The Chernobyl Disaster: 25 Years Ago - The Atlantic The Atlantic 39 Photos In Focus The 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is next month. On April 26, 1986, a series of explosions destroyed Chernobyl's reactor No. 4 station and several hundred staff and firefighters tackled a blaze that burned for 10 days and sent a plume of radiation around the world in the worst-ever civil nuclear disaster. More than 50 reactor and emergency workers were killed at the time. Assessing the larger impact on human health remains a difficult task, with estimates of related deaths from cancer ranging from 4,000 to over 200,000. The government of Ukraine indicated early this year that it will lift restrictions on tourism around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, formally opening the scene to visitors. It's expected, meanwhile, that a 20,000-ton steel case called the New Safe Confinement (NSC), designed as a permanent containment structure for the whole plant, will be completed in 2013.

Why the Chernobyl Nuclear Ruins Are a 20th-Century Pompeii Why the Chernobyl Nuclear Ruins Are a 20th-Century Pompeii An archaeologist explains why he's studying the radioactive remains of an abandoned Soviet nuclear city. View Images A scatter of gas masks in an elementary school near the Chernobyl nuclear plant is an archaeological snapshot of the crisis that followed the reactor explosion in April 1986. Photograph by Robert Maxwell Thirty years ago this week, a reactor explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in the former Soviet Union resulted in the worst peacetime nuclear disaster in human history. Due to high radiation levels, the thousand-square-mile (2,600-square kilometer) Exclusion Zone was quickly established around Chernobyl and the nearby city of Pripyat in what is today northern Ukraine . More than 100,000 people were permanently evacuated, and more than a hundred human settlements in the zone were demolished or abandoned. ( Experience Chernobyl's haunting ruins in 360-degree photos. ) Robert Maxwell, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Sydney, is the only archaeologist currently studying the Chernobyl disaster.

He spent two seasons (2010 and 2012) performing fieldwork in the Exclusion Zone. National Geographic News recently spoke to Maxwell about his experience. Why would an archaeologist be interested in a 30-year-old nuclear disaster site like Chernobyl? I study contemporary abandonment practices—why some 20th-century cities and settlements were abandoned in such a short space of time. My thesis looks at what happens when the ideology and the material reality of a city become dislocated. That sounds complicated. Take Detroit, for instance. When the automotive industry became more globalized and automation began to replace human workers, Detroit essentially lost its ideology, its reason for being. It went from being the jewel in the crown of 20th-century American industrialism to a depleted, problematic city. ( See how nature is reclaiming Detroit. ) 30 Years After Chernobyl, Nature Is Thriving April 18, 2016 - Thirty years after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, people are still restricted from resettling the evacuation area, dubbed the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The absence of humans has created an opportunity for nature to thrive.

A new study using remote cameras reveals abundant populations of gray wolves, raccoon dogs, and red fox. Click here to read more about the animals in the exclusion zone. How does this apply to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone? The one common ideology between the Soviets and the U.S. in the 20th century was nuclear fundamentalism—whoever could control the atom and its explosive force controlled the future. Pripyat was built just two miles (3.2 kilometers) from the Chernobyl plant and was considered the finest example of a Soviet atomograd (literally "atom city," a restricted area where nuclear activities took place). The ideology of nuclear fundamentalism was literally imposed on its layout. You have the social and cultural nucleus (the Palace of Culture and Science, the amusement park) and orbiting functions connected like spokes of an atom: the supermarket, the post office, apartment buildings. However, the nuclear plant, while ideologically perfect, was imperfectly designed . Also, it was run with management from a coal-fired [energy] background, so they didn't understand nuclear physics, but they very much understood Soviet ideological pressure.

So when something went wrong— as happened on the 26th of April 1986 —it went wrong in a very big way. So essentially we have the only surviving atomograd in existence that was abandoned right when it was flourishing. You've got a really interesting picture of a 20th-century city in crisis, right when the ideals of nuclear fundamentalism and the "perfect Soviet machine" fell to pieces. ( Read more about the legacy of Chernobyl .) View Images Reactor cooling towers 5 and 6 sit unfinished in the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Photograph by Robert Maxwell Were you actually digging in the Exclusion Zone? Oh no, that's too dangerous. The radionuclides seep down into the soil over time like anything heavy, so the more you intrude in the soil the more radiation you're going to absorb. The vegetation is also extremely radioactive because it draws the radionuclides up and into the leaves. Moss is the most dangerous because it has such a large surface area. Even now whenever I see a patch of moss, I walk around it because it's such a force of habit.

However, the context of the Chernobyl disaster is literally right in front of you. We can study the archaeological footprint and the heritage of the site without necessarily having to dig. View Images Archaeologist Robert Maxwell takes a self-portrait in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone while wearing the ventilator he used when conducting fieldwork in the restricted area. Radioactive dust is a danger in the zone, as are wild animals. Photograph by Robert Maxwell What sort of precautions did you have to take when you worked in the zone? Most of the radiological particulate contamination these days is in the form of dust. As long as you're getting that off and not licking anything or picking anything up you're relatively OK. I did a lot of my fieldwork in a ventilator, a pair of jeans, and a pair of boots that I would get rid of before I left the zone. I was monitored for radiological contamination every day, and I got really good at taking extremely strong " Silkwood " showers. Actually, the biggest danger was not the radioactivity but the wild boars.

