On 26 April 1986 an accident occurred in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant resulting in the release of large amount of radionuclides. Almost five percent of the total released caesium-137 was deposited in Sweden. The incidence of malignancies in the most affected counties in Sweden was investigated in three epidemiological studies. In the first study the incidence of malignancies in children and adolescents was studied for the period 1978-1992. The parishes and their inhabitants were classified according to the ground deposition of caesium-137 on an analogue map provided be the Swedish Radiological Protection Authority. A continuous increase of brain tumour incidence observed during the time of the study had no clear relationship to the Chernobyl fallout. A somewhat decreased relative risk of ALL was observed in areas with increased deposition. Other malignancies showed no changes in incidence over time or with regard to the exposure of caesium-137. In study II and III we enlarged the study base by including adults. We improved the methodology by defining a cohort of subjects who lived in the same parish from 31 December 1985 to 31 December 1987. The inhabitants from seven counties were included. Parishes were classified the same way as in study I. Due to the large number of individuals six exposure categories could be created; <3, 3–29, 30–39, 40–59, 60–79, and 80–120 kBq caesium-137/m2. The inhabitants of the 117 non-affected parishes (<3 kBq/m2) served as reference. During the 1988-1996 followup, 22,409 malignancies were recorded. The MH-IRR in the fully adjusted model was 1.00 (reference), 1.05, 1.03, 1.08, 1.10 and 1.21, respectively. ERR was 0.11 per 100 kBq/m2 (95% CL 0.03;0.20). A more advanced method was used in Study III by ignoring the exposure classification for parishes, and instead matching the dwelling coordinate to a digital map of deposition of casesium-137. In spite of a more valid exposure classification the risk estimates were similar in study II and III. Also, the ERR during the longer follow-up of 1988-1999 was almost identical, 0.10 per 100 kBq/m2 (95% CL 0.00;0.23). The strongest dose-response relationship was seen in the first four years (1988-1991). No obvious excess for leukaemia or thyroid cancer was recognised in either study II or III. The estimated number of exposure related cases was calculated to 849 in study II and 1,278 in study III. Our interpretation is that we have shown an increased incidence of total malignancies with dose-response relationship for caesium-137, only a few years after the Chernobyl accident. In study IV we compared the two different ways of classifying the exposure in study II and III. Out of the 450 parishes 111 got a different classification. The similar risk estimates in study II and III could probably be explained by relatively homogenous exposure in the parishes making the intra-parish difference less influential, especially when included in categories. In study V we examined the urinary excretion of 8-OHdG in Belarussian children from areas with high and low fallout of caesium-137, respectively. We found significantly lower urinary 8-OHdG levels in children from rural contaminated areas compared to urban uncontaminated areas, suggesting an urban, rather than a radiation related, risk factor. Using the Hill criteria for causality there is support for a causal inference between the fallout of caesium-137 from the Chernobyl accident and the increased incidence in total malignancies in Northern Sweden.

