
immediate technical and medical help. Unfortunately, the Soviet
Government provided only tardy and incomplete information to
neighboring European states.... Although we have no precise
information, the situation here is under control.,..
In light of our information, there is and there has been no danger
for us. Increased radioactivity in the air has fallen and in many
places gone down to normal readings. The UN World Health
Organization also considers that there is no risk to people outside
the region concerned in the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the
federal government, in conjunction with the federal states, has
ordered precautions for our population...for two reasons:
I. Because of the lack of information from the Soviet Union, no
one could know whether and when the situation in Chernobyl was
really under control.
2. Nuclear medicine seeks to keep radioactive exposure as low as
possible.
The federal government's environmental policy aims to reduce
noxious su?stances everywhere as far as possible. The principle
of 'the less the better' also applies to radiation exposure.
As soon as news of the disaster in the Soviet Union was received,
the federal government took precautions. Persons and vehicles at
our eastern borders are being checked for radioactivity.... As we
have, the European Community has ordered a temporary ban on
imports of fresh foodstuffs from the Eastern Bloc.
Most of you, dear fellow citizens, may know little about . the
effects of radioactivity. In these important matters, the federal
government relies on advice given by the Radiological Protection
Board, which consists of noted biologists, physicists, and doctors.
? The Radiological Protection Board, for prudent reasons, has
recommended certain standard values concerning the consump-
tion of milk and leaf vegetables: Should further recommenda-
tions be necessary, the public will be informed immediately to
ensure the best possible health care.... Naturally, the federal
, government, in conjunction with the federal states, will ensure
that the farmers and merchants concerned receive speedy assis-
tance.
? Some federal states or local authorities have gone below the
values indicated by the Radiological Protection Board in their
measures. They certainly were motivated by the best intentions,
but their action has created uncertainties among the public. The
Radiological Protection Board sees no reason to change our
natural habits. There is no need to forbid children to play
outdoors, nor do meadows or sandpits pose a risk to health.... The
federal, state, and local authorities have been cooperating closely
in light of the prevailing situation in order to do everything
necessary to protect health. In light of the information received
from the Radiological Protection Board, I am confident that the
current precautions soon will be unneccessary. Until that time, I
beg you to trust us...."
USSR SPOKESMAN ZAGLADIN SAYS 'STILL WORRYING'
AU071112 Paris AFP in English 1102 GMT 7 May 86
[Text) Bonn, May 7 (AFP) ? The situation at Chernobyl is still
"worrying" because after-effects of the nuclear accident have not
yet cleared up, Kremlin spokesman Vadim Zagladin stressed in
an interview with AFP here Wednesday. Mr. Zagladin, a mem-
ber of the Soviet party Central Committee with responsibility for
international affairs, revealed that when the explosion at Cher-
nobyl occurred early on Saturday, April 26, "the reactor was not
in operation." He left Moscow on May 1 to attend the West
German Communist Party congress in Hamburg, and returns
home later Wednesday.
He told AFP: "Radiation and contamination have not been
cleared up, but so far as we know, the leak has been plugged."
Mr. Zagladin gave the number of casualties as two dead and
about 200 in hospital. "In the region bordering the Chernobyl
370
plant, life goes on absolutely normally," he said, but did not
exclude the possibility that some reports about contamination of
water might be correct, although he did not want to make any
firm statement. "An explosion very early on Saturday, April 26
killed two people during precautionary repair work," he added.
"Why was there an explosion? We do not know exactly. An
on-the-spot survey has not yet been made. In any case, the
explosion was not caused by anything happening to the reactor,
because it was not in operation at the time."
Mr. Zagladin considered that a human error was more likely to
have caused the disaster rather than a technical fault. "But we
can not say anything definite until there is a major survey which
will- enable us to get a 100 percent understanding of what
happened," he added. Asked if Chernobyl-type reactors in other
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Soviet nuclear centres had been closed down, he said that when
he left Moscow "all Soviet reactors were working."
"The Soviet Union is not against international cooperation to
? prevent nuclear accidents, as we have proved by our invitation to
? the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)" Mr. Zagladin
said, "it is all a question of studying the matter further." He did
not go into details.
The seven-nation Western industrial summit in Tokyo issued a
communique calling for a body to be set up, by international
convention, for_member nations to exchange information on all
?nuclear accidents and alerts.,
CHANCELLOR _KOHL ON CHERNOBYL, TOKYO SUMMIT
Discusses Nuclear Security
DW071155 Mainz ZDF Television Network in German 1700 GMT 6 May 86
[Interview.with Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl by correspondent Gustav Trampe
in Tokyo on 6 May, from the "Heute" newscast?recorded]
? [Text][Trampe] Mr Federal Chancellor: To start with, one very
important- subject for discussion within the framework of the
political dialogue was the problem of security in the field of
nuclear economy. You yourself have attached special importance
to the discussion of reactor security. Will you continue pushing
,the issue?
[Kohl] Certainly. It would have been completely unrealistic if we
had come together here in Tokyo a few days after the reactor
accident in Chernobyl in the Soviet Union and not discussed that
topic in detail. It is a topic that worries millions of people in East
and West. I myself advanced the formulations. I thought that
first of all we ought to express our sympathy to those directly
concerned and that we should offer the Soviet Union medical and
technical assistance, whenever requested to do so. That goes
without saying. However, the third point, we should clearly call
upon the Soviet Union to inform us about the facts, to reveal what
happened so that we can get an idea of the proportions of the
'accident. The fourth point, which in view of the future is of course
the most important one, is that we must draw the proper conclu-
sions and call on all nations that build and operate reactors to
cooperate closely in the competent international authority. That
means that technical data and security precautions should be
made known. It goes without saying that we are willing to do so.
That is no problem. Everybody must be able to assess whether or
not operating reactors have the high security standard which we
must insist upon. As I said before, our position is that the citizen's
'security and health must be given precedence. All of us who met
here agrcc that we will have to operate nuclear power plants in
the future. It is in- dispensable.
[Trampe] None of the participants raised any objection?
[Kohl] None of them. However, we all agree that security stan-
dards have to be very high.
[Trampe] The Soviet Union has been criticized relatively mildly
because of the reactor disaster in the Ukraine. Did that happen
in the interest of East-West relations? Are East-West relations
affected by the reactor accident?
[Kohl] I think ? to answer the first part of your question ? that
is not the point. I myself said, and others agreed, that whenever
an accident occurs in private life we do not ask whose fault it is,
but how can we help. Later we have to pose the question of
responsibility, or failure. That problem is being discussed now,
but at the moment we have to minimize the risks. That has
nothing to do with East-West relations ? if you think of the
Geneva negotiations, for instance. They must go on, and we
consider it extremely desirable that General Secretary
Gorbachev visit the United States this year and that we ? after
the first talks in Geneva last year ? can make some progress
toward disarmament and detente. That will be difficult, but I sec
a chance to take steps in that direction.
[Trampe] World economic summit, economic policy ? many
countries were criticized. The Americans, without naming them,
are asked to reduce the budgetary deficit, the Japanese are
expected to open their market. What do other S expect from us?
[Kohl] I think, we arc in a very favorable position. We talked
about the tasks for the year when we met in Bonn last year. That
year is over now. We have a brillant balance. We arc number one
among industrial nations regarding almost all economically
interesting data.
371
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[Trampel Number one often serves as a locomotive to pull the world economy.
Is that expected of us?
[Kohl] That was not a topic at all. The term did not come up. As I said
before, I cannot get used to such a policy.
Criticizes 'Limited' USSR Information
LD091119 Hamburg DPA in German 1021 GMT 9 May 86
[Excerpts] Bonn, 9 May (DPA) ? The Federal Cabinet met for
an unscheduled session chaired by Federal Chancellor Kohl
Friday noon to discuss the Soviet reactor accident and its conse-
quences. It is expected in Bonn that a decision of general principle
for an international initiative to safeguard a high standard of
safety for all nuclear power stations will be reached. The agenda
also includes plan for immediate aid to the German farmers and
vegetable growers who are affected by restrictions.
At the opening of the ADAC [FRG Automobile Club] general
assembly earlier in Frankfurt [9 May], Kohl stressed that there
is no immediate danger to federal citizens as a result of the
reactor accident. He levelled strong criticism against the limited
information from the Soviet authorities. The safety of nuclear
technology should be put on the agenda of East-West dialogue.
Following a widespread drop in radioactivity in the air to natural
radioactivity levels, controversy about the consequences for har-
vests of the relatively high concentration of radioactivity in the
soil looms ahead. The Federation for Environmental and Nature
Protection of Germany expressed serious concern at a news
conference on Friday that this year's harvest of cereals, vegeta-
bles and fruit may be unusable due to radioactive contamination.
The Interior Ministry reacted to this by accusing the federation
of "frivolous and unfounded claims" and referred to statements
to the contrary by the Radiation Protection Board.
372
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GOVERNMENT TO SEND TWO DECONTAMINATION VEHICLES
LD061011 Hamburg DPA in German 0935 GMT 6 May 86
[Excerpt] Bonn, 6 May (DPA) ? The Soviet Trade mission in
Cologne intends to buy or hire two unmanned special vehicles
from the Nuclear-Technical Auxiliary Service [Kerntechnische
Hilfsdienst] to be used for work on the reactor in Chernobyl.
Reliable sources told DPA today that Federal Interior Minister
Friedrich Zimmermann (CUS) has replied positively to an Auxil-
iary Service enquiry on whether the Federal Government would
approve sending these vehicles to the Soviet Union for humani-
tarian reasons.
The vehicles concerned are two remote-controlled front-end load-
ers that can be operated from a distance of one kilometer. The
special vehicles are intended for use in reactor plants which are
contaminated after accidents and which individuals are unable
to enter. The Nuclear-Technical Auxiliary Service has this
equipment at Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, near Karlsruhe.
BUNDESTAG INTERIOR COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS INCIDENT
DW051145 Mainz ZDF Television Network in German 1100 GMT 5 May 86
[Announcer?read report]
[Text] Responding to a demand by the Greens, the Bundcstag
Interior Committee will convene this afternoon for a special
meeting to discuss the effects of the reactor accident on the FRG.
While relatively high air radioactivity levels are still being reg-
istered in Essen, Regensburg, and Munich, data at other mea-
suring points are nearly back to normal levels.
Following the rainfall over the weekend soil radio activity has
increased. Spot checks of vegetables exceed permissible levels
tenfold. The Radiation Protection Commission therefore has
again warned against consuming leafy vegetables and fresh milk.
In some federal laender protective precautions have been
enhanced. Thus in Hamburg, it is being left up to parents to
decide whether they want to send their children to school. On the
Berlin wholesale market additional foodstuffs control points have
been set up.
373
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ZAGLADIN SAYS RADIATION LEAK 'PRACTICALLY STOPPED'
LD071038 Hamburg DPA in German 1008 GMT 7 May 86
[Excerpt] Oldenburg, 7 May (DPA) ? According to Vadim
Zagladin, member of the CPSU Central Committee, at the time
of the explosion the Chernobyl reactor had already been out of
operation for several days undergoing repair work. Zagladin, who
was in Oldenburg for a [)KP event on Tuesday evening [6 May],
told DPA that less radiation was therefore released then would
have been expected from a functioning reactor. The release of
radiation, which escaped in three waves, has now been "prac-
tically stopped," Zagladin said. He added that all the nuclear
power stations in the USSR apart from Chernobyl continue to
operate. In contrast, the London FINANCIAL TIMES has
reported that all nuclear power stations of the Chernobyl type
have been turned off.
)3UNDESTAG PRESIDENT JENNINGER MEETS YELTSIN
Chernobyl Incident Discussed
DW071310 Mainz ZDF Television Network in German 1100 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] This morning Moscow party chief Yeltsin met with Bun-
destag President Jenninger. The main topic was the reactor
accident in Chernobyl. During the talk lasting for 1 and 1/2
hours an hour, Yeltsin said that the accident could bc a starting
point for interhational cooperation in the field of peaceful use of
nuclear energy. Before, Jenninger had criticized the inefficient
information policy of the Soviet Union in connection with the
reactor accident. He pointed out that the countries affected by
radioactive fallout were confronted with great problems due to
that attitude.
Yeltsin on More Nuclear Cooperation
LD071402 Hamburg DPA in German 1326 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Bonn, 7 May (DPA) ? The USSR is prepared to deepen
cooperation with Bonn in the sphere of the peaceful use of nuclear
energy, according to [CPSU] Central Committee member Boris
Yeltsin. The accident in the Ukrainian reactor can also provide
impetus for seeking more common ground [Gcmeinsamkeiten] in
the spheres of security, disarmament and arms control, Yeltsin
stated in a talk with Bundestag President Philipp Jenninger
(CDU) in Bonn today. lie stressed the need to learn from this
incident and to look together for ways of ensuring information at
an early stage about any future cases.
On behalf of all party groups in the Bundestag Jenninger gave
his visitor the request to the USSR to inform all the neighboring
countries as quickly and extensively as possible on the effects of
the accident. Yeltsin, who is also a candidate member of the
Politburo and the new party chief of the city of Moscow and is
currently on a visit to the,Fcdeial Republic, promised to pass on
this request.
374
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Greens Criticize Yeltsin
DW071234 Mainz ZDF Television Network in German 1100 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] The Greens have strongly criticized the Soviet Union in
connection with the reactor accident in Chernobyl. Members of
the Greens' Federal Executive Board and Bundestag parliamen-
tary group last night had talks with Moscow party chief Yeltsin
and Soviet Ambassador to Bonn Kvitsinskiy. According to a
party statement the Greens were confronted with palliating and
incredible cynism on the part of their Soviet interlocuters when
they inquired about the health consequences for the population.
USSR EMBASSY ATTACKS 'CAMPAIGNS' ON CHERNOBYL
LD061251 Hamburg DPA in German 1130 GMT 6
[Text] Bonn, 6 May (DPA) ? The Soviet Union has accused
"certain circles" in the Federal Republic of trying to misuse the
reactor accident in the Ukraine for "dirty political objectives and
the fanning of hostile propagandist campaigns" against its coun-
try. The objective of such campaigns is to divert attention from
the efforts at a complete ban and deterrence of nuclear and other
mass destruction weapons, a statement issued by the Soviet
Embassy in Bonn on Tuesday says. This conduct is "irrecon-
cilable" with the spirit of detente and the desire to maintain
good-neighborly relations as repeatedly stated by Bonn, it was
added by way of warning.
The accusations made by the German side about Moscow's
"inadequate information policy" about the accident were
rejected in the statement as "totally groundless." The USSR
provided Bonn and the governments of other states with the
"necessary information." Other states and their populations were
not in jeopardy. This assessment is shared also by official German
authorities who said that there was not and is not any danger to
the population.
May 86
It emerges from the statement that work to overcome the conse-
quences of the accident and to help those affected is continuing
at and near the Chernobyl power station. This work is being done
in organized form and with the help of the requisite means. The
radioactive levels have dropped to "a considerable extent" and
are continuing to fall.
The Soviet Embassy statement referred to a talk between Charge
d'Affaires Vladislav Teretskov and representatives of the Foreign
Ministry on Monday. This was the third time that Teretskov had
called on the Foreign Ministry since the reactor accident. It was
learned in Bonn that he had available only the official reports of
the official Soviet TASS news agency. The Foreign Ministry said
afterwards that efforts at continuing contacts with the Soviets
have not yet yielded information on the total effects of the
accident.
' RADIOACTIVITY READINGS INCREASE IN MARBURG AREA
LD051718 Hamburg DPA in German 1533 GMT 5-May 86
[Text] Marburg, 5 May (DPA) ? Surface pollution with radio-
active materials rose to eight times the permissible. limit in
Marburg today. This was stated by Marburg nuclear'physicist
Professor Dr Horst Kuni. Measurements by physicists from
Philipps University produced readings of 20,000-25,000 Bee-
querels a square meter, the scientist said. In addition to the
recommendations of the I lesse Social Affairs Ministry, the local
council of Marburg-Bicdenkopf Krcis advised all schools and
kindergartens not to allow children to play outside and not to use
school outdoor sports grounds.
The Executive Council of Hesse Youth Sports Organization
recommended sports associations in the land to cancel for the
time being all children's and youth events outdoors and also to
close their own sports grounds. Since there were neither precise
details of figures nor binding statements about possible dangers
to health, caution required that contact with the ground on
open-air surfaces should be restricted. In addition to playing
fields and open-air swimming pools, areas of grass and cinder
tracks at sports grounds are among the endangered areas.
375
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BORDER CONTROLS RESTRICT MEAT, VEGETABLE IMPORTS
LD051556 Hamburg DPA in German 1450 GMT 5 May 86
[Excerpts] Hamburg, 5 May (DPA) ? By midday on Monday,
about 100 trucks had been checked in the process inspecting
meat, vegetables, and fresh milk at the border crossing in Berlin.
Thirteen trucks with vegetables from Poland and also some from
the Federal Republic had been turned back. Only fresh meat
imported from the Eastern bloc states was checked in Lower
Saxony. The land government recommended that these states not
transport any more fresh meat to Lower Saxony for now. At the
central market in Hamburg, three trucks with Chinese cabbage
from Hungary arc standing and are not being allowed to unload.
The police economic control service took possession of leaf vege-
tables such as ma ngels, savoy cabbage, spinach, chives, and corn
salad [as received] at the Mannheim central market.
One truck from the CSSR and two from the USSR were turned
back at the Helmstedt border post on Monday as they registered
too high a level of radiation.
DPA REPORTS VEGETABLES POLLUTED IN SAARLAND
LD061511 Hamburg DPA in German 1407 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Saarbruecken, 6 May (DPA)--Pollution levels of up to 2,100 Becquerels
of Iodine-131 were registered in the Saarland today for leeks and other vege?
tables. Cesium pollution was reported registered at 500 Becquerels in
Saarbruecken.
BERLIN CONFERENCE CRITICIZES USSR INFORMATION POLICY
LD021653 Hamburg DPA in German 1553 GMT 2 May 86
[Text] Berlin, 2 May (DPA) ? Local politicians at the 16th
European General Assembly of the Council of European Munici-
palities in Berlin have criticized Soviet information policy in
connection with the accident at the nuclear power station of
Chernobyl near Kiev. Josef Hofmann, international president of
the council, said to journalists at the close of the 4-day congress
today (Friday) that there was unanimity among the "representa-
tives of the citizens of Europe" that the "highest possible security
status" must be required for nuclear power stations. Nuclear
power stations without this security standard should be closed
down. Delegates in the "Urban Planning and Environmental
Protection" working group backed "binding agreements on secu-
rity policy" for Europe in this context.
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PRESS VIEWS TOKYO REACTION TO CHERNOBYL
DW061305 Cologne Deutschlandfunk Network in German 0505 GMT 6 May 86
[From the press review]
[Text] Commentators today deal with the world economic sum-
mit in Tokyo, including the summit's reaction to the Chernobyl
accident.
NEUE RUHR ZEITUNG of Essen writes: What conclusions
will the summit participants draw from Chernobyl? Because they
are the most highly advanced industrialized nations, it was a
matter of course for them to say yes to nuclear energy, assuming
correct handling. Yet each country bears sole responsibility for
its own nuclear power plants. In case of nuclearsmergencies,in-
formation is supposed to be immediately available in the future,
especially if cross-border consequences are imminent. Nobody
had bargained on wind. The Tokyo appeal to the USSR to
provide more information and to broaden nuclear energy consul-
tations is clear, but not unequivocal, mutual inspection of nuclear
plants is neither demanded nor offered -- nobody wants to permit
the other to see everything he has in his nuclear pot. It involves
more than just current from the wall socket.
HESSISCHE NIEDERSAECHSISCHE ALLGEMEINE of
Kassel writes: it was to be expected that sharp words were
directed at the USSR from Tokyo. They could not have been
sharp enough. The Kremlin has made every nation insecure and
has done them harm with its evasive information policy after the
reactor catastrophe. The West's reaction is poor, however.
instead of demanding the obligatory announcement of all future
failures and accidents in nuclear power plants, a mere exchange
of information is being recommended. Instead of demanding
international minimum standards for reactor security, there is
only talk of subsequent accident analysis. The summit partici-
pants did not even consider the advisability of using nuclear
technology.
The LUDWIGSHAFEN RHEINPFALZ writes: Inquiring in
Tokyo what the summit meeting will really change and what
would be considered a success, is the wrong way of posing the
question. A former observer said the participants at the summit
were like physicists discovering charged particles. With their
declaration against terrorism and about reactor 'security, the
state and government chiefs have made it clear that they arc
willing to discuss the worries of the people in their states, which
have democratic constitutions. That should not be underes-
timated. it is always a temptation to resort to being noncommittal
so as to obscure conflicting interests. Considerable differences of
opinion cropped up regarding the declaration on terrorism, the
newspaper comments.
KARLSRUHE BADISCHE NEUESTE NACHRICHTEN
writes: The respectable compromise agreed upon about the
problem of terrorism is not bad at all, because the joint catalogue
of measures does not shrink from naming Libya. Thanks to
President Reagan's determination, France and Italy finally
joined the American position, the newspaper concludes.
KOELNISCHE RUNDSCHAU states: In view of the worries
and personal problems that many people are having after the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the failure of state information
policy, the general political statements delivered by Western
government chiefs in Tokyo cannot but provoke a lack of
understan- ding. Was that really all, many people will ask with
irritation and astonishment, responsible leaders of the most
important industrial states managed to do in view of the present
international situation, which is obviously and in the true sense
of the word out of control and confusing, the newspaper writes.
DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST 'CONCEALMENT' OF EFFECTS
LD101452 Hamburg DPA in German 1147 GMT 10 May 86
[Summary] Munich 10 May (DPA) ? Over 15,000 people took
part in a demonstration today in Munich against the Wackers-
dorf nuclear reprocessing plant and the construction of further
nuclear power stations. Speakers addressing the peaceful dem-
onstration accused the authorities of concealment of the true
extent of the effects of the Chernobyl reactor catastrophe. Many
participants spontaneously joined the kilometer-long procession
through the city center.
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CHERNOBYL ELICITS CRITICISM OF BONN POLICY
WAI21250 [Editorial Report] The debate in the FRG on the
Chernobyl accident and its consequences have turned from
criticism of Soviet information policy to censure of the Federal
Government and the Laender for their "inadequate and unsatis-
factory" information policy and measures in response to
increased radiation data in the regions.
Cologne ARD Television Network carries a special program at
1905 GMT on 5 May an unattributed report over video ?
describing the confusing action and information. "the chaotic
information policy caused confusing and partly erroneous head-
lines in the media" which in turn "confused the people even
more". The people were also said to be irritated by the "expert
gibberish of scientists. Too much incomprehensible information
came down on worried citizens," and the "terminology chaos"
was accompanied by "divergent content." Typical, says the
report, was the "danger ceilings for milk. Thus, the Federal
Government established a ceiling of 500 becquerel per liter," a
level "also adopted by Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Bremen,
and Rhineland-Palatinate, whereas Berlin used a ceiling of 100
becquerel, and Hesse a mere 20 becquerel per liter.
The situation is similar concerning leafy vegetables. While the
Federal Government, Berlin, Baden-Wucrttemberg, Bavaria,
Bremen, and Rhineland-Palatinate stipulate a ceiling rate of 250
becquerel per kilogram, it is as low as 50 becquerel in Hamburg.
Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia have not even established
ceilings, nevertheless declaring that of the Federal Government
as being too high. The mishaps, the report goes on to state, began
with the telephone information services set up by the Laender
governments. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, callers
could not get through and hung up because no answering service
had been provided to tell them that their call had been relegated
to a "waiting loop." Meanwhile, experts, scientists, and physi-
cians were on telephone duty in Duesseldorf "around the clock."
The authorities, the report sums up its findings, "had not antici-
pated such a flood of inquiries. They were totally unprepared."
Mainz Television Network in its "Heute-Journal" program at
1945 GMT on 5 May reports that the vegetable growers of the
Schifferstadt area were caught totally by surprise when the
Baden-Wuerttemberg government ordered all leafy vegetables
on the wholesale market confiscated. Farmers complained that
the authorities could have spared them "considerable losses" had
they issued the confiscation order "prior to the vegetable har-
vest." In the same program, SPD floorleader Hans-Jochen Vogel
attacks the Federal Government for its information policy in
general and lack of coordination with the Laender in particular,
denouncing the seperate meeting of environment ministers of the
"CDU-governed Laender" and flatly demanding that Interior
Minister Friedrich Zimmermann "convoke all environment min-
isters and responsible ministers of the Laender for a meeting in
Bonn" to improve the flow of information.
The Frankfurt/Main FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU of 6
May also has gained the impression "that Bonn's information
policy of the past few days was not abreast of developments.
Criticism was advanced even from the coalition's own ranks."
Former interior minister Gerhart Baum, FDP, says in the Mainz
ZDF Television Network's "Heute" newscast at 1700 GMT on
5 May and in Hamburg ARD Television's "Tagesthemen" pro-
gram at 2030 GMT on the same day that, owing to "irritating,
contradictory information" the people "did not know how to
implement in practice the recommendations" of the authorities.
According to Axel Wernitz, SPD, chairman of the Bundestag
Interior Committee, the criticism of Bonn's information policy in
the wake of the Chernobyl disaster also dominated the interior
committee's special meeting on 5 May. Wernitz, who appears on
the "Tagesthemen" program, says that the "information policy
of the past few days was inadequate and unsatisfactory," which
"came to light during the discussion." SPD Bundestag Deputy
Bernd Reuter notes in the same program that the authorities
were "not at all prepared for such an accident and offered a
picture of helplessness."
