ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book examines some of the explanations which have been offered for the non-rational fear of nuclear power. It provides an overview of the history of civilian nuclear power in the USSR. The book describes the general level of safety exhibited in the civilian nuclear power industry of Ukraine and Russia. It addresses safety concerns raised by the Chornobyl accident; in addition to the absence of a culture of safety, Congdon discusses problems of reactor design and the lack of an independent regulatory body. The book discusses the influence society has on the development of technologies through value structures and the perception of benefits and dangers. It also examines nuclear power in the former Soviet Union in relation to the development of a civil society. The book explores recent incidences of "nuclear leakage" from the former Soviet Union.
