I only found out today about this major cover up in the history of the world.  I’m like “How on earth can one cover up a major nuclear disaster?!” If you have other more important things to do, like bathing dogs and watering plants then do that first.

Introduction

In the annals of nuclear history, the Kyshtym disaster of 1957 often lurks in the shadow of more notorious catastrophes like Chernobyl and Fukushima. Yet, this lesser-known incident, veiled in Cold War secrecy, stands as a chilling reminder of the potential perils of nuclear technology. On a seemingly ordinary day in late September, in the heart of the Soviet Union’s nuclear complex, an event unfolded that would leave an indelible mark on the landscape and its inhabitants. The explosion at the Mayak Production Association not only unleashed a radioactive nightmare but also set in motion a decades-long saga of denial, discovery, and reluctant acknowledgment. The disaster occurred on September 29, 1957, but it was not until 1976, almost 19 years later, that it began to gain international attention. This was primarily due to the efforts of Soviet emigrant Zhores Medvedev, who revealed details of the catastrophe to the Western world. However, his accounts were initially met with scepticism. As we peel back the layers of this obscured chapter in history, the story of Kyshtym emerges not just as a tale of a nuclear accident but as a complex narrative intertwined with global politics, scientific debate, and the eternal struggle between truth and power. Join me as we delve into the gripping and sobering tale of the Kyshtym disaster – a saga that deserves its place in the broader discourse on nuclear safety and the responsibilities it entails.

Details

The Kyshtym Catastrophe, which occurred on September 29, 1957, at the Mayak Production Association in the Soviet Union, is a significant event in the history of nuclear accidents. Here are the detailed facts and sources:

1. Location and cause: The catastrophe happened at Mayak, a plutonium production site in the Soviet Union, located near Kyshtym in the Chelyabinsk Oblast. It was caused by the explosion of a poorly maintained storage tank containing highly radioactive waste​​​​.
2. Scale of the disaster: The explosion released 20 million curies of radioactive material, contaminating approximately 23,000 square km of land. More than 10,000 people were evacuated, and hundreds likely died due to radiation exposure​​​​.
3. Secrecy and acknowledgment: The Soviet government did not acknowledge the event until 1989, despite the significant impact and the need for evacuations​​​​.
4. Environmental impact: The disaster spread hot particles over more than 52,000 square km, affecting at least 270,000 people. The Mayak facility had a history of dumping radioactive waste into nearby rivers and lakes, leading to severe environmental contamination​​​​.
5. The East Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT): The explosion resulted in the formation of the EURT, a heavily contaminated area. The radioactive cloud from the explosion moved northeast, covering an area of 800 to 20,000 square km, depending on the considered level of contamination​​.
6. Health impacts: The exposed population experienced decreased average leukocyte and thrombocyte counts in the first two years following the accident. There was also an increased excess relative risk of solid cancer incidence and mortality in later years​​.
7. Long-term health effects: Residents in the affected region have suffered from increased rates of cancer, deformities, and other major health problems, partly due to the routine release of radioactive waste by Chelyabinsk-40 (Mayak) over many years​​.

The Cover-up

The cover-up of the Kyshtym disaster is a profound example of how political, military, and scientific interests can intersect to suppress information, highlighting the complex dynamics of secrecy and disclosure in the context of nuclear technology and international relations. This is how the cover-up was achieved:

1. Secrecy surrounding the Mayak Facility: The Mayak Production Association was shrouded in secrecy from its inception. Located in a closed city not marked on maps, the facility’s operations and incidents remained tightly controlled information within the Soviet Union​​.
2. Lack of official acknowledgment: The Soviet government did not acknowledge the event for decades. Even as they evacuated over 11,000 people from the contaminated area, no official explanation was given for these actions, maintaining a veil of silence over the nature of the disaster​​.
3. Dismissal and scepticism of early reports: Initial reports of the disaster in Western media were met with scepticism.
4. UK involvement: Prominent figures in the nuclear industry, such as Sir John Hill of the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority, dismissed the accounts as “rubbish” and “a figment of the imagination,” reflecting a broader disbelief of the severity and reality of the disaster​​​​.
5. CIA’s role in secrecy: Remarkably, the CIA had accurate information about the disaster as early as 1960 through informants and aerial spy photos. However, they kept this information secret, partly to protect the emerging nuclear industry in the United States and avoid raising safety concerns about the US government’s own nuclear sites​​.
6. Soviet internal measures: Within the Soviet Union, measures were taken to conceal the impact of the disaster. This included designating contaminated areas as nature preserves to restrict access and avoid public scrutiny. Additionally, health effects and environmental damage were not publicly linked to the disaster​​​​.
7. Gradual disclosure post-1989: It was only starting in 1989, several years after the Chernobyl disaster, that the Soviet government began to declassify documents related to the Mayak incident. This gradual disclosure marked the end of the official cover-up and led to a broader acknowledgment of the disaster’s scale and impact​​.

The Uncovering

The exposure of the Kyshtym disaster cover-up was a gradual process that spanned several decades, marked by a combination of investigative efforts, political changes, and eventual government acknowledgment. Initially, the disaster was kept secret by the Soviet government, with no official explanation provided for the evacuation of over 11,000 people from the contaminated area. In the West, early reports of the disaster were met with scepticism; figures like Sir John Hill of the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority dismissed them as fictitious.

The turning point came in 1976 when Soviet emigrant Zhores Medvedev revealed details of the catastrophe, bringing it to the attention of the Western world. His revelations were initially met with scepticism but were later confirmed by ex-Soviet physicist Leo Tumerman, who had witnessed the aftermath of the incident.

Interestingly, the CIA had known about the disaster since 1960 through its network of informants and aerial spy photos. However, they kept this information secret, partly to protect the image of the emerging nuclear industry in the United States and to avoid raising safety concerns about the US government’s own nuclear sites.