KOHL TO WRITE GORBACHEV OVER CHERNOBYL DATA
LD091330 Hamburg DPA in German 1232 GMT_9 May
[Text] Bonn, 9 May (DPA) ? On Friday [9 May] the Federal
cabinet under the chairmanship of Federal Chancellor Kohl
decided to request a special session of the IAEA board of
governors in Vienna for next week as a result of the reactor
accident in the Soviet Union. Government spokesman Friedhelm
Ost told the press that the federal chancellor also intends to write
a letter to the Soviet party leader Mikhail Gorbachev to urge him
to immediately furnish comprehensive information on the reactor
accident which has not yet been forthcoming.
86
The Federal Government would also press for a conference
among all 26 states which operate nuclear power stations, said
Ost. The Federal Government'is willing to host it. Minister of
Agriculture Ignaz Kiechle (CSU) will discuss speedy aid for the
farmers affected by the accident with regional ministers next
week, Ost announced. Claims for compensation from the Soviet
Union were not discussed at Friday's cabinet session.
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EAST EUROPE VEHICLES CHECKED AT BORDER FOR RADIATION
LD091209 Hamburg DPA in German 1136 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Bonn, 9 May (DPA) ? Approximately 12,000 vehicles
arriving from East European countries, including nearly 7,000
cars, have so far been checked for radioactivity levels at the
Federal Republic's eastern borders. The Federal Interior Minis-
try also stated today that 244 trucks and 45 cars were turned
back. Seventy-five cars and 194 trucks have been decontami-
nated to eliminate radiation. This also applied to 13 out of 42
coaches that were checked.
FIRM SELLS REMOTE?CONTROLLED DEVICES TO USSR
LD111016 Hamburg DPA in German 0930 GMT 11 May 86
[Text] Karlsruhe, 11 May (DPA)? Kerntechnischer Hilfsidienst
GmbH (Nuclear Technical Auxiliary Service Company Ltd) has
sold special equipment to the Soviet Union in connection with the
Soviet reactor accident at Chernobyl in the Ukraine. As Gerd
Brudermueller, director of the enterprise, said today (Sunday) in
answer to questioning from DPA, three remote-control manip-
ulators, including tracklaying vehicles, [as received] were flown
last (Saturday) night to the USSR. The price was not disclosed.
Specialist personnel from Kerntechnischer Hilfsdienst are to fly
to the USSR to brief Soviet experts. Brudermueller, however,
pointed out that his colleagues will not be involved in any salvage
or repair measures to the damage reactor. This was a matter for
Soviet specialists.
REJECTION OF EEC RADIATION LEVELS EXPLAINED
LD101617 Hamburg DPA in German 1339 GMT 10 May
[Text] Bonn, 10 May (DPA) ? The Federal Republic refuses to
agree to the maximum levels of 1,000 becquerels per kilogram of
leafy vegetables and 500 becquerels per liter of milk proposed by
Brussels for trade within the EEC because the limit for leafy
vegetables is too high. According to Federal Health Minister
Rita Suessmuth (CDU), since the deadline for a decision lapsed
today the ec foreign ministers will now have to find a solution.
At a press conference in Bonn today the minister also rejected a
demand by Hesse for maximum levels for meat. The high individ-
ual readings for iodine 131 and caesium 137 found in cattle and
sheep in hesse are no reason to diverge from existing practice.
86
The incidence of very high levels in individual cases has already
been taken fully into account by the radiation protection board
in its earlier considerations.
Frau Suessmuth said pregnant women need not be concerned. In
particular, the recommendation' to terminate pregnancies is not
scientifically justifiable.
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HESSE FINDS 'ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH' MEAT RADIATION
Contamination Reported
LD091654 Hamburg DPA in German 1543 GMT 9
[Text] Wiesbaden, 9 May (DPA) ? In Hesse radiation has not
merely contaminated milk and vegetables to a high degree but
meat also. During examinations of animals for slaughter,
"almost astronomically high levels" were measured of iodine 131
and caesium 137, Armin Clauss (SPD), social affairs minister [for
Hesse], reported this evening in Wiesbaden.
According to this report, the Hesse Food Inspectorate [word
indistinct] established up to 17 million becquerels of iodine 131
and up to 3.3 million becquerels of cesium in the thyroid gland
of a deer. In sheep, the top readings for iodine 131 reached more
than 760,000 becquerels, and in cows over 300,000 becquerels.
Thyroid glands while of course not eaten, are still "important
indicators," Clauss said. In the muscular tissue of animals for
slaughter a radiation contamination from 250 up to more than
4,000 becquerels was found in about half the samples. There was
also up to 180 becquerels of cesium 137.
May 86
Clauss demanded that the Federal Government finally set limits
for meat and meat products. If Bonn does not alter its "scandal-
ous policy of playing down [the danger]," Hesse will protect its
citizens by its own measures. After forbidding the import of meat
and meat products from Eastern Europe, the Federal Govern-
ment must also eliminate dangers emanating from German and
West European foodstuffs. In a telegram to Friedrich Zimmer-
mann (CSU), the Federal interior minister, Rita Suessmuth
(CDU), the Federal health minister, and Ignaz Kiechle (CSU),
the Federal agriculture minister, and the Federal Health Author-
ity in Berlin, the Hesse social affairs minister announced that if
the Federal authorities set no limits, he will decree 250 bec-
querels of iodine 131 and 100 becquerels of cesium in fresh meat
as the highest safe levels in Hesse.
Radiation Limits Introduced for Meat
LD101810 Hamburg DPA in German 1735 GMT 10 May 86
[Excerpt] Frankfurt, 10 May (DPA) ? Hesse today introduced
radiation limits for meat ? the first Federal state to do so. Social
Minister Armin Clauss (SPD) made this decision after the Fed-
eral Government had considered such a step to be superfluous.
According to a Social Ministry spokesman, the limits are fixed
at 200 becquerel for iodine-131 and at 100 becquerel for cesium-
137. Pork and poultry are exempt from this provision, which is
fixed by a decree of the competent authorities. According to his
ministry, Minister Clauss said that Hesse's maverick action is a
"consequence of the scandalous inactivity of the Federal Govern-
ment."
Community Vote on Food Imports Blocked
AU101519 Paris AFP in English 1516 GMT 10 May 86
[Text] Bonn, May 10 (AFP) ? West Germany Saturday said it
would temporarily block a vote by European Economic Commu-
nity (EEC) countries on whether to ban certain food imports from
seven Eastern bloc countries. West German Health Minister
Rita Suessmuth said Bonn did not accept recommendations
made Friday by the European Commission on the norms used to
measure radioactivity in goods traded within the community.
EEC foreign ministers will now review the proposed ban on
Monday, she said.
The EEC vote, which was postponed to 1600 GMT Saturday at
West Germany's request, would end protective regulations
380
imposed unilaterally by Bonn and other governments and ask
member countries to rely on existing export controls on commu-
nity goods.
But Bonn does not accept the minimum radiation level of 1,000
becquerels per kilogramme recommended by the Commission for
Community Trade in spinach and lettuces, Mrs. Suessmuth said.
The minimum radiation level recommended by West Germany
for the products is 250 becquerels per kilogramme. Bonn made
its decision Saturday after consulting with state representatives,
the minister said.
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. GOVERNMENT 'REGRETS' LACK OF EC SANCTIONS DECISION
LD111820 Hamburg DPA in German 1722 GMT 11 May 86
[Text] Bonn, II May (DPA) ? After a meeting of the state
secretaries of the Federal Government departments concerned,
government spokesman Friedhelm Ost said today that Bonn
regrets the failure of the EC meeting in Brussels to agree on a
ban on importing fresh foodstuffs from Eastern Europe and on
uniform radiation limits for milk and leafy vegetables.
He stressed that an EC level agreement was not frustrated by
resistance from the Federal Republic. Bonn is still prepared to
accept the package originally proposed by the EC Commission
to halt imports from Eastern Europe and to set a uniform limit
for radiation exposure of 350 becquerel for fruit and vegetables.
The measures taken by the Federal Government ensure that,
pending an EC regulation, contaminated fresh foodstuffs from
Eastern Europe will not reach the Federal Republic.
GOVERNMENT DECLARES ENTIRE COUNTRY 'ALL?CLEAR'
LD121425 Hamburg DPA in German 1337 GMT 12 May 86
[Excerpt] Bonn, 12 May (DPA)--The Federal Government today announced a
radiation all?clear for the entire country, even if soil readings had not yet
gone back to normal everywhere. Friedhelm Ost, the government spokesman,
told the Federal press conference that all readings permit normal living and
food habits.
CHANCELLOR KOHL VIEWS CONSEQUENCES OF CHERNOBYL
DW091204 Mainz ZDF Television Network in German 1100 GMT 9 May 86
[Announcer?read report intersected with
statement in Neu?Isenburg on 9 May]
[Text] According to Chancellor Helmut Kohl the reactor acci-
dent in the Soviet Union does not endanger the FRG population.
The Federal Government has adopted the precaution recommen-
dations of the radiation protection commission, because it would
be better in the long run to do too much rather than too little.
Addressing the ADAC [General German Automobile Club]
general meeting in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt, Kohl further
said that those who had tried to make the citizens feel insecure
by the precaution measures just wanted to profit politically from
the people's anxiety.
[Begin recording] What we need now certainly is not some
campaigns but composure and determination. The reactor acci-
381
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clip from Chancellor Kohl's recorded
dent of Chernobyl must not remain without consequence. We in
the FRG continue adhering to the principle that the health and
safety of our citizens rank absolute priority over all other consid-
erations. Here in the Federal Republic we demand in the con-
struction of nuclear power installations safety standards which
are unmatched in the world. We will muster our whole strength
to back the demand that other countries must not lag behind the
standards which we require -- a matter that will also be a topic
of the Bonn cabinet meeting today. Reactor safety also belongs
on the agenda of the East-West dialogue. We expect the Soviet
Union to take farther-reaching safety precautions. [end record-
ing]
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Kohl continued to say that the consequences of Chernobyl cannot be a renuncia?
tion of the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the FRG because of neglects in
another country. What rather matters is that reactor safety must become the
supreme commandment for all countries.
KOHL WRITES TO GORBACHEV ABOUT NUCLEAR SAFETY
DW121050 Hamburg WELT AM SONNTAG in German 11 May 86 p 3
[Report signed H.V./SCHE:
"Kohl Will Send Letter to Gorbachev on Tuesday"]
[Text] Bonn ? Chancellor Helmut Kohl wants to ask Soviet
party chief Mikhail Gorbachev in a personal letter to support
efforts by the Federal Government to convene a conference of all
26 countries operating nuclear power plants. The conference
would take place in Bonn.
In the letter, to be sent on Tuesday, Kohl asks the Kremlin chief
to eventually give the FRG, as one of the "neighbors mainly
affected" by the reactor accident, all the information about what
really happened in Chernobyl. Kohl expects "understanding"
from Gorbachev so that Bonn can decide on longer-term supply
measures for the people "when the Moscow government provides
full information about the fallout from the accident."
At the Bonn conference planned by Kohl, two decisions are
envisaged:
1. Adaptation of security standards of all power plants to the
level of German reactors.
2. A common commitment that in all future breakdowns,
immediate, true, and timely information will be provided by the
country involved in the accident.
When SPD candidate for chancellor Johannes Rau demanded at
the SPD economic congress in Harnburg long-term abandonment
of nuclear energy by the FRG, Hermann Rappe, SPD deputy
and head of the chemical workers union, said that for him
"abandonment is out." Gerhard Schroeder, SPD candidate in the
Lower Saxony Landtag elections, announced that in this election
the SPD will be the "executor of the will of the vast majority of
the people to abandon nuclear energy.
The [CDU/CSU] Young Union dethanded the dismissal of Inte-
rior Minister Friedrich Zimmermann. (CSU). Chairman Chris-
toph Boehr accused the minister of having first said that there
was no danger, but that later more and More contradictory
measures were taken to avert danger.
GENSCHER CALLS FOR COOPERATION IN WAKE OF CHERNOBYL
LD111344 Hamburg DPA in German 1311 GMT 11 May 86
[Excerpts] Bonn, 11 May (DPA) ? Hans-Dietrich Genscher
(FDP), Federal foreign minister, has described the reactor acci-
dent at Chernobyl as a warning sign for the whole world to
cooperate. In an interview (RIAS Berlin) today (Sunday), Gen-
scher stated that mankind had become a survival community.
The new technologies required the cooperation of states. The
East would also recognize this.
Genscher demanded a better exchange of information, the set-
ting of minimum standards for atomic power stations, and
mutual help in nuclear accidents. He appealed to the Soviet
Union to remedy the deficiency of information which still existed.
Going beyond this, he called upon Moscow to cooperate in
disarmament matters. This year afforded the opportunity to
discuss all questions of disarmament at the various negotiating
tables.
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BONN COUNTERS USSR EMBASSY ON 'SAFE' TRAVEL AREAS
LD131841 Hamburg DPA in German 1552 GMT 13 May. 86.
[Text] Bohn, 13 May (DPA)--The Bonn Foreign Ministry today again cautioned
people against traveling to the disaster area in the Soviet Union. A few hours
after a Soviet Embassy statement that travel for foreign tourists to the
Ukraine, Belorussia, and Moldavia along all routes and cities is safe, the
Foreign Ministry advised against journeys to the Ukraine and Belorussia.
FDP GROUP DENIES WESTERN ANTICOMMUNIST CAMPAIGN
LD121958 Hamburg DPA in German 1746 GMT 12 May 86
[Excerpt] Berlin, 12 May (DPA) ? A delegation of the FDP
Bundestag group has? reiterated in the GDR the demands for
close international cooperation on questions of the safety of
nuclear power stations. The members of the group's working
circle on policy on Germany, foreign affairs and security
expressed this in Rostock on Monday [12 May] in a talk with
representatives of the Rostock Bezirk Council.
As a spokesman for the group reported in West Berlin, the GDR
politicians stated that no danger to health has arisen for the
population of the GDR from the Soviet reactor accident in
Chernobyl. Besides, there were different reactor systems and
different safety regulations in the GDR itself from those in the
USSR. The FDP politicians rejected accusations made by their
partners in the talk from the GDR that the reactor accident in
Chernobyl had been reacted to with hysteria and an anticom-
munist campaign in the West. Safety for people was the only
concern.
BANGEMANN SAYS FARMERS TO LOSE DM1 BILLION
LD131000 Hamburg DPA in German 0943 GMT 13 May 86
[Excerpt] Cologne, 13 May (DPA) ? Federal Economics Minis-
ter Martin Bangemann (FDP) expects that German farmers and
vegetable growers will have suffered about DM1 billion damage
as a result of the Soviet reactor accident. However, the Federal
Government still has no precise details and seeks to establish the
damage from information provided by the Federal states, Bang-
emann said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk Tuesday [13
May]. He announced that by Way of "emergency relief" farmers
will receive partial payments without each individual claim being
examined immediately. Such examination would take place at a
later date.
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XINHUA: SOVIET COMPENSATION 'SURELY' SOUGHT
0W140832 Beijing XINHUA in English 0624 GMT 14 May 86
[Excerpt] Bonn, May 13 (XINHUA)? Federal German farmers
will suffer a loss of one billion Deutsche Marks (about 460 million
U.S. dollars) as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the
Soviet Union, Federal Minister of Economics Martin Bang-
emann estimated today.
Bangemann said in an interview with the Federal German
broadcast station, no accurate and comprehensive statistics can
be compiled at present. But the government will provide subsidies
to farmers immediately and postpone the examination on appli-
cations for the subsidies until later. He stressed the government
will surely ask the Soviet Union to compensate for any losses
occurred because of the accident although such effort may not
be successful.
SPD DEMANDS REAPPRAISALOF NUCLEAR ENERGYPROGRAM
LD131950 Hamburg DPA in German 1844 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Bonn, 13 May (DPA) ?The SPD gioup in the Bundestag
this evening 'Tint forward a motion on the government statement
Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl will make to parliament tomor-
row on the Soviet reactor accident. The motion was adopted by
a large majority of the SPD group. It criticizes Soviet informa-
tion policy in connection with the reactor disaster as irrespon-
sible, calls for a review of German emergency planning, and
demands a radical reappraisal of energy policy.
The motion says that nuclear energy is acceptable only for a
transitional period. The controversial fast-breeder reactor in
Kalkar should not be put into service, and the plan to build a
nuclear reprocessing plant in Wackersdorf should be scrapped.
The Chernobyl disaster, the SPD says, exposed the inadequacy
of international agreements to avert dangers posed by the use of
nuclear energy.
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NOBEL EXPERT WARNS OF 'THOUSANDS' OF CANCER DEATHS
AU141702 Paris AFP in English 1627 ?GMT 14 May 86
[Excerpts] Bonn, May 14 (AFP) ? Fallout from Chernobyl will
cause "thousands of extra cancers" in West Germany over the
coming decades, the head of the West German section of the
Nobel Prizewinning International Physicians for the Prevention
of Nuclear war says.
"There is no threshold at which radioactivity is not a danger,"
Professor Herbert Begemann told the weekly magazine STERN
in an interview published Wednesday [14 May]. "All the experts
agreed that even the smallest quantities are harmful." "In gen-
eral, leukemias occur after seven or 10 years, while cancerous
tumours appear only between 15 and 30 years."
He warned that cancer-causing substances with along half-life,
such as cesium 137, plutonium 239 and iodine 129, "will enter
the food chain in the next few weeks" after having been absorbed
into the ground. However, Erich Oberhausen, chairing a govern-
ment committee for radiological protection, said? that rates of
cancer caused by Chernobyl would be negligible "and disappear
into (West Germany's) overall statistics."
FRG PRESS: CHERNOBYL WILL AFFECT ELECTIONS
DW141040 Cologne Deutschlandfunk Network in German 0505 GMT 14 May 86
[From the press review]
[Text] Editorials today deal with the possible effects the Cher-
nobyl reactor accident could have on the FRG elections.
KOELNSICHE RUNDSCHAU writes: Chernobyl is located
thousands of kilometers away from us, but elections in Lower
Saxony and for the Bundestag are approaching. That brings us
to an issue that is as interesting from the viewpoint of political
opportunism as it is unappetizing as related to political morality.
Everybody hints at it, but hardly anybody says that Chernobyl
is being strongly exploited in the FRG election campaign. The
more the radioactive clouds from the Ukraine dissolve, the more
strong and obvious are attempts to activate the citizens' emotions
to the disadvantage of the CDU/CSU. First it was only assump-
tions, but now that Bonn has given the all-clear signal while
North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse are still an alert, the sit-
uation has become suspicious. Naturally, such suspicions can
quickly hit below the belt. The coming election campaign will not
take place in Chernobyl, but the events there could decide the
elections. The probability that this assumption might be correct
is more likely the more it is denied.
FRANKFURTER RUNDSCHAU writes: These days one
must listen carefully who the accident makes reflective and
whose remarks are just tactics serving to disguise real intentions.
The reminder that one should not misuse such catastrophes for
an election campaign does not matter much, it is mostly a
hypocritical and purely diversionary maneuver. All problems
must be explained and handled out in the open. The people have
a, right to know what lessons the big political,organizations want
to draw from the catastrophe, whether everythingwill remain as
it is, whether the nuclear energy, program will be extended,
whether_discontinuation is advocated, or whether an immediate
stop will be ordered in case of a change of leaders.
NEUE OSNABRUECKER ZE1TUNG maintains: In, the
heated debate on a possible discontinuation of nuclear energy as
a reaction to the Chernobyl catastrophe, honesty seems to be
suffering. Behind the justified concern, there is also trivial oppor-
tunism from those who suddenly feel equipped with effective
election campaign munition. It is, therefore, only too natural that
the challenger in the Lower Saxony election is acting as if he
wanted to extinguish every nuclear fire tomorrow. It looks more
like craftiness than responsible political action. So what if only
the voter and his nuclear fear are mobilized that way. It is equally
logical for the Greens to press for leadership in the renunciation
movement, especially in Hesse where they can operate in the
arms of the SPD. However, nobody says anything about what
will follow the renunciation of nuclear energy, what economic
and ecological consequences must be expected for an industrial
state like the FRG. Compensation by using fossil fuels such as
coal and oil is out. Whether windmills, the sun, or tidal power are
sufficient replacements is speculative. What is now heard from
the SPD and the Greens is, therefore, only for the transitory
effect.
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FRG LAWYER SUES USSR FOR DAMAGES AFTER CHERNOBYL
AU140842 Paris AFP in English 0838 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] Dusseldorf, West Germany, May 14 (AFP) ? Lawyer
Hansjorg Loschelder has begun a damages action against the
Soviet Union following the Chernobyl nuclear mishap, on the
grounds his family has been subject to radioactive fallout. The
consequences of radiation caused by the accident were still not
well-known, but risked taking the form of many cancers in 10 to
15 years, he argued. "I owe it to my wife and children (aged six
and four) to take up their defence and ask for damages for the
harmful effects they could suffer," he said. Mr. Loschelder began
his action in a court here under the West Germany civil code.
386
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GREECE
PAPANDREOU ON PROPOSALS FOR WORLDWIDE NUCLEAR SAFtTY
NC061903 Athens Domestic Service in Greek 1800 GMT 6 May 86
[Statement by Greek Prime Minister Andreas
given--read by announcer]
[Text]The nuclear accident at Chernobyl is a final, most forceful,
and dramatic warning to all peoples and political leaders.
Regardless of the scientifically sound measures to curb this
phenomenon and to combat its repercussions, which have been
successful both in Europe and in our country, an enormous
political and moral responsibility toward mankind has emerged.
In cooperation with other countries, Greece has begun a great
effort to achieve peace and avoid a nuclear disaster. However, it
is time for the political leaders of the great countries to stop
indulging in wishful thinking and mutual denunciations, and to
consider what such a disaster may mean for every man and for
the entire world.
With these thoughts, and today, when a certain balance has
returned to Europe, the Greek Government intends to place the
issue directly before the summit conference of the 12. The
initiative of the Six will intensify simultaneously; indeed, the six
Papandreou;
date and place not
are already acting in this direction. In addition to our well-known
position in favor of peace, arms reduction, and the withdrawal of
nuclear weapons, we shall ask for the following measures:
First, a moratorium on nuclear tests.
Second, open inspections of all reactors without exception, not
only by the International Atomic Energy Agency, but by the
World Health Organization as well.
Third, a responsible, continuous, and automatic mutual briefing
on any incident involving reactors.
Fourth, a halt to the production of breeder reactors. Their
construction ?is fraght with peril, and threatens to transform
humanity from a society of people to one of plutonium. Of course,
the peoples of the world will not allow this, and billions will
certainly wage a struggle to remain human.
SPOKESMAN ON SOVIET DISCLOSURE OF NUCLEAR DATA
NC062005 Athens Domestic Service in Greek 1830 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] In response to a journalist's question on Greece's position
toward the USSR, which did not announce the accident in
Chernobyl immediately, the government spokesman made the
following statement: Indeed, membership in the international
energy organization, of which the Soviet Union is part, brings
with it an obligation to provide information on nuclear accidents
at once. However, the immediate release of data does hot apply
to the Soviet Union alone. There have been similar occurrences
and behavior in the past. Our position is that information should
be given.
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PUBLIC ADVISED ON CONSUMPTION OF MILK, VEGETABLES
NC052101 Athens Domestic Service in Greek
[Text] Acting on instructions from the prime minister, the body
for interministerial coordination met today and was joined by a
scientific committee of professors and other experts in order to
deal with the consequences of the Soviet nuclear accident in
Chernobyl.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Welfare made the
following announcement after the conference: All of Europe
faces the repercussions of the nuclear accident. Increased levels
of radiation are still present in Greece, but they show no upward
trend and have not exceeded tolerable limits. Due to today's
meteorological activity, it has been determined that radioactive
substances have settled on grass, and, consequently, may be in
IMPORTS OF UNCHECKED FOODS PROHIBITED
2000 GMT 5 May 86
the food of certain animals, particularly goats and sheep that
graze in the open.
Therefore, it is recommended: a) that the consumption of milk,
especially that of goats and sheep, and specifically by young
children, be avoided. This milk can be used later without any
danger. Obviously, preserved [sindirimeno] milk is absolutely
safe. b) That the consumption of vegetables, especially those that
are difficult to wash, be avoided. We stress that there is no
problem with water drawn from supply networks, underground
sources, and covered reservoirs. These measures are similar to
those taken by other European countries which have faced and
are facing similar or greater concentrations of radioactivity.
NC061948 Athens Domestic Service in Greek 1830 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] The Ministry of Commerce has asked the Ministry of
Finance not to permit any imports of fresh milk, fruit, and
vegetables, as well as meat from lambs and goats, to clear
customs unless they have been checked in advance for radioactive
contamination. Meanwhile, the state's General Chemical Lab-
oratory and Dhimokritos [state laboratory for nuclear research]
have been instructed to organize a system that will allow these
inspections to be carried out.
PROTEST LODGED FOR TOURISTS FORCED ON KIEV VISIT
NC081429 Paris AFP in English 1404 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Athens, May 8 (AFP) ? Greece has made an official
protest to thc Soviet Union over an incident in which 40 Greek
tourists were taken against their wills on a trip to Kiev, not far
from the site of the Soviet nuclear accident, a government
spokesman said on Thursday.
Official spokesman Andonis Kourtis said the tourists had asked
that a scheduled trip to the Ukrainian city, part of their package
tour, be omitted from the itinerary because of the danger of
radiation.
However the holidaymakers were taken there anyway, under
circumstances which have still not been made clear, he added.
The tour was organised by "Lev-Tours", an affiliate of the Soviet
tourist organisation "Sputnik"!
Mr. Kourtis said the Greek ambassador to the Soviet Union had
delivered a protest to the Soviet Foreign Ministry.
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RIZOSPASTIS INTERVIEWS ARBATOV ON CHERNOBYL
NC111659 Athens RIZOSPASTIS in Greek 11 May 86 p 3
["Exclusive" interview granted to RIZOSPASTIS by Georgiy Arbatov, member of
the CPSU Central Committee and director of the USA and Canada Institute;
place and date not given]
[Text] [Question] Western mass media accuse the Soviet Union
of not informing the public about the Chernobyl accident right
away. What do you have to say?
