Electrical engineers in Chernobyl.

[Kerembaev@cs.com]

Radsafers,

In my message, I may unintentionally offended electrical engineering as a 
profession.
That was not my intend nor to bring any antagonism and controversy into the 
power plant community. There were many electrical engineers and technicians 
who suffered as well. As a matter as a fact, the electrical division got the 
BIGGEST group dose because of.......(as it was analyzed) they are who is on 
the out put of the product-electricity and they who had to disconnect many of 
the out side plant's electrical power switches. After the accident most of 
the contamination was on the out side of the plant buildings, in fact, the 
plant inside (other 3 units) would be clean if plant's ventilation system 
would be shut down after it happened. 
All after accident contamination on those 3 units came from.....the outside.
Of course, nobody could even imagine that it would possible when plant had 
being designed. 
A few stories have been told about the doses. 
I will just tell how it was with me. In 1988 when I came in the Zone, I of 
course was shocked and very confused about the Zone. I was very surprised by 
the comradeship in the there. 
One of the examples: when I had to go into the high and very high Rad. Areas 
0.1-20 rads/hr, to spend substantial amount of time in there, the old timers 
(liquidators - guys who worked before, during and after or came right after 
the accident, I also got a liquidator status but with slightly less 
privileges) were telling me: "Take a break, you are fresh and young, I 
already have gotten a DOSE and that additional (relatively) small dose will 
not make me more harm if it already have 'made'".  They always were adding: 
"will live, will see......."
It was Chernobyl ALARA..... they knew that I as a new person, with less 
experience, ...extremely nervous, I would spend much more time to do this 
task compare to them with more experience.... It was a ...very different 
experience from what I had before, on the outside of the Zone. How many 
times, in the beginning if I was alone, I was getting lost inside the 
plant?...... Too many. RBMKs have the most complicated geography, almost like 
some of the US campuses. *green*

I never was in a War but, I think, it is something like that accident. 
Interesting is that fact, that person who was working or lived in the area 
before or after the accident calls it a WAR. And when somebody referring to 
time before or after the accident, he says: "Before the War" or.......It may 
be too philosophical, however in some way all wars are the accidents.

Again, my sincere apologies to those professionals, to whom that part was
offensive.

Happy Friday and a great weekend to every one.

Sincerely,
Emil
kerembaev@cs.com
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