The Environment Chronicle

The Federal State Unitary Enterprise ‘Production Enterprise Mayak’ was founded for the industrial production of plutonium for nuclear weapons. It is located in Cheljabinsk province in the South Urals, not far from the cities of Kishtym. An explosion of a tank with liquid radioactive waste occured on September 29, 1957. The accident released large amounts of fission products that contaminated an area covering 300 x 50 km, later called the Kyshtym footprint. The Kyshtym accident measured as a Level 6 disaster on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

The IAEA is the world´s center of cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the world´s "Atoms for Peace" organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.

On 17 October 1956, the Queen Elisabeth II opened Reactor number 1 at Calder Hall, bringing into service the world's first industrial scale nuclear power station.

The west of the lake has consumed all of its oxygen. Mayflies larvae die on the lake bed, and cannot decompose, due to the lack of oxygen. In addition, concentrations of fertilising nitrate and phosphate ions have trebled between the 1930s and the 1970s.

The worst smog on record hangs over London for five days. 4,000 more than average die during the period. The smog was created by accumulated sulphur dioxide from coal burning.

The Federal Republic of Germany became the 64th member state of UNESCO on 11 July 1951.