A Study On Nuclear Contamination And Radioactive Diseases Caused By The 817 Complex In The USSR

Built in the second half of the 1940 s,the 817 complex was the first major nuclear industry enterprise in the Soviet Union.It contributed significantly to the Soviet nuclear program and the supply of large quantities of weapons-grade plutonium to the Soviet Union during the Cold War,but at the same time,it became a source of widespread and severe nuclear contamination and radioactive disease and,as a result,one of the main targets of protests by the anti-nuclear movement in the Chelyabinsk region.This article includes three parts: introduction,text and conclusion.The introduction part aims to explain the significance of this article’s selection,sort out the current status of domestic and international research,and briefly introduce the research methods,writing ideas,innovations,and shortcomings of this article.The main part of the article includes chapters 1,2,3,and 4 in total.Chapter 1introduces the history of the construction of the 817 complex from the first three projects A,B,and B to the increasing scale during the Cold War and the development of its role in the Soviet nuclear industry system,aiming to clarify the special historical background of the subject of this study.Chapter 2 introduces the causes and specific manifestations of the severe nuclear contamination around the 817 complex and the prevention and control measures taken by the Soviet Union.817 complex released a large amount of radioactive waste into the environment through both direct discharge and the Kyshtym nuclear accident,among which direct discharge was the most important way to cause severe nuclear contamination.The Soviet government took different measures against the nuclear contamination caused by the two ways,and to a certain extent limited the further discharge and spread of nuclear contamination,but still showed an ambivalent attitude in dealing with the nuclear contamination problem of the Kyshtym nuclear accident.Chapter 3 focuses on the causes of the emergence of radioactive diseases at the817 complex,Soviet precautions,and follow-up studies by experts and scholars.The huge demand for nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union was always the root cause of radioactive diseases inside and outside the 817 Complex.In terms of preventive measures,the Soviet Union showed different attitudes toward the interior of the 817 complex and the contaminated area,and was more active in regulating the production order inside the plant,but took negative measures such as evacuating a limited number of residents and hiding the nuclear contamination in the contaminated area.The statistics of the number of people suffering from various types of radioactive diseases have become an important reference to reveal the seriousness of the radioactive disease problem at the 817 Complex.Chapter 4 focuses on the anti-nuclear movement in the Chelyabinsk region.Although part of the Soviet anti-nuclear movement,the Chelyabinsk region’s antinuclear movement was not primarily anti-Soviet but was always committed to opposing the recurrence of consequences similar to those of the 817 complex as a result of the use of nuclear energy.The movement had limited initial success,but was never able to decisively influence government decisions and effectively failed.The conclusion section aims to summarize the main points of the text and further analyze the experience and lessons learned from the 817 complex for the safe use of nuclear energy.