The wildlife in the zone has repopulated to medieval levels, and the number one piece of advice I was given by my local guides was, "If you see pig, climb tree." ( Learn how animals rule Chernobyl today. ) You Might Also Like Finding the Bones of Nat Turner, American Rebel What is archaeology telling us about Chernobyl? We think it's a place where humans aren't supposed to go, that it's supposed to be a wasteland. But when you get there it's teeming with wildlife, there's a local community of 2,000 people living in the zone, and the French consortium that's building the container shelter project over the Chernobyl plant is a 6,000-strong workforce. There are also thousands of tourists coming into the zone every year. Then there's all of the looting and material reclamation. When I do surveys of the abandoned apartment buildings, the only things left are the TVs and the pianos, because they've got no resale value and you can't get them down the stairs. You've also got these little snapshots of crisis and disaster all over the place.

There are a lot of depositions of overalls and gas masks where someone had taken them off, left them, and just walked away. History is what we said happened, but archaeology is the record of what actually happened. Robert Maxwell If the atomograd and the plant had worked in the way it was supposed to, you wouldn't find these crisis depositions. You wouldn't find toys left abandoned in the middle of a kindergarten playground. You wouldn't find a wedding photo left behind in an apartment that's otherwise been completely looted. Should more archaeologists be studying the Exclusion Zone? Chernobyl is one of those types of sites like Pompeii , where it is a snapshot of a period in history. It's really one of the most diagnostic events of the 20th century. Then you have glasnost and perestroika and the Berlin Wall coming down, so it very well may have changed the century that we're currently living in. That's where the value of archaeology comes in. Basically, history is what we said happened, but archaeology is the record of what actually happened. It's the only litmus test of what really happened in any century, including the 20th century.

Follow Kristin Romey on Twitter . Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Disasters & Tragedy Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster The Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor number 4. Within seven months the number 4 reactor building and its molten core was enclosed within a reinforced concrete casing. This was supposed to absorb the radiation. (January 25, 2006). (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images) By Jennifer Rosenberg Updated September 16, 2016. At 1:23 a.m. on April 26th, 1986, reactor four at the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded, releasing more than a hundred times the radiation of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thirty-one people died shortly after the explosion and thousands more are expected to die from the long-term effects of radiation. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster dramatically changed the world's opinion about using nuclear reaction for power. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was built in the wooded marshlands of northern Ukraine, approximately 80 miles north of Kiev.

Its first reactor went online in 1977, the second in 1978, third in 1981, and fourth in 1983; two more were planned for construction. A small town, Pripyat, was also built near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to house the workers and their families. Routine Maintenance and a Test on Reactor Four On April 25, 1986, reactor four was going to be shut down for some routine maintenance. continue reading below our video 10 Best Universities in the United States During the shutdown, technicians were also going to run a test. The test was to determine whether, in case of a power outage, the turbines could produce enough energy to keep the cooling system running until the backup generators came online. The shutdown and test began at 1 a.m. on April 25th. To get accurate results from the test, the operators turned off several of the safety systems, which turned out to be a disastrous decision. In the middle of the test, the shutdown had to be delayed nine hours because of a high demand for power in Kiev. The shutdown and test continued again at 11:10 p.m.

on the night of April 25th. A Major Problem Just after 1 a.m. on April 26th, 1986, the reactor's power dropped suddenly, causing a potentially dangerous situation. The operators tried to compensate for the low power but the reactor went out of control. If the safety systems had remained on, they would have fixed the problem; however, they were not. The reactor exploded at 1:23 a.m. The World Discovers the Meltdown The world discovered the accident two days later, on April 28th, when operators of the Swedish Forsmark nuclear power plant in Stockholm registered unusually high radiation levels near their plant. When other plants around Europe began to register similar high radiation readings, they contacted the Soviet Union to find out what had happened. The Soviets denied any knowledge about a nuclear disaster until 9 p.m. on April 28th, when they announced to the world that one of the reactors had been "damaged." Attempts to Clean Up While trying to keep the nuclear disaster a secret, the Soviets were also trying to clean it up. At first they poured water on the many fires, then they tried to put them out with sand and lead and then nitrogen.

It took nearly two weeks to put the fires out. Citizens in the nearby towns were told to stay indoors. Pripyat was evacuated on April 27th, the day after the disaster had begun; the town of Chernobyl wasn't evacuated until May 2, six days after the explosion. Physical clean-up of the area continued. Contaminated topsoil was placed into sealed barrels and radiated water contained. Soviet engineers also encased the remains of the fourth reactor in a large, concrete sarcophagus to prevent additional radiation leakage. The sarcophagus, constructed quickly and in dangerous conditions, had already begun to crumble by 1997. An international consortium has begun plans to create a containment unit that will be placed over the current sarcophagus. It is expected to be completed in 2013. Death Toll From the Chernobyl Disaster It is estimated that the radiation from the Chernobyl disaster was 100 times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Thirty-one people died shortly after the explosion; however, thousands of others who were exposed to high levels of radiation will suffer serious health effects, including cancers, cataracts, and cardiovascular disease.

