by Apple Pie

Created on: November 19, 2006   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

One of the greatest environmental disasters of the 20th century was the Chernobyl catastrophe. It is even regarded as the worst nuclear accident in history (Mazgaj et. al, 4). As such it is important to determine how such a human made crisis was able to occur. Using the Pressure and Release Model (PAR Model), this paper will provide an analysis of the progression of vulnerability in reference to the Chernobyl disaster. Through research and analysis it is apparent that unsafe conditions leading to the accident encompass technical and geographic dimensions as well as human potential for error. These unsafe conditions are the consequences of key root causes, which, according to the model have been translated through processes and activities know as dynamic pressures. These pressures include, a lack of public involvement in the industry and awareness about the disaster, the inherent powerlessness of local government and environmental movement, and the national government's policy of secrecy. Finally, the root causes of Chernobyl that commence the progression of vulnerability are concerned with the political and economic ideologies embraced by the formed Soviet government.

On April 26, 1986 a major disaster occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant located in the Ukraine. The technical cause was the core meltdown experienced by the No. 4 reactor, resulting in an explosion of hydrogen gas, destroying the facility and releasing radioactive materials into the atmosphere (Park, 238). This was subsequently followed by a prolonged release of 50 million curies of radiation over the 10 days following the accident (Park, 238). The nuclear fallout consisted of a 1200-meter tall cloud of radioactive debris (Park, 249). Radioactivity was distributed widely throughout the northern hemisphere, primarily across Europe. The populations of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia suffered serious radiological, health and socio-economic consequences, which are still felt today (Mazgaj et al, 4). The immense scale of this disaster gained international attention, resulting in increased public apprehension on the risks associated with nuclear power.
1. Unsafe Conditions
The awareness gained as well as the socio-economic and transcending health consequences have driven the need to determine the causes of this disaster in order to not only prevent future accidents, but also to define the extent of risk a society is willing to accept in exchange for consumption and economic growth. Risk, is said

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