Vassili Nesterenko

I learnt from a Guardian obituary that a brilliant Soviet scientist died this summer (25 August 2008). His work included the development of a mobile nuclear power station to be used to power missile launchers. Shortly after its completion his career took a different turn when the Chernobyl nuclear power station blew up in 1986. He flew over the burning atomic plant in a helicopter and in the middle of radioactive smoke, threw liquid nitrogen containers onto the reactor core. He survived but three others in the same helicopter died. He then began to study the effects of the radioactivity released by the accident and eventually founded the Belrad Institute to continue this work. Because of his activities, he lost his job and was threatened him with internment in a psychiatric asylum. He is quoted as saying: "The international nuclear lobby does not want to recognise the the scale of the disaster in our country because if it does, nuclear power will be finished".

His words add to the urgent warnings of many scientists and engineers who have come to the conclusion that nuclear power is unacceptably dangerous.