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Explosion: 30 Years After The Worst Nuclear Accident Of The 20th Century : Nature & Environment : Science World Report Elaine C First Posted: Apr 18, 2016 06:00 AM EDT KIEV, UKRAINE - APRIL 07: Artur Vlasenko, 27, who is applying for a job at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, prepares to undergo precise screening for radiation levels in his body by scientist Galina Zadorozhnaya at the National Research Center for Radiation Medicine, a hospital and research institute established after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, on April 7, 2016. (Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was a nuclear power station located in Pripyat, Ukraine. It was destroyed accidentally by an explosion on April 26, 1986. Millions of people have been affected by the radiation exposure in the atmosphere during that time. After 30 years, many people are still suffering from the nuclear explosion, causing them to obtain different illnesses.

According to Oregon Live , the technicians were operating a test whether the turbines could keep the cooling pumps running even with a loss of power. After 30 seconds of the test, the power rose and the emergency shutdown did not work. The reactor's fuel rods then broke, causing an explosion in Unit 4. World-Nuclear states that the fires and explosion released at least 5 percent of the radioactive reactor core into the atmosphere. It is recorded that two Chernobyl workers died during the explosion. There were also 28 people who died after a few weeks because of radiation poisoning. Furthermore, studies in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine showed that more than one million people were affected by exposure to radiation. There were about 4,000 cases that had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, including 2000 children. USA Today shares stories that have been living in the shadow of this nuclear disaster. In 1996, they saw young people in a room at the Institute of Endocrinology who were being cured for thyroid illnesses due to exposure to excess radiation. Some people were suffering from illnesses such as cancer; this includes an 8-year-old girl, Vika Chervinska, in 2006.

According to Greenpeace, there about 90,000 people who would likely die of cancer because of the radiation from the explosion of Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. United Nations also predicts that there would be a death toll of around 4,000. Kens 5 states that Chernobyl will not be radiation free . It would likely take about 24,000 years to eradicate the radiation. 12 Facts About Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone 30 Years After the Disaster | Mental Floss 12 Facts About Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone 30 Years After the Disaster Scott via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0 Like us on Facebook It was 30 years ago, on April 26, 1986, that disaster struck nuclear reactor number 4 in Chernobyl. At first, Soviet officials attempted to hide the cataclysmic events unfolding in Ukraine, but when radioactive clouds were detected as far away as Sweden, news spread that the unthinkable had happened: a lethal explosion at a nuclear power plant. Residents at the neighboring workers’ town of Pripyat weren’t told of the deadly radiation covering their homes at first.

As official buses began evacuating the area, people were instructed to bring only a suitcase, since they would be able to return in a few days. But as the extent of the explosion became clear, the Soviet military established an official Exclusion Zone, a roughly 18-mile radius around the stricken power plant. About 115,000 people were evacuated in 1986, and another 220,000 in the following years , creating a desolate landscape of abandoned towns and villages. Thirty years after the disaster, much of the Exclusion Zone—now encompassing 1000 miles and also called the Zone of Alienation—is still strictly off-limits. The area remains a chilling reminder of nuclear disaster, while at the same time drawing thousands of tourists each year and demonstrating the resiliency of nature. 1. YOU CAN STAY THERE ... Hotel Chernobyl. Alex Kühni via Flickr // CC BY 2.0 Yes, there’s a hotel. It’s simple, best described as being in the “Soviet” style.

According to the website Chernobyl-Tour.com , "visitors are provided with the iron-starched linen stamped by the Chernobyl special industrial complex." There is, however, Wi-Fi, enabling explorers the unique experience of being able to email friends and relatives from deep inside the Zone. The hotel is the only place for intrepid explorers to the Zone to stay, but its staff are only allowed to work on a strict rotation of 15 days in the Zone and 15 outside, to keep radiation levels to a minimum. Workers inside the Zone live in basic dormitories in the town of Chernobyl. 2. ... BUT YOU HAVE TO GET PERMISSION IN ADVANCE TO VISIT. The first checkpoint. Alex Kühni via Flickr // CC BY 2.0 Chernobyl is still impossible for tourists to get to without an official guide. There are strict military-style checkpoints at the 30km zone, at 10km, and at the entrance to the ghostly worker's town of Pripyat. Your name and passport have to be submitted to controlling authorities seven to 10 days in advance, and the guards check you and your passport numbers at each checkpoint.

The early days of the Zone saw a large problem with local intruders who infiltrated the vast perimeter to ransack Pripyat and other areas, but since 2007 the Ukrainian government has severely clamped down on illegal intruders. 3. THE ZONE INCLUDES MORE THAN JUST CHERNOBYL. The gymnasium at Pripyat. Photo by Luke Spencer. Chernobyl was the largest town in what’s now the zone. Dating back to the 12th century, it was once a vibrant, largely Jewish town. The peaceful farming town, however, suffered at the start of the 20th century, when many of the inhabitants were murdered by first the Red Army and then during the Nazi occupation. At the time of the disaster, the population had increased, largely due to the nuclear industry, to approximately 14,000. A deserted house in Chernobyl. Photo by Luke Spencer. Today, the ghost town of Pripyat attracts the most attention. Opened in 1970, Pripyat was designed as a model example of Communist city life.