[Arbatov] What took place required that we check the facts
carefully and that we collect reliable information based upon a
true reading of the station's control instruments. It appears that
the accident created a situation around the power station that
hampered investigation into the causes of this unforeseeable
calamity.
First of all, we had to think of saving the people who were directly
threatened. Moreover, investigation into the causes of such an
unusual accident is not a simple matter. We must not forget that
to this date the Americans have not yet investigated the true
causes of the Challenger tragedy.
The necessary briefing of the IAEA representative was under-
taken immediately after the first official government ,
announcement. We invited IAEA Chairman Hans Blix to Mos-
cow without delay. I would like to remind you that the United
States informed the 1ASA about the Three Mile Island accident
a month after it happened. I stress this because certain people in
the West have launched unprecedented propaganda. This attack
as a result of the accident is a manifestation of unprecedented
hatred against the Soviet Union. We are witnessing a premed-
itated campaign designed to create a state of hysteria among
people. This is not right.
Geoffrey Howe, the right-wing foreign minister of Great Britain,
has made clear that it is unacceptable for a tragedy to be used
for anti-Soviet propaganda.
The Chernobyl accident is a sad event. The world, however, has
come to know 151 such accidents. From 1971 to 1984 alone there
have been accidents in the nuclear power plants of 14 countries
(aside from the United States).
We must draw the proper conclusions from these accidents and
make the operation of nuclear power plants throughout the world
safer. We must guard against the unforeseeable. To use these
unpleasant incidents to fan enmity among people is base and
dishonest.
[Question] Does the level of radioactivity threaten neighboring
countries? What measures are being taken to reduce the danger?
[Arbatov] Soviet scientists cannot possibly have the facts about
the level of radioactivity in Scotland, Wales, northern Norway,
or Japan, for the very simple reason that they are quite distant
from the Soviet Union. In Kiev, which is 130 kilometers from
389
Chernobyl, radioactivity levels do not exceed limits that in prac-
tice are safe for humans.
These levels are high in the area of the accident. It is for this
reason that it has been closed and the necessary measures are
being taken. Measuring the radioactivity levels is a purely tech-
nical matter. I am not an expert. I am, however, in a position to
know that the Soviet Atomic Energy Commission is keeping the
IAEA informed at all times.
Logic dictates that we adopt all necessary measures in order to
minimize the accident's aftereffects. Soviet scientists, equipped
with special instruments, recently arrived in Poland and Roma-
nia.
You see, the level of radiation is not constant. It depends on
distance, the location of the accident, the direction of the wind,
and other factors. The levels of radiation in the surrounding area
and at a distance of 100 meters from the reactor were extremely
high. We had radioactive fallout in a number of places that were
dozens of kilometers away, and readings that were slightly above
normal at a distance of 100 km. I do not believe that the
inhabitants of neighboring countries were exposed to any greater
danger than those people living more than 100 km from the scene
of the accident.
Naturally, it is difficult to predict what the level of radiation will
be in Japan or some other distant point. However, we do know
the effect that American, British, and Chinese nuclear tests in
the atmosphere have had on the level of radiation in our country.
The same is true of underground nuclear tests.
[Question] There are many in the West who are sincerely con-
cerned about the fate of those residing near the scene of the
accident. Are the residents of these areas truly aware of the
danger? Do they know its scope?
[Arbatov] We are grateful to the thousands who have volunteered
bone marrow for transplants and blood for transfusions. We have
been touched by these expressions of support, and sincerely
accept every form of help, which presupposes honest intentions
and goodwill. However, I would like to remind you that only two
people died in Chernobyl, and not 2,000, as some had boasted
[khirokrotisan]. Only 200 people were hospitalized, and not
100,000 as in India following the blast at the American "Union
Carbide" plant. In addition, 47 of these 200 people have already
left the hospital.
I would not advise anyone to pay serious attention to, much less
believe, the sensationalist Western media, which are trying to
sow panic by exploiting the accident. This is exactly what such
stations as "Radio Liberty" and "Radio Free Europe," which are
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?
financed by the CIA, are doing in their broadcasts to the Soviet
Union, Poland, Romania, and other countries.
Based on the real facts, we must say that there was no nuclear
explosion, or chain reaction at Chernobyl. Similar accidents,
? accompanied by fires, have occurred?at nuclear plants in Britain
''and the United States, and the situation there was no better than
at Chernobyl. Here the danger was felt only by those who were
? quite-near,to the scene of the incident; and:they were few. We
should not forget that the ?ChernobY1 plant has an excellent
system forrautomated production, and that only the night shift
was at work at the time. Measures regarding the population were
):?).)..talten immediately, and all those within 30 km yereVansferred
,to safe areas well in lime. The necessary data is being ',supplied
to Kiev)and other towns.near Chernobyl... ?
[Question] One of the most basic obstacles to acceptance by the
United States of peaceful Soviet proposals is the matter of
controls. Can the Americans have confidence in the USSR when
it failed to immediately supply information on the Chernobyl
accident?
[Arbatov] The United States is using the Chernobyl accident as
an excuse to refuse serious and responsible dialogue on halting
the arms race and on disarmament. We consider this interpreta-
tion as a serious mistake. This is being skillfully used to divert
the world's attention from the main goal: avoiding a-catastrophe
that could be millions of times more terrible than similar acci-
dents in all the nuclear power stations combined. The planned
offensive by the Western press and certain Western governments,
as a result of Chernobyl, is hypocritical and insincere. Once
again, ii derrionstrates the goal of certain specific circles that try
to slander the USSR, to undermine confidence in it, and to
present it as an untrustworthy partner. All?this is)done.in order
, to justify)a.policy supporting a continuation of the arms race.
The Soviet Union is against any nuclear 'danger, including the
danger arising from accidents in peaceful nuclear power plants.
The Chernobyl accident gave us another lesson on interdepen-
dence in niodern civilization,under .conditions of rapid tech-
nological- progresS: ?
) ? ) ): ? ?. ?
Let ? us reinember, acid rain, the millions of deaths in
transportation accidents, as well as the threat of nuclear war,
which hangs over humanity.
The world is living itt,the presence of 50,09 nuclear warheads.
It lives under,the threat of NATO delivering the first nuclear
strike. At the same?time, is not humanity informed about nuclear
explosions in Nevada and the islands of the Pacific Ocean? Is it
not informed about the dozens of accidents in the course of
implementing military nuclear technology, as well as the two
accidents on U.S. nuclear submarines? However, the supply of
information in itself does not solve the problem.
Humanity will be-rid of this grave concern andit will be able to
calmly devote itself to basic issues, if it truly believes that the
atom will not create calamities for it.
??)
'ANARCHISTS' HOLD ANTINUCLEAR DEMONSTRATIONS,
NC140719 Athens Domestic Service in Greek
[Text] The nuclear accident in Chernobyl prompted the holding
of two demonstrations in Athens yesterday to protest the use of
nuclear energy. The first demonstration was held in the
courtyard of Athens University at 1800. It was organized by the
Nonaligned Movement for Peace, the Antinuclear Initiative, and
the Alternative Movement of Ecologists.
A march toward the EEC offices, the French Embassy, and the
Soviet Embassy's press office was then staged. It ended at the
military museum.
A second demonstration to protest the use of nuclear energy was
held in the same area a little later. This protest was organized by
PAKOE, KIPAEA, and PEAK [expansions unknown]. A march
toward the military museum was then undertaken.
The police arrested 16 people, 14 men and 2 women, for incidents
instigated by groups of youth in Omonia [Athens square] and
adjacent streets last night. Nine policemen were injured during
390,
these incidents, and three of them are now being treated in
Hospital 301.
The trouble began as the march staged after the first antinuclear
protest was passing through Omonia. Groups of young people,
who according to the police are anarchists, burned a police
emergency action motorcycle at the end of Panepistimiou Street
in Omonia. The driver was not injured by the incident. The same
individuals then threw rocks and a Molotov cocktail at an (?inter-
rogation) vehicle belonging to TOSA [expansion unknown]. A
seat in the vehicle caught fire and policeman Konstandinos
Yiannakopoulos was wounded. The fire was extinguished imme-
diately.
The youths also threw rocks at police in the Omonia area. A clash
ensued and policeman Dhimitris Karalis suffered a neck injury.
The young people responible for these incidents were dispersed
by the police. Small clashes also took place in other downtown
Athens streets.
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FILM SHOWING CHERNOBYL FIRE SAID TO BE 'FRAUD'
AU141052 Rome ANSA in English 1049 GMT
[Text] (ANSA) Rome, May 14 ? The film reportedly showing
the fire which followed the April 26 nuclear disaster at the Soviet
Chernobyl power plant, and which has been shown by two
American networks as well as Italy's state television network
RAI, is a fake, sources said here.
The fraud was discovered after residents of the Trieste region of
Northern Italy, who had watched the RAI's second channel
afternoon news yesterday, began calling the local RAI TV station
to say that the area filmed was, (?in fact), Trieste's industrial
zone as seen from the Cattinara and Caresana hills.
The fraud was carried out by a Yugoslavian who claimed that he
had been a tourist in the Soviet Union and that on April 27 he
was in the area near the Chernobyl power plant and that he had
filmed the blaze with amateur equipment.
14 May 86
After failing to sell his film to the local RAI station in Trieste,
the Yugoslavian had no trouble in selling it to the "Visnews"
news agency which, in turn, passed it on to the American
networks who then, via sattelite, sent it to RAI central headquar-
ters in Rome. The film, in fact, actually shows the smoke which
rises from the "Terni" steel mill and the building shown is in
reality the Cattinara hospital. Following the phoned-in protests,
the RAI showed the film to its reporters who were acquainted
with the Trieste region and all confirmed that the film depicted
the Trieste industrial zone. The American "NBC" and "ABC"
networks also confirmed the fraud after they had consulted with
their own collaborators in Trieste.
CAORSO NUCLEAR PLANT TO CLOSE 10 DAYS FOR REPAIRS
AU141058 Rome ANSA in English 1011 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] (ANSA) Piacenza, May 13 ? The nuclear power plant in
nearby Caorso will stop operating for a period of about ten days
in order to repair a small leak in the reserver cooling system of
the reactor's core. The leak occurred Saturday night and was
defined as "slight". Guido Morandi, who runs the power station,
took pains to stress that the reactor's main cooling system as well
as its emergency system are fully in order. The ten-day closedown
will make it possible for experts to make a thorough check of the
plant's machinery and security systems.
391
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NEWSPAPERS CARRY WIDE?RANGING EDITORIAL COMMENT
WA081500 [Editorial Report] Iberian papers carry a wide range
of comment on the Chernobyl nuclear reactor incident. An
editorial on page 4 of the Madrid daily YA on 30 April calls the
USSR's initial silence about the accident "obviously
blameworthy" partly because of "the contamination of pop-
ulations beyond its own borders who may have suffered consid-
erable harm as a result of that silence." VA ends by asserting
that "a situation that restricts freedom of expression and that
produces technological defects stemming from faulty planning is
not the best framework within which to tackle the risks always
inherent in mankind's venture in search of solid progress." An
editorial on page 4 of the Mayday edition of Barcelona's LA
VANGUARDIA asks: "Where are the pacifists and the
ecologists?" and argues that "protests and condemnations must
have no predetermined geographical, ideological, or political
boundaries." The paper calls for "an international code of
nuclear conduct" to cover any such incidents in the future.
According to a page 10 editorial published by the Madrid daily
EL PAIS on 30 April, "the attitude of the Soviet authorities,
which only admitted the accident 24 hours after the event,"
"justifies the mistrust with which the entire world has received
those authorities' inquiries and announcements." EL PAIS says
IBERIAN PENINSULA
that the incident "has highlighted not only the major technical
shortcomings with regard to security that still exist but also the
total absence of international regulations in this regard."
The Lisbon daily DIARIO DE NOTICIAS on 30 April carries
an editorial on page 6 which claims that "the most logical
conclusion" is that "faced with the accident's effects on
neighboring Western countries, the USSR had no choice but to
confirm that which it failed to announce spontaneously at the
time," and rejects the suggestion that the admission exemplifies
any new "openness" on the USSR'S part.
According to Jose Antonio Saraiva, editor of Lisbon's
EXPRESSO, in an editorial appearing on page 8 of the weekly's
3 May edition, "the 'new Gorbachev era' has not brought much
change" with regard to the dissemination of information and
"such behavior increasingly tarnishes the USSR's image
abroad."
IODINE, CAESIUM TRACES FOUND; NO DANGER
LD082027 Lisbon Domestic Service in Portuguese 2000 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] The consequences in Spain of the Chernobyl nuclear .
accident ?. The autonomous government of Catalonia has
admitted that the particles of radioactive iodine detected in the
area could enter the food chain.
Traces of iodine in grass and caesium in milk have been detected
in Portugal.
A source at the Industry Ministry said, however, that the levels
of those substances are very low, without biological significance,
and pose no threat to health.
392
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RADIOACTIVE IODINE FOUND IN URINE SAMPLES
NC081211 Paris AFP in English 1208 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Barcelona, Spain, May 8 (AFP)? A doctor here has found
traces of radioactive iodine in urine samples taken from 12 people
-- including himself ? in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear
disaster in the Soviet Union.
Doctor Eduard Rodriguez Farre, a member of Spain's Nuclear
Safety Council, made the tests after discovering radioactive
Iodine- I 31 in rain which fell here Saturday.
Dr Rodriguez Farre said there was ten times the normal level of
radioactivity in the.rainwater. .
393
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ITALY
CRAXI RECEIVED GORBACHEV MESSAGE ON INCIDENT
LD071850 Rome International Service in
[Excerpts] The health minister's measures regarding the
restrictions imposed on vegetable and milk consumption are
likely to remain in force for a number of days yet, even though a
drop in the levels of radioactivity in the air has been registered.
Recent rains, however have caused the radioactivity levels at
ground level to increase, hence the state of emergency.
The Christian Democratic Party today submitted a motion in the
Senate on the problems raised by the Soviet nuclear incident. The
motion requested that the government reveal the steps it has
taken and its contacts with Soviet authorities, as well as supply
accurate data on radioactivity levels.
Italian 1730 GMT 7 May 86
Premier Craxi today received a message from Gorbachev in
which he said that Italy, too, would be kept informed of the
progress aimed at eliminating the consequences of the Chernobyl
accident.
The Christian Democrats felt that the national energy plan must
be implemented, even if safety is at the highest level in Italy's
nuclear plants. Other political parties, particularly the Commu-
nists, have asked the government to reveal the extent of the
damage suffered by farmers owing to the radioactive cloud.
RADIOACTIVE 'CLOUD' EXPECTED TO LEAVE LATE 7 MAY
AU071028 Rome ANSA in English 1008 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] (ANSA) Rome, May 7 ? The radioactive "cloud", pro-
duced by the Soviet nuclear disaster at their Chernobyl power
plant last week, is expected to leave the atmosphere above Italian
territory by late this morning at the latest, Italian airforce
weather experts said, following their latest study of wind con-
ditions.
Yesterday, the special technical-scientific committee, set up to
keep tabs on the nuclear emergency, released their latest findings
which showed a drop in the radioactivity in the atmosphere. Tests
on milk samples showed a slight drop in radioactivity in the
northern and central Italy, but an increase in the south. Radio-
activity in vegetables increased throughout the peninsula.
394
The special committee explained that the rise in radioactivity in
vegetables was due to the recent rainfall which, in effect,
"cleaned" the atmosphere. The increase of radioactivity in milk,
produced in southern italy, was said to the delay caused by the
cows' digestive cycle. [sentence as received]
Sources at the Health Ministry here said that they are studying
ways to treat, and thus utilize; the milk which has been gathered
in-recent days and their report should be out shortly. These same
sources said that imported "contaminated" livestock, particu-
larly from Poland, will be put into quaratine.
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AGRICULTURAL LOSSES COSTLY; PROTEST MARCH PLANNED
AU081526 Rome ANSA in English 0810 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] (A NSA) Rome, May 7 ? The damage wreaked on Italian
agriculture by the Health Ministry's ban on the sale of leaf
vegetables-for a fortnight starting Saturday has cost 3.3 million
dollars so far, estimates from the country's market gardeners said
Wednesday.
The ministerial order also banned selling fresh milk for feeding
to children of up to ten. As a result, even adult milk consumers
have given up drinking milk completely, leaving thousands tilion:
thousands of litcres unsold and unsaleable.
Two leading Italian milk firms, Parmalat and Polenghi, have now
said they will buy in the unsold milk and treat it'into [as received]
for Jong preservation once they have checked out that the level
of radioacticity iS normal. In the southern region of Calabria,
StraWberry growers arc handing outscores of tons of strawberries
free in protest against the Health Ministry's measures, which
they claim have set off a psychosis leading Italians to shun many
vegetables and fruits not included in the ban.
At the frontiers, sonic food cargos arc being sent back, especially
those arriving from Eastern Europe. In Parliament, Agriculture
Minister Filippo Maria Pandolfi said more than 300 centers are
prepared to buy the banned vegetables.
Meanwhile, Italian "Greens", or those of similar views, ranging
from the proletarian democrats to the radicals and young Com-
munists, said their antinuclear march on Saturday will pass in
front of the Soviet Embassy.
, The march is to protest, against the Chernobyl disaster and to
demand more rigorous security at Italian nuclear power stations.
CRAXI: SITUATION WILL 'RETURN TO NORMAL' SOON
AU101512 Rome ANSA in English 1043 GMT 10
[Excerpt] (ANSA) Rome, May 14 ? Italian Prime Minister
Bettino Craxi said that the situation in Italy should "return to
normal" in a few days, following the April 26 nuclear disaster at
the Soviet Chernobyl power plant. The prime minister made his
statements after meeting with his cabinet yesterday do discuss
the measures which have been adopted to face the increase of
radioactivity in the atmosphere and on farm products. These
measures have been viewed as excessive by some and insufficient
,by others.
Craxi went on to say that the situation has already returned to
normal in Sardinia and Sicily and if wind currents do not bring
any new radioactivity "clouds", then the nuclear state of emer-
gency could end shortly.
The statements by theprime minister followed a day of conflict-
ing points of view expressed by government and scientific groups.
A note from the National State Alternative Energy Commission
(ENEA) said that the increase in radioactivity in Italy, resulting
from the Chernobyl incident, was only twice the "natural" level
of radioactivity and that data saying that the increase was one
hundred times the normal level were "simplistic and not exact."
Before the ENEA note was released, two physicists from the
University of Rome physics department, Gianni Mattioli and
Massimo Scalia, held a press conference during which they
maintained that the italian authorities have only released partial
data on the levels of radioactivity. "We are compiling others,
much more alarming, based on much more reliable tests". The
two physicists went on to say that the high levels of radiation to
395
May 86
which the Italian public has been exposed, will results in thou-
sands of cases of tumors and leukemia over the next twenty years.
Another alarming statement was made yesterday afternoon by
Professor Giovanni de Maria, a chemical physics professor at the
University of Rome who is also the director of the Center for
High Temperature Chemical Thermodynamics for the National
Research Council and an advisor for Euratom in reactor safety.
According to De Maria, the 17 meter thick "dome", made of
sand, lead,and boron, which the Soviets have placed over the
Chernobyl reactor, to suffocate the blaze, risks collpasing. The
result would be the release of a new "cloud", rich in radioactive
elements which have been reduced to the gaseous stage.
The polemics between scientific groups has also drifted into
political circles. The Christian Democrat party organ // Popolo
writes today that the government "must go to all extremes to
provide, Parliament with all the data relating to the Chernobyl
incident and on the situation Of the nuclear sector in Italy and
Europe."
These recent polemics have not divided public opinion on the
opportunity of carrying out the proposed energy plan which calls
for the construction of new nuclear power plants and continued
use of existing ones. Following yesterday's cabinet meeting,
Industry Minister Renato Altissimo said that "the energy plan
will continue as set down by Parliament. The Chernobyl incident
does not allow us to put our heads in the sand and security factors
will of course be privileged."
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FURTHER ON GORBACHEV MESSAGE TO CRAXI ON CHERNOBYL
AU081445 Rome ANSA in English 0851 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] (ANSA) Rome, May 7 ? Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev pledged to keep Italy, other countries and world
public opinion up to date on work to eliminate the effects of the
Chernobyl power-station disaster in a message to Italian Premier
Bettino Craxi handed over in Tokyo, Craxi's office announced
Wednesday as the prime minister returned to Italy from the
seven-nation summit in the Japanese capital.
The message voiced "recognition for the feelings of solidarity"
voiced by the Italian Government over the reactor melt-down.
The Soviet Union, Gorbachev said, takes a "highly positive" view
of the fact that Italian experts working in various parts of the
Ukraine and Belorussia stayed at their jobs. The message
described them as "controlling their emotion and continuing to
work alongside their Soviet colleagues in the spirit of cooperation
which has become traditional for our countries and people."
SOVIET FREIGHTER ISOLATED DUE TO RADIOACTIVITY
Second Ship Checked
AU091454 Paris AFP in English 1452 GMT 9 May 85
[Text] Taranto, Italy, May 9 (AFP) ? A Soviet freighter has
been isolated at Taranto, southern Italy, because of an excessive
radioactivity rate, while a second Soviet ship which arrived
Friday [9 May] was being checked, port sources said.
Both ships came from ports in the Black Sea a few hundred
kilometres (miles) from the stricken Chernobyl nuclear plant in
the Ukraine. The Mkolay Marlin was refused the right to dock
and isolated on Thursday after it was found to have a degree of
radioactivity of between 0.4 and 0.5 millirems an hour, double
the rate permitted under Italian law, Italian medical services
said.
The ship was carrying 2,717 tons of steel sections to be processed
in Italy. The second Soviet ship was the Dimiiriy Pozhorski, port
sources said.
396
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Third Freighter Held
AU101622 Paris AFP in English 1203 GMT 10 May 86
[Text] Taranto, Italy, May 10 (AFP) ? A Singapore-registered
freighter carrying Soviet steel was held on Saturday [10 May]
along with two Soviet freighters in this southern Italian port
because of possible radioactive contamination, officials said. The
three ships sailed from the Black Sea with steel products destined
:for the state-owned Italsider steel plant here, they add.
Checks Thursday and Friday by port fire officials and a tech-
nican from the Italian Atomic Energy Commission showed that
the two Soviet:vessels, the Nikolay Markin [spelling as received]
and the Dmitriy Pozhorski, had radioactivity of around 0.4 to
0.5 millirems per hour, peaking to 0.9. This compared with the
maximum permitted under Italian law of 0.25 millirems per
hour, they said. The Singaporean ship, the Wien, which came
from Novorossiysk, will be submitted to the same check.
The crew of the three vessels, totalling less than 100 persons, have
not been confined to ship, but none of them have gone ashore so
far, officials said.
EEC BAN ON FOOD IMPORTS REJECTED AS 'TOO STRINGENT'
NC110955 Paris AFP in English 0947 GMT 11 May 86
[Text] Brussels, May 11 (AFP) ? Italy has refused to ratify a
European Economic Community ban on certain East European
food imports, contrary to an official EEC announcement Satur-
day night that all 12 member-countries had approved the ban,
Italian diplomats said here Sunday. The ban, which required a
unanimous vote in order to come into force, is now due to be
discussed further at a meeting of EEC foreign ministers here on
Monday.
The Netherlands, currently presiding -the EEC Council of Min-
isters, has informed other community members of the Italian
.decision overnight, the diplomats added.
It appears from earlier reports that Italy rejected the ban
agreement :because it believed appended norms for acceptable
radioactivity in some vegetables traded within the EEC were too
stringent. West Germany ?had .contended Saturday that they
were not strict enough.
The ban agreement was initiated by France last week partly to
end protective restrictions imposed unilaterally by some EEC
members, notably Italy and West Germany. It was to affect live
sheep, goats, horses and donkeys, fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh
water fish, fish eggs ? including caviar ? milk and dairy
products, frogs' legs and snails.
397
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NORWAY
NORWEGIAN ENVOY PROTESTS CHERNOBYL HANDLING
PM021414 Oslo AFTENPOSTEN in Norwegian 30 Apr 86 p 72
[Unattributed report: "The Soviet Union Should Have Given a Warning"]
[Text] Norway has told the Soviet Union unambiguously that there should have been a
warning about the accident at the nuclear power station outside Kiev. Yesterday
Nbrway's ambassador in Moscow, Olav Bucher?Johannessen, went to the Soviet Foreign
Ministry where he delivered a complaint that this had not happened. Ambassador
Bucher?Johannessen had been instructed to do so by Oslo.
According to AFTENPOSTEN's information, the Soviet Foreign Ministry had no new informa?
tion to give during the talks which took place in the Scandinavian section.
USSR ENVOY BRIEFS WILLOCH ON CHERNOBYL INCIDENT
PM070905 Oslo ARBEIDERBLADET in Norwegian 2 May 86 p 11
[Arne Halvorsen report: "We Are in Control"]
[Text] Minister-Counselor Aleksandr Smirnov at the Soviet
Embassy in Oslo yesterday visited Prime Minister Willoch's
office to give a report on the accident at the nuclear power station
near Kiev. Minister-Counselor Smirnov claimed that the leak of
radioactive material has now been reduced. The Soviet Embassy
is now giving the impression that the reactor accident is under
control.
Minister-Counselor Smirnov's mission was to give Prime Minis-
ter Willoch the latest official Soviet information about the acci-
dent at the Chernobyl nuclear power station.
Smirnov told Willoch that the three remaining power stations
have been shut down. However, he said nothing about the totals
of dead and injured as a result of the accident.
The embassy report states: "As a result of the measures that
have been taken the leak of radioactive material and the level of
radiation in the area have been reduced in the last few days.
"The measurements which have been carried out show that a
chain reaction is not taking place in the nuclear fuel. The reactor
is in a dampened-down state [i en neddempet tilstand]. Active
work to clean the polluted parts is being carried out.
