Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster 1986

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EK101 – ENGINEERS IN SOCIETY

(September – October 2014)

Group Project Assignment

Title : CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER 1986

Date of Submission: 15th October 2014

Lecturer/Instructor: Ir. Ben Mr. Lee See Kim

Group Members :

Table of Content

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We as the members of the group for which this assignment has been done would first and foremost like to offer our special thanks to our lecturer, Ir. Ben Lee See Kim for giving us this opportunity to complete this assignment. He has also indirectly helped in many ways. We would also like to give our appreciation to our each other, our fellow group members who has contributed greatly to this project. Without the group members’ cooperation, this assignment would not have been successful. The research conducted for this assignment was also successfully done with all the help from the different parties. Our sincere gratitude to everyone who has made this assignment successful.

ABSTRACT

The Chernobyl accident in 1986 caused widespread radioactive contamination and enormous concern. The objectives in this study were to evaluate the health impact of the Chernobyl accident, assess the international response to the accident, and consider how to improve responses to future accidents. So far, radiation to the thyroid from radioisotopes of iodine has caused several thousand cases of thyroid cancer but very few deaths; exposed children were most susceptible. Accurate assessment of Chernobyl’s future health effects is not currently possible in the light of dose uncertainties, current debates over radiation actions, and the lessons from the late consequences of atomic bomb exposure. The focus on thyroid cancer has diverted attention from possible non thyroid effects, such as mini-satellite instability, which is potentially important. The international response to the accident was inadequate and uncoordinated, and has been unjustifiably reassuring. It is essential that investigations of its effects should be broadened and supported for the long term.

METHODS OF RESEARCH

Due to the Chernobyl disaster happening in the middle of the 1980s, the methods to obtain primary research data could not be achieved due to the decades past since the event has occurred. However, the data closest to the primary data obtained about the disaster is through archived newspaper articles which reported the happenings of the disaster. These articles were written either the day after or the same week as the disaster had occurred in and were mainly from the major tabloids across United States and the United Kingdom. The archived articles were obtained through the ‘Arkib Negara’ or the National Archives and also online sources of national archives. The information from these newspapers proved to be the most accurate account of the incident and also provided insights on the incident without a disruption in the information through the test of time.

Other methods included obtaining information about the disaster based on research papers and journal articles done by experts throughout the years since the occurrence of the event. Many of these journals were obtained through online journal archive websites which had a large collection of the journals in them. These journals provide a comprehensive study and allows a better research based on the experts’ take on the disaster. The journal articles and research papers also allow more information and more analysis on the disaster be able to be studied for the use of this report.

Finally, the last type of method or methodology used was through the internet. Through many verified websites, information is easily accessible thus allowing a wider range of information to be obtained for the purpose of this study on the Chernobyl disaster.

Through all the methodology above we were able to analyse and interpret the data and information obtained based on the various sources of information. We were able to form our own conclusions based on our analysis of the occurrence and causes of failure of the Chernobyl disaster.

INTRODUCTION

The engineering profession in which knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize,

economically, the materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind. An engineer applies knowledge of math and the physical sciences to the efficient design and construction of usable devices, structures and processes. Thus engineering design is one of the main aspects of engineering.

Due to use of engineering in science and technology and the development of the society, there is a high demand in creating new technologies and infrastructure. The role of the engineer in this circumstance is to respond to the need by building or creating something along a certain set of guidelines or specification which performs the given function. Just as importantly, that device, plan or creation should perform its function without fail. Everything, however, is bound to fail perform its given function after surpassing a certain threshold. Hence, the engineer must struggle to design in such a way as to avoid failure, and, more importantly, catastrophic failure which could result in loss of property, damage to the environment of the user of that technology, and possibly injury or loss of life. However, through the various shortcuts done in engineering design to reduce costs of construction and fabrication, failure is bound to occur. Through analysis and study of engineering disasters, modern engineering designers can learn what not to do and how to create designs with less of a chance of failure.