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Knowledge of population in a selected region about the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident consequences
PRAŽÁK, Marek
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster of April 26, 1986 is the worst nuclear accident in the history of mankind. An experiment conducted in the 4th reactor resulted in its explosion and a huge amount of radionuclides escaped into the environment in the course of the subsequent fire. The greater part of Europe was contaminated by radioactive fallout, including the former Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. From a health point of view, the most harmful radioactive substances causing radioactive contamination were caesium 137Cs and iodine 131I. The then government did not provide objective and true information to the citizens and the media depicted the disaster as an insignificant incident. I set the following goals of my thesis: a) to develop an overview of immediate and especially long-term consequences of the accident; b) to analyse the knowledge of the population of the South Bohemian Region of the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster depending on the age of respondents. For fulfilling the set goals, I set myself the following hypotheses: H1) the theoretical division of the population's knowledge will be normal; H2) the knowledge of persons over 45 years of age will statistically be significantly higher than that of younger people. I handled the given theme using available specialized literature, Internet sources and publications published by relevant institutions. In the introductory part I describe the construction of the power plant, basic technical parameters of the reactor used and the course and causes of the actual accident. The next section is focused on the consequences of the accident in individual time periods immediately, after 10 years and after 20 years. I devote myself both to influences on human lives and health and to environmental, social, economic and psychological consequences. Furthermore,I describe the situation in former Czechoslovakia and the way of informing the population by the then government. The last section of the theoretical part is dedicated to the present situation in the Chernobyl region and at the power plant itself. While compiling the research part of the thesis, I gathered data among the inhabitants of the South Bohemian Region through questionnaire investigation. I addressed a total of 280 respondents, of which 140 were under 45 years of age and 140 were over 45 years of age. The questionnaire contained 15 questions concerning basic, not professional knowledge in this area. For the purposes of my questionnaire investigation, I divided the South Bohemian Region into districts. The selection of individual towns within the framework of the questionnaire investigation was carried out at random, by drawing lots. 280 questionnaires were completed in all, of which 140 questionnaires were completed by respondents under 45 and 140 questionnaires were completed by respondents over 45. By drawing lots, I selected 100 questionnaires out of these completed questionnaires, each age group being included. The test of the set hypotheses and statistical evaluation are carried out using descriptive and mathematical statistics. I carried out statistical evaluation by testing normality, using X2-good agreement test. I mutually compared the knowledge of the groups monitored by testing using a two-sample t-test, based on the estimate of empirical parameters from each group. Based on statistical investigation I came to the conclusion that the division of the population's theoretical knowledge was normal, which confirms the first hypothesis. The results of the investigation also unambiguously confirmed the fact that the knowledge of the population over 45 years of age was statistically significantly higher than the knowledge of the younger group of respondents. As far as total evaluation is concerned, the average value of correct answers in case of the older group of respondents reached 71%, while the younger group showed just 44% of correct answers, which confirms the second se hypothesis.
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Usage of chemical weapons during the First World War and an edification for the present
PRAŽÁK, Marek
This thesis focuses on the description and characteristics of chemical weapons used during the First World War (WWI) and the consequences resulting from it to the present. The introductory part tries to present a comprehensive description of chemical weapons, their classification, including a basic description of their effects on the human organism. Further on, the thesis characterizes individual chemical substances used in the battles of the WWI between 1914 and 1918 and it mentions the most important and key attacks with warfare chemical substances, including a description of the development and design of chemical ammunition used. The next section of the thesis is devoted to the protection against weapons of mass destruction and, in particular, various types of protection and I assess the impact of the use of chemical weapons during the First World War to the present time. Regarding the methodology side, I gathered information from specialized sources and tried to map out clearly and in general the given issues, also based on my own knowledge and experience. The thesis is based on two basic hypotheses: 1 The First World War showed that if necessary the warring parties would resort also to the use of banned means, including chemical weapons; 2. The First World War laid the building blocks of modern protection against chemical weapons and the protection against weapons of mass destruction in general. Both of the hypotheses have been proven to be true, which I try to document in my thesis. The first hypothesis shows that even if chemical weapons were officially banned at The Hague conference, the warring parties did not hesitate, if necessary, to produce, improve and use them against their enemies. The second hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that along with the development and improvement of chemical weapons and ammunition the protection against these weapons developed and improved as well as the detection of warfare chemical substances and alerting of troops when such weapons are used. The consequence of this is the existence of current chemical protection and the emergence of a new military branch - Protection against the Weapons of Mass Destruction.
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