Šiame darbe siekiama kompleksiškai pažvelgti į Černobylio pasekmes, aktualias XXI amžiuje per socialinės atminties, diskursų, ekologinės sąmonės perspektyvą. Tokio pobūdžio darbų per pastaruosius penkerius metus Lietuvoje praktiškai nėra atlikta. Darbo problema – kokį, kokio dydžio poveikį ir kokioms grupėms padarė Černobylio katastrofa, kurios padariniai jaučiami iki šiol. Tas iki galo nėra nustatyta, nes koncentruojamasi į politinius (energetinio saugumo, grėsmių), sveikatos tyrimus, kompleksiškai nenagrinėjama kaip Černobylis paveikė ekologinę sąmonę, sociopolitinius diskursus, socialinę atmintį ir grėsmės suvokimą. Objektas: aktualus Černobylio ekologinis, politinis ir socialinis poveikis grėsmės suvokimo kontekste. Tikslas: Ištirti aktualų Černobylio ekologinį, politinį ir socialinį poveikį grėsmės suvokimo kontekste. Darbo aktualumas garantuoja 2011 m. kovo 11 d. įvykiai Fukušimoje, paskatinę iš naujo įvertinti atominės energetikos grėsmes ir Černobylio palikimą. Lietuvai uždarius IAE, svarstant dėl VAE, Baltarusijai ir Rusijai planuojant statyti savo jėgaines kyla ne tik energetinio saugumo, bet ir grėsmės suvokimo klausimas. Ar mes gyvename rizikos, ar dvigubos rizikos visuomenėje? Darbas suskirstytas į tris dėstymo dalis. Pirmoji skirta socialinei atminčiai ir diskursų analizei, antroji – ekologinės sąmonės tyrimams ir trečioji – Černobylio ir Fukušimos avarijų atgarsiai užsienio ir Lietuvos internetinėje žiniasklaidoje. Darbe taikytas analitinis, kritinis... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The theme of this study is the impact of the Chernobyl atomic power plant disaster (seen as a deterrent and a threat at the same time), on the socio-political discourse, collective memory and ecological consciousness. The problem raised in this study is deals with the ways to describe how and what kind of impact did Chernobyl have and who has felt it the most. The problem is still a topical issue considering the fact that most of the studies made by the Lithuanian scholars are concerned with one exact aspect of this complex theme. Thus the object of this study is the social, political and ecological impact seen in the light of the menace perception. The object implies the aim of this study – to seek out the ways this three-folded impact reveals itself. This study has a great significance because of the late events in Japan which lead many to the rethinking of nuclear policy, especially after the protests had erupted. As in Lithuania, the situation has not changed much as no new social movements started and people remain quite indifferent to the broader consequences of the energetic problems Lithuania now faces. The methods used in this study are the following: analytical, critical, comparative and descriptive while giving a strong emphasis on a theoretical basis needed for a successful understanding of such complex theme. The conclusions of this study would be that the Fukushima accident helped to rethink nuclear policy in many countries and ensure the goal of... [to full text]

В данной диссертации анализируется политика в области ликвидации последствий катастрофы на Чернобыльской АЭС в Беларуси с 1986 по 2008 год с точки зрения взаимодействия различных концепций. Примение методологии дискурс-коалиций позволяет выявить взаимодействие дискурс-коалиций в чернобыльской политики на разных этапах, а также проследить дискурсивные элементы формирования ядерной политики в Беларуси, обусловленной строительством АЭС. / Nepaisant to, kad po avarijos Černobylio atominė elektrinė buvo uždaryta (1986), Černobylis tebeveikia socialinį ir politinį gyvenimą Baltarusijoje (per avariją labai nukentėjusioje kaimyninėje valstybėje). Černobylį šioje disertacijoje apibrėžiame kaip įvairių socialinių aktorių (valstybinių institucijų, politinių partijų, nevyriausybinių organizacijų, mokslo įstaigų ir pan.) vis peržiūrimą ir atnaujinamą Černobylio avarijos interpretacijų rinkinį. Disertaciniame darbe analizuojami įvairūs diskursai ir naratyvai, susiję su Černobylio avarijos padariniais Baltarusijoje 1986-2008. Taikant sociologines rizikos visuomenės (Beck 2000; Borraz 2008), mokslinių faktų konstrukcijos (Callon 1979; Latour 1989, 2004), biovaldžios (Foucault 1996) sampratas ir diskurso koalicijų metodologiją (Hajer 1995), disertacijoje pateikiama konstruktyvistinė Černobylio politikos analizė. Disertacijos tikslas: Černobylio politikoje bei jos aktorių ir jų naratyvų visumoje identifikuoti diskurso koalicijas ir analizuoti jų raišką (nedemokratinės valstybės atveju). Disertacijoje atskleidžiama tai, kaip diskurso koalicijos traktuoja Černobylio avarijos sukeltus padarinius ir kaip atominės energetikos politikoje atsispindi rizikos visuomenės ir bio-politikos retorika. / Despite the shutdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (1986) it still influences the social and political reality. Chernobyl appears in this research as the result of work of interpretation of the aftermaths of Chernobyl disaster by different actors: state bodies, political parties, NGO and scientific institutions. This research touches upon different discourses, story-lines through witch the consequences of the accident on Chernobyl plant are managed in Belarus from 1986 to 2008. Applying such sociological concepts as risk (Beck 2000; Borraz 2008), construction of scientific facts (Callon 1979; Latour 1989, 2004), biopower (Foucault 1996) and the methodology of the discourse-coalitions (Hajer 1995) in this dissertation the constructivist analysis of the politics of Chernobyl is represented. The main hypothesis of this research is to identify the discourse-coalitions within the Chernobyl policy, the actors and story-lines they utter. This research analyses also how the risks created by Chernobyl accident are treated and how biopolitics rhetoric is articulated in the discourse-coalitions and reveals their role in the nuclear policy.