"The Soviet Union has at its disposal sufficient material, scienti-
fic, and technological potential for the work to eliminate the
consequences of the accident. At the present stage there is no
need for the collaboration of other governments," the report
states. A Soviet commission of investigation led by one of the
country's deputy prime ministers has been set up to look into the
accident.
In talks Under Secretary of State at the Prime Minister's Office
Nils Morten Udgaard had with Minister-Counselor Sinirnov he
stressed that expert Norwegian authorities need more concrete
information of a scientific nature in order to be able to form a
more reliable picture of the possible effects of the accident.
398
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rl./1? kir r
ANTINUCLEAR PROTESTS INCREASE AFTER CHERNOBYL
LD060926 Madrid Domestic Service in Spanish 0800 GMT 6 May 86
[Excerpt] In Spain, the Chernobyl accident caused new anti-
nuclear protests. Yesterday in Valencia a group of demonstrators
demanded the closing of the nuclear power station in Cof-
rentes,and in ?Extremadura the constant controversy over
Almaraz [nuclear, power stations] has caused the First crisis of
that autonomous government. Its premier, Juan ?Carlos Rod-
riguez lbara, dismissed the regional minister of public works and
enviroment following the statements he made denouncing sup-
posed irregularies in the functioning of the almaraz nuclear
power station, irregularities which have been denied by the
spokesman for the Firm, Antonio Bustamante. The regional
SPAIN
minister of public works also talked about the opening of the
nuclear power station of Valdecaballeros, Badajoz, following
next year's autonomous elections. Both the premier of the
autonomous regional government of Extremadura and the min-
ister of industry have denied it.
Finally the nuclear power station at Asco, Tarragona registered
faults in its system that caused a partial shutdown. The faults
were repaired, and the nuclear power station is now working
normally.
MADRID REPORTS RADIATION LEVELS IN CATALONIA
LD071621 Madrid Domestic Service in Spanish 2200 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] This afternoon, the interministerial commission conduct-
ing radiation checks in Spain following the Chernobyl accident
presented its preliminary report concerning the period of 28 April
to 4 May. In its conclusions the report affirms that at no time
were significant variations detected in the levels of exposure
measured following the Soviet nuclear accident. The analysis of
the isotopes showed levels below the limits [as heard] until Friday
evening, whereas on Saturday the presence of Iodine-131 and
other nuclear fission products were detected in the province of
Valencia. On Sunday lodine-131 was detected in the province of
Tarragona. However the report affirms that the levels of concen-
tration were always well below the international limits.
After this report was published low-level radioactivity was
detected in Barcelona in the rain which fell during the last few
hours. RNE in Catalonia:
399
[Unidentified correspondent] The Department of Industry and
Energy of the Generalitat [of Catalonia] has confirmed the
presence of traces of radioactive isotopes, Iodine-131 in particu-
lar, in the rainwater. According to the Generalitat, the pop-
ulation does not need to take any special protection measures.
The level of radioactive isotopes found does not significantly alter
the levels measured in the Catalan region since the accident
occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power station. Within the
framework of these checks, road traffic crossing the border from
France is also being inspected.
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POLITICIANS REACT TO CHERNOBYL INCIDENT
PM061339 Stockholm SVENSKA DAGBLADET in Swedish 30 Apr 86 p 7
[Willy Silberstein report: "Nonsocialists Called for Improved Safety"]
[Text] The nonsocialist opposition on the Energy Council yester-
day afternoon called for information from Energy Minister
Birgitta Dahl on the Soviet reactor accident in order to be able
to propose possible improvements to safety at the Swedish
nuclear power stations.
The Energy Council is the energy minister's consultative body
whose function it is to discuss longer-term energy questions.
Yesterday several Riksdag deputies submitted questions to the
energy minister as a result of the Soviet accident. One of them
was Center Party Deputy Chairman Olof Johansson.
He told SVENSKA DAGBLADET that what has happened once
again underlines the special importance of the question of the
rundown of nuclear power in Sweden.
"What has happened means that we really do need to remember
that it is by 2010 'at the latest' that nuclear power will be run
down." Johansson also wants Sweden to discuss with Denmark
"seriously and without precondition" whether Barseback nuclear
power station should be closed.
His party colleague, Lennart Daleus, who led Line 3 [No to
nuclear power, and immediate shutdown of power stations] in the
referendum on nuclear power, takes the view that the incident in
the Soviet Union shows the true face of nuclear power ?
accidents, cleanups, anxiety, and monitoring.
"The rescue work at Forsmark also gives rise to some concern.
Before it was clear that the leak had not come from Forsmark
long lines [of people] had formed. This could have been very
dangerous if there really had been an emergency." In a question
to Energy Minister Birgitta Dahl the Left Party-Communists'
Viola Claesson has called for a plan to assess the risks at each
nuclear power station. She also wants a date for the closure of
each power station.
400
SWEDEN
Not everyone in the Riksdag is as worried. Social Democrat Nils
Erik Waag said that he does not know any of the details of what
happened in the Soviet Union. But "if it was only radioactive
steam which leaked it cannot have been that serious." "I have
been on the nuclear power inspection board and I know that we
have one of the world's safest systems." Moderate Coalition
Party member Per Unckell, active for line 1 [retention of nuclear
power( during the referendum, thinks that those opposed to
nuclear power will use the accident as an argument for rundown.
But even though it is difficult we must make comparisons with
the alternatives. It would surprise me if Swedish nuclear power
is more dangerous than energy from coal, which is what remains.
The Moderate Coalition thinks that it is wrong to close down
nuclear power stations if they are still working in 2010.
"That year was not included on any of the voting slips in the
referendum; it was decided on later by the Riksdag." The Liberal
Party's Hadar Cars said that only when we know what happened
will it be possible to say whether what has happened will have
any political significance.
"The result of the referendum must continue to apply. If carbon
dioxide proves to be a real problem to the extent that it might be
necessary to tear up the referendum result, a new referendum
will be needed." The People's Campaign Against Nuclear Power
has decided to hold a meeting in Stockholm 1 May as a result of
what has happened. The theme of the meeting will ,be "Nuclear
Power in Crisis."
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BAN ON FOOD FROM E. EUROPE TEMPORARILY LIFTED
LD052047 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 1600 GMT 5 May 86
[Text] The National Food Administration decided today to tem-
porarily lift the ban on imports of fresh meat and fish from
Eastern Europe, in effect since the nuclear accident at Cher-
nobyl. The import ban has already been lifted for fresh vegetables
and root fruits. The goods may (?be re-exported only) after
checking by the National Food Administration. Milk products
and cheese will also be checked. The ban on imports still applies
to fresh goods from the Soviet Union.
Farmers in the provinces of Skaraborg and Sodra Alvsborg may
now also allow their cows to graze, according to the Institute of
Radiation Protection. Earlier today permission was given to
farmers in Blekinge to allow their animals to graze, because
radioactivity has now lessened.
ENERGY MINISTER, USSR ENVOY CITED ON CHERNOBYL
PM070746 Stockholm SVENSKA DAGBLADET in Swedish 2 May 86 p 6
[Willy Silberstein report: "Pankin Promises Information"]
[Text] "Soviet Ambassador Boris Pankin has promised that we
will be told if anything happens in Chernobyl to alter the risk
scenario for Sweden," Energy Minister Birgitta Dahl said
Wednesday [30 April].
On 30 April Ambassador Boris Pankin met Foreign Ministry
Political Department Chief Jan Eliasson for talks. These talks
had been long planned and were not the result of the reactor
accident. Nevertheless, the question was raised. On the Swedish
side there were renewed demands for information.
"The ambassador expressed his understanding of the fact that
we want information," Dahl said. "He also provided the valuable
piece of information that the three remaining reactors in Cher-
nobyl have been shut down. This has been done to reduce the risk
of new accidents." According to Pankin the reason why the Soviet
Union did not inform its neighbors earlier was due to the fact
that the Soviet authorities did not at first realize the seriousness
of the accident, Dahl said. Pankin gave assurances that the Soviet
Union has no desire to keep important information from other
states.
"A dialogue with the Soviet Union is important. I would like to
stress that we are still not satisfied with the information we have
been given; we assume that we will be given more detailed
answers," Dahl said.
"I hope that the Soviet Union learns the lesson that out of concern
both for its own citizens and for the safety of the rest of the world
it will in future come forward with information when something
serious has happened." Birgitta Dahl wants to calm the people
who are worried about radioactive fallout. The authorities are
not withholding any information, she said.
Even though it has now emerged that the reactor involved in the
accident, unlike the majority of reactors in the Soviet Union, was
enclosed in a protective shell, this protection did not come up to
Swedish standards, Birgitta Dahl said.
"That protective shell would never have been approved by us.
"We must also remember that an amount of time similar to that
which we devoted to nuclear power will also be needed for the
development of other energy sources." At Wednesday's govern-
ment meeting Birgitta Dahl gave a detailed report on the Soviet
accident. She said that the government was in complete
agreement about how the question is to be handled.
The Riksdag will be given information about the accident when
questions to the energy minister on the subject are answered on
Monday 12 May.
401
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WA% N../1"11'1I1jL. Uard
CONCERN EXPRESSED OVER 2D CHERNOBYL AES REACTOR
LD071723 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 1600 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] [Announcer] We have received new innformation about
what is happening in the area of the catastrophe around Cher-
nobyl in the Soviet Union. Just over an hour ago, the Swedish
Atomic Energy Board received new satellite pictures from the
area. The pictures create unease about the situation in the other,
so far undamaged, reactor. We have this from Dan Magnerud:
[Magnerud] Well, just over an hour ago there came new satellite
pictures of the disaster area around Chernobyl. The pictures were
taken yesterday morning by a [words indistinct]. From the pic-
tures one can see that extensive (?ground) work is going on in the
area. The reservoir that belongs to the damaged reactor has at
least partially [words indistinct]. To this [words indistinct] the
interior of the damaged reactor might still be burning. The
Atomic Energy Board is now worried about what might happen
to the reactor next to the damaged one. Lars Hoegberg of the
Atomic Energy Board has just seen the new satellite pictures.
[Hoegberg] It is clear that some work is going on at the plant
site: What is most noticeable about it really is that something
has been done to the cooling water channel at the damaged
reactor.
[Magnerud] (?What have they done so far?)
[Heogberg] It is quite logical that if radioactivity has been
released there, they would want to stop more from coming out ?
into the big dam, maybe to the river.
[Magnerud] Could there still be a fire inside the reactor?
[Hoegberg] We have said all along that (?if) they have a very
dense core down at the bottom of the damaged reactor, how the
heat can (?be released) one can only speculate.
[Magnerud] Are you also worried about the reactor next to the
damaged reactor? Why are you win:kV
[Hoegberg] Well, in the interviews yesterday with Russian
experts in Moscow, it was apparent that the third reactor, that
is, the one right next to the damaged one, is the object of
investigation, and we are a bit worried about that. At the same
time, that does not mean that there may be an emission of the
same size.lts that which occurred when the 'other reactor was
damaged. "
[Magnerud] But something might have happened to that reactor
too?
[Hoegberg] I [words indistinct] that it is not yet confirmed that
the emission has stopped, and naturally we will follow develop-
ments with great attention, and as soon as we know something,
we will provide the information.
[Magnerud] Are you worried about the other reactor?
[Hoegberg] I am (?not satisfied) with our situation in Sweden,
because we know what the maximum [words indistinct] long time
[words indistinct] reduced the emissions. We [words indistinct]
less, and we have a relief organization [words indistinct] only for
Swedish citizens. [words indistinct]
[Magnerud] Are' We over the danger at the disaster area?
[Hoegberg] No, not until we get confirmation from the Russians
that the situation is quite stable.
EDITORIAL ON UNCERTAINTY, DANGER OF NUCLEAR POWER
PM071348 Stockholm DAGENS NYHETER in Swedish 2 May 86 p 2
[Editorial: "The Uncertainty and the Dangers of Nuclear Power"]
[Text] So, we can breathe out again ? and can start breathing
in too. After the first few days the winds from the Ukraine have
been favorable. It is now central and southern Europe which are
being subjected to higher radioactivity. In Poland children under
16 are being given iodine to prevent injury from radiation, while
adults are being recommended to drink mineral water with added
iodine salts.
The Soviet authorities ? and this also includes the TASS news
agency and the broadcasting media -- are reporting that every-
thing is under control. That's how things always are in the Soviet
402
Union, particularly when something dramatic has occurred. As
long as independent observers hlive not had an opportunity to look
at things themselves, reassuring statements should be taken with
a certain skepticism.
With its blockade on information the Soviet Union is creating
uncertainty. Sweden ? as [Foreign Minister] Sten Andersson
advocated in his 1 May speech ?should demand an information
agreement. The Swedish authorities have been candid in their
comments on reports and measurements. What we can complain
about is the fact that the warnings came at such a late stage. The
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public was not told until Wednesday ? 3 days after the fallout
began ? that small children should not be allowed to play in
sandpits and puddles and that no one should drink from collec-
tions of standing water.
It is clear that innmany places amounts of radioactivity from 10
times up to 100 times the normal have been measured ? not just
twice the normal level, which seems to be an average. We have
, not been told where these levels have been recorded or how
careful ?ye should be, in such areas. Our emergency readiness is
A number of Swedish newspapers and ,an advocate of nuclear
power from the Moderate Coalition Party ? Per Unckell ?
stubbornly assert that the Chernobyl accident is a sign of a
problem that ,belongs specifically to communist states. That
argument does not hold water.
A recently leaked U.S. Congress report shows that 151 "evident
safety incidents" involving the risk of major leaks have happened
outside the Eastern bloc since 1971. Not a single incident has
been reported from the East, but unfortunately this does not
mean that there have been none. In all the cases reported the
situation was put to rights without serious emissions. But this
does not mean that nuclear power is "safe" and "does not harm
the environment." He that hath eyes to see, let him use them.
For the Soviet Union and its new leadership under Mikhail
Gorbachev the situation is serious. The commitment to nuclear
power as the source of energy of the future must have taken a
pounding. The catastrophe came in the Soviet Union's cornfield,
where the land could be unusable for a long time. And the
absence of information to the Soviet Union's citizens and to the
rest of the world is yet another catastrophe for Gorbachev's new
line of "transparency" and greater openness in the system.
BIRGITTA DAHL ON CHERNOBYL, DOMESTIC NUCLEAR PROGRAM
PM021040 Stockholm SVENSKA DAGBLADET in Swedish 30 Apr 86 p'7
[TIDNINGARNAS TELEGRAMBYRA report: "Dahl Demands Better Answers From Moscow"]
[Text] Oskarshamn ? Energy and Environment Minister Bir-
gitta Dahl assumes that safety at Soviet nuclear powers stations
will be increased after the?accident at Chernobyl, north of Kiev.
Birgitta Dahl has demanded that the Soviet Union answer a
number of questions about \vital sort of accident it was that
happened, and yesterday instructed the Swedish ambassador in
Moscow both to put the questions to the Soviet authorities and
to collect the answers, TIDNINGARNAS TELEGRAMBYRA
reports.
Earlier Swedish pressure to persuade the Soviet Union to improve
safety at its nuclear power stations has not "been answered
satisfactorily," and how relations between Sweden and the Soviet
Union will be in the future depends on the Soviet response.
Birgitta Dahl said this at a press conference in Oskarshamn
before she opened CLAB, the interim storage facility for nuclear
waste.
The energy minister assumes that in the future the Soviet Union
willleport any faults.at its.nuclear power stations to the IAEA.
She 'hoped that tbe accident will lead to a situation in which
- Sweden!s call for A distinction between civilian and military
exploitation of nuclear power will be heeded.
Forif all countries distinguish?between the two areas there could
then 'also be 'international inspection and checks on civilian
.installationS and there would perhaps be no repeat of an accident
similar to thc one which has happened in the Soviet Union, the
? ? energy minister said.
403
She pointed out that the accident has shown the risks of nuclear
power "in a frightening way," and the energy minister said that
she thinks that the accident will be a lesson for those who "today
speak out far too irresponsibly in favor of more nuclear power."
On the other hand Birgitta Dahl did not think that the Soviet
accident gives the Danes the right to demand that the Barseback
nuclear power Station be closed.
"Barseback is one of the world's safest nuclear power stations
and cannot be compared at all with the Soviet power station.
Among other things there is a filter to deal with possible leaks.
In the Soviet power stations there is no protection at all around
the reactor," Birgitta Dahl said.
She also pointed to the information agreement reached between
the Swedish and Danish governments which means that the
Swedish Government must supply the Danish Government with
all existing information about the running, problems, and eco-
nomic aspects of the Barseback power station.
Birgitta Dahl said that the accident in the Soviet Union does not
necessarily mean that Barseback will be the first Swedish nuclear
power station to be closed. However, the energy minister reiter-
ated her view that Barseback's location, its closeness to the major
urban areas of Malmo and Copenhagen, is one of the points
which will be taken lino consideration in thedecision about which
nuclear power station will be closed first.
The energy minister was surprised that the Finnish Government
did not warn the Swedish Government when the first radioactive
fallout arrived in Finland. Birgitta Dahl did not know, however,
why the Finnish Government had not given a warning.
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The energy minister pointed out that everyone, authorities as well
as representatives of the nuclear power enterprises, is analyzing
the evacuation of the nuclear power station at Forsmark.
CHERNOBYL?TYPE REACTOR OPERATING IN LITHUANIA
LD081701 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 1600 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] As recently as last Sunday, a reactor of the same type as
the one that suffered the accident at Chernobyl was still operat-
ing, according to new satellite pictures taken today, which are
now being studied by the Swedish Atomic Energy Board. The
reactor is just outside the town of Ignalina in Lithuania, and is
the Soviet reactor which is closest to Sweden. The distance from
the Swedish coast is barely 50 miles [Swedish mile equals 10
kilometers]
FINLAND REPORTEDLY MAINTAINS SILENCE OVER CHERNOBYL
LD081202 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish
[Text] Ever since the Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred almost
2 weeks ago, all local authorities in Finland have had a muzzle
put on them. No information about measurements of radioactiv-
ity have been allowed out. The fire chief in Helsinki, who is
responsible for protecting the populace here, said at a press
conference yesterday that the reason for the scanty information
is that permission was quite simply not given to supply informa-
tion.
The Ministry of the Interior has put this information ban into
force and all questions are referred to the central Government
office responsible for radiation safety. There is no reason to
provide information; it will only create unnecessary unease,
minister of the Interior Kaisa Raatikainen has said and this
information policy has subsequently permeated Finnish society.
In addition, the sluggishness which is characteristic of Finnish
government offices generally and the civil servants' strike which
is going on now, have meant that the information that has come
was late and sometimes also contradictory.
Finnish mass media have also observed restraint concerning the
monitoring of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. As recently as
yesterday a directive went out from the director general of the
Finnish Broadcasting Company to all news offices in radio and
television, urging sense and restraint.
1030 GMT 8 May 86
The political silence has also been almost total. The question has
been passed between ministers like a hot potato. For example,
Finland did not join the other nordic countries' sharp demands
for better information from the Soviet authorities. This seems
especially strange considering that Finnish emergency plans are
:precisely built on the assumption that information will be
received if an accident is happening or has happened.
Instead, Finland has observed the silence which has become the
hallmark of the Finnish Government's foreign policy, especially
when the Soviet Union is involved ? the phenomenon which in
the west has been called Finlandi7ation. Finland's Government,
in connection with the nuclear accident, has done nothing to wash
away this impression; on the contrary, the impression of the
country that remains silent instead of talking has been rein-
forced. This would have been a suitable opportunity to show proof
of the independent foreign policy which in other contexts they
praise themselves for ? but they never took that opportunity.
404
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NATIONAL RADIATION LEVELS CONTINUE FALLING
LD081225 Stockholm International Service in Swedish 1000 GMT 8 May 86
ITextfrlic measurements by the Institute of Radiation protection
around the country of radioactivity following the Soviet nuclear
power accident indicate the levels are continuing to fall. Grass
samples taken on Gotland show that radiation on the ground
there has declined sharply, and Gotland farmers can therefore
expect to be able to let their cows graze any day now.
PLUTONIUM TRACED IN RADIOACTIVITY OVER SWEDEN
LD132121 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 2000 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] For the first time, plutonium has been traced in radioactive
emissions over Sweden from the nuclear accident at Chernobyl
in the Soviet Union, according to the National Institute of
Radiation Protection. Plutonium has been found in studies of
rainwater outside the nuclear power station at Forsmark in
Uppland. But the Institute of Radiation Protection says the
amount of plutonium found is so small that it will not have any
noticeable effects.
GOTLAND TESTS SHOW HIGH RADIOACTIVE IODINE IN PEOPLE
LD141831 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 1600 GMT 14 May 86
[Text] The preliminary test results of measurements of radio-
active iodine in the thyroid gland of people living on Gotland
show high values. The people on Gotland have higher radioactiv-
ity than people on the mainland and in several cases the Institu-
tion of Radiation Protection has found higher contents of
radioactive iodine in the test group than has been found in people
who visited Eastern Europe during the days following the nuclear
accident in Chernobyl. However, according to the Institution of
Radiation Protection, the amounts are not dangerous.
405
?
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RADIOACTIVE VALUES ON FOOD LOWERED TO EEC LEVELS
LD132028 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 1000 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Sweden will now accept a lower limit value for radioactiv-
ity in foodstuffs which the European Economic Community,
EEC, introduced after the nuclear power accident in the Soviet
Union. The National Swedish Food Administration has
announced to the EEC Commission in Brussels that Sweden will
lower its limit value from 2,000 becquerel to 500 becquerel,
which EEC demands. Before this, Italy banned the imports of
meat and hard bread from Sweden. The 12 EEC countries have
now agreed to stop all imports of fresh foodstuffs from Eastern
Europe. The Soviet Union says in a comment on the import by
imposed by the EEC that the West European countries utilize
the misfortune of other countries. According to-the news agency
TASS, the accident in Chernobyl is used as a pretext to introduce
discriminatory actions against the Soviet Union.
AUSTRIA'S GRATZ ON NUCLEAR POWER AGREEMENTS
LD132152 Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish 1600 GMT 13 MaY. 86
[Report on Austrian Foreign Minister Leopold Gratz' 13 Maymews,conference
Stockholm by reporter Reinhard Krause; from the "Radio Magazine"]
[Excerpts] Austrian Foreign Minister Leopold Gratz said that it
is important to remember that the accident in the Ukraine has
caused fallout which, despite everything, is only a fraction of
what would spread if a single nuclear warhead were to be
exploded in Europe. In the midst of the current debate about the
reactor accident in Chernobyl, the European peoples must not
forget the iminent danger created by nuclear weapons, Gratz
said. He added that the accident in the Soviet Union convinced
Austria that the completed nuclear power station, Zwentendorf,
should never be put in use. The plant was completed in 1978; in
practice it was stopped by a national referendum and mothballed.
Since then it has been known jokingly by the description: the
only completely safe nuclear power station in the world.
Gratz said that he had discussed with the Swedish Government
the possibility of achieving international agreements against the
risks of nuclear power. Agreements between two neighboring
countries are not sufficient, because winds carry fallout thou-
sands of kilometers away. Political borders simply cease to exist
when environmental disasters occur. We should at least try to
achieve agreements between all countries on direct information
and warnings when disasters at nuclear power stations occur, said
Leopold Gratz. He also stressed that it would further be impor-
tant to obtain continuous information about the pollution which
follows in daily operation. According to the Austrian Govern-
ment's view, there are two possibilities of achieving such an
agreement: one would be to develop the convention on the
IAEA in Vienna, the second would be to extend the European
agreement on cross-border air pollution. He did not want to
specify which would be best.
406
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SWITZERLAND
ZURICH PAPER REPORTS ON 'STRONGEST' POLLUTION
DW071209 Zurich NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG in German 7 May 86 p 25
[SDA'repOrt: "Strongest Pollution Ever Measured in Switzerland"]
[Excerpt] Bcrn 5 May, (SDA) ? Switzerland experiences at
present after the Chernobyl accident the strongest pollution ever.
I lowevcr, according to experts, the registered pollution of the air,
the soil, and foodstuff is still far below the critical limits. On
Monday, radioactive pollution increased in southern Switzer-
land, while a decrease wasfpoted in northern Switzerland. Flans-
juerg Weder, the Basel Independents' Alliance (LDU) national
councillor, demanded an immediate meeting of the national
council's energy commission. The Action Committee Against
Nuclear Powerplants of northern Switzerland demanded an
immediate construction stop of powerplants.
407
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TURKEY
ATOMIC AGENCY SAYS NO DANGER OF RADIOACTIVITY
TA071137 Ankara Domestic Service in Turkish 1000 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] It has been announced that there is no longer any danger
from radiation in Turkey. All measures against radiation have
been suspended. President of the Turkish Atomic Agency Com-
mission Ahmet Yuksel Ozemre made a statement to the Turkish
Radio and Television [TRT] on the issue. As a result of activities
over 3 days, our commission's radioactivity decontamination
teams have declared Kapikule radioactive-free following radi-
ation caused by rain 4 days ago. Radioactive clouds are drifting
from Europe towards America as a result of natural atmospheric
currents. Turkey is completely free from the effects of the nuclear
accident at the nuclear power station near Kiev.
MINISTRY REPORTS RADIOACTIVITY?FREE PRODUCE
TA081733 Ankara Domestic Service in Turkish 1600 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] It has been announced that the level of radioactivity in
Turkey has decreased to its normal state and that the meat, milk,
water, fish, and fruit in the country are free of any radioactivity
that might be damaging to human health. According to a Foreign
Ministry announcement, as a result of work carried out
throughout the country it has been determined that the meat,
milk, water, fish, and fruit are free of radioactivity. The Foreign
Ministry statement further adds that Turkish Atomic Energy
Commission teams measured levels of radioactivity with some
2500 instruments up until yesterday. The statement notes that
as a result of these measurements it has also been determined
that the low-level radioactivity observed in a limited area around
Edirne, which descended on the soil by means of rainfall, has lost
its effectiveness.
