Second Russian National Dialogue On Energy, Society And Security

Second Russian National Dialogue on ENERGY, SOCIETY AND SECURITYorganizing efficient control over radioecology in the region and the measures plannedfor remediation of polluted areas under the Federal Target Program.A considerable volume of information is contained in almanacs published annuallyby the Ministry. The almanac contains informative articles from the managers of Mayakand other key experts in radiation ecology, medicine and biology. Interesting and educationalmaterial was packed in the almanac published in commemoration of the 50thanniversary of the 1957 nuclear accident. In 2008, its pages were filled with exclusiveinformation about Mayak’s sixty-year-long history.An international seminar was held in November 2006 under the patronage of theMinistry, in addition to a scientific conference in September 2007 dedicated to the 1957catastrophe and an analysis of the experience of dealing with the consequences of theaccident. At the Ministry’s suggestion, non-governmental environmental organizationsbased in the Oblast played an active role in these events and led discussions on some ofthe most relevant problems facing those who suffered from radiation exposure. Beforethe conference, some of these NGOs organized a demonstration demanding better socioeconomicsupport for affected districts.As a result, over the past few years the Ministry has published a large amount of accurateinformation in a variety of formats on many important aspects of the state of radioecologyin the region. However, this information cannot fully satisfy non-governmentorganizations representing the interests of the people who have suffered from radiation.The public has yet to receive a founded answer to the questions about the reasons for thesystematic and lengthy radiation pollution in the area emanating from Mayak during itsfirst decade of operation.Would it have been possible to prevent the first two catastrophes at the first industrialreactor, or at least put filters in place to reduce the radioactive level of gas emissionsnot in 1958, but before the first reactors were even launched? It might seem as thoughthis question is no longer relevant, but that is not so. The public wants to know to whatextent past experience is acknowledged. If the main reason today behind radiation pollutionlies within the new technologies for industrial production of plutonium, then thatwill not hold as an argument.In today’s conditions, having quality information means seeing the hierarchy of thecause-and-effect connection of past events; it means having comprehensive knowledge,and it means understanding the history of a question, seeing where this issue fits inamong the other problems in the region.According to the sociological studies conducted by the Chelyabinsk Institute underthe Urals Government Service Academy, the region’s residents do not trust the informationthat is provided to them by the Oblast Government on this issue, and theyreasonably presume that much information is still kept secret. The people also put noconfidence in information coming from the managers or experts at Mayak; confidencewas ranked at just 8% for the former, and 12% for the latter. The public trusts what itsees on television, apparently as the result of the fact that alternative points of view arebroadcast on television. The most authoritative sources of information for the public arenon-government environmental organizations, such as Green Cross and Kyshtym-1957,and others, as they are the only ones who advocate public interests.It is clear that the public’s lack of trust in information about radiation and the environmentfrom the authorities is related to a deep-seated and steady distrust in all levels154