It was also surprisingly youthful: The average age of the roughly 50,000 inhabitants of Pripyat was about 26. The now-empty town had a discotheque, gymnasium, movie theatre, sports field, and the famous amusement park. One of the most-frequented parts of Pripyat, according to tour guides there, was the maternity ward, with the youthful population of Pripyat producing around 1000 babies each year. As roads have steadily deteriorated, the smaller towns deep in the Exclusion Zone have become cut off and remain mostly unvisited to even the seasoned tour guides. Across the border in Belarus, the effects of the explosion were similarly catastrophic, if not more so. An estimated 70 percent of the fallout descended on Belarus , contaminating approximately a quarter of the country. The most heavily hit areas in Belarus are now part of the 834-square mile Polesie State Radiation Ecological Reserve , a mixture of forests and deserted industrialized areas. 4. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WORK IN THE ZONE … A worker in the zone.

Alex Kühni via Flickr // CC BY 2.0 Roughly 5000 people still work in the Exclusion Zone: mostly sentry guards, workers on the massive new sarcophagus, firemen protecting the still-volatile area from deadly forest fires, and service staff for the workers. Like the hotel staff, they live in the Zone on a rotation pattern of 15 days in, 15 days out, to keep their radiation levels manageable, staying in dilapidated concrete dormitories next to the hotel. 5. ... AND SOME PEOPLE LIVE THERE. Alex Kühni via Flickr // CC BY 2.0 About 180 older residents also live full-time in the zone, having returned to their ancestral villages despite warnings from the Ukranian government, which has now largely allowed them to return to their homes to die in peace. A recent documentary, The Babushka of Chernobyl , tells their story. 6. SO IT’S NOT EXACTLY DESERTED. Aside from the hotel, there is one bar, a post office that still makes one daily noon collection, and a supermarket, where produce is scarce but with the shelves are filled with alcohol.

There is even a museum (never open) and something virtually non-existent in post-1991 Ukraine: a statue of Lenin. Because it remains frozen in time, Chernobyl is one of the few places where hammer and sickles can still be seen. 7. TOURISM IS BIG BUSINESS. Nikolai, a tour guide in the zone. Photo by Luke Spencer. The Exclusion Zone began allowing officially sanctioned visits, mostly for scientists and reporters, almost as soon as it was created. In recent years, tour groups have begun organizing brief, strictly controlled visits. One tour guide mental_floss interviewed, named Nikolai, says a couple has even gotten engaged on one of his tours. Beforehand, the proposer asked Nikolai if he could take them to the most contaminated area possible for the big moment. This year, the 30th anniversary, it’s thought that an estimated 10,000 visitors will step inside the Exclusion Zone . 8. THERE’S A CURFEW. Inside Chernobyl, there is a strict curfew of 8 p.m.

At night in the town square, one of the only things you can hear aside from the stray dogs barking is a strange sequence of rising electronic beeps coming from the forest somewhere to the north, which sounds a bit like the famous 5-note sequence in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A tour guide said they come from the scientist's camp, which is constantly monitoring radiation levels. 9. EVERYONE GETS THEIR RADIATION MONITORED—EVEN THE TOUR GUIDES. Alex Kühni via Flickr // CC BY 2.0 Every visitor coming out of the Exclusion Zone goes through a radiation screening at each checkpoint. If your levels are too high, clothes and boots are either washed or left behind. Taking anything out of Chernobyl is forbidden. Tour guides like Nikolai are checked regularly, and say they don’t receive anywhere near the annual levels of radiation deemed too dangerous. 10. TOURISM THERE MAY NOT LAST. Luke Spencer Despite the growing numbers of tourists, the Zone is still highly toxic and dangerous. The landscape is dotted with warning signs indicating where the “hot spots” are. Walking around is for the most part safe, but the greatest danger comes from ingesting radioactive particles.

Nikolai has had to warn visitors against posing for photographs licking trees, eating berries, and rolling around in the earth. He particularly warns against following in the footsteps of “ Bionerd23 ,” who posts videos of herself online fearlessly eating Chernobyl’s apples. Radiation levels in many places are safe, but parts of the Zone, particularly near reactor 4, and in basements of buildings such as Pripyat’s hospital, remain dangerously high. 11. THE REACTORS AREN’T THE CREEPIEST PART. The eerie Duga-3 radar base. Photo by Luke Spencer. One of the most remarkable parts of the Exclusion Zone is southeast of the reactors: the eerie Duga-3 radar station. Once one of the most secretive spots in the old Soviet Union, this vast construction of antennae and aerials was once pointed in the direction of the United States, listening in for incoming planes and missiles. On maps, it was marked down as a children's summer camp, while the locals were told it was a radio tower. Around 1500 high-grade technicians, scientists, and military personnel worked and lived here, wrapped in the highest levels of Cold War secrecy. There was even a kindergarten.