408
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MP'S DEBATE BAN ON E. EUROPE FOOD IMPORTS
LD081744 London PRESS ASSOCIATION in English 1705 GMT 8 May 86
[Text) The government sought to calm fears in the commons
today that foodstuffs contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear
disaster might arrive in Britain through a "loophole" in the
EEC's proposed ban on imports. MPs from both sides of the house
complained that East Germany should have been included in the
import ban on certain foods from countries within 1,000 kilo-
metres of the stricken Soviet reactor. But junior foreign office
minister, Mr Tim Eggar, pointed out that the greater part of the
German Democratic Republic was outside the area of the. ban
and it would be for West Germany to check the origin of
foodstuffs coming across its frontiers. He assured MPs: "If the
West German Government is convinced that they can bring in
the necessary measures to ensure the ban is followed through, we
should have no reason to doubt them."
Answering an emergency question, Mr Eggar said. provisional
agreement had been reached on a temporary ban on the import
of certain foods from the USSR, Hungary, Poland, Romania,
Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. Mr Eggar said the
ban, if formally approved, would apply from Saturday and run
until May 31 as a "short term precautionary measure." He
added: "We will be keeping the ban under systematic review as
new scientific evidence comes in during the course of the next
few weeks."
Tory Mr Teddy Taylor (Southend East) demanded: "Flow can
you justify the exclusion of East Germany from the ban, when
parts of East Germany are much nearer to the disaster than parts
of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia?" Trade from East Germany
consistently "slipped through" to the West because of the Inner-
German Trade Agreement, he claimed.
"If there is a real problem of contaminated food reaching our
constituents, why on earth should we leave this huge loophole?
If there is not a real problem, as suggested by the World health
Organisation, isn't this a rather silly public relations ploy," Mr
Taylor declared.
Mr Eggar said the ban would have direct effects throughout the
European Community. "It would be up to the East German
authorities to give effect, in practice, to the ban."
Mr Eggar said the ban was expected to come into effect at
midday on Saturday. "But obviously health authorities in com-
munity countries will be keeping a close watch on the products
409
UNITED KINGDOM
that-are already here." The ban would include fresh meat and
offal from Eastern ,European countries.
Labour's Dr Mark Hughes (City of Durham), protested that the
trade in meat and vegetables between East and West Germany
left a "loophole" which was not closed by the agreement.
"Therefore my constituents and the whole of the British commu-
nity are left at risk, which is unacceptable," he said. But Mr
Eggar replied "you must be careful not to exaggerate the fears
and stir up concerns which really are not justified. The Commu-
nity countries responsible for imports from other countries will
be responsible for checking the origin of the goods that come in."
Mr Ralph Howell (C North Norfolk) said Mr Eggar had con-
vinced nobody with his answers and demanded: "Why can't
this ban come into operation immediately?"
Mr Eggar said the EEC had acted "extremely rapidly," but
under procedural rules the ban could not come into effect until
all the countries had given their agreement, probably tomorrow.
For the opposition, Mr Brynmor John, asked: "How will West
Germany know whether food routed through East Germany is of
East German origin? They will only have the word of another
government to go on. It's not fair to the West German Govern-
ment itself."
Pressed further by Mr Charles Kennedy (SDP Ross, Cromarty
and SKYE), Mr Eggar said: "There really is no loophole." He
was sure that the West German Government would be taking the
"necessary precautions".
The Commons will debate civil nuclear matters next Tuesday,
leader of the house Mr John Biffen announced to MPs:
Earlier, agriculture minister of state Mr John Selwyn Gummer
warned MPs against spreading "alarm and despondency" over
the effects of radioactivity levels. "There are two ways in which
we do no service to the public ? the first is to cover up that which
has happened, as the russians, the other is to spread alarm and
despondency when it is totally unnecessary," he said at question
time. He was replying to a protest from Labour's Mr Dale
Campbell-Savours (Workington) that MPs had not seen figures
from the National Radiological Protection board to explain their
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statement that radioactivity levels are now 100 times lower than
last weekend.
Junior Agricultural Minister Mrs Peggy Fenner conceded in
reply to Liberal Mr Richard Livsey (Brecon and Radnor) that
Ministry of Agriculture figures on radioactivity levels in milk
were "very marginally different" from those released by the
NRPB. "They have tested in fewer testing points than we have,"
said Mrs Fenner.
Later in exchanges on her commons statement on the Tokyo
summit Mrs Thatcher made clear that any British help to the
Soviet Union over the Chernobyl disaster would be without
conditions. She told Mr David Crouch (Canterbury): "We shall
respond to any assistance for which we are asked, and have
responded in so far as we have been asked. As far as I am aware,
there are no conditions attached to our offer. It is our intention
and our wish to be as helpful as possible under these circum-
stances."
Mr Tony Benn (I,ab Chesterfield) asked if Mrs Thatcher had
considered making available common market food surpluses to
the Russians "at a time when their own food supplies have been
badly affected by the tragedy at Chernobyl".
The prime minister replied that food surpluses regularly found
their way to the Soviet Union. "Indeed that is often the cause of
why I am questioned in this house about the cheap rates at which
they go to the Soviet Union."
The prime minister underlined her commitment to Britain's
nuclear -power industry, as she rejected a claim from SDLP
leader Mr John Hume (Foyle) that the risk of more accidents
"removes all possible justification" for its development. She told
him: "provided we can keep up our careful monitoring of design,
manufacturing, operational work and maintenance -- and our
excellent nuclear inspectorate ? we can continue to have confi-
dence in this industry."
HOWE WARNS AGAINST USING CHERNOBYL AS PROPAGANDA
LD041408 London PRESS ASSOCIATION in English 1112 GMT 4 May 86
[Text] Foreign Secretary Sir Goeffrey Howe today warned
against using the Chernobyl disaster to step up anti Soviet
propaganda, lie called instead for the West to use the tragedy to
encourage greater openness from the Soviet leadership. It is not
an occasion for turning a human tragedy into a political football,"
Sir Godfrey said on BBC Radio 4's World This Weekend
programme today. [no opening quotation marks as received]
Speaking from Tokyo where he is attending the world economic
summit, he added: "I think the summit will express the very
wide concern about the Soviet failure to deal openly with its
neighbors about what has been going on. There is great anxiety
that this should be a matter of international candour and co-
operation. But I hope that very natural expression of anxiety will
not spill over to become a propaganda campaign. It is very
important for us to encourage the Soviet Union to do the right
thing vis-a-vis the rest of the world and its own citizens."
Sir Geoffrey added: "I think it is very important to use this as
. an occasion for learning lessons which can be learnt internation-
ally from taking the hazards and worries about these hazards
over nuclear energy seriously."
410
Sir Geoffrey said that it was port of the Soviet politic system and
of the country's history that it was "a very secretive closed
society."
"A society that does not tell its people about the hazards of
nuclear energy is bound to find it difficult to share its view of
those hazards with the rest of the world. [no end quotation marks
as received]
Sir Geoffrey said that if the Soviet Union did not learn the lessons
from this tragedy it could have a dmaaging knock-on effect on
arms control- talks. "If they fail to do so it is bound to increase
anxiety over their commitment to verification of the arms control
process. I hope that Mr Gorbachev, thinking about all these
things carefully, will see the importance for him in the arms
control context as well as the human relations, international good
neighbours context, of candour and disclosure."
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LABOUR LEADER ASKS GORBACHEV FOR DETAILS
LD012127 London PRESS ASSOCIATION in English 2022 GMT 1 May 86
[Text] Labour leader Mr Neil Kinnock disclosed today that he
has called on Mr Gorbachev to provide maximum information
about the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster.
In a letter to the Soviet Leader, Mr Kinnock said: "While
realising that the emergency response by our government and
authorities to this incident must preoccupy you, I do strongly urge
that the Soviet Union provides maximum information on the
- origin, space and implications of the emission.
"This candour is essential both to prevent unnecessary alarm and
to provide expert opinion in other countries with a basis for
making their- response."
Mr Kinnock told him there was an "immediate readiness" among
nuclear experts in Britain to provide assistance in dealing with
the emergency.
RADIATION LEVELS AROUND NATION SUMMARIZED
LD082024 London PRESS ASSOCIATION in English _1921 GMT 8 May 86
[By Don Philpott, PA agriculture correspondent]
[Text] British weather experts believe a radioactive plume is still
being emitted from the damaged Chernobyl nuclear power sta-
tion.
A round-the-clock watch is being mounted by weathermen in
Britain in case the wind changes and more radioactivity is swept
towards the UK.
"As far as we know, the radioactive plume is still being emitted,"
.said a spokesman for the Meteorological Office.
"We are not relaxing our guard and are keeping a continuous
watch, day and night, on the winds over this part of Russia."
At the moment winds are light over Chernobyl, in the Ukraine,
and the radioactivity is being carried over Siberia, posing no
threat to Britain.
The rain cloud, containing very low levels of radiation, which
returned to Britain on Wednesday has now been blown out over
the North Sea, and the UK is likely to be in a westerly wind
pattern for the next few days.
"The winds are now blowing in clean air from over the Atlantic,"
the spokesman said.
Figures issued tonight by the Department of the Environment
showed that radioactivity levels in Britain have fallen sharply
since the weekend, and are now nowhere near the level at which
precautions might have to be taken.
A spokesman said concentrations of radioactivity in milk were
200 times the normal level in the north of England 'and 50 times
the normal level in the south.
But they would have to be 2,000 times the normal level before
there was any need for concern.
In air, the concentration was twice the normal level in the north,
but back to normal in the south. Concern would be caused at
50,000 times the normal level.
Concentrations in water were less than five times normal, while
no action would be necessary at up to 2,400 times normal levels.
The London Residuary Body said tonight that scientists mon-
itoring the fall-out over the capital had calculated that during
the time the radioactive cloud was over head, personal intake
would have increased by 40 percent of normal background levels.
This was equal to an increase of only 0.2 percent of the annual
average natural background intake, it said.
411
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In Northern Ireland, a government statement said there was no
cause for concern over radioactivity levels in the air, water
supplies, or fresh milk.
All levels were safe and the trend was downward, the statement
said.
But at Winsford, Cheshire, the mayor banned supplies of milk to
13 schools with 1,280 pupils under the age of seven because of
radiation fears.
Mayor Mr David Tomlinson said: "Although the amount of
radiation in the milk is well below the safety limit, it is better to
be safe than sorry.
"I don't think the town council should subject, children to any
danger, however remote, knowing that the radiation level was 25
times higher than normal."
Winsford is one of the few local authorities in the area to supply
milk to young children.
Rainwater contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster has brought
an unexpected problem to the Sellafield nuclear processing plant
? it keeps triggering radiationalarms.
A British nuclear fuels spokesman said the rain ? containing up
to 10 times normal levels of radiation ? had triggered alarms at
the plant several times.
"It has meant we have had to treat the rainwater in our own
decontamination plant before releasing it outside the plant," he
said. "This just proves how good our safety system is."
The government worked in the Commons tonight to calm some
MPs' fears that contaminated foods from the Eastern bloc could
arrive in Britain ? because of a "loophole" in the, EEC's
proposed ban on imports ? by being transported through East
Germany.
Junior Foreign Office Minister Mr Tim Eggar said the greater
part of East Germany was outside the range of the ban, which
affects countries within 1,000 kilometres of Chernobyl.
It was also the responsibility of West Germany to check the origin
of foods crossing its frontiers.
Ile said in answer to an emergency question that provisional
agreement had been reached on a temporary ban on some foods
from the USSR, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugosla-
via, and Czechoslovakia.
BRITISH GROUPS NOTE MANY NUCLEAR PLANTS 'UNSAFE'
LD072059 Moscow TASS in English 1921 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] London May 7 TASS ? Many British atomic power
plants are not safe from the point of view of their exploitation,
and at any moment accidents can take place ithere that would
bring about most serious consequences.
This warning was issued by representatives of the "Greenpeace"
and "The Friends of the Earth" organizations who deal with
problems of environmental protection. Specifically, they pointed
out at a press conference here today that the equipment installed
at the atomic power plants was past its service life or was close
to its end. It was emphasized at the press conference that there
should be no room for self-indulgence.'
Participants in the press confernce accused the authorities of
concealing from the British public ithe truth about a rather
alarming situation at atomic power plants.
412
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BALLET TROUPE CANCELS MOSCOW?LENINGRAD TOUR
LD091256 Moscow TASS in English 1152 GMT 9 May 86
["Victims of Unworthy Propaganda Campaign"--TASS headline]
[Text] Moscow May 9 TASS ? A guest tour of the English ballet
troupe, the "London Festival Ballet", in Moscow and Leningrad
has been sacrificed to an unworthy propaganda campaign,
SOVETSKAYA KULTURA newspaper reports. The troupe's
guest performances did not begin on May 5 as scheduled. On that
day, during talks in the USSR Ministry of Culture, the British
raised the question of a possibility of postponing the guest tour
for a week. The Soviet side, notwithstanding great difficulties of
organisational nature, agreed to the proposal in the name of
helping the performers to restore a normal psychological attitude
of mind disrupted by their being massively manipulated by the
British propaganda machine. With the same end in view, British
specialists were given an opportunity to measure radiation levels
on trucks which brought the ballet troupe's requisite to the
USSR. The trucks' route ran across the cities of Brest, Minsk,
and Smolensk. The measurements showed: there is no danger.
But all that proved in vain, the newspaper goes on. The influence
of British official circles, and the lies being poured down on the
minds of British people proved stronger than objective data and
common sense: the troupe has changed its original decision and
will not come to the USSR.
413
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BAKHTAR CRITICIZES WESTERN 'HULLABALLOO'
LD071358 Kabul BAKHTAR in English 0430 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Kabul, May 6, BAKHTAR: A Political Observer of
BAKHTAR writes:
The United States and other Western countries have launched
an anti-Soviet hullaballoo of the accident at the Chernobyl
atomic power station.
Instead of expressing sincere sympathy about the accident,
Washington administration and its NATO allies are taking
advantage of the accident for their sordid political aims.
The mass media of the United States and Western countries by
making fake propaganda and distortion of facts are endeavouring
to create misconceptions and fears among the world people about
an accident which has come under the full control of the Soviet
authorities.
The hullabaloo began by Washington reached its climax in the
summit conference of seven major capitalist countries. The
White House and its associates need this hullaballoo also for
casting aspersion on the Soviet Union, on its peaceful initiatives,
to call in question of very possibility of conducting talks and
reaching agreement with the USSR as well as to distract the
public opinion from the most urgent contemporary questions,
that is, prevention of arms race and universal disarmament.
The anti-Soviet propaganda campaign aims at camouflaging the
U.S. militarist aims and to whitewash the indignation and hatred
shown by the world people concerning the ontinuation of the
nuclear tests by the United States.
The heads of the seven major capitalists countries shed crocodile
tears in the summit conference of Tokyo of the accident at the
Chernobyl atomic power station but did not give any mention
about the prevention of nuclear tests and disaarmament till the
year 2000 which was proposed by the Soviet Union.
Instead of criticising Washington policy for its negligence of the
world public opinion on the prevention of nuclear tests and the
prevention of arms race depicted at the conference the "horrors"
of the accident at the Chernobyl atomic power station. Aimed at
confusing the public opinion of the world and distracting their
mind of the most important questions of peace, detente and
disarmament which are deterred by Reagan administration.
AFGHAN I STAN
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ARGENT INA
NUCLEAR EXPERTS STRESS SECURITY IN PLANTS
PY071602 Buenos Aires DYN in.Spanish 0127 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Buenos Aires, 6 May (DYN) ? Officials of the National
Atomic Energy Commission [CNEA] reported today that Argen-
tine nuclear plants ? Atucha I and II and Embalse ? are
"safer" than the Soviet plants in Chernobyl, where a serious
accident took place recently. They added that the possibility of
a similar accident in the country "are minimal."
The CN EA experts also explained that "the great world powers,
both the United States and the Soviet, Union, are less careful
than many other weaker countries, such as Argentina, as far as
radiation control is concerned."
They added that "Argentina fully complies with the security
recommendations provided for by the International Atomic
Energy Agency, while the great world powers generally pay no
attention to those organizations, which they use for their own
benefit."
These remarks were made in a press conference granted today at
the Argentine Center of Engineers by Oscar Quihillalt, manager
of the CNEA projects; Eduardo Diaz, manager of the Embalse
nuclear plant; Rodolfo Fernandez Franzini, manager of Atucha
I; Rodolfo Touzet, head of the Embalse Coordination Depart-
ment; and Abel Gonzalez, liaison chief and former manager of
the radiation and security control.
PASSENGERS TESTED FOR RADIOACTIVITY ON ARRIVAL
PY080110 Buenos Aires BUENOS AIRES HERALD in English 7 May 80 p 11
[Text] (NA) ? Authorities at Ezeiza airport began testing this
week the levels of radioactivity on passengers from areas that
could have been affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident. In
the first flight tested, the results failed to yield positive results
although one of the passengers had come from the city of Kiev
near the site of the accident.
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ATOMIC COMMISSION CHIEF SAYS NUCLEAR PLANTS SAFE
PY090028 Buenos Aires TELAM in Spanish 1302 GMT 8 May 86
[TextjSan Juan, 8 May (TELAM)? Chairman of the National
Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) Alberto Constantini today
insisted that it is very difficult and improbable that an accident
like the one at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Soviet Union
can happen here, because the security norms recommended by
the International Atomic Energy Organization are strictly fol-
lowed at the Atucha and Embalse nuclear plants. The CNEA
chairman said that the cost of production at the Russian nuclear
plants is $200 per kilowatt, while at the Atucha and Embalse
plants it is $2,000. The difference is the cost of safety, which is
provided by several elements and circuits to shut down the plants
in an emergency. That statement was made at the local airport
last night when the CNEA chairman arrived to participate in
today's celebration of the 14th anniversary of the creation of the
National Seismic Warning Institute (INPRES). During his stay
in this city, Constantini will give a lecture on nuclear policy at
the San Juan Chamber of Commerce.
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BAHRAIN
OFFICIAL CITES AREA COUNTRIES ON 'NATURAL' RADIATION
GF080822 Manama WAKH in Arabic 0735 GMT 8 May 86
[Excerpts] Manama, 8 May (WAKH)? Khalid Fakhru, deputy
chairman of the Environment Protection Committee in Bahrain
and director of the Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Center, has
announced that the countries surrounding and close to Bahrain
have affirmed that the quantities of radiation monitored in the
atmosphere following the leakage of radiation from the Cher-
nobyl nuclear power plant in the USSR are natural and very
small quantities and have not necessarily resulted from the
Chernobyl reactor. They also do not pose any danger.
Fakhru told the newspaper AKHBAR AL-KHALIJ, published
in Bahrain today, that Bahrain does not possess special
equipment to analyse radiation but depends on reports by sur-
rounding and near countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
regarding the extent of air pollution by nuclear radiation. Fakhru
urged the parties responsible for the importation of goods to
investigate and follow up constantly the countries from which
foodstuffs such as meat, grains, and milk are imported if it is
proved that they have been affected by radiation from the
Chernobyl reactor.
PROFESSOR REPORTS 'NORMAL RADIATION LEVELS'
GF110529 Manama GULF DAILY NEWS in English 11 May 86 p 1
[Excerpt] There has been no increase in radiation levels in
Bahrain following the Chernobyl disaster, experiments at the
University College have revealed.
An experiment set up last Tuesday by Professor Muhammad
Ashraf Husayn and Dr Shawqi al-Dallal has shown normal
radiation levels, the scientists revealed. Professor Husayn, a
nuclear physicist who was formerly deputy minister of science
and technology in Egypt, said there is an ongoing radiation
monitoring programme in Bahrain, but it has been stepped up
since Chernobyl. "Our monitoring has indicated normal radi-
ation background," he said.
Professor Husayn said there was no need to be concerned about
food imports in Bahrain, since the island imports nothing from
the Eastern bloc. As a nuclear physicist, Professor Husayn said
he believed nuclear energy programmes should be abandoned.
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BRAZIL
INCOMING AIRPLANES CHECKED FOR RADIOACTIVITY
PY061335 Rio de Janeiro Radio Globo Network in Portuguese 0300 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] The National Commission for Nuclear Energy is checking all airplanes
arriving in Brasilia from Europe for radioactivity caused by the accident at
the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union. So far, only one
person registered a slight trace.of radioactivity.
EXPERTS SAY RADIOACTIVE CLOUD APPROACHING
PY081855 Madrid EFE in Spanish 1300 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Brasilia, 8 May (EFE) ? The Brazilian National Nuclear
Energy Commission [CNEN] today announced that the radioac-
tive cloud created by the Soviet Chernobyl nuclear plant mishap
could reach South America about 10 May. According to esti-
mates made by experts, the radioactivity will be 100,000 times
less concentrated than in the Soviet Union.
At the request of the mines and energy minister, representatives
of state organizations that specialize in nuclear affairs, the
National Security Council, and the Foreign Ministry met in
Brasilia yesterday to assess the Brazilian nuclear program.
After a 1-day meeting, the minister today disclosed that the
Angra H nuclear plant, located in Angra dos Reis outside Rio de
Janeiro, is operating under strict safety controls.
Sao Paulo University Rector Jose Gondelberg yesterday asked
the government to make a more thorough assessment of the
Brazilian nuclear program and urged that the use of atomic
resources to generate electricity be considered as "the last
option."
Almost immediately after the Soviet nuclear accident, the Bra-
zilian aeronautic and CNEN authorities started to measure the
radioactivity carried by planes, cargo, and passangers arriving
from Europe, at major Brazilian airports. However, no alarming
quantity of radioactivity has been found. The tests carried out
have revealed the presence of only small quantities of molyb-
denum, tellurium, iodine, ruthenium, cesium, and lanthanum.
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PROFESSOR CALLS FOR CHANGES IN NUCLEAR PROGRAM
PY081901 Sao Paulo Radio Bandeirantes in Portuguese 1600 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] USP [Sao Apulo University] Physic Professor (Jose
Gutemberg) believes that the Brazilian government will make a
big change in its nuclear program in view of the Chernobyl
accident. (Gutemberg) noted that the recent evaluation of the
program carried out by the special committee [appointed by
President Sarney] has been superseded by the Chernobyl acci-
dent. The USP physicist believes that Brazil should not build any
more nuclear plants other than the Angra II plant since the
country has sufficient alternative energy resources.
'NO RISK' RADIOACTIVE CLOUD AWAITED IN JO to 30 DAYS'
PY131807 Brasilia Radio Nacional da Amazonia Network in Portuguese 0900 GMT
13 May 86
[Text] National Nuclear Energy Commission President (Rex
Nazare Alves) has said that Brazil can measure the amount of
radioactive material in any imported food item, adding that if
food is to be imported, additional measures will be adopted to
detect radioactivity levels. As for the arrival of the radioactive
cloud in Brazil, (Nazare Alves) confirmed that although it will..
arrive, it will entail no risks for either people or the environment.
He said the cloud might arrive in 10 to 30 days.
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PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
USSR REJECTS WEST'S CRITICISM ON CHERNOBYL
OW070624 Beijing XINHUA in English 0555 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Moscow, May 6 (XINHUA) ? A high-ranking Soviet
official said today the criticism by the Tokyo summit leaders
about the Chernobyl nuclear accident had not been accepted as
valid by Soviet leaders although, he added, it did have a positive
aspect.
Anatoliy Kovalev, first deputy foreign minister, said the
statement of the Tokyo summit had "an objective and on the
whole positive nature" but the reproach of the Soviet Union for
not giving detailed and complete information on the Chernobyl
accident "cannot be accepted."
The leaders of the United States, Japan, Britain, France, Federal
Germany, Italy and Canada issued a statement during their
Tokyo summit yesterday which called on every country to provide
detailed and complete information on nuclear emergencies and
accidents and urged the Soviet Government to "urgently" pro-
vide such information.
At a press conference, Kovalev said "as soon as we came to know
particulars of the situation in the area of the accident, we started
issuing information and do so almost every day."
XINHUA ROUNDUP ON CHERNOBYL INCIDENT
He said that when a nuclear accident occurred in the United
States in 1979, government officials did not know causes of the
accident "at once." "It supplied the information to the U.S.
Senate ten days after," he noted.
Kovalev said that "inventions, falsehoods that are heaped up
around the Chernobyl accident have a clearly hostile attitude
underlying them."
The deputy minister also said the Soviet Union and director-
general of the International Atomic Agency Hans Blix, who
arrived here yesterday to discuss the Chernobyl accident, agreed
that the safe use of atomic energy exclusively for peaceful
constructive purposes "called for extensive international cooper-
ation."
The Soviet Union desired such cooperation, he added.
OW051050 Beijing XINHUA Domestic Service in Chinese 1442 GMT 1 May 86
[Text] Beijing, 1 May (XINHUA) ? A roundup report by
XINHUA reporters: Some West European countries have
been monitoring radioactive material released by a Soviet
nuclear power plant after an accident occurred, but many experts
have pointed out that the amounts of radioactive material that
have reached Western Europe are not enough to endanger peo-
ple's health.
Swedish scholar (Olmer), who is working at Morocco's Institute
of Marine Radioactivity, on 30 April detected in the atmosphere
over France iodine and cesium particles released by the Cher-
nobyl nuclear plant in the Soviet Union. He said: "The
amounts of these particles are enough to be measured, but not
enough to pose any danger." He said he believes the radioactive
dust will disappear in 1 or 2 weeks, while, for example, radio-
active dust from atmospheric nuclear explosions takes a few years
to disappear, he noted. Professor (Boaili BeloIan), general direc-
tor of France's Central Bureau for the Prevention of Ion Radi-
ation, told this reporter on the same day: "Up to now the
amounts of radioactive material detected outside Soviet territory
have been very far from the stipulated limit, and even farther
from the danger level."