Kärnkraftsolyckan i Tjernobyl ledde till en spridning av radioaktiva ämnen över Europa och Sverige. År 2018 är det 32 år sedan kärnkraftsolyckan ägde rum och den enda radioaktiva isotopen som finns kvar i det svenska ekosystemet som följd av olyckan i en betydande mängd är Cs-137, på grund av dess 30-åriga halveringstid. Genom att bestämma aktiviteten hos svamp kan halten Cs-137 i mark uppskattas. Hösten 2018 kommer det tvärvetenskapliga massexperimentet Strålande jord att utföras i syfte att kartlägga denna halt i hela Sverige. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att nå resultat som är användbara vid aktivitetsbestämning av svamp. Ett numeriskt verktyg för analys av data ifrån gammaspektroskopi har konstruerats. Två metoder för att beräkna händelser (counts) i energitoppar i gammaemissionsspektra har formulerats och varit byggstenar för det vidare arbetet. Under arbetets gång har följande bestämts: effektiviteten hos en high purity germanium (HPGe) detektor, aktiviteten hos två svampprover, attenueringskoeffcienten av 662 keV-gamma för samma svampprover samt för vatten. För att kunna approximera en burk med svamp som en isotropt strålande punktkälla och få goda resultat behöver aktivitetsmätningarna göras med ett långt avstånd mellan provet och detektorn. Att mätningar måste göras på ett långt avstånd gör att approximationen bara är lämplig för ett svampprov med hög aktivitet, vilket blev tydligt i detta examensarbete då aktiviteten hos ett lågaktivt svampprov inte kunde bestämmas med god statistik trots att enskilda mätningar gjordes under närmare en veckas tid. Systematiska fel har inte tagits hänsyn till i detta arbete, utan enbart statistisk osäkerhet. / The nuclear disaster in Chernobyl brought radioactive substances over Europe and Sweden. In 2018 it has passed 32 years since the disaster and the only radioactive isotope that reamins in the swedish ecosystem at a signicant level is Cs-137. By determining activity of mushroom, the amount of Cs-137 in the ground can be estimated. In the fall of 2018, the interdisciplinary mass-experiment Strålande jord will take place with the purpose to map this amount all over Sweden. The purpose of this work was to reach results that could be of use when determining the activity of mushroom. A numerical tool for analysing data from gamma spectroscopy has been constructed. Two different methods for calculating counts in energy peaks from gamma emission spectra have been made and have been the basis for the further work. During this work the following has been determined: The efficiency of a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector, the activity of two different mushroom samples, the attenuation coefficient of gamma at 662 keV for these samples and for water. In order to be able to approximate a can filled with mushroom as an isotropic radiating point source and get accurate results, the activity measurements need to be carried out with a great distance between the sample and the detector. A consequence of this is that this approximation is only suitable for high-activity mushroom, which became evident when the activity of a low-activity mushroom could not be decided with decent statistics even though single measurements were carried out in almost a weeks time. Systematic errors are not considered during this work, only statistical uncertainties.