Today, there is just one soldier guarding the peculiar complex, the propaganda murals on the walls decayed and long-forgotten. Inside the abandoned military compound of Duga -3. Photo by Luke Spencer. 12. THE FUTURE OF THE ZONE IS UNCLEAR. The zone will continue to be contaminated by the radiation from the disaster for about 300 years. Without many humans around, wildlife has returned to the area, which now teems with foxes, wolves, lynx, boar, moose, and rabbits, among other creatures. While some would like to turn the area into a nature preserve, its future remains a divisive topic in the Ukrainian government , with such plans under threat from Ukraine’s nuclear industry, which would prefer to use the toxic landscape as a fuel dump for radioactive waste. Today, Ukraine remains one of the countries most dependent on nuclear power for their electricity —which means all that waste has to go somewhere. Chernobyl Children International - About Page About CHERNOBYL It’s hard for the rest of the world to imagine the devastation this disaster has visited on the people, the children and the land.

Because of the unprecedented scale of the accident, even scientists and subject experts can’t predict what the future holds for those who live in the shadow of Chernobyl. The facts and figures listed below can’t capture the misery and anguish that the people of Belarus, Western Russia and Ukraine experience in the aftermath of the explosion, but they offer a sense of the incredible magnitude of the challenges these communities face. Chernobyl MELTDOWN The accident released radiation 200 times greater than that released by both atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Only 3% of the reactor’s lethal material was expelled in the initial accident in 1986, leaving 97% within the unstable sarcophagus. It remains a “ticking time bomb”. 70% of the radiation fell onto the population of Belarus, affecting seven million people. Scientists feared that a further explosion could occur, producing a force of three to five megatons, and exposing the whole of Europe to enormous radioactive contamination. 700,000 men, known as liquidators, risked their lives and exposed themselves to dangerous levels of radiation to contain the situation.

At least 40,000 of these men have died and a further 70,000 are disabled. Twenty percent of these deaths were suicides. The first phase in the battle to contain the damage done by the Chernobyl disaster is the construction of a new Chernobyl Sarcophagus. The structure that was built to secure reactor number 4 in the wake of the explosion – the unstable Chernobyl sarcophagus is perilously close to collapse. The new structure being built will secure the reactor for 100 years but the half-life of some of the most dangerous radioactive elements housed within the reactors core have life spans of up to 24,400 years. Phase two of this plan is to dismantle the reactor and the safe disposal of over 200 tons of radioactive material still rumbling inside the exploded reactor. The clean-up of the material has yet to begin and could take many years to come. The cost of the new sarcophagus and clean up is €1.5 billion so far. Chernobyl ENVIRONMENT 99% of the land of Belarus was contaminated in 1986.

2,000 towns and villages were evacuated, and more than 400,000 people have been relocated from their homes since 1986. Decades later, another 70,000 are still waiting to evacuate. The exclusion zone, known as “Death Valley” or “The Zone of Alienation” remains the worlds most contaminated land. Some of the contaminants infecting the soil and air, such as plutonium, have a half-life of 24,400 years. The contamination of the land remains the biggest health threat as caesium 137 finds its way via the food chain into the human body. Professor Yuri Bandashevsky Prof. MD. PhD in Nuclear Medicine Specialist at the Ivankova Hospital in the Ukraine, states that there should be no caesium in the body or should there be no question of temporary or acceptable levels. “Any dose is an over dose of caesium 137, there should be no question of acceptable levels in the body”, Professor Yuri Bandashevsky.

Chernobyl ECONOMY The cost of the Chernobyl blast and its consequences is being carried by the survivors and will be handed down to their children for generations. The Chernobyl disaster costs Belarus 20% of its annual national budget. It is estimated that the fallout from the disaster will cost Belarus $235 billion. 1.7 million live in poverty, and 178,000 of these live in ‘extreme poverty’ (less than half of the minimum subsistence levels). Children are the poorest sector of the population, facing 1.5 times greater risk of poverty than the average level across the country. Two million people in Belarus, of whom 500,000 are children are high-risk, still live in heavily contaminated zones.Continuing low dose exposure through the food chain remains a huge risk for the populations: Some areas of land will be radioactive for 24,000 years, as much as 1 million hectares cannot be farmed for 100 years. Example Essays: Chernobyl Disaster Chernobyl 1.

Chernobyl Chernobyl & Nuclear PowerThere are different accounts to this story but the basic plot to this story is that on April 26, 1986 in Chernobyl, a city that was at the time part of U.S.S.R. (now part of Ukraine), there was one of the world"s most fatalistic nuclear disasters. The disaster at Chernobyl marks the "only accident in history of commercial nuclear power where radiation-related fatalities occurred.aE Experts generally agree that there are three factors that contributed to the incident at Chernobyl:1. ... More than 600,000 people known to be involved in the cleanup are now sick or... Word Count: 625 2. Chernobyl Chernobyl was one of the largest and most powerful nuclear reactors in the former Soviet Union. ... The Chernobyl Accident negatively affected the climate, health, environment, agriculture, and the population of the Ukraine and surrounding countries. The disaster had a tremendous impact on the world"s climate. ... Fifteen years after the Chernobyl accident, the international community is still learning lessons, and is working to generalize these to cases of smaller accidents.

