Here is the third edition of my book, revised and supplemented with some new data, which I called «The Atomic „Mayak“ – a Problem for the Ages». I hope I have managed to write a book that, if not reconciles, then at least clarifies, and perhaps brings together the positions of those who approach the solution of the same tasks and problems of the nuclear military-industrial complex of the former USSR and modern Russia from different sides. There are a lot of problems. And the more people understand the real scale of the disaster, the more realistic the program of joint actions aimed at overcoming the consequences of the era of nuclear madness will be. Moreover, it does not seem to be over yet…

In the mid-forties of the twentieth century, when the main strategic task of the Soviet Union was to create its own atomic weapons, «secret» cities began to appear on the territory of the USSR. They could not be talked about, they were not written about in the press, they still do not exist on maps. These cities became the centers of the nascent nuclear industry. This book is dedicated to one of these cities. We are talking about the city where the personnel of the nuclear facility, currently known as the «Mayak» Combine production association, or «Mayak» for short, lived and worked.

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.

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.