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In northern West Germany the amounts of monitored radioactive
material have exceeded the normal level by 2 to 3 times, while
the radiation level in West Berlin and some areas of Bavaria has
doubled. An expert from West Germany's Ministry of the Inte-
rior has noted that radioactivity is dangerous to health only when
the radiation level is 100 times higher than the normal level.
Heinz Riesenhuber, West German minister of research and
technology, has pointed out in a statement that West Germany's
nuclear power stations are "absolutely safe" and no similar
accidents will occur in these stations.
Meanwhile, West Germany's Greens party has issued a
statement criticizing Soviet leaders and Bonn for presenting a
false picture of the accident and not allowing citizens to know all
the facts. The statement demands that the Soviet Union publish
all relevant data relating to the accident. Atomic energy experts
have called on the Soviet Government to abandon its "irrespon-
sible policy of protecting secrets." They have also demanded that
all Soviet nuclear power plants be put under some kind of
international supervision in order to prevent similar accidents in
the future.
According to a morning broadcast on 30 April by Radio Austria,
departments concerned in Austria have detected radioactive dust
that drifted into Austria. The departments noted that the radi-
ation levels were higher in southern Austria. However, Austrian
experts have held that although radioactive material in Austria
has increased, the level has not reached a point endangering
people's health.
CHERNOBYL MISHAP WILL NOT AFFECT NUCLEAR PLANS
0W091359 Beijing XINHUA in English 1342 GMT 9 May 86
["Foreign Mishaps Will Not Mar China's Plans for Developing Nuclear Power"?
XINHUA headline]
[Text] Beijing, May 9 (XINHUA) ? China will not change its
programfor developing the nuclear power industry because of the
accident at a Soviet nuclear power plant last month, today's
China Science and Technology Review reported. Jiang Shengjie,
director of the state bureau of nuclear safety told the newspaper
that the accident which occurred at the Chernobyl plant north of
Kiev, in the Soviet Union, would not affect China's nuclear-
power development plans.
The main part of China's first nuclear power station, in Zhejiang
Province, is expected to be completed this year and the country
is planning to set up more nuclear plants in Guangdong and
Jiangsu Provinces in the near future. Jiang said the safety
measures at the Soviet station were "not ideal", because its
graphite-moderated reactor was not adequately housed, consid-
ering its size.
Chinese scientists have been closely observing the development
of foreign nuclear power stations, according to Jiang, a noted
nuclear physicist in China. China will use cold water instead of
graphite to slow down radiation and cool the reactors of its
nuclear power stations. This is acknowledged as a much safer
cooling system by scientists, he said.
This system will be applied at the Daya Bay station in Guang-
dong. Water will be pumped into the reactor core under great
pressure. The reactor core of plant will be housed in three covers
designed to prevent the release of radioactive gas. The inner
covers will consist of zirconium alloy cladding and the outer one
will be a 0.9-meter thick, concrete-walled containment building.
Such protective structures have proved safe at the 42 nuclear
generators built by France over the past 25 years, he said.
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MILITARY SCIENTIST ON NUCLEAR POWER DEVELOPMENT
HK100616 Hong Kong TA KUNG PAO in Chinese
[Special dispatch from correspondent Kung
Developing Nuclear Power"]
[Text] Newly elected CPPCC Vice Chairman and well-known
scientist Qian Xuesen said today that the accident at the Cher-
nobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union would not affect
China's development of nuclear power. He said that the develop-
ment of nuclear energy is a firm principle of China. Qian Xuesen
made these statements this afternoon when answering questions
raised by foreign correspondents assigned to Beijing at a meeting
held by the All-China Journalists' Association.
When asked how China was affected by the accident at the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union, Qian Xuesen
said: All people over the world are very concerned about nuclear
power plants. Whenever there is an accident, people are inclined
to add some emotional factors into their consideration.
We shall develop nuclear power with caution and we shall
carefully sum up the experiences of all countries in the world in
this respect. In other words, we must collect the data on different
situations for scientific analysis before making our decisions.
On the activities of protests against nuclear tests in Xinjiang,
which took place in Beijing several months ago, Qian Xuesen
said: China pays close attention to the impact of nuclear tests on
people living in surrounding areas. As far as I know, in our
development of the nuclear industry in the past 30 years, the
casualties caused by the tests have been very, very minimal. The
people understand when we tell them this fact.
422
10 May 86 p 1
Shuangyin: "Qian Xuesen Talks on
On the visit of Chief of Staff Yang Dezhi to the United States
and his aim of buying advanced military technology from the
West, Qian Xuesen said: In the area of national defense, China
first relies on its strength. Under no circumstances should China
arm its forces by depending on imported weapons.
However, China is now implementing the policy of opening up to
the outside, and we have to learn from the people of the world.
We have to use the advanced technology that we have learned so
we can produce things of our own. As for the import of military
technology, it is not a matter of wishful thinking. This is a very
painstaking issue for Chief of Staff Yang. It depends on the
opposite side.
He also said: The most arduous tail( is that we Must accomplish
the modernization of national defense. On this issue, we must
always bear in mind that we still have a relatively strong techno-
logical force. In the late 1950's, our country decided to develop
and master the technology of atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs,
missilei, and satellites. All these were high technology at that
time and who helped us? Nobody' We just started from scratch.
It was just by starting from that zero base that -China's tech-
nological personnel mastered these types of high technology.
Therefore, China's techfiblogical personnel are ftill of confidence.
They can fulfill all tasks no matter how arduous they are. He
added: I do not mean that we should not import advanced
technology: What Fmean is that if you do not sell, we shall work
on our .ovin,.This is called, acting independently i and :taking
initiative in one's own hands, as well as self-reliance.
? , ? ?
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COSTA RICA
USSR'S RYUYTEL ON 'EXAGGERATED' REPORTS
PA071454 Tegucigalpa Cadena Audio Video in Spanish 1245 GMT 7 May 86
[Report by Danilo Antunez and Nery Artiaga]
[Excerpt] We are reporting directly from San Jose, Costa Rica,
exclusively for Radio America. Delegations from various Euro-
pean, American, African, and Asian countries have arrived at
the Juan Santamaria Airport to attend the ceremony of transfer
of government, which will take place tomorrow starting at 0900
at the National Stadium.
Among the delegations that have arrived is the one from the
USSR, headed by Arnold Ryuytel, deputy chairman of the
USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium and chairman of the Supreme
Soviet Presidium of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, who
was interviewed by Radio America.
[Begin recording] [Ryuytel ? in Russian with simultaneous
Spanish translation] Yes, this what we believe, that reports have
been exaggerated and manipulated.
[Unidentified reporter] So, can the world be definitely sure that
there will be no other consequences for the population?
[Ryuytel The necessary measures have been taken in the USSR
to minimize the consequences of this accident. A state committee
created especially for this purpose, some time ago, approves the
necessary measures to ensure and guarantee security at nuclear
plants. [end recording]
Undoubtedly, the presence of the Supreme Soviet deputy
chairman has stirred up a natural curiousity and questions about
the Chernobyl tragedy. He said that the Western press has
magnified the problem, and that, in reality, only 2 people died,
although there have been reports stating that more than 1,000
died. He said that the radioactivity problem is now under control.
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EGYPT
COUNTRY REPORTEDLY FREE OF RADIATION CONTAMINATION
NC071811 Cairo MENA in Arabic 1700 GMT 7 May 86
[Excerpt] Cairo, 7 May (MENA) ? An emergency committee
on radiation formed by the Atomic Energy Organization [AEO]
met today to discuss the explosion in the Chernobyl nuclear plant
and the impact and repercussions this incident might have for
Egypt and the region. The committee also discussed the need for
ongoing preparations and the kind of emergency plan which
should be adopted under such circumstances.
Representatives from the AEO, the Defense Ministry, the
Nuclear Plants Commission, the Meteorological department,
and the Civil Defense Authority at the Interior Ministry also
participated in these discussions.
In a statement issued at the end of the meeting, the committee
affirmed that the necessary testing has been carried out on water,
air, and food specimens in well over 40 observation stations
throughout the republic. The results of this research show that
there has been no radiation contamination. Consequently, the
incident has not created radiation problems in Egypt. There is no
need to circulate large quantities of iodine tablets. However, the
committee emphasized that all imported commodities should
undergo the necessary radiation analysis before being circulated.
424
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run Jrr1tIIiL %/Jr., V1M1
GHANA
DAILY CRITICIZES U.S. GLOATING OVER CHERNOBYL
AB090835 Accra Domestic Service in English 0700 GMT 9 May 86
[From the press review]
[Text] The PEOPLE'S DAILY GRAPHIC says that nowhere is
the game in the East-West superpower politics as transparent as
in the attempt by the United States to use the accident which
occured on Sunday 25 April this year [date as heard) at the
Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union as a propa-
ganda ploy. It says the United States is blowing up the accident
as an international crisis and creating fear and insecurity among
Western Europeans, especially the neighbors of the Soviet Union.
With indecent haste, the United States has demanded that she
should be given the right to make an immediate inspection and
investigation on the spot, a demand which the officials very well
know that the Soviet Union cannot, in self-respect, allow any such
poking and moping around her nuclear installations. [sentence as
heard] The GRAPHIC wants to know the number of times that
the Soviet Union has demanded to go and inspect many serious
nuclear accidents in the United States on the pretext that some
of the radioactive fallout will reach Mexico or Canada.
The paper says one of the reasons behind the U.S. ploy is that by
drumming up an unnecessary outcry, she and her allies hope
thereby to distract the world public from her aggression against
Libya. It is also designed to make us here in Africa forget U.S.
support for apartheid South Africa and her funding of bandits
and mercenaries like Jonas Savimbi and Holden Roberto. The
GRAPHIC believes that the world has not forgotten the condem-
nation of U.S. nuclear blasts in Nevada in recent weeks and it
has not forgotten that between 1971 and 1984, there were about
151 similar incidents in 14 other countries, mostly NATO coun-
tries.
The paper agrees that there has been a nuclear accident in the
Soviet Union. It is also a fact that it is an accident against which
nobody is guaranteed safety, but to blow it out of all proportion
puts it in the realm of fiction. What the world is interested in,
since the United States and the USSR both have stockpiles of
these destructive weapons, is for them to draw the cOnciusions
that can prevent future accidents, and not to gloat shamelessly
over the misfortune of the USSR to score a point in an East-West
game.
425
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SLIGHT INCREASE IN RADIATION LEVELS DETECTED
HK070558 Hong Kong Domestic Service in English 0500 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] The Applied Science Department of the Hong Kong
Polytechnic has detected a slight increase in the level of radioac-
tive material in the atmosphere over the territory. The depart-
ment has been carrying out tests for more than 2 years and this
is the first time any increase has been recorded. Stuart Newall
spoke to lecturer Dr. K C Leung who told him that the radiation
which had been detected does not occur naturally and probably
comes from the nuclear plant at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union.
[Begin recording] [Leung] We have found a few unusual radio-
nuclides from the rain samples. We have been measuring the air
samples for a long time, but we didn't measure anything. This is
simply because the radio-nuclides are in the upper atmosphere
rather than in the lower atmosphere, and therefore the detectors
at the ground level are very difficult to measure them. Due to
showers which occurred yesterday and the day before, and I think
the radio-nuclides are brought down to the ground lord by the
rains.
[Newall] Right, so what about the total level of radiation in Hong
Kong; is that any higher?
[Leung] The total radiation in Hong Kong is about one to two
times higher than the world average.
[Newall] But this is nothing to do with nuclear plants, this is the
natural...
[Leung, interrupting] This is due to the rocks, the granite.
[Newall] Right, so what about the actual nuclides that you've
discovered, is there any danger to Hong Kong people at all?
426
liopc KONG
(Leung] No, because the combined radioactivity level is very low.
[Newall] Where are the likely sources of these nuclides? Where
do you think they come from?
[Leung] This radio-nuclides are [word indistinct] products from
nuclear plants. Therefore we are sure that these nuclides comes
from the accident...
[Newall] In the Soviet Union?
[Leung] In that accident of the nuclear power plant. [end record-
ing]
Measurements of rainfall by the Royal Observatory have also
revealed a slight increase of radiation levels. The head of the
radiation monitoring division, Dr. M. C. Wong says this is still
well within the minimum world safety standards. Dave Malcolm
asked him if the increase could have been caused by the Soviet
accident.
[Begin Wong recording] There is no positive indication of any
measurable increase in the radiation levels. And, judging from
the current meteorological conditions -I would expect that there
will be no, um, any significant increase, in the levels in Hong
Kong, and, therefore, I would not contribute any of the measure-
ment levels and relate these to the accident. [end recording]
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VILA
ISRAEL
HEALTH MINISTRY WITHHOLDS RADIATION STATISTICS
TA071222 Jerusalem Domestic Service in Hebrew 1200 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] The Health Ministry refrained from disclosing the places
in which an outstanding concentration of radioactive contamina-
tion was found to prevent the public from panicking unnecessar-
ily. The contamination was of a very low radioactive level which
posed no danger. This was reported by Dr 'Alma Avni, Director
of the Public Health Services, in a special debate in the Knesset
Interior Committee hearing. Our correspondent- Elihu Ben-On
? reports that Dr Avni claims that any Israeli citizen can obtain
antiradiation iodine tablets within 24 hours.
The director of the Nuclear Power Division said that there are
two nuclear research plants in Israel: one in Nahal Soreq,
producing 5 megawatts; the other in Dimona, producing 25
megawatts. The Chernobyl plant, on the other hand, supplied
3,200 megawatts.
Usstt DELEGATION ARBIVES , COMMENTS ON CHERNOBYL
TA081921 Jerusalem Domestic Service in Hebrew 1705 GMT 8 May 86
[Excerpt] A Soviet delegation arrived in Israel a short while ago,
on the the 41st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.
The delegation is the guest of the Israel-USSR Friendship Move-
ment. Hagay Hitron broadcasts from Ben-Gurion Airport:
It transpires that a member of the delegation, Alexander (Nov-
grodov) is an Orientalist who speaks Hebrew. Here is his reaction
to our request for an update on the situation in Chernobyl.
[Begin (Novgrodov) recording] The latest thing about Chernobyl
is that the situation there is growing calmer, is becoming more
normal. I think there are no grounds for all sorts of exaggerations,
the likes of which we heard in Moscow as well as on the way here.
[end recording]
427
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RADIATION TESTS TO BE HALTED DUE TO LOW LEVELS
TA081216 Jerusalem Domestic Service in Hebrew 1100 GMT 8 May 86
[Excerpt] Within the next few days the frequent tests of radiation
levels in Israel will stop. The tests were initiated last week in the
wake of the Chernobyl reactor disaster. Dr Shmu'el Brenner,
Director of the Health Ministry's Institute for Environmental
Health Hazards Study, told our correspondent Yaron Enosh that
the tests conducted by the Atomic Energy Commission in the past
2 days showed a level of radiation two to three times lower than
that measured in the previous days, when it was already low.
428
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JAPAN
TOKYO SUMMIT URGES MORE INFORMATION ON CHERNOBYL
OW060359 Tokyo KYODO in English 0351 GMT
[Text] Tokyo, May 6 (KYODO) ? The United States believes
the Soviet Union has not yet released to the world sufficient
information on the Chernobyl reactor accident, a White House
spokesman said Tuesday.
The Tokyo summit of seven industrialized countries Monday
issued a declaration demanding that Moscow provide more
detailed reports on the reactor disaster in late April in the Soviet
Ukraine.
Speakes said the U.S. "welcomes" the Soviet announcement
monday that it will allow officials of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the accident site.
The announcement said foreign experts will be allowed to make
the trip to the Chernobyl plant "as soon as the radioactivity has
decreased to a point where this is possible."
"We still don't have sufficient information to make the kinds of
judgments we need to make," Speakes said of the lack of informa-
tion on the accident.
The statement issued by the leaders of Japan, the United States,
Canada, Britain, France, West Germany and Italy gathered in
Tokyo for the summit Monday expressed their readiness to
extend medical and technical assistance for the Soviet accident,
429
6 May 86
and urged early elaboration of an international convention in the
event of nuclear emergencies or accidents.
Speakes refused to comment on a monday report on cbs news that
the u.s. is considering using air-launched cruise missiles if it
attacks Libya again.
In Tuesday's press briefing Speakes also outlined the plans of
U.S. officials following the Tokyo summit.
Secretary of State George Shultz will go with Assistant Secre-
tary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Gaston Sigur to Seoul
and Manila to meet with leaders of both countries.
Shultz will meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Yi Won-
kyong for an annual ministerial meeting.
Treasury Secretary James Baker will go to Beijing for annual
Sino-U.S. joint economic meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.
W. Allen Wallis, undersecretary of state for economic affairs,
will go to Singapore for "extensive economic consultations" with
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN). He will be in Australia Thursday and Friday to brief
Prime Minister Bob Hawke on the summit.
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'MILD RADIOACTIVITY' FOUND IN MILK IN WEST
HK061332 Hong Kong AFP in English 1322 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Tokyo, May 6 (AFP) ? Mild radioactivity, apparently
from the crippled Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet
Union, has been found in water and milk in western Japan, local
government officials said Tuesday.
The officials in Shimane Prefecture's Matsue City, western
Japan, said that they had detected 10.76 picocuries of radioactive
Iodine 131 per liter of milk sampled Sunday and 0.35 picocuries
per liter of water sampled the same day.
Radioactive Iodine 131 does not exist in the natural environment,
according to scientists.
The officials said that radioactive contamination of milk and
water in Matsue was too slight to be dangerous.
Radioactivity of 624 picocuries per liter was found in rainwater
sampled Sunday and Monday in Kochi, also in western Japan,
but the contamination level also posed no danger, Kochi officials
said.
Japanese central government officials said Monday that radio-
activity believed to have leaked from the Chernobyl plant had
been detected in rain and floating dust in 16 prefectures of Japan.
But they added that the radiation levels were not high enough to
pose a health risk.
PREFECTURES REPORT 'UNHARMFUL' RADIATION IN FOOD
OW071209 Tokyo KYODO in English 1145 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Tokyo, May 7 KYODO ? Milk already put on the market
in chiba prefecture was found Wednesday to have been contami-
nated with radioactivity, apparently as a result of the last month's
Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in the Soviet Union, a
special government group reported.
The radioactivity countermeasures headquarters said that 19
picocuries (a picocurie is one-trillionth of a curie) of radioactive
Iodine-131 was detected per liter of milk. Radioactive iodone
does not exist in the natural environment.
The radioactive substance has only been detected in freshly
produced milk in Japan since the Soviet nuclear plant meltdown
in the Ukraine.
The level of contamination of milk already on the ibarket in
Chiba prefecture, however, is "absolutely unharmful to the
human body," according to the headquarters officials.
They said an ordinary person would have to drink 200 cc (one-
fifth of a liter) of milk contaminated with 50 picocuries of the
Iodine-131 per liter every day for 100 years before the radioactiv-
ity in his body exceeded tolerable levels.
Reports of radioactive contimination of rainwater newly came
from Aomori, Gumma, Nagano and Kumamoto prefectures
Wednesday. Contamination of rainwater by the radioactive sub-
stance has now been reported from at least 34 of Japan's 47
prefectures since the April 26 Soviet nuclear mishap.
The headquarters said the newly reported rainwater contamina-
tion reading ranged from 217 picocuries in Aomori to 920
picocuries in Gumma prefecture.
430
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r VI% J1I1dAL UJC., V1NLI
RADIOACTIVITY FOUND ON RETURNING KIEV TOURISTS
OW051534 Tokyo KYODO in English 1505 GMT
[Text] Narita, Chiba Pref., May 5 KYODO ? Forty-five of 123
tourists who had visited Kiev around the time of the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant accident in late April were found to be
contaminated by radioactivity upon their return here Monday [5
May], according to the science and technology agency. Tests
conducted at Narita Airport by the agency's Radioactivity Insti-
tute found higher-than-normal levels of radioactivity in the hair
and nostrils of 45 tourists returning from the Soviet Union.
The agency said the levels of contamination were not imme-
diately harmful to health, but 15 of the travelers whose levels
read some 25 to 35 times the natural level needed further checks.
Some 100 pieces of baggage and clothing of the tourists were also
found to have been exposed to radioactivity, apparently from the
Chernobyl accident. Some of the contaminated items will be kept
in the Institute in Chiba until the radioactive levels go down, an
Institute official said.
The 15 tourists with abnormally high level of radioactivity
underwent the further examinations at the institute, spending the
whole day there. The agency official said the levels of radioactiv-
ity of the 15 tourists were found not harmful Monday night after
elaborate examinations. The 123 tourists, in four touring groups,
and including 22 foreign residents of Japan, arrived at the airport
5 May 86
Monday morning by three separate Aeroflot flights. Some of the
groups had entered Kiev April 28, just after the presumed date
of the accident, while others reportedly travelled by train from
Moscow to Kiev April 30.
A 72-year-old Tokyo resident, who was found to have a high level
of radioactivity in the hair, said, "I feel uneasy, though the
examiner said I don't have to worry if I wash my hair." He
criticized the tourist agency and the Japanese Embassy in Mos-
cow for not providing information earlier so they could cancel the
Kiev visit.
For another Tokyo resident, 60, it was the second exposure to
radioactivity. He was in the outskirts of Hiroshima at the time
of the atomic bombing of the city in 1945. He said the tourist
company informed the tourists of the accident April 30. He said
the majority of the tourists had decided to continue the trip,
saying "We have come this far so why don't we go on?" though
a few expressed fears.
The morning's tests were watched by Yohei Kono, director
general of the Science and Technology Agency, who hurried to
Narita Airport for the inspection.
VISITING KOVALENKO DENOUNCES U.S. 'PROPAGANDA'
0W081237 Tokyo KYODO in English 1218 GMT
[Text] Tokyo, May 8 KYODO ? A high-ranking Soviet Com-
munist Party officer accused the United States Thursday [8 May]
of trying to politically cash in on an accident at a Soviet nuclear
power plant late last month.
Ivan Kovalenko, deputy head of the party International Affairs
Department now on a visit to Japan, said in an interview here
that the accident at Chernobyl near Kiev was local and limited
in scale. Kovalenko, describing the Chernobyl disaster an unfor-
tunate accident, said Western countries, particularly the United
States, have promoted an anti-Soviet propaganda as if the acci-
dent was a global incident.
The Soviet Union is undertaking an intensive investigation into
the cause of the disaster and will take stricter safety measures on
nuclear power plants, he said. Kovalenko affirmed an official
Soviet announcement that two people were killed and 197 others
injured, saying all the injured except 18 in serious condition have
left hospital. The Kremlin officer said there was no adverse
effects on human health near the power plant.
431
8 May 86
Commenting on a Tokyo summit statement on terrorism,
Kovalenko said the seven major advanced democracies took
international terrorism as an excuse to condemn any national
liberation movement. The United States, Japan, Britain, France,
West Germany, Italy and Canada adopted the antiterrorism
statement accusing Libya of sponsoring and supporting interna-
tional terrorism.
Kovalenko was negative about an early second superpower sum-
mit between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S.
President Ronald Reagan, saying it is impossible in view of
present circumstances. But he added that the U.S.-Soviet sum-
mit, second following the one in November in Geneva, is still on
a Soviet schedule.
Moscow will welcome an early visit of Japanese Foreign Minister
Shintaro Abe to the Soviet Union, Kovalenko said. It is up to Abe
himself to decide when to visit Moscow, he said. In a meeting
with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze in Tokyo last
January, Abe agreed to visit the Soviet Union this year.
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AGENCY TO CHECK EAST EUROPEAN FOOD FOR RADIATION
OW090615 Tokyo KYODO in English 0528 GMT 9 May 86
[Text] Tokyo, May 9 KYODO ? Samples of foodstuffs and soil
from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia are to be brought to Japan
to check the effect of the recent Soviet nuclear power plant
accident, a cabinet minister said Friday [9 May]. Yohei Kono,
director general of the Science and Technology Agency, made
the announcement following a cabinet meeting.
He said his agency will collect food and soil from the countries
concerned with the cooperation of the foreign ministry. The
Japanese Embassy in the Soviet Union had earlier sent to Tokyo
samples of water, milk, vegetables and soil that it collected. Kono
said the government will make continuous studies of the items.
He also said the government will send medicihes and milk to
Japanese nationals abroad if requested to do so.
COMPUTER SYSTEM TO EVALUATE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT
OW131120 Tokyo ASAHI EVENING NEWS in English 12 May 86 p 3
[Text] The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute [MERU has
decided to try to calculate the extent of environmental contami-
nation resulting from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant acci-
dent using a computer system which the institute developed
recently for such a purpose.
Since the nuclear reactor disaster took place at the Soviet power
station last month; little information has been divulged by the
Soviet authorities as to the seriousness of radiation leakage and
environmental contamination.
The JAERFs computerized forecasting system was developed to
determine the levels of radioactivity which would be released into
the environment by a nuclear accident. Authorities could use the
information in evacuating people near a stricken reactor.
The development of the system began after the 1979 Three Mile
Island nuclear plant accident in the United States, and was
' completed with the cooperation of the Meteorological Agency
and others.
The JAER1 is trying to calculate the scale of radioactive con-
tamination around the crippled Soviet nuclear power plant by
feeding into a computer data on radioactivity which was recorded
in northern Europe and other countries around the world.
COPYRIGHT: Asahi Evening News, 1986
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MILK CONTAMINATED WITH IODINE 131 IN NAGASAKI
0W151205 Tokyo KYODO in English 1157 GMT 15 May 86
[Text] Nagasaki, May 15 KYODO ? Milk on sale here has been
found contaminated with radioactive iodine 131 due probably to
fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident environmental
pollution control officials said Thursday [15 May]. The officials
said the contamination levels were 42 picocuries per liter of the
milk on Wednesday and 35 picocuries on Thursday, both too low
to be dangerous to the human body.