Hopefully, these lessons will never again have to be applied to an accident the size and scale of Chernobyl.... Word Count: 838 3. Chernobyl The nuclear reactor used for Chernobyl"s power plant was the RBMK reactor design (refer to figure 1). ... However, this was not the case in dealing with Chernobyl. ... Unfortunately, both of these types of safety issues were disregarded at Chernobyl. ... The operators were conducting a test the night of the disaster that had actually failed a year before. ... This, again, was not the case at Chernobyl. ... Word Count: 944 4. The Chernobyl Disaster The stemming effects from what happened at Chernobyl are, people being displaced from their homes, thyroid cancer, and deaths. ... However, it is difficult to say what he/she would do differently in the midst of doing something similar to the workers at Chernobyl. ... The effects from the disastrous day in Chernobyl was felt by hundred of thousands of people and can still be felt to this day. ...

In the end, Chernobyl was a disaster that could not have been avoided; human errors are a way of life, and although many people suffered from these mistakes no one person or thing should be blamed for... Word Count: 1353 5. Envrionmental Accounting There have been many environmental disasters, notably the Chernobyl Incident, which has affected the involvement of the accounting process in social issues. ... After Chernobyl and many other incidents after that, social accounting is now on the rise again. ... After the corporation has implemented a method of accounting for environmental costs, they must apply it to costs that may come from environmental disasters.The Chernobyl Incident is one of the worst environmental disasters to happen in the world to date. The Chernobyl Incident was a nuclear explosion that happened in April 1986. Th... Word Count: 3332 6. Nuclear Power As we saw with Chernobyl there is great danger when using nuclear energy. ... Many things are still unknown about this disaster. ... "The post Chernobyl brain syndrome arose because of the high amounts of radiation.

In the city of Gomel, Belarus, near the Chernobyl power plant, a survey revealed that out of fifteen hundreds of children, only twenty-four were in good health (Paddock). ... The Chernobyl plant did not have the massive containment structure common to most nuclear power plants elsewhere in the world. ... Word Count: 1630 How would you feel if you were one of the inhabitants of Chernobyl and you had to wear a gas mask because the air was too polluted to breathe? That was the worst nuclear disaster that has ever happened. ... Word Count: 519 8. Nuclear Waste One for instance is the environment, what would happen if a natural disaster hit the area where the nuclear waste is kept, it could leak or damage the facility. ... DisastersCHERNOBYLThe disaster in Russia in April 1986Potassium Iodide blocks the thyroid's absorption of cancer-causing radioactive iodine released from a nuclear reactor or nuclear bomb.On April 26, 1986, the #4 nuclear reactor at the Russian Chernobyl Nuclear Station exploded during a routine test. ...

Potassium Iodide was distributed in the immediate areas surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Station, including the Pripyat re... Word Count: 2144 9. Fukushima Nuclear Disaster and German Energy Policies The nuclear disaster in Fukushima Daiitchi at the atomic power plant occurred on the 11th May 2011. ... After the Chernobyl MCA of 1986 in Ukraine, Fukushima became the second nuclear catastrophe to be rated seven on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). ... Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Chernobyl disaster was widely seen as a product of the lax Soviet safety culture, in which an unsafe design was combined with reckless operation (Bradford, 2012 :152). ... Whereas the Chernobyl Plant was perceived as inadequate in these respects, Bradford clarifies that, in compa... Word Count: 1464 10. Is Nuclear Power Worth The Risk? Usually it will be brought up more often after a type of nuclear scare, or disaster. ...

Also with the amount of uranium left in it"s natural form in the world it is estimated that nuclear power will be possible for hundreds of years, and with "breeder reactorsaE that number could be easily put into the millions.With only one accident to the public being reported (Chernobyl),the risk to the public is minimal. Also the accident at Chernobyl would not of happened if the reactor was built to US standards instead of the former Soviet Union"s. ... The effects of this disaster only killed 31 p... Word Count: 651 11. The Soviet Union - 1922-1991 One very famous example of this is the Chernobyl Disaster. ... Some workers were sent to respond to the disaster and were ordered to encase the reactor in concrete. ... What is extremely shocking is how the world only became aware of the situation of the accident once a radioactive cloud drifted into Sweden, and was then sourced back to Chernobyl by Swedish scientists. ... After Chernobyl, they realized that they were getting fooled, in comparison to many western countries and that their system was indeed flawed and dangerous. ... The Chernobyl Disaster was undoubtedly a major cause. ...

Word Count: 1148 12. The Dissolution of the Soviet Union One very famous example of this is the Chernobyl Disaster. ... On the twenty-sixth of April 1986, very poorly trained technicians (classic Soviet move to cut corners) decided to undertake a systems test of the fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, at one-thirty in the morning. ... Some workers were sent to respond to the disaster and were ordered to encase the reactor in concrete. ... What is extremely shocking is how the world only became aware of the situation of the accident once a radioactive cloud drifted into Sweden, and was then sourced back to Chernobyl by Swedish scien... Word Count: 1148 13. The Pursuit of Nuclear Technology These failures can be caused by unforeseen natural disasters such as earthquake and tsunami. ... The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 11 March 2011 was the deadliest nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986, which released substantial amounts of radioactive material. ...

