KNOXVILLE –- It has been 20 years since the worst nuclear reactor disaster in history occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Ukraine.
On Nov. 28, Dr. Vladimir Tokarevsky, director general of RADON, a state-owned organization under the Ukraine Ministry of Emergencies and Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident, will speak at a luncheon sponsored by the University of Tennessee’s Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.
Tokarevsky, in Knoxville to work with UT’s Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, will talk about the accident and its international environmental, health and social impacts.
The luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the UT Visitors Center on Neyland Drive.
The Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred on April 25 and 26, 1986, and reports of casualties vary greatly. Thousands of people were exposed to radiation, and may have either died or suffered severe health problems.
“As the United States and other nations consider increased reliance on nuclear power, it is important to learn the lessons of the past and to recognize how much nuclear power technology and procedures have changed since that awful disaster in 1986,” said Baker Center Executive Director Alan Lowe. “With our focus on matters related to energy and environment, the Baker Center is pleased to host Dr. Tokarevsky as we learn more about this important and thought-provoking topic.”
Cost of the luncheon is $15. Reservations are needed. Call Patti Rebholz at (865) 974-0931 or e-mail prebholz@tennessee.edu.
For more information about the Baker Center, see http://bakercenter.utk.edu/.
—
Contacts:
Amy Blakely, (865) 974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu
Alan Lowe, (865) 974-8515, alowe4@tennessee.edu
—