It was only in the late 1980s, particularly starting in 1989 after the Chernobyl disaster, that the Soviet government began to declassify documents pertaining to the Mayak incident. This marked the end of the official cover-up and led to a broader acknowledgment of the disaster’s scale and impact. The eventual disclosure of the Kyshtym disaster highlighted not only the challenges of obtaining accurate information during the Cold War but also the intricate interplay of national interests and the politics of the nuclear age.

Timeline summary

• September 29, 1957: The Kyshtym disaster occurs at the Mayak Production Association in the Soviet Union due to the failure of a cooling system in a storage tank containing radioactive waste​​.
• Early October 1957: The Soviet government starts evacuating over 11,000 people from more than 20 villages in the affected area without providing an official explanation for these actions​​.
• April 1958 – March 1959: Vague reports of a “catastrophic accident” causing “radioactive fallout” begin appearing in Western press, with the first details emerging in the Viennese paper “Die Presse” in March 1959​​.
• By 1960: The CIA, through its network of informants and aerial spy photos, gains a clear picture of the disaster but keeps it secret to protect the image of the emerging nuclear industry and avoid safety concerns about the US government’s Hanford nuclear site​​.
• 1976: Soviet emigrant Zhores Medvedev reveals some facts about the Kyshtym catastrophe, bringing it to the attention of the Western world​​.
• Post-1976: Western experts, including Sir John Hill, chairman of Britain’s Atomic Energy Authority, initially dismiss Medvedev’s account as “rubbish” and “science fiction.” However, the story is later confirmed by ex-Soviet physicist Leo Tumerman​​​​.
• 1989: The Soviet government starts to declassify documents pertaining to the Mayak incident, leading to a broader public recognition of the disaster​​.

Kyshtym v Chernobyl

The Kyshtym disaster and the Chernobyl disaster, while both monumental nuclear accidents within the Soviet Union, present starkly different narratives, each with its unique context and consequences.

Kyshtym, occurring in 1957, was the result of a failed cooling system in a radioactive waste storage tank at the Mayak Production Association. This led to a chemical explosion, releasing a significant amount of radioactive material into the environment. The disaster was kept under wraps by the Soviet government, with the affected populations not being immediately informed. The response was slow, and the scale of the disaster was not publicly acknowledged until decades later. Kyshtym’s cover-up was emblematic of the era’s Cold War secrecy and the infancy of nuclear technology understanding.

In contrast, the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, resulting from a flawed reactor design and operator error, led to an explosion and fire in Reactor No. 4. This incident was far more catastrophic in terms of immediate human casualties and the extent of radioactive release. Chernobyl’s impact was vast, spreading across international borders and drawing global attention to the dangers of nuclear power. The response to Chernobyl, while initially shrouded in secrecy, quickly became a global concern, leading to an international response and a re-evaluation of nuclear safety standards worldwide.

Kyshtym’s legacy lies in its representation of the hidden dangers of nuclear waste management and the consequences of governmental secrecy. Chernobyl, on the other hand, stands as a stark reminder of the potential catastrophic impact of nuclear power when combined with human error and design flaws. Both disasters highlight the critical need for transparency, safety standards, and international cooperation in the realm of nuclear technology. However, their differences underscore the varying challenges and lessons learned from each event – from Kyshtym’s secretive, slow-revealed tragedy to Chernobyl’s immediate, boundary-crossing crisis.

Conclusion

As we reflect on the Kyshtym disaster, it is essential to acknowledge the intricate web of secrecy and eventual revelation that surrounded this nuclear catastrophe. Initially cloaked in the utmost secrecy by the Soviet government, the event was hidden from both the Soviet public and the international community. The government’s refusal to acknowledge the disaster, even as thousands were evacuated from contaminated areas, set the stage for a complex tale of deception and discovery.

The narrative of Kyshtym unfolds against the backdrop of Cold War tensions, where information was a valuable commodity, often guarded or manipulated. The West initially learned of the disaster through the efforts of Soviet emigrant Zhores Medvedev, whose revelations in 1976 were initially met with scepticism by Western experts, including Sir John Hill of the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority, who dismissed the accounts as fictitious. However, the veracity of Medvedev’s claims was later substantiated by ex-Soviet physicist Leo Tumerman, who had witnessed the aftermath of the disaster.

In a striking twist, it was revealed that the CIA had accurate information about the disaster as early as 1960 but kept it secret, fearing the impact on the image of the emerging nuclear industry in the United States. This deliberate withholding of information, a chess move in the grand game of Cold War politics, further complicated the narrative.

The eventual declassification of Soviet documents in the late 1980s, particularly following the Chernobyl disaster, marked the end of the official cover-up. This gradual unravelling of the truth brought to light the stark realities of nuclear safety, government accountability, and the cost of secrecy.

The Kyshtym disaster, thus, is not just a story of a nuclear accident but a profound lesson in the consequences of concealing the truth and the importance of transparency in an era of immense technological power. As we look back, the echoes of Kyshtym remind us of our duty to uphold truth and ethical responsibility, particularly when dealing with forces as formidable as nuclear energy. The legacy of Kyshtym lingers, a sobering call to remember the past as we navigate the complexities of the present and future.

References

1. The book: Nuclear disaster in the Urals – by Medvedev, Zhores A.
2. Environment & Society Portal – The Nuclear Disaster of Kyshtym 1957 and the Politics of the Cold War
3. Janata Weekly – Mayak: Russia’s Forgotten Nuclear Disaster
4. New Scientist – Kyshtym ‘almost as bad as Chernobyl’ 
5. New York Times (1989): Soviets admit ’57 Nuclear Blast.
6. Encyclopaedia Britannica.