However, some may argue that disasters caused by nuclear energy are extremely rare with only few incidents such as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, 1979 meltdown of the Three Mile Island and the recent 2011 Fukushima Daiichi power plant disaster. ... Yet this can be proven wrong, as there are unforeseen cas... Word Count: 857 14. The Risks of Nuclear Power The risks of the nuclear power are the disaster. Once the nuclear disaster happens, there would be a huge pollution on the land, water, and food. For example, the nuclear disaster, which happened at Fukushima in 2011, it caused lots of problems. ... The people that were influenced by the disaster were over fifteen hundred thousand. ... For example, the Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurs on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the Soviet Union. ... Word Count: 767 They could swim in the Black Sea, and enjoy the warm weather.Finally, the Ukraine was the place where a nuclear disaster happened in 1986.

A nuclear power plant exploded in a city called Chernobyl, and many people were hurt. ... Word Count: 652 20. Gorbachev and the Fall of Communism For a greater part of the 20th century Russia was under communistic rule. It was not until the late 50s where their communistic ways became a hazard for other countries; United States. Their role as communists did not affect nations in their early years of the 20th century. Russia had multiple leade... Word Count: 851 21. Three mile island Although the Three Mile Island accident was not as great of a disaster as Chernobyl, it was still the United States most severe nuclear disaster that got people thinking about how safe nuclear power really is. ... This disaster hit the industry hard, which resulted in no new reactors to be built for a long time and some reactors were even shut down following the incident, as they were unable to deal with with growing safety costs. ... Word Count: 992 22.

Problems Associated with Pollution The radioactivity, for example, that was generated by the catastrophe at Chernobyl was carried in clouds across Europe, and some of these radioactive clouds actually produced rain which fell on parts of Europe and Wales. And we had a problem with the cattle, which are fed on the grass which had been rained on by this polluted water, so we had a problem in a small way even in England as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. But Chernobyl is only one instant among many. ... This can be described in the following way: the ice at the Pole caps - the North Pole and the South Pole - will begin to melt... Word Count: 3051 23. Nuclear Power Disasters such as Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania andChernobyl in the former USSR caused many to view the magic age of nuclearscience with distaste and fear. ... The nuclear reactorthat caused so much devastation in Chernobyl had no such protective layer.The problem with traditional power stations is the waste and pollutants theygive off as a result of this process. ...

Word Count: 1285 The Chernobyl Disaster The Chernobyl Disaster On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl disaster caused serious damage to the environment and displaced over 350,000 people. This history video from About.com will give an overview of the Chernobyl disaster. Show transcript Hide transcript Transcript: The Chernobyl Disaster Hi, I'm Ben Arrona, here for About.com. I'm a historian with a Master's degree in American History, and today, we will be discussing the Chernobyl disaster. Cheap, pollution free, and virtually endless supplies of energy have long been touted as the benefits of nuclear power plants. While they have always carried with them a certain controversy, hundreds of nuclear power plants were built over the years, beginning in the late 1950's. It wasn't until the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster on April 26, 1986, that much of the world's opinions soured on using nuclear reaction for energy. Here's a closer look. Location of Chernobyl Power Plant The Chernobyl power plant was comprised of four reactors.

The first was built in 1977, and the remaining three came on incrementally over the next six years. The town of Pripyat, home of nearly 50,000 people, sat just three kilometers away from the plant. Chernobyl was comprised of what are called RBMK reactors. These types of nuclear reactors are not built with a concrete or steel containment structure over the reactor. As a result of this, radiation from the meltdown spread to a larger area. Meltdown at Chernobyl On April 25th technicians shut down reactor number four to do some routine maintenance, as well as to run a test on the cooling system. As part of this test, they decided to turn off the reactors' safety systems, a decision that would come back to haunt them as these systems would have prevented the disaster. Shortly after 1:00 a.m. on the 26th, reactor number four at Chernobyl experienced a sudden and dangerous drop in power. As technicians attempted to address the issue, the reactor went out of control, and at 1:23 a.m., it exploded.

Effects of Chernobyl Disaster on Surrounding Area Lacking a containment structure, radioactive elements spilled from the destroyed reactor and into the surrounding environment. It wouldn't be until April 28th, however, that the Soviets would announce the meltdown to the rest of the world, only doing so after strong radiation readings were picked up in their surrounding countries. After the fires from the explosion were extinguished, the damaged reactor was sealed with concrete and a 30 kilometer exclusion zone around the plant was established. Ultimately, people had to be permanently relocated from around the reactor site. Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the web at About.com. About videos are made available on an "as is" basis, subject to the Terms of Use . Chernobyl Follow DL on Chernobyl Those who went through that era. Describe what it was like and what was going through your minds when it happened. by Anonymous reply 24 02/08/2013 It really wasn't that big of a deal, kid. We all said, "Ugh, what a nasty story!" and went on with our lives. Same for Three Mile Island (closer to home).

by Anonymous reply 1 01/27/2013 I grew up within eyeshot of a nuclear power plant in Illinois. My parents just commented on their personal policy to keep 1/2 a tank of gas at all times and drive into the wind, usually west, if something happens at the plant. There was also a sense that the Russians were probably less regulated or in someway, didn't act with due diligence. We did talk about if something happened just driving away, not taking anything with us. by Anonymous Chernobly - NOB = Cheryl. Isn't that funny :) by Anonymous After Chernobyl my penis is falling off. by Anonymous reply 4 01/27/2013 It was remarkable at the time. The first inkling the outside world had that something was seriously wrong was when radiation detectors in Sweden started going crazy. Then the Soviet government announced that there had been an "incident" at Chernobyl but provided scant details. I remember watching NBC Nightly News and Dr. Robert Bezell (sp? ) was speculating based on the radioactivity detected from so far away that there had to be tens of thousands dead. Of course that wasn't the case.

