Assessing the Risks of Nuclear and Chemical Contamination in the former Soviet Union


Book Description

Risk assessment has come to assume acute importance in the former Soviet Union since money is so scarce, yet the needs for cleanup are so huge. Other factors contribute to this situation, too: New leaders are still emerging, and governmental structures are still evolving. This creates a particular difficulty for environmentalists who attempt to become involved in the risk assessment process. New information continues to surface on the fallout from Chernobyl and its consequences for human health. Scientists are still debating the effects of low doses of radiation delivered over a long period of time. This type of contamination is especially prevalent in the Russian North, for example, as a result of the dumping of nuclear submarine reactors into the Kara and Barents Seas. This book examines the complexities of risk assessment in the FSU at this unique time in history.







From Throw Weights to Metric Tons


Book Description

After the Soviet Union's collapse, the newly independent nations that emerged from its wreckage were immediately confronted by a myriad of environmental problems, and continue to be plagued by them nearly a decade later. In a microcosm of the shortsighted planning, reckless development and lack of ecological concern that epitomized the Soviet era, 70 decommissioned nuclear submarines are currently moored in ports along the Kola Peninsula. Obsolete, damaged, or banned by strategic arms reductions treaties, they have been largely abandoned after being stripped of their offensive armament. Manned by skeleton crews, these toothless sharks hold within their poorly maintained hulls a total of nearly 30 times the amount of nuclear fuel that was in Chernobyl Reactor Number Four when it exploded in 1986. Reporters and ecologists (from Russia and elsewhere) have made a connection between that disaster and one they see unfolding in Russia's northwest, depicting the submarines as "floating Chernobyl" and "a Chernobyl in slow motion." This illustrates the irony of shifting perceptions in NATO countries about how these submarines threaten them. In their Cold War glory, these vessels were meticulously watched in the West. The threat they represented was defined in terms of the throw weights of the nuclear warheads they carried aboard. A decade after the Soviet implosion, these submarines are largely ignored. The threat they now pose is measured in metric tons of the spent fuel and radioactive waste carried within their decaying hulls.




Economics of Atmospheric Pollution


Book Description

Selected papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop "The Economics of Atmospheric Pollution, Theories, Applied Models and Implications for International Policy Making", held in Wageningen, The Netherlands, November 16-18, 1994




Water Supply Systems


Book Description

Technology now affects almost every aspect of Water Supply Management, Operation, Planning and Design; the speed of development means that assessing what is "new" is sometimes difficult. Old ideas can now be applied because of new technology; technology is now revealing problems that were unnoticed 10 years ago. Some emerging technologies promise much but are still underdeveloped for use in real world conditions, while we should always remember that "new" technology depends upon the state of development in respective countries, a point which is particularly relevant to the NATO Advanced Study Institute, for which this book has been produced. Thus our objective in producing the book has been to highlight, in a wide range of technical areas, where and how technology is being applied, what is "new" and what the limitations of these technologies are in the real world. We have also tried to provide an European and American perspective where possible to illustrate how problems are tackled in different cultural environments. It is probably true that "technology" is also somewhat dependent upon the political, economic and organisational climate in different countries and we have included a chapter covering these aspects.




Environmentally Devastated Areas in River Basins in Eastern Europe


Book Description

The fall of the iron curtain revealed widespread environmental and safety short comings in relation to industrial operations, mining and other human activities. It was the purpose of this Advanced Research Workshop, sponsored by NATO, to bring together a group of eminent experts from East and West in order to present and analyse environmental data, assess environmental damage, establish priorities, strategies and methods of remediation and compare these with case studies from the Western World. In this volume a number of important contributions have been gathered, that reflect the presentations and discussions held. Alfons Georges Buekens Vasily Victorovich Dragalov Table of Contents I. General Consideration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scientific and Technological Policy of Ministry of Sciences of Russian Federation in Application to Water Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Target Federal Program - Revival of the Volga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 II. River Basins and their Characterization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 River Basin Management in the Upper and Middle Odra River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Water Quality and Environmental Degradation in the Tom River Basin (Western Siberia): The Need for an Integrated Management Approach . . . . . . 29 Danube Environmental Programme on the Hron River Basin, Slovakia . . . . . 39 Global Regularities in the Occurence of the Environmentally Devastated Urban Areas as a Fundamental Basis for Urbo-Monitoring (Methodology of Sustainable Development of Towns in River Basins) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Principles of Integrated Water Management for the Revival of Old Industrial Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Pollution Potentials of Storm Runoff from Urban and Industrial Areas . . . . . 105 Assessment of Pollution Hazards in the Estarreja Aquifer (Portugal) Remediation Strategies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .




Environmental Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident and Their Remediation


Book Description

The explosion on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the consequent reactor fire resulted in an unprecedented release of radioactive material from a nuclear reactor and adverse consequences for the public and the environment. Although the accident occurred nearly two decades ago, controversy still surrounds the real impact of the disaster. Therefore the IAEA, in cooperation with other UN bodies, the World Bank, as well as the competent authorities of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, established the Chernobyl Forum in 2003. The mission of the Forum was to generate 'authoritative consensual statements' on the environmental consequences and health effects attributable to radiation exposure arising from the accident as well as to provide advice on environmental remediation and special health care programmes, and to suggest areas in which further research is required. This report presents the findings and recommendations of the Chernobyl Forum concerning the environmental effects of the Chernobyl accident.







Nuclear Wastes in the Arctic


Book Description

Examines enviromental and human health impacts from wastes dumped in Arctic and North Pacific regions, from nuclear contaminants discharged into these environments, and from radioactive releases from both past and future nuclear activities in region.