The milk was checked when it was put on the market after it was
produced in Nagasaki Prefecture on the previous day. Radio-
active iodine 131 does not exist in the natural environment.
In Tokyo, meanwhile, health and welfare ministry officials said
that they have not so far detected any abnormal radiation
readings in imported food arriving at the international airport at
Narita. The officials have been checking all perishable and
frozen foods arriving from the Soviet Union, Poland, Sweden,
Italy and 12 other European countries since May 2, following the
April 26 Chernobyl nuclear accident. They said they have so far
examined about 28 tons of foods, including three tons of salmon
meat which arrived from Norway Thursday afternoon. The
examination will be continued for some time to come, they said.
SOVIET TOURIST OFFICE STRESSES USSR TRAVEL SAFE
OW150735 Tokyo KYODO in English 0727 GMT 15 May 86
[Excerpt] Tokyo, May 15 KYODO ? The Soviet travel office
here said Thursday [15 May] travel to the Soviet Union is safe
and regretted a printing error in a message to Japanese travel
agents which caused misunderstanding about tourism to the
country. There is no danger for foreign tourists despite the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in late April, the Soviet
Government tourist information bureau (Japan) said.
The telegram, which the Soviet state-run travel agency Intourist
sent to 31 Japanese travel agents, said "none of them (tourists)
have been affected by radiation." It, however, contained a con-
flicting message saying "foreign tourists may travel throughout
the Soviet Union visiting any tourist center being absolutely
endangered." Viktor Turkin, director of the Soviet Government
tourist bureau (Japan), issued a statement and said it was a simple
Printing mistake.
The telegram, which was signed by Intourist President Valentin
F. Lebedev and originally written in Russian, was misprinted and
433
should read" ... absolutely undangered," a spokeswoman for the
bureau said.
Lebedev issued a fresh statement later in Moscow, correcting
"absolutely endangered" to "absolutely safe," said Kawasaki
Enterprises Inc., the Japanese advertising agency for the Soviet
tourist office.
Turkin issued the statement in response to Japanese English
language newspaper articles based on a KYODO NEWS SER-
VICE report on the telegram, officials at his office said. Turkin
said he was surprised to read those newspapers which reported
the intourist telegram in the opposite sense to that intended. He
added that one could have understood it was a mere printing error
if he read the whole telex. A copy of Lebedev's telegram, avail-
able to KYODO NEWS SERVICE, explained the April 26
Chernobyl disaster and subsequent developments in detail.
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A VA% %/A A AldMIL V OK. 4...11,11,
MINISTER ON STEPS TO ENSURE RADIATION?FREE IMPORTS
JN101520 Amman PETRA?JNA in Arabic 1416 GMT 10 May 86
[Text] Amman, 10 May (PETRA) ? Dr Raja`i al-Mu'ashshir,
minister of industry, trade, and supply, has asserted that the
ministry, in cooperation with all competent government bodies,
has taken all necessary precautions to guarantee that imported
foodstuffs are free of radiation. He said the measures taken
stipulate that the importers of fresh meat for the Ministry of
Supply should attach an official certificate issued by government
sources in the country of origin to every shipment, confirming
that the meat is free of nuclear radiation.
Regarding frozen meat and fish as well as dairy products
imported by the private sector, all those who import them from
countries neighboring the nuclear radiation zone should provide
an official certificate with every shipment confirming it is free of
radiation.
The supply minister asserted that the ministry, out of its complete
concern for the citizens' safety, is conducting the necessary tests
on all shipments of foodstuffs imported to Jordan in cooperation
with the specialized technical bodies in the Royal Scientific
Society to ensure they are safe for human consumption and free
of any traces of nuclear radiation.
JORDAN
IMPORTED MEAT TESTED; FREE OF RADIATION
JN111441 Amman PETRA?JNA in Arabic 1412 GMT 11 May 86
[Text] Amman, 11 May (PETRA) ? The minister of supply, in
cooperation with the Royal Scientific Society Laboratories, has
conducted laboratory tests on imported meat.
The Ministry of Supply under secretary has said that laboratory
examinations confirmed that the imported meat was free of any
harmful nuclear radiation. He explained that meat [importers
provided certificates of origin stating that the meat was free of
any radiation harmful to citizens' health.
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RADIOACTIVE DUST DETECTED IN RAINWATER
HK060458 Hong Kong AFP in English 0452 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Seoul, May 6 (AFP) ? Scientists have detected radio-
active dust in South Korea and have linked the contamination
with the nuclear accident in the Soviet Union ten days ago, the
Science and Technology Ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry said that scientists had found 1,500 picocuries (PCI)
of Iodine-131 in one litre of rainwater falling over Chungju,
southeast of Seoul, Monday night.
Besides, it said they also found 900 PCI of Ruthenium-103, as
well as 10 PCI of Cobalt-60 in the rain water samples. Scientists
believed it was linked to the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster,
the ministry said. It, however, added that this amount of radio-
activity in rain would not be harmful to health, but warned
against drinking rainwater.
The report is the second in Asia following Japanese scientists
traced abnormally high radiation levels in central Japan last
Friday and Saturday which they also believed to be teh result of
the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident near Kiev.
REPUBLIC OF KOREA
PRECISE SECURITY CHECKS DUE ON FIVE NUCLEAR REACTORS
SK070303 Seoul YONHAP in English 0251 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Seoul, May 7 (YONHAP) ? The South Korean Govern-
ment plans to make precise security checks on the nation's five
nuclear reactors, the Science and Technology Ministry's Radi-
ation Protection Committee announced Tuesday.
A team comprising 24 nuclear experts from the ministry, the
Korea Energy Research Institute and the Korea Electric Power
Corp. will conduct the checks over a two-week period, according
to the committee.
It will make the checks in five classified fields ? engineering
safety, fire protection, accident prevention capability, operating
capability and environmental monitoring.
The committee, headed by Vice Science and Technology Minis-
ter Kwon Won-ki, was set up in the wake of the Chernobyl
accident near. the Soviet city of Ukraine [as received] late last
month.
The committee has determined that Korea's nuclear power plants
are safe because they utilize pressurized water reactors, which
are quite different from the boiling water reactors Used at the
Soviet plants and because the Korean reactors are equipped with
sufficient disaster protection systems.
The committee also plans to invite to Korea the International
Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) operational safety review
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team and nuclear specialists from the (U.S.) Institute of Nuclear
Power Operations (INPO) to conduct further checks, in accor-
dance with international standards, as soon as possible, a ministry
official said.
Nuclear power has emerged as a major source of power in Korea,
which is poor in energy resources. Four nuclear power plants are
now operating in Korea and a fifth will go into test operations at
the end of this month, according to the official.
The five atomic reactors' combined generating capacity of 3,600
megawatts accounts for 37 percent of Korea's total power supply,
he said.
An additional four reactors now under construction are
scheduled for completion by September 1989, he added.
436
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CHERNOBYL' POSES NO 'SERIOUS DANGERS' FOR AREA
LD061643 Kuwait KUNA in English 1319 GMT .6 May 86
[Excerpt] Geneva, May 6 (KUNA) ? The fire and subsequent
leak of radioactivity from a Soviet nuclear power station did not
pose any serious dangers for Kuwait or the Gulf region, Kuwait's
public health and planning minister said Tuesday.
Dr 'Abd al-Rahman al-`Awadi, in comments to journalists,
stated that "there is not much of an alarm in this year".
"Up to now there is no danger to our region. Of course continuous
monitoring is taking place both in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
regarding the sensing of any radioactive material coming", the
minister observed.
"Even if it reaches us, it will be so diluted that it will not have
any effect on health," he went on.
Dr al-`Awadi stressed that there had been no problem so far over
contamination of food products in the Gulf as a result of the leak
of radioactivity.
AMBASSADOR SAYS STUDENTS IN KIEV SAFE, HAPPY
LD062326 Kuwait KUNA in Arabic 1913 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Moscow, 6 May (KUNA) ? 'Abd al-Muhsin al-Du'ayj,
Kuwaiti ambassador to the Soviet Union said here today that the
psychological and educational situation of the Kuwait students
in the Soviet city of Kiev is "good and does not arouse concern".
In a statement to KUNA, Al-Du'ayj pointed out that the clamor
about the situation of the 16 Kuwaiti students in Kiev, capital of
the Ukraine, where a nuclear reactor exploded recently, was a
result of "the anxiety of their families and the cables sent to the
students from their families demanding their immediate return
home."
KUWAIT
The Kuwaiti ambassador, who last night sent Cultural Attache
'Ali al-Halabi to Kiev to receive reassurance from the students,
expressed his appreciation for the Ukrainian deputy minister of
education's cooperation and willingness to either postpone the
date of the students' examinations or to evacuate them from the
city if they so wished. The students decided to remain and to
continue their studies and their examinations.
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HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY NO RADIATION CONTAMINATION
NC071207 Beirut Voice of Lebanon in Arabic 1115 GMT 7 May 86
[Excerpt] Dr Muhammad Muhanna, director of the health pro-
tection department at the Health Ministry; Dr George Furayhah,
coordinator general of the People's Committee; and Dr Fuad
al-Shamali, chairman of the Lebanese doctors association, have
confirmed to the Voice of Lebanon that neither the water nor the
air is contaminated by radiation. They said that there is no
danger to Lebanon and that there is no need for concern or for
taking preventive medicine.
,
FOOD IMPORTS FROM 7 EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES BANNED
LEBANON
NC101950 Beirut Voice of Lebanon in Arabic 1915 GMT 10 May
[Text] Lebanon has placed an indefinite ban on the import of
foodstuffs and consumer goods from seven East European coun-
tries because of the possibility of radioactive contamination.
At the end of a meeting of officials from the Ministries of Health
and Economy, which was also attended by specialists from the
American and Lebanese Universities, a statement was issued
containing the following points:
I. An indefinite but temporary ban has been placed on the
import of foodstuffs and consumer goods, especially meat, fish,
milk, milk products, vegetables, fresh and canned fruit, as well
as grains and their derivatives, from these countries:
Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Soviet
Union, Romania, and Poland.
2. Those goods which have already entered Lebanon will be
inspected and tested to determine if they are free of radioactive
materials.
3. The necessary measures will be taken to destroy any
contaminated goods.
4. The competent departments of both ministries are asked to
implement this decision.
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MALAYSIA
NUCLEAR UNIT 'MONITORING CHERNOBYL EFFECTS
BK131317 Kuala Lumpur Domestic Service in English 1130 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] A working group coordinated by the Nuclear Energy Unit
in the Prime Minister's Department has been set up to study
possible indications to Malaysia of the recent Chernobyl reactor
accident in the Soviet Union. Director General of the Nuclear
Energy Unit Professor Datuk Mohamed Ghazali Rahman said
today the group comprised representatives from the foreign
affairs, health and science, technology, [word indistinct], and the
veterinary services departments.
He said in a statement that the Nuclear Energy Unit would
monitor the environment and all casualties coming from coun-
tries affected by the Chernobyl incident, although there were no
records of increase in environmental radioactivity in this country.
Following the Chernobyl reactor accident, the Nuclear Energy
Unit has set up monitoring of the environment from complex
PUSPATI [Pusat Penyelidikan Atom Tun Ismail ? Tun Ismail
Atomic Energy Research Center] in Kuala Lumpur. Radioactiv-
ity in the air, rain, river, water, soil, and vegetation is analyzed
at various stations within a 10-km radius at the complex. Profes-
sor Datuk Mohamed Ghazali said the unit will assist the health
ministry in the control of food items imported from affected
region.
439
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MONGOLIAN PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC
CONDOLENCES SENT TO USSR ON CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT
OW081127 Ulaanbaatar MONT SAME in Russian 1350 GMT 5 May 86
[Text] Ulaanbaatar, 5 May (MONTSAME) ? Jambyn Bat-
monh, general secretary of the MPRP Central Committee and
chairman of the MPR People's Great Hural Presidium, and
Dumagiyn Sodnom, chairman of the MPR Council of Ministers,
sent to the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of
Ministers a telegram expressing their deep condolences over the
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet
Ukraine.
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NEW ZEALAND
COLUMNIST SEES CHERNOBYL SUPPORTING LABOR GOVERNMENT
HK100938 Wellington THE EVENING POST in English 6 May 86 p 4
["Weekwatch" column by chief political reporter Tony Garnier: "Soviet Nuclear
Accident Will Help Anti?Nukes Policy"]
(Text] It is not true that the Soviet Union stage-managed the
Chernobyl nuclear accident to help out the Labour Government.
Of course not. But there can be little doubting that what is
happening throughout Europe as a result of the accident will
consolidate international respect for this country's anti-nuclear
stand.
There can be no going back for New Zealand. By the end of the
year its "world first" anti-nuclear legislation will be on the
statute books. All that is left to do, really, is dot i's and cross t's.
Indeed, suggestions in some diplomatic quarters that New Zea-
land and, in particular, Prime Minister Lange, might yet water
down the legislation enough to allow port visits by warships of
nuclear powers on a "neither confirm nor deny basis" is simply
wishful thinking. In a sense, too, the ANZUS row is now over.
All the viewpoints have been canvassed at length, to the point
that some of the latest claims and counterclaims between Wash-
ington and Wellington is simply recycled rhetoric.
That is not to argue that the heat has gone out of the ANZUS
dispute. Neither is it an unimportant sideshow. The United
States may well initiate moves to expel New Zealand from
ANZUS. However, if it does, the process will take more than a
year to achieve, and it remains far from established that it will
get the required support of Australia, the third member of the
ANZUS treaty.
Instead, what will happen will be no more than what has already
happened: The United States will continue to display a degree of
displeasure but ? optimistic as I am ? will gradually come to
accept the New Zealand initiative as not only sensible in the
context of New Zealand's unique South Pacific world view but
a positive contribution to Western values and interests.
More proof of Mr Lange's personel commitment to Labour's
anti-nuclear stand will come later this month, when he visits
Europe. As this newspaper reported weeks ago, it was always
intended that the visit to countries such as Sweden and West
Germany would be used to highlight the nuclear policy. Cher-
nobyl provides a ready-made platform.
He is to deliver a major speech to the Sixth World Congress of
the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
in West Germany. True, the Cheronbyl disaster was to a power
station ? and not the result of using nuclear weapons ? but
connections can obviously be made. An anti-communist cynic
might wonder whether the radiation cloud over Western Europe
constituted a warlike act of aggression! In such an emotive
anti-nuclear climate Mr Lange cannot lose during his
forthcoming trip to Europe.
A recent visit to New Zealand by a high-powered delegation from
Japan's Socialist Party, including its leader, showed how hungry
some politicians are for global leadership on the anti-nuclear
issue. Japan's socialists are using the slogan "Follow New Zea-
land" at upcoming elections. While they have little hope of
defeating the ruling Liberal Party, the socialists are the main
opposition group and have a following of millions.
New Zealand's attraction on this issue appears to be two-fold.
While some other countries, including super powers like the
United States, Britain, China and France, have politicians who
espouse anti-nuclear viewpoints, only New Zealand has gone the
extra step to put its objecitons into legislative form. Unlike Japan,
Sweden, Greece, Australia and some other middle-ranked pow-
ers whose governments were elected on anti-nuclear policies,
New Zealand has not backtraCked but is proceeding with its
promise.
The second main reason New Zealand is commanding interest
overseas on the anti-nuclear policy has to do with the row that it
has generated with the United States, and the implications for
the collective Western alliance. There is a growing perception of
New Zealand as an independent nation, and not simply a colonial
appendage of Britain and/or the United States.
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Foreign Affairs Secretary Merwyn Norrish touched on this last
aspect in a recent speech: "New Zealand has arrived at the point
where it is prepared to say to a valued friend, a powerful ally,
'This is how we propose to run our affairs; it is a bit different
from before; but we believe you should be willing to fit in.'"
The US had not found it easy to respond positively. Indeed, for
reasons which had more to do with its relations with other
countries than with New Zealand, it had displayed a degree of
displeasure, he noted. "But New Zealand has stood firm. And
when the dispute comes to be viewed in its proper perspective, I
think its true significance to New Zealand will be seen to lie in
New Zealand initiative, rather than the American response.
"Whatever you may think of the ship visits policy on its own, we
are moving into a rather new stand on defence and security issues
which takes account of present-day realities here in the South
Pacific," suggested Mr Norrish. "I believe that is a sensible
course for New Zealand to take. Not only that, but it is in the
present Western interest as well. Over time, the Americans and
our other friends will no doubt come to accept that is so.
"New Zealand must now make its own way in the world. But that
is not to say that we will willingly see traditional friendships lapse
? only that we have moved beyond the colonial mentality that
would make our own best interests subordinate to those
friendships."
Mr Norrish's comments were in the context of arguing that New
Zealand psychologically had finally achieved a distinct foreign
policy because economically it was now no longer a colony. It is
a viewpoint that has relevance to the rural crises.
In the last 25 years, New Zealand has dramatically diversified
its trade away from dependence on a single market. In 1960, some
92 percent of exports went to Britain and other developed OECD
nations. Last year, they took 67 percent, with Britain's share less
than 10 percent against more than half 25 years ago.
You can't expect independent political relationships to blossom
on the one hand, when in a position of chronic economic depend-
ence on the other. Or as Mr Norrish puts it, "In the last few years
we have just about broken out of the 'colonial' economic mould.
It is a shift that has led us also to adjust our foreign policies."
Similarly, the growth to nationhood is reflected in the develop-
ment of new products as well as many new markets. In the wake
of the rural march on Parliament last week, government min-
isters conceded that farming was now facing its most difficult
financial crises in 50 years. Fity years ago, such an admission
would have been a sign of the whole country being in a deep
recession or depression, such was New Zealand's total depend-
ence on a few agricultural products. That is plainly not the case
now.
This new and diverse economic reality, therefore, can serve to
explain and link both the "pain" in the rural sector ? it'no longer
dictates the New Zealand lifestyle ? and also why New Zea-
land's foreign policy has broken out of the colonial straitjacket
so dramatically.
Maybe the pendulum and pace of change has swung too far, too
quickly in a new direction. Maybe not. It is still too early to say.
Rogernomics and the new foreign policy has not yet been sealed
in place, let alone given a fair try. There is still more than a year
to the next election.
But one point is certain. Diplomats and commentators are on a
fruitless search by analysing every line of Mr Lange's lengthy
post-cabinet press conference transcripts for hints of how the ban
on port visits by US and British warships might be resolved.
Resolving the impasse depends less on what New Zealand does
to change the antinuclear legislation than on what the US and
UK do to send ships which are clearly non-nuclear.
For example, last week it was well publicised that Mr Lange
noted that China (a nuclear power and one which doesn't have
anti-nuclear legislation) was accepting a visit by two British
warships, and the UK had acknowledged the Chinese "no
nuclear" policy for visiting foreign vessels. The inference Mr
Lange was obviously leaving was that if Britain could declare its
"no nukes" intentions before visiting China, then perhaps it could
also do so when wanting a warship to visit here. Also, if Britain
could relax its policy, it might make it easier for the US to do so.
In other words, Mr Lange was not indicating a new initiative. He
was saying it is over to the UK and US to disclose there are no
nukes involved. More significantly, Mr Lange was at pains to say
that while New Zealand could modify the legislation to help
Britain and America over problems of disclosure he was emphatic
on one point: "We are inflexible on the subject of having nuclear
weapons in New Zealand. We are not seeking to have trouble but
we want to have our nuclear-free position. We are not going to
withdraw the legislation." There were no circumstances in which
the government would be prepared to withdraw the legislation.
And so on...
The one development in recent weeks has in fact been by the
United States. In a radio interview a State Department deputy
secretary, James Lilley, signalled an acceptance that the legisla-
tion would be passed. How adverse it will be seemed to be the
new critical issue. However, the next day an unnamed State
Department source was back to the earlier position; any legisla-
tion and the US will press ahead and expel New Zealand from
ANZUS.
Take your pick. It is always difficult to read signals from Wash-
ington, as difficult perhaps as some diplomats and others have in
untangling the thoughts of Mr Lange.
The US has not (yet) made 'official submissions to have the
legislation changed, but numerous New Zealand interest groups
(representing thousands of Labour votes) have. Overwhelmingly
they have called for the anti-nuclear clauses to be strengthened.
Like it or not, New Zealand's foreign policy is set on a new path,
which even a change of government may not be able to greatly
alter.
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NIGERIA
GOVERNMENT SENDS CONDOLENCES TO USSR ON EXPLOSION
AB062244 Lagos Domestic Service in English 2100 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] The Federal Government has sent a message of condolence
to the Soviet Union on the explosion at the nuclear plant at
Chernobyl which led to loss of lives and property. The message
was delivered to the Soviet ambassador to Nigeria by the minister
of external affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi. The Federal
Government appealed to the Soviet authorities to help give
utmost protection to Nigerian students resident in the affected
ateas.
GUARANTEE ON SAFETY OF CITIZENS REQUESTED
AB061914 Paris AFP in French 1840 GMT 6 May 86
[Text) Lagos, 6 May (AFP) ? The Nigerian Government has
asked the Soviet Union to guarantee the security of 131 Nigerian
students living in the vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear station in
the Ukraine where an accident took place last week, it was
learned in Lagos.
In a communique issued on Tuesday, the Nigerian Government
also expressed its "sympathy" for the loss of human lives and
damages resulting from this accident. Mr Bolaji Akinyemi, the
- Nigerian minister of foreign affairs, received Mr Yuriy Kup-
lyakov, the Soviet ambassador, to express Nigeria's sympathy
and condolences as well its government's "concern" for the
security of Nigerian students. The communique stated that,
according to a report sent by the Nigerian embassy in Moscow,
the 131 students are not threatened. According to the communi-
que, Mr Akinyemi has, nevertheless, asked the Soviet ambas-
sador that Moscow must see to "the protection of the students or
their transfer to other regions to continue with their studies."
443
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RADIO EXAMINES CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT, NUCLEAR REACTORS
AB141740 Lagos Domestic Service in English 0600 GMT 14 May 86
[News analysis]
[Text] On the 25th of April a fatal nuclear accident occurred at
the Chernobyl nuclear pmwer station in the Soviet Union. Fire
had (?burst) one of the reactors, leading to radioactive leak into
the atmosphere. The Soviet Union had said that only four people
died as a result of the radiation emitted from the reactor. Western
scientists are insisting that the death toll was on the order of
thousands of people. What is, however, clear is that the incident
at the Chernobyl nuclear power station is one of the worst nuclear
accidents so far recorded, since nuclear reaction became a huge
source of energy.
The fact that more than 20,000 people were evacuated from a
radius of about 100 km from the scene of the accident under-
scores the dimension of the problem. Also, vegetables and
(?meats) from the Soviet Union and some East European coun-
tries are being refused in Western Europe and other parts of the
world. This is for fear of radioactive contamination. Neighbors
of the Soviet Union have panicked in the wake of the nuclear
accident. Some of them, in fact, recorded radiation much higher
than normal.
But their fears are now being allayed as assurances are being
given by the Soviet authorities that the situation is under control.
However, for the past 2 weeks, the incident has made the use of
nuclear reactors as a source of energy a topical issue around the
globe. The current discussion on the issue, for one thing, has
somehow increased average knowledge about nuclear reactors.
Many people now know that these reactors are devices which
generate a large amount of heat and radiation. It is also known
that a dark compound of uranium is responsible for the release
of the heat and radiation. Nuclear scientists have further
explained that the resultant energy is being used to generate
electricity and to satisfy heat requirements of heavy industries
like food processing, pulp and paper, iron and steel, as well as
chemicals.
The utility of nuclear energy is demonstrated by the fact that it
is now responsible for 15 percent of the total power generation in
the world. There are 101 nuclear power stations in the United
States alone. The Japanese derive 26 percent of their total energy
needs from their nuclear power stations. France must save up to
1.2 million barrels of oil daily by obtaining three-quarters of her
energy needs from nuclear reactors. Today 26 countries are using
nuclear reactors as a source of energy.
The misfortune of this development lies in the controversy sur-
rounding it. Protagonists of nuclear energy believe that it is a
field of engineering that has relieved mankind of heavy depend-
ence on traditional sources of energy. Those opposed to it have
supported themselves with the fact that no amount of safety
measures would prevent fatal accidents that can threaten human
existence. They argue that since the development of nuclear
power stations, not less than 20,000 accidents have been
recorded. At least 1,000 were said to be quite fatal. It is also the
concern of those opposed to nuclear power generation that the
disposal of its solid and gaseous wastes remains a big hazard to
life.
In spite of these contentions, governments in countries where
nuclear power stations are being proliferated insist that such
stations are cost-effective. Therefore, they have ignored thou-
sands of antinuclear power demonstrations. The demonstrations
are bound to increase in intensity as the Chernobyl nuclear
accident serves as a reminder to everyone that the search for
alternative sources of energy has culminated in the storage of
lethal radioactive material which constitutes a real threat to
mankind.
444 .
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' PAKISTAN
EDITORIAL VIEWS LESSONS INVOLVED IN NUCLEAR ENERGY
GF061409 Karachi DAWN in English I May 86 p 15
[Editorial: "Kiev and the Lessons Beyond"]
[Text] The magnitude of the nuclear disaster near the Soviet city
of Kiev has yet to be fully known. But the few facts to have
trickled out so far point to the outbreak of a "graphite fire" in
the Chernobyl power station near Kiev in the Ukraine. There
have been some casualties according to TASS news agency and
although it has not given any more details, the fact that a Soviet
official has urgently contacted West German experts for advice
on how to control the fire indicates the seridusness of what has
occurred. Graphite is a form of carbon and is used in reactors as
a nuclear material. Its use leads to the accumulation of energy
and "stress" which can break out into fire unless properly
released. Some thing of the kind seems to have happened
although from a distance, and with few details available, it is
hazardous to make any guesses. In Scandinavian countries,
meanwhile, radiation levels far above the normal have been
reported premature, of this being the most serious incident of its
kind to have taken place.