The utilisation of nuclear energy entails, like any other human activity, risk of occurrence of accidents and emergencies. On Saturday 26th April 1986 early morning in the fourth block of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine occurred the biggest industrial accident in the peace usage of nuclear energy. It led to a vast leakage of radioactive debris to the wide surrounding area. An accident of such extent has never been thought possible before and it has surprised national authorities responsible for emergency preparedness practically in all counties operating nuclear power plants. It was crucial to prepare and introduce many countermeasures to restrict exposure of persons and environment to radiation. The most affected countries have been today{\crq}s Byelorussia, Russia and Ukraine. Although international instructions and criteria for failure actions had existed even before the Chernobyl accident, the experience with their application was very limited. Needless to say, some short-term countermeasures had been neglected or insufficiently realised. Inhabitants were not informed about the accident in time and therefore they hid late. Also iodine prophylaxis did not start in time, which led to unnecessarily high irradiation of thyroid gland. The evacuation was, in view of decreasing external exposure, executed within possibilities efficiently. As for the long-term countermeasures related not only to the liquidation of the aftermath of the accident in the area of the nuclear power plant but especially the decontamination works in residential units and on contaminated soils, regulation of food chains and relocation of persons from the affected areas, preventive and health care of the inhabitants living in the contaminated territory - these measures were massive in scope and in principle mostly reasoned and effective. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of some of these measures was somewhat deteriorated by the fact they were introduced area-wide (only on the basis of the surface contamination and not on the estimation of exposure from whole-body measurements), were not fully substantiated and later had to by cancelled for economical reasons. Not only economical factors play an important role in the planning and application of the countermeasures (mainly long-term ones). Without question it is necessary to secure that the measures can be applied in the contaminated areas in view of their effectiveness in sufficient extent for time long enough and after a thorough evaluation of all pros and cons, expenses and gains. As well, it is needed to take into consideration the effect of social and psychological factors, where in practise a satisfactory progress has not been made yet. Many studies proved that the introduction of countermeasures affects the increase of psychosocial tension among the involved people. This negative attitude results from the public{\crq}s lack of information about radiation and about the possibilities of its reduction and consequent fear and anxiety due to the uncertainty regarding future. Because of the concealment of information about the Chernobyl accident, also distrust of citizens against authorities has remained to be a problem. However, the approach of public is very important in regard to the effectiveness of countermeasures. In order that the measures would be accepted as well as possible, it is needed to secure corresponding education programs and to engage public into discussions and decision-making within the introduced measures.

The aim of this study is to compare the cause of the, to date, three onlycommercial nuclear power plant accidents. These are very complex incidents,which have dire impact on society and the environment and therefore benefitfrom further investigation, if there lays a possibility of identifying factors thatcould prevent further accidents in the future. In order to investigate this theactions and decisions that lead up to each nuclear meltdown was identified andcompared.The investigation was based on a qualitative study on three cases of nuclearmeltdown accidents. They are based on text analysis of official reports anddocumentaries on the subject. The theoretical background for this study wasKajtazi’s (2011) work on Information Inadequacy. The study was limited to theevents leading up to the accidents and do not include activities afterwards.The study shows that each case had different underlying reasons. It alsoshows that we seem to have learned something from our previous mistakes, andacted on them accordingly. From the Fukushima Daiichi accident we canrecommend that organizations in charge should take early warnings seriouslyand act upon them as soon as they are presented.

No description available.

En kvalitativ studie av HBO-serien Chernobyl från 2019 och hur denna upprätthåller en i västerländsk media producerad för underhållning ofta förekommande stereotyp porträttering av Sovjetunionen och dess invånare. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är centrerad kring filmteori och representationsteori och undersöker huruvida man genom othering i västerländska produktioner upprätthåller en bild av de forna sovjetiska länderna och dess invånare baserad på den uppfattning som lades till grund för i filmer producerade under kalla kriget. Studiens resultat är att serien kan läsas som ett försök att genom adaptionen av en inhemsk sovjetisk skildring av världens största kärnkraftsolycka försöka ge symbolisk upprättelse till katastrofens offer, trots att serien i stor utsträckning bekräftar den stereotypa skildring av sovjetiska medborgare ofta tidigare sedd i västerländsk media. / A qualitative study of the 2019 HBO miniseries Chernobyl and how it perpetuates a stereotype western perception of post Soviet countries and their inhabitants, influenced by the antagonists created during Cold War in film produced by west. The Soviet stereotype is examined through film and representation theory, and seeks to investigate how the practice of othering is carried out by narrative functions throughout pivotal moments of the series. The analysis concludes that the sensitive matter of adapting a domestic Soviet narrative of the worlds greatest nuclear disaster into a Hollywood production can be read as an attempt to grant the real life victims a symbolic kind of solace, yet it also fails to portray Soviet citizens outside of the stereotype conforming depiction often seen in western media.