There was genuine fear about traveling to Europe because no one knew just how bad the disaster was, or when or if it could be contained. After days of denial and secrecy the Soviet government did a complete 180 and revealed the full extent of the problem. This was simply astonishing. Never before had they been so open about any disaster, and even more remarkable they were requesting and accepting assistance from western governments. My jaw just about hit the floor one evening as I listened to an interview of a senior Radio Moscow anchorman. Prior to this incident this guy was little more than a propaganda mouthpiece but now he was being unbelievably frank, answering every question without obsfucating and even offering information that hadn't been asked for. Chernobyl represented the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. by Anonymous This is a pretty good documentary on the disaster. by Anonymous reply 7 01/27/2013 I have relatives in Sweden and they've only been able to eat fish from lakes again a few years ago. I think they had to wait like 20 years? They had a ton of acid rain and fallout.

by Anonymous reply 8 01/27/2013 I was in Austria when it happened, and I remember a few weeks later they started plowing under many of the fields where the crops had just sprouted, because they had been contaminated by fallout. They had just started sprouting, and it was so odd to see them plowed under. by Anonymous I remember the air from that time -- you could smell the sharp, acrid odor of plutonium. by Anonymous reply 13 01/27/2013 Because of the jetstream's movement from Japan to California - followed by the rest of the U.S. - Fukashima is scarier. It's a paradox - Chernobyl was at first total secrecy and rumor soon followed by truth-telling and asking for help, the full reveal. The reaction of Japan is far more disturbing - lying, total secrecy and not asking for help. There has been no "full reveal". There was a deliberate media blackout in the U.S. about Fukashima (we watched Charlie Sheen almost smoke crack on air instead on CNN). With regard to Chernobyl's media response, the U.S.

seemed to revel in it, for its implications regarding the U.S.S.R.'s isolation and the fall of Communism. by Anonymous reply 14 01/27/2013 People were more or less like "Ummm...the Ruskies deserve it." That sort of thing--no real appreciation of the seriousness or the danger. by Anonymous That cracked me up, R18. by Anonymous reply 19 01/27/2013 R14 I agree that both Chernobyl and Fukashima are the biggest cover ups in modern history. Glasnost and Perestroika became common words post-Chernobyl, literally meaning publicity and restructuring, but commonly presented by Gorbachev as openness and transparency. But little was said about the effects of the disaster, both short and long term, or in fact, how many people have died long term. The original story was that there were only 35 deaths. No one ever talks about the implications to the planet, or peoples' health all over the world that were caused by these disasters. I have read on Wikipedia that the amount of radiation released from Chernobyl was the equivalent of 100 nuclear bombs.

Yes, ONE HUNDRED. Anyone remember the movie "Threads"? It detailed the after effects of nuclear war and it was terrifying. Rent it if you can find it; it's not easy, and to my knowledge is not available on DVD. I saw it when it was first broadcast on TV, and was able to find a video at a good rental store. Before 1986 there was little talk of Global Warming. I believe that our recent climactic changes are in fact a direct result of this nuclear disaster, and the most recent disaster in Japan is only adding to this. Funny fact....as a type of "parlour game" I ask people of all ages and all walks of life to name the year Chernobyl happened. About 1 in 50 can name the correct year, let alone the date. Another funny aside, no one can name the inventor of one of the most prolific mind altering and collective brain-washing invention of the 20th century, the Television. See link for the answer if you can't guess??????? by Anonymous reply 20 01/28/2013 I was in Germany at the time - a lot of public fear about the effects of fallout.

And warnings not to eat mushrooms and other wild food. People avoided vegetables or produce that was imported from the eastern parts of Europe. Thing is though, it was all overdone. Ultimately something like 65 people were killed - mostly first responders such as firemen, and technicians. A few hundred people have since developed thyroid cancer - which would have been easily prevented had the Soviet authorities issued them with iodine pills. by Anonymous The sky was so blue that morning. by Anonymous reply 22 01/28/2013 [quote] Anyone remember the movie "Threads"? It detailed the after effects of nuclear war and it was terrifying. "Incredibly disturbing" doesn't even begin to cover that movie. It should be required viewing for those idiots whose response to international problems is 'eh, nuke 'em!' by Anonymous reply 23 02/08/2013 The American media covered it as a huge disaster then suddenly "took it back" tow or three days later. The sub-headlines went from "Hundreds of Thousands in Peril" to "Two or Three Dead, Nothing to See Here, Folks" overnight. It was very Soviet-ish to see our media scrub the story clean.

I always thought the Nuclear Industry pressured the US Media to soft peddle the story in its immediate aftermath. by Anonymous

Question: Which year of the 20th century saw the Chernobyl disaster ?
Answer: 1986