causes of accident, 153, 230, 241, 261–77, 321, 346–49, 465n
cleanup efforts, 241–60, 278–98, 310, 332–33
Complex Expedition, 340–44, 364
construction and quality control, 20, 53–57, 392n
containment efforts after accident, 128–29, 153–56, 160–64, 166, 174, 176, 179–82, 187–99, 202–16, 241–48, 278–98
control room, see Control Room Number Four
core meltdown risk, 191–95, 202–16, 244–46
damage reports, 93–99, 118, 122–25, 155–56, 189
design and construction defects, 12–13, 19–22, 62–74, 268–77, 286, 308, 315, 317–18, 321–22, 346–49, 408n
explosion, 87–90
fire, 91–110, 116, 118, 123, 128, 130, 143, 150, 153–56, 160–64, 174, 178, 181, 189, 193–95, 202, 206, 214
generator rundown, 83–90
on global automatic, 81, 413n
global contamination from, 169–86, 248, 260, 269, 277, 327–30, 353–54
government response to accident, 111–31, 138–39, 152–66, 172–86, 192–204, 208–9, 218–19, 239–41, 249–54, 261–77, 306–13, 322–31
heat exchanger project, 216, 245–46
helicopter bombing operation, 160–64, 166, 179–82, 187–99, 202, 204, 281, 285, 341, 433n, 443n, 446n
hospitalization of injured, 121, 135–36, 146–53, 157, 176, 179, 184–85, 202, 219–38, 251, 262, 299–301, 315, 427n, 430n
investigation into accident, 261–77
liquidation campaign, 239–60, 296, 310, 332–33, 359, 471n, 475n
maintenance shutdown, 75–90
New Safe Confinement, 364–66
nuclear safety board of inquiry report on, 346–48
operator error explanation, 267–75, 308–9, 314–20, 345, 346–49, 411n, 412n, 414n
positive void effect, 85–90, 268, 318, 348
power fall, 81–83
radiation levels after explosion, 105–9, 116–18, 123–31, 136, 140–46, 153–56, 160–64, 176, 180–84, 189–99, 207–8, 211–15, 226, 241–60, 278–98, 300, 316, 339, 352–53, 423n, 481n
radiation survey flights, 140–46, 155–56, 189, 248
Sarcophagus, 250, 273, 278–98, 338–44
underground nitrogen operation, 195, 203, 205–6, 212–13
water-pumping operation, 196–99, 204–8, 210–14
Unit Five, 17, 20, 141, 143, 243, 306, 337
Unit Six, 17, 141, 143, 243, 306, 337
UPI, 177, 179
Urals, 44, 45, 220
uranium, 25–28, 29, 32, 35, 37, 60, 66, 88, 102, 104, 110, 160, 189, 198, 284, 287, 297, 321, 338, 340, 341, 342, 344, 358, 419n
uranium dioxide, 102, 153, 191, 198, 212, 213, 216, 342
uranium 235, 26, 35
Usatenko, Vladimir, 294–96, 371–72, 471n
US-605, 280–98, 338–44, 365
Uzbekistan, 8, 15, 274
V. I. Lenin Atomic Energy Station, 46
Varennikov, Valentin, 246
vegetative-vascular dystonia, 253
Velikhov, Evgeny, 121, 185, 192–95, 198, 203, 210, 214–15, 265, 372
Vilcha, 186
Vladivostock, 240
VNIIAES, 130, 154
vodka, 59, 138, 147, 196, 208, 209, 227, 261, 294, 298, 301–2, 420n
Vogtle nuclear power plant, 486n
Voice of America, 208
volcanoes, 189
Volodin, Sergei, 140–42, 144–46, 334
Voloshko, Vladimir, 418n, 426n
Vorobyev, Serafim, 105–7, 117, 418n
Voronin, Vladimir, 468n
Voskovtsev, Nikolai, 463n
Vremya (TV show), l, 19, 175, 177, 239, 274, 328
VVER, 61–62, 77, 322, 405n, 406n
Warsaw, 176
Washington, DC, 176, 230
water-pumping operation, 196–99, 204–8, 210–14
water table, 206
radioactive threat to, 191–92, 202, 244, 256–57, 402n
water-water reactors, 38, 40, 62
White House, 124, 129, 139, 140, 152, 155, 158, 161, 165, 179, 309, 336
Whittington, Luther, 177, 438n
Wilson, Richard, 277
Windscale reactor accident, 41, 128, 399n
