At different stages of its existence, for reasons of secrecy, this city and the enterprise under construction had different names. At first it was the «tenth site», «postbox 21», «plant 817», etc. Later, when the city was already built, it was named Chelyabinsk-40 («Sorokovka»). In the nuclear industry system, it was also known as Chelyabinsk-57 and Chelyabinsk-65. It should be remembered that all these are the names of the same city. In April 1994, the city received its first proper name – it was officially renamed Ozyorsk. So, the first time was in April 1993. I also came to Chelyabinsk-65.
Accidents and catastrophes are inevitable when such a large-scale business begins. But their consequences become fully understood only years later, when the rush passes and the fog of secrecy is dispelled. In the case of accidents at the «Mayak» plant, it took more than forty years to only briefly imagine the consequences of overexposure of the personnel and residents of the surrounding settlements. This book is devoted to the history of the creation of the «Mayak», the consequences of its activities for human health, the scale of environmental destruction and the prospects for the existence of this huge enterprise and the satellite city of Ozersk.
P.S. An important clarification
The main text of the book was written between 1993 and 2000. Therefore, when the text contains messages about the «current state of affairs» in different areas of the problem under discussion, it should be understood that we are talking about the end of the twentieth century. The latest edition of the book is aimed at improving the quality of the presentation of the material, and not at rewriting the text of the book. Although, some new materials have been added to it.
To describe the current state of affairs and problems at the «Mayak» plant, it is necessary to conduct a new study. Such a study seems to be absolutely necessary within the framework of the modern understanding of the global design of nuclear and radiation safety. The author is ready to do this if favorable circumstances arise.