To some extent, this occurrence reflects a certain law of prob-
ability. When a particular facility is multiplied over a number of
years, as nuclear power has been since the end of the Second
World War, the number of incidents related to it is likely to
increase. But to accept as much is no consolation when it comes
to nuclear accidents - simply because their potential to cause
havoc and destruction, in case anything should go wrong, can
only be imagined. It is true that nothing like the Bhopal poison
gas tragedy has occurred in the nuclear field. But in a finite world
that is no guarantee against mishaps in the future. All this merely
underlines the need not only for proper safeguards when it comes
to building nuclear plants (in the wake of the Kiev incident the
Swedish Energy Minister, whose country has had to contend with
rising radiation levels, has said that Soviet reactors were not built
as safely as Swedish ones) but also to draw a line somewhere
about nuclear development as a whole. For example, a satisfac-
tory solution has yet to be found to the problem of nuclear waste.
Dumping it in the oceans or deep inside the earth may be all right
for the time being but at some point in the future it is going to
pose serious problems'- it takes thousands of years for radioactive
plutonium to become inactive. For the present, however, one can
be reasonably sure that none of the admonitions that are going
to flow as a consequence of the Kiev incident will stop the
production of new nuclear power reactors, or have the slightest
effect on the nuclear arms race. But it is a warning, and a stern
one, of the risks involved.
445
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PANAMA
PHYSICIST COMMENTS ON WESTERN LIES ABOUT CHERNOBYL
LD061014 Moscow TASS in English 0650 GMT 6 May 86
[Text) Panama-City, May 6, TASS ?TASS correspondent Igor
Klekovkin reports:
Reports of Western news agencies on the accident at a Soviet
atomic electric power plant abound in false assertions and fabri-
cations, the local newspaper LA PRENSA has been told in an
interview by noted Panamanian physicist Simon Quiros Guardia,
who worked for a long time at the nuclear research centre of
Oklahoma University (USA). Pursuing openly political aims,
streams of lies and misinformation were pounced on the poorly
informed audience.
Could a sober-minded person believe, for instance, the report
saying the "radiation in Chernobyl is a thousand times higher
than that of the Hiroshima explosion" or the absurd statement
that "two thousand lives were lost". This is a cynical lie, bound
to divert the attention from nuclear tests, said the scientist.
Atomic explosion on the Mururoa Atoll and Christmas Islands
are many times more dangerous than the Chernobyl accident,
and could contaminate to a much greater extent the atmosphere
with radio-active substances, said Simon Quiros Guardia.
446
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GROUP FORMED TO MONITOR RADIATION LEVELS
HK060407 Quezon City DZFM Ra4io in English 2300 GMT 5 May 86
[Text] The Philippine Atomic Energy Commission, or PAEC, has
formed a special body to monitor radiation levels 'round the clock
in the country's atmosphere. PAEC commissioner Manuel
Eugenio said precautionary guidelines will be issued if they
beocme necessary. As of now, however, Eugenio said there is no
need to worry. He said the nuclear plant accident in the Ukraine
does not seem to ahve affected the country.
PHILIPP INES
[Begin Eugenio recording] We would not be expecting too much,
of this fallout over the Philippines, but as I said, we are continuing
to monitor. We are doing this every day, even during the past
weekend. We will do it tomorrow. We are getting samples to
measure the radioactivity of the environment, and we will inform
the public as the results we are getting. [end recording]
CHERNOBYL RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT REACHES NATION ,
HK081031 Hong Kong AFP in English 1025 GMT 8 May 86
[Text] Manila, May 8 (AFP) ? Radioactive fallout from the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union appears to
have reached the Philippines in non-dangerous levels, the nuclear
regulatory agency said Thursday.
"A slight increase in radiation levels in the ambient environment
was noted recently by a PAEC [Philippine Atomic Energy Com-
mission] monitoring team, indicating that fallout from the dam-
aged Soviet reactor is of minimal levels such that no harm to
public health is expected," the Philippine Atomic Energy Com-
mission (PAEC) said.
In its regular bulletin carried by the official PHILIPPINE
NEWS AGENCY, the commission said direct radiation mea-
surements using gammameters in the capital showed an increase
in exposure from about five microroentgens per hour to about
seven.
4;47
Cf
The commission did not issue safety precautions but said it was
continuing to monitor for radioactive fallout.
(In Canberra, Australian Science Minister Barry Jones said
fallout from the Soviet accident could take a year to 18 months
to rech the southern hemisphere.
(It was not expected that any detectable levels would reach
Australia, he told Parliament.)
(Prime Minister Bob Hawke told Parliament that all food
imported since April 25 from countries potentially affected by
radioactive fallout was being held by the Australian Customs
Service as a precautionary measure.)
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CHERNOBYL RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT LEVEL 'MINIMAL'
HK091315 Quezon City BUSINESS DAY in English 9 May 86
[Text] Radioactive fallout from the damaged Soviet nuclear
reactor may now have reached the Philippines, but the level is
minimal and poses no harm to public health, the Philippine
Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) said yesterday.
PAFC Commissioner Manuel R. Eugenio said a slight increase
in radiation levels in the ambient environment was noted recently
by PAEC monitoring team, indcating that fallout from the
damaged Soviet reactor is of minimal level such that "no harm
to public health is expected," he said in a press statement.
He said direct radiation measurements using gammameters in
the Metro Manila area showed an increase in external doses from
an average value of about five microroentgens per hour to about
seven microroentgens per hour.
This increase in exposure dose is not considered alarming consid-
ering that the United Nations Scientific Committee on the
Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCLEAR), in its 1982 report,
has estimated the dose due to natural sources of radiation in areas
of "normal" background to be about 7.5 microroentgens per
hour, Eugenio said.
1
COMMISSION SAYS CHERNOBYL FALLOUT NOT HEALTH HAZARD
BK130515 Manila PNA in English 0419 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] Manila, May 13 (PNA)? The Philippine Atomic Energy
Commission (PAEC) Tuesday 113 May] assured the public that' -
the minimal level of radioactive fallout that entered the Phil-
ippine environment posed no health danger. PAEC commissioner
Manuel Eugenio said traces of minimal amount of cesium 137
and iodine 131 in air samples that were detected earlier by the
PAEC environmental monitoring team following the nuclear
accident in Chernobyl, Soviet Union, are not alarming.
He said the amount of cesium 137 that was detected is still
permissible within the maximum concentration of 2,000
picocurie per cubic meter in the air. Iodine 131, Eugenio said,
reached one picocurie per cubic meter compared to maximum
permissible concentration of 100 picocurie in the air. Cesium 137
and iodine 131 are used by scientists for radiation measurement
of the atmospheric condition.
He said prior to the Chernobyl accident, the specific activity of
iodine 131 observed in the air was zero. He said direct radiation
measurement over the weekend showed that the exploiure dose
rate decreased by one microentgens per hour.
As part of its fallout monitoring program, Eugenio said, the
PAEC will now include rainwater, drinking water, soil, grass and
agricultural products for specific radionuclei analysis.
448
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QATAR
1
OFFICIAL SAYS SAYS NATION 'NOT AFFECTED BY RADIATION'
GF071411 Manama WAKH in Arabic 1330 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Doha, 7 May (WAKH) ? A responsible source at the
Qatari Public Health Ministry has affirmed that the explosion
of the Soviet nuclear reactor in Chernobyl will not have a tangible
effect on the state of Qatar. In statement to QNA, the source
said that nevertheless, concerned authorities have temporarily
banned the import of food stuffs from some East European
countries.
The source stated that the administration of preventive health at
the Ministry of Public Health will supervise food-stuffs arriving
in the country from West European countries in accordance with
WHO recommendations. [Words indistinct].
He added that the danger of radiation is almost nonexistent in
the Arab region in light of the rarity of rain, which carries the
nuclear dust.
UNIVERSITY STUDIES SHOW NO 'ABNORMAL' RADIATION
GF121644 Manama WAKH in English 1550 GMT 12 May 86
(Excerpt) Doha, 12 May (WAKH) ? The outcome of studies
made by Qatar University's scientific and applied research centre
showed that state of Qatar is free from any abnormal radiation.
A statement issued by the centre today said it is unlikely that
radioactive dust reached Qatar's atmosphere and if such a dust
arrives it would leave very weak radioactivity, QNA reported.
Tests made until this morning showed radiation levels remained
the same as those of last year, the statement said.
449,
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kyxx 'Jrr1tiILVat, VIN1A
INCIDENT SAID TO POSE NO DANGER TO KINGDOM
GF071835 Riyadh SPA in Arabic 1715 GMT 7 May 86
[Text] Riyadh; 7.May (SPA) Dr Stilih 61-`Adhl," head of the
King 'Abd City for Seienceind TeehnologY, has Stated
that the information received so far indicates that the Kingdom's
atmosphere is free from any radiation pollution, thanks be to
God;ind that there is no need to undertake strict precautionary
measures like those implemented in Europe. He addecIthat there
is no danger to public health stemming from the Chernobyl
nuclear reactor accident.
In a press statement by Dr Salih al-4Adhl, he said that the city
contacted many institutions and establishments'and national and
international specialized bodies to learn the outcome of the
radiation. Dr al-'Adhl noted that the King 'Abd al-'Aziz City for
Scienceend Technology asked the nuclear center in the FRG city
SAUDI ARABIA
of (?Karlso) to provide detailed informatiOn on the movement of
wind polluted with radiation by using n'special calculator avail-
able at the center.ile continut&that thecenter replied immedi-
ately indicating that the -chance Of the Sandi* atmosphere
becoming contaminated according' to course of the wind as
registered by satellites and immediately analyzed by computer
? is very little. He stressed that the city continues its contacts
with the Saudi uniirersity, and the meteorological observation
and environment protection departments to gainer further infor-
mation on the subject He Stated that the city has permanent
contacts with the radiation Security office affiliated with the
international agency for nuclear energy for emergency cases to
be fully assured of the safety Of the King om s atmosp ere.
MINISTRY BANS FOOD IMPORTS FROM WEST EUROPE
GF130544 Riyadh SPA in Arabic 1150 GMT 12 May 86
[Text] Riyadh, 12 May (SPA) ? The Commerce Ministry has
issued an order to ban the import of all kinds of frozen meat,
vegetables, fresh fruits, and milk from West European countries. -
Citing a responsible source at the Commerce Ministry, Saudi
papers reported today that this ban, which was implemented on
Tuesday [13 May], will last for 1 week. The source added that
this is to protect the Kingdom's citizens and residents from the
ROYAL APPROVAL FOR BAN ON FOOD IMPORTS
GF150457 Riyadh Domestic Service in Arabic 2000 GMT 14 May 86
traces of nuclear ,reactor radiation from the Soviet Chernobyl
reactor. The ban period will be subject to an extension for another
period if it becomes evident that the dangers have been elimi-
nated and that the banned products do not contain any nuclear
radiation.
[Text] Royal approval has been granted to proposals previously submitted
their excellencies the ministers of health and commerce for precautionary
measures to avert the harm resulting from the pollution of foodstuffs in
countries affected by radiation from the recent explosion of the Soviet
nuclear power plant.
450
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NUCLEAR PLANTS UNDER STRICT SAFETY CONTROL.
0W051451 Taipei CNA in English 1440 GMT 5 May 86
[Text] Taipei, May 5 (CNA) ? The Executive Yuan said Mon-
day that all nuclear power plants in the Republic of China are
under strict safety control by the Atomic Energy Council and the
Taiwan Power Company and they are not allowed to make any
small mistake in their daily operations.
In a written reply to interpellations by Legislators Huang Chu-
wen, Chiang Peng-chien and Liu Yu-hsiang concerning the
safety of nuclear power plants, the Executive Yuan said it has
directed Taipower to shelve its plan to build the fourth nuclear
power plant until the people here better understand the efficiency
and safety of nuclear power plants and their influence on the
environment.
The Economics Ministry has also entrusted the Chung Hwa
Institute for Economic Research to go through every pro and con
TAIWAN
of the construction of The fourth nuclear power plant and:c,ome
up with an overall evaluation report by :lune this Year, it said.
The Yuan pointed out that Taipower has always viewed safety
as the top priority in building, maintaining and running, nuclear
power plants.
To ensure the safety of nuclear power generation, each nticlear
reactor and lenerator in this nation has to pass through;leveral
thousand safety tests,a year, it said. . t
The Yuan also indicated that Taipower has already dispatched
many outstanding engineers and technicians to study nuclear
technology at renowned institutes in the United States. This, it
said, will further enhance the safety of nuclear plants.
MEASURES ORDERED AGAINST CHERNOBYL?TYPE ACCIDENT
OW081143 Taipei CNA in English 1031 GMT 8141
[Text] Taipei, May 8 (CNA) ? Premier Yu Kuo-hwa Thursday
[8 May] asked the Atomic Energy Council to take appropriate
measures to guard against a nuclear accident such as took place
recently at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet
Union. The premier also instructed the Energy Council to collect
as much information as possible on the Chernobyl incident. If
such an accident should happen in a neighboring country, Yu
said, AEC should be prepared to deal with it. The premier gave
the instructions during a cabinet meeting Thursday morning
after hearing a report from Dr. Yen Chen-hsing, chairmn of the
AEC.
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PREMIER YU SEEKS CHERNOBYL REPORT, SAFETY ASSURANCE
OW121117,Taipei CHINA POST in English 9 May 86
[Text] Premier Yu Kuo-hwa yesterday Urged the Atomic Energy
Council (AEC) to take all necessary precautions to ensure the
safety of domestic nuclear power plants as. the. problem has
concerned the people.
Many foreign countries have used nuclear energy to generate
electricity, he said. To prevent and defend against possible safety
problems which might occur in neighboring countries, the AEC
should also work out concrete measures soon, he said.
Yu asked .the AEC to collect more information concerning the,
accident at the Soviet Union's Chernobyl nuclear power plant
and compile a complete report. Premier Yu gave the directives
at the Executive Yuan meeting after hearing a report from the
AEC on the accident in the Soviet Union.
The AEC, in its report, pointed out that the facilities at the
Chernobyl plant lack containment and safety devices the nuclear
power plants in Western countries, and Japan have, so no similar
accidents will occur in those countries. The AEC said it has
notified personnel at domestic nuclear power plants to observe all
operational rules and dispatch specialists to supervise.
NO RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION-IN IMPORTED FOOD
0W141443 Taipei CNA in English 1402._GMT 14 May 86
[Text] Taipei, May 14 (CNA) ---, An examination report shows
that no sign of radioactive contamination so far has been found
on the foodstuffs the Republic of China imports, says T.P. Wang,
director general of the Bureau .of -Commodity Inspection and
Quarantine.
Examined food grains included barley, wheat, oat, maize, ses-
ame, and cassava which are imported from Australia, New
Zealand, the United States, Thailand, Sweden, Indonesia, India,
Canada, Portugal, Hong Kong, South Africa, Japan, Nigeria, Sri
Lanka, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Sin-
gapore.
Since 1973, Wang said, his bureau has cooperated with the
nation's Tsing Hua University to engage in inspections for radio-
active contamination on imported foodstuffs. During the period
of Jan. 1985 till May 1986, all 84 examined cases have been
found safe and with no sign of radioactive contaminatir. Wang
made the statement in reply to legislator Hwa Ai's interpellation
at a Legislative Yuan's Economic Committee meeting Wednes-
day.
12
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TRINIDAD?TOBAGO
.7(
GUARDIAN CRITICIZES USSR ON LACK OF INFORMATION
FL071221 Bridgetown CANA in English 1805 GMT 6 May 86
[Text] Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, May 6, CANA ? The Trinidad
GUARDIAN newspaper today criticised the Soviet Union's fail-
ure to alert the rest of the world and its own citizens about the
extent of the meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl last
week.
It was an unforgivable example of callousness and indifference
to the lives of citizens of the Soviet Union itself and those in
neighbouring countries, the paper said.
But those who understand the communist system will recognise
such a reaction as nothing really unusual, it is simply an illustra-
tion of the arrogance of the Marxist commissars who see their
power over life and death as absolute.
THE GUARDIAN added: But even if the Russian leaders did
not really care about the fate of their own nations, they had a
clear duty under all international codes to inform immediately
all the other countries likely to be affected by the nuclear plant
explosion.
The paper said there was still reason to believe that the Russians
had not told the whole truth about the Chernobyl disaster.
Those who had any hopes of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
being a less doctrinaire leaden this predecessors ought to learn
from this incident, the newspaper said. [sentence as published]
He remains a rigid product of that totalitarian system.
The paper compared the incident with the one on Three Mile
Island when, it said, the American authorities immediately
informed the world of the development with the American news
media on the scene.
Everyone knew right away what was happening, and the extent
of any possible danger, the paper said.
This is the difference between an open, free, and democratic
society like the United States and a closed, totalitarian one like
the Soviet Union.
Despite a major disaster in the making, the opinion and the good
of the Russian people take second place to the political interests
of the Kremlin, THE GUARDIAN commented.
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VIETNAM
HANOI SAYS U.S. 'EXPLOITING' CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT
BK061321 Hanoi International-Service in English 1000 GMT 6 May 86
[Station commentary]
[Text] The U.S. imperialists and some other reactionary forces
are exploiting the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear factory in
the Soviet Republic of Ukraine for political purpose. They fab-
ricated sensational stories about thousands of people got killed in
the nuclear accident to horrify people. U.S. President Reagan
even accused the Soviet Union Of covering up the accident at the
Chernobyl nuclear station.' '
The fact is that immediately after the decided the Soviet Gov-
ernment has informed all countries concerned about it and
measures to overcome its aftermath. This accident only killed two
people and wounded a few others. Moreover, it is the first
accident it a nuclear factory in the Soviet Union. MeanWhile,
according , to a report by the ?American Citizens Organization,
there have been about 20,000 such accident's 'at U.S. nuclear
factories since 1979, and the number of these accidents increases
annually. ,In 1983, there were 5,000 accidents; among them 247
eases were regarded as serious. The Reagan administration did
not care a thing for the victims While making 'a hue and cry about
and shedding crocodile tears on the fate of the victims Of the
accident At the Chernobyl nuclear factory Of the Soviet Unign.
If the United States Administration really cares for mankind's
existence and fate, it should not have accelerated the nuclear
arms buildup, the most dangerous weapon .of mass destruction.
By making such noises about the accident at the Chernobyl
nuclear factdry, the United States attempted to *besmear the
Soviet Union's prestige and play down the Soviet peace initiative,
which has won worldwide support and to sidetrack world public
attention from the U.S. testing. ,
?
However, the Reagan administration's afforts mould get to
nowhere. Even during these days; the world public ? including
the American ? keeps condemning the U.S, nuclear buildup and
demanding that the _Reagan administration follow. the .Soviet
Union's example to halt all nuclear tests. In Britain, Secretary
of State [title as heard] Geoffrey Howe urged the U.S. president
not to make use of the Chernobyl nuclear accident for anti-Soviet
propaganda. Reaction by the world public proves, that the U.S.
efforts to use this accident to besmear the Soviet Union have been
futile.
454
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WESTERN PACIFIC
AFP SUMS UP-ASIAN REACTION TO CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT
111(130813 Hong Kong AFP in English 0748 GMT
[By Peter Mackler]
[Text] [No place-name as received) May 13 (AFP) ? Several
Asian nations are taking hard looks at their own atomic futures
while keeping a close eye on fallout from last month's nuclear
power-plant accident in the Soviet Union.
Taiwan has put off construction of its fourth nuclear plant for at
least two years while Indonesian authorities pondered whether to
go ahead with their first.
The April 26 disaster at Chernobyl probably dealt the coup de
grace to the Philippines' only nuclear facility, a 2.1 billion dollar
white elephant that had been kept closed because of cost prob-
lems and safety concerns.
"In the wake of the Chernobyl tragedy it seems impossible now
to operate the plant, as a practical matter," said government
spokesman Rene Saguisag. The options under consideration are
to mothball the U.S.-built plant on the Bataan Peninsula indefi-
nitely, sell its equipment abroad, or convert it into a conventional
power generating unit, Mr. Saguisag said.
Chernobyl has forced India to reconsider an eight-year-old Soviet
proposal to build an atomic power station using enriched uranium
with light-water, graphite-moderated systems, reliable sources
said.
Pressure was also mounting on other governments to burn their
nuclear bridges.
The 4.5-million member General Council of Trade Unions of
Japan joined with Japanese pacifist groups on April 30 to urge
that all nuclear power plants in the country suspend operations
after the Chernobyl accident.
Anti-nuclear groups in Hong Kong launched a campaign to pull
out of a joint venture with China to build a nuclear power plant
50 kilometers (30 miles) to the north of [the] bustling colony.
They planned to petition local officials Wednesday and start a
signature campaign later this month to block the long-planned
Daya Bay project, which would be China's first major atomic
plant.
455
13 May 86.
In Australia, which has a quarter of the world's known uranium
reserves but no atomic power plants, concern over Chernobyl has
prompted new, calls for the closure of two small scientific nuclear
reactors on Sydney's outskirts.
Australian Foreign Minister Bill Hayden called for the Interna-
,
tional Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna to impose emergency
procedures in the case of accidents. "Nations with nuclear reac-
tors should have international legal obligations in these areas,"
he said. ,
.South Australian Premier John Bannon also said his government
would not allow any uranium to be exported to the Soviet Union
because of the lack Of adequate safeguards. But some Countries
said that the Chernobyl drama would have no effect on their own
nuclear programs.
:While voicing concern, China said it intended to go ahead with
Daya Bay as Will as other units to be built near the eastern port
City of Shankhai, home to some 12 million people. Peking did not
even cancel plans to Send a team ,to the Soviet Union to study
nuclear cooperation. ,
A nuclear energy ,official said China was using a pressurised
watersystem to cool its reactors, which was safer than the
graphite used at Chernobyl. The accident caused no panic
among Chinese experts," he said.
Authorities in South Korea came to. the same conclusion after a
radiation-protection committee within the Science and nol-
ogy carried out security checks on the nation's five
nuclear reactors. The Energy dnd Resources Ministry said that
despite the Soviet accident, South Korea would go ahead with
the planned construction of two additional nuclear power plants.
? Officials Of Japan's Science and Technology Agency said they
too Saw no need to change their nuclear-power program since
their 'reactors were different from the one at Chernobyl. Japan
has 32 atomic power plants on 'stream.:
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In Jakarta, nuclear-energy officials were optimistic that a
scheduled June 3 meeting of seven ministers and experts would
approve their plans to build the country's first nuclear power
plant at Serpond, West Java.
Indonesia is counting on nuclear power to provide a third of its
electricity by 2005. Officials brushed aside suggestions by anti-
nuclear groups that they opt for alternative sources of energy.
"They recommend solar, wind, water or biomass. It's ridiculous,"
said Jali Ahimsa, director of the Indonesian Atomic Agency. "If
you want to industrialise Java, with a population of more than
100 million, you need a huge quantity of energy that you can only
get with coal and nuclear."
Asians were still nervous, however, about radioactive fallout
from the Chernobyl accident.
Reports last week that radioactive iodine had been found in
domestically produced milk sCnt.shock waves 'through Japan. Its
nuclear pollution detection posts are on full alert and its meteOro-
logical agency says it is swamped daily with questions about local
levels of radioactivity.
Any arrivals from the Soviet Union are carefully Checked at
Japanese airports.
Singapore's Environment Ministry said that it was regularly
collecting and testing dust samples, but there had been no
abnormal readings so far. "All meat, milk and other farm
produce, such as fruits and vegetables, imported from Eastern
and Western European countries will be tested for radioactive
contaminants before they are allowed for sale to the public," the
ministry said.
Malaysian health officials have also been monitoring the envi-
ronment and checking food imports. They said that all ships from
the Soviet Union and othei countries affected by Chernobyl
fallout would be closely inspected when they docked at Malay-
sian ports.
456
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ZAIRE
FIRST STATE COMMISSIONER RECEIVES SOVIET AMBASSADOR
AB131745 Kinshasa Domestic Service in French 1130 GMT 13 May 86
[Text] It seems that the situation is returning to normal at
Chernobyl and the nuclear station, it seems, should be able to
resume its activities in the very near future. This statement was
made this morning by Valentine Soldatov, the Soviet ambassador
to Zaire, following the audience granted him by the first state
commissioner, Citizen Kengo wa Dondo. The two personalities
' also discussed relations between Zaire and the Soviet Union in
the political, economic as well as cultural fields. This was the
point stressed by Valentine Soldatov when he spoke to our
correspondent (Bitinin Ndaye Kimtako):
[Begin recording] [Soldatov in French] First, we discussed at
length problems concerning our bilateral relations, in the eco-
nomic field in particular. I cannot tell you concretely the details
of these discussions, but I can tell you frankly that we discussed
projects that we want to implement in the shortest possible time.
[(Kimtako)] Mr Ambassador, I want to recall one of the projects.
In the area of sports, you once announced the intensification of
relations between the Soviet and Zairian Olympic committees. I
do not know whether negotiations have begun or are at an
advanced stage. At what stage are these negotiations?
/6091
CSO: 5100/15 END
457
[Soldatov] We are at an advanced stage concerning this protocol
agreement between the two Olympic committees. However, we
have already drafted the project for cultural relations. I think it
will be signed in the forthcoming days.
[(Kimtako)] One is really not clear about what is currently
happening at the Chernobyl nuclear station. Can you give us
precise details on this issue?
[Soldatov] What happened at our nuclear station in Chernobyl
was (?an accident) like any other accident. This accident hap-
pened.on 26 April. But, in the meatime, the situation is firmly
under control. During a trip to the Soviet Union, the general
directors of the International Atomic Energy authority saw that
the repair works being made by the Soviet Government cor-
respond to the norms. Now, in the region where this station is
located, the situation has returned to normal. The reactors are
almost (?dormant) and the temperature has already fallen to 300
degrees. The radioactivity situation is almost [passage indistinct].
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