wind turbines, 357, 358
World Health Organization (WHO), 326, 355, 359
World War II, 26, 34, 209, 236, 279, 294, 319, 333, 364, 397n, 486n
xenon, 225
xenon 135, 81–83
X-rays, 28
Yakovlev, Alexander, 172, 436n
Yankovsky, Sergei, 235–36, 261–63, 265, 269–70, 372
Yanov, 10
Yanukovych, Viktor, 349
Yaroslav, 480n
Yeltsin, Boris, 266, 333, 348, 436n, 464n
Yesenin, Sergei, 265
Young Pioneers, 139, 164, 183, 209, 252, 253
Yunost, 324
Yuvchenko, Alexander, 47–50, 55, 59, 88, 93–95, 98–99, 135–36, 146–47, 151, 157–58, 218, 219–24, 230, 238, 303, 335, 417n, 456n, 472n
death of, 352
in Hospital Number Six, 219–24, 227, 237–38, 300–301, 335, 352
leukemia of, 350–52
radiation burns, 219–24, 237–38, 300–301, 335
Yuvchenko, Natalia, 47–50, 136, 146–47, 157–58, 218, 219–24, 227, 237–38, 300–301, 303, 335, 350–52, 372, 456n
Zakharov, Anatoly, 91–92, 95
Zaporizhia, 305
Zborovsky, Piotr “Moose,” 195–99, 204–8, 212, 342, 372, 446n
Zelenyi Svit, 329
Zeleny Mys, 303
Zgursky, Valentin, 182, 184, 441n
zheks, 149
Zhitomir, 181, 329
zinc 65, 70
zirconium, 12, 60, 68, 70, 87, 88, 153, 191, 193, 287, 338, 340, 342, 344
Zone of Exclusion and the Zone of Unconditional (Mandatory) Resettlement, 353
Photo Credits
Insert 1:
1. Nikolay Belekhov/Pripyat-city.ru
2. Maria Protsenko
3. Stanislav Konstantinov/Pripyat-city.ru
4. Vitaly Kozlov/Pripyat-city.ru
5. Valentina Brukhanov
6. Valentina Brukhanov
7. Natalia Yuvchenko
8. Natalia Yuvchenko
9. Pripyat-city.ru
10. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
11. Alexander Sich
12. Petr Vyhovsky/Pripyat-city.ru
13. Alexander Korol
14. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
15. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
16. Anatoly Rasskazov/Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
17. Arkady Uskov/Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
18. Alexander Logachev/Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
Insert 2:
1. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
2. Nikolai Antoshkin
3. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
4. Nikolai Antoshkin
5. Maria Protsenko
6. Robert Gale
7. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
8. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
9. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
10. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
11. Mykola Valitskij/Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
12. Alexander Sich
13. Alexander Sich
14. Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum
15. Alexander Sich
16. Alexander Sich
17. Adam Higginbotham
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
Copyright © 2019 by Adam Higginbotham
“Satan Sleeps Beside the Pripyat” used with permission from Lina Kostenko
Original blueprints of RBMK-1000 reactor design reproduced in endpapers courtesy of Alexander Sich.
All rights reserved, including the right to repro
duce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition February 2019
SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Interior design by Paul Dippolito
Jacket design by Pete Garceau
Jacket art by Thepalmer/Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-5011-3461-6
ISBN 978-1-5011-3464-7 (ebook)
Midnight in Chernobyl Page 70