Mes travaux de recherche ont eu pour but d'analyser la diversité des microorganismes des trois domaines du vivant présents dans des biofilms phototrophes exposés à l'air, se développant sur des substrats minéraux divers, afin d'essayer, d'une part, de répondre à des questions de diversité et de biogéographie et, d'autre part, d'étudier le processus de colonisation par le biais d'expériences d'exposition contrôlées.J'ai ainsi caractérisé, essentiellement par des approches moléculaires basées sur l'analyse des banques des gènes d'ARNr de la petite sous-unité (SSU rDNAs) et sur des analyses d'empreintes communautaires, la diversité microbienne (procaryote et eucaryote) formant des biofilms matures (exposés depuis plusieurs années) dans plusieurs sites géographiques en Irlande du Nord, en France et en Ukraine, dans la région de Chernobyl. Dans ces biofilms soumis à forte pression sélective, nous avons mis en évidence beaucoup de microorganismes hétérotrophes et phototrophes, mais avec une diversité relativement restreinte en comparaison à d'autres milieux comme les sols ou les systèmes aquatiques. Les archées étaient absentes. Les conditions environnementales auxquelles ce type de biofilm est constamment exposé comme l'irradiation, la dessiccation et la limitation des nutriments sélectionnent des microorganismes qui développent des stratégies pour s'adapter comme, entre autres, la production de pigments. Ce sont des microorganismes fréquemment retrouvés dans des milieux désertiques extrêmes et résistants aussi aux radiations ionisantes qui ont ainsi été identifiés, notamment des Deinococcales et des Actinobacteria, ou encore des champignons ascomycètes (Ascomycota). Parmi les organismes phototrophes, nous avons dénombré des Cyanobacteria, des algues vertes (Chlorophyta) et des Streptophyta. Nous avons mis en évidence que les facteurs environnementaux influencent la composition des biofilms. Toutefois, tandis que la composition de la communauté bactérienne est fortement dépendante de la nature du substrat ou elle se développe, la composition des communautés microbiennes eucaryotes dépend de la distance géographique. Nous avons également mené des expériences de colonisation en exposant un même substrat minéral dans trois sites géographiques en Irlande du Nord et en France. L'analyse de la diversité microbienne lors du processus de colonisation a révélé des changements importants dans la composition des communautés, que ce soit pour les procaryotes ou pour les eucaryotes avec, cependant, des comportements différents de ces deux groupes de microorganismes. Dans le cas des bactéries, on observe une transition des Gammaproteobacteria, qui dominent les temps 0-6 mois et qui correspondent vraisemblablement aux cellules inactives en dispersion, vers des Betaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Alphaproteobacteria et Actinobacteria dans des phases successives de formation du biofilm. Par contre, dès leur détection sur le substrat minéral, les eucaryotes sont massivement dominés par des champignons ascomycètes et basidiomycètes, des algues vertes ainsi que d'autres composantes minoritaires comme des ciliés, étant détectées dans des stades plus tardifs. Nos résultats montrent que les organismes hétérotrophes sont pionniers dans la formation de ces biofilms, ce qui permet d'émettre l'hypothèse qu'ils facilitent l'installation des cyanobactéries et surtout des algues vertes. Ils montrent aussi que le processus d'assemblage des communautés bactériennes dépend du temps de colonisation, alors que le site géographique détermine celui des microorganismes eucaryotes. Ces différences majeures de comportement pourraient être expliquées par des modes de vie différents entre les organismes de ces deux grands groupes.

At the nuclear power plant accident, the radionuclides with very short half-life come to enviroment, they decay the period from several second to several months. On the other sides come to enviroment radionuclides with long half-life. Their radionuclides occur in surrounding of the power plant for hundreds of years before they decay totally. Immediately after a nuclear power plant accident, radioiodine represents the most severe health hazard for population. Because it is a radionuclide with short half-life, it causes the danger during first months after the accident. Its health hazard lies in the fact, that it gets to food chains and irradiates a man, who consumed contaminated water and food. Radiocaesium and radiostrontiom are the next important radionuclides. They have long half-lifes, it means that will decay after hundred years after the accident and they endanger population a long time after the accident yet.