With
the turn in the 20th century and modern day we are looking for new ways to
obtain power. Some of these new ways are simple and efficient like solar power
and some can be destructive and efficient like nuclear power. Nuclear power can
be very beneficial to the planet but it is nothing to take for granted. Nuclear
power is very dangerous and if one little mistake is made it can wipe out
hundreds of thousands of people. This is exactly what happened and it could of
have been a lot worse. On April 26, 1986 the world’s worst nuclear disaster
occurred. The Chernobyl power plant located in Ukraine blew up. The nuclear
reactor released a large amount of radiation into the environment. The wind and
weather during the release helped spread the plumes from Chernobyl to most of
Europe, but also the United States, Canada, and Japan. Only the Southern
hemisphere remained free of contamination. It all began on
Before explosion
April 25, 1986 when
the unit 4 of the plant was to be shut down for routine maintenance. The plant Operators
disabled plant equipment including the automatic shutdown mechanisms according
to the U.N. Scientific Committee on the
Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). At 1:23 a.m. on April 26,
when extremely hot nuclear fuel rods were lowered into cooling
water an immense amount of steam was created. It created
more re-activity in the nuclear core of reactor number 4. The power surge
created an immense explosion that detached the 1,000 ton plate that covered the
reactors core.
After explosion
Radiation
was released into the atmosphere and it cut off the flow of coolant
into the reactor. Just a few seconds later a second explosion of even greater
power than the first blew the reactor building apart and spewed burninggraphite and other parts of the reactor Core
around the plant. This started several fires around the damaged reactor and
reactor number 3 while it was still operating. The explosion killed 2 plant
workers who were the first to die within hours of the accident. The death toll
increased in the coming days because people contracted radiation sickness. On
April 27, the city of Pripyat was evacuated 36 hours after the accident.
It was too late by that time many people were suffering from symptoms of
radiation sickness. Officials closed off an 18-mile area around the plant
residents were told they would be able to return in a few days so many left
their personal belongings behind. Four months after the accident 28 more power
plant workers died. This included a number of heroic workers who risked their
life and knew the dangers of exposing themselves to radiation in order to
prevent the plant from further radiation leaks. At the time of the explosion
winds were coming in from the south.
Much of the radiation plume traveled
northwest towards Belarus and Russia. The accident contaminated wide parts of
Belarus, Russia, and the Ukraine. Many children and adolescents in the area in
1986 drank milk contaminated with radioactive iodine, which delivered
substantial doses to their thyroid glands. It is believed that
more than 6,000 cases of thyroid cancer may eventually be linked to
radiation exposure in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. It is difficult to know
the precise number caused by the accident though. It's pretty
outstanding that the rate of cancer deaths and other health effects
related to Chernobyl's radiation leak is lower than was initially
feared. Of the 5 million people that were living in contaminated zones
only received a small dose of radiation.
Experts believe the fear of radiation actually led to more suffering
than radiation itself. For example many doctors advised pregnant women to have
abortions to avoid giving birth to children with birth defects or
disorders. The level of radiation that these women were exposed to was too low
to
Restricted area map
cause any problems. The United Nations published a report on the Chernobyl
accident that said it was "full of unsubstantiated statements that
have no support in scientific assessments,” Despite the accident the plant
continued to operate until the last reactor was shut down in December 2000. The
plant and ghost towns of Pripyat, Chernobyl, and the
area surrounding the plant is called the "zone of alienation" and is off-limits to humans. The
Exclusion Zone was set up to restrict access to hazardous
areas, reduce the
spread of radiation contamination and for monitoring activities.
This exclusive zone covers 1000 square miles. There are some
exceptions a couple hundred residents returned to their homes despite the risk
of radiation. In 2011 the area was opened up for tourism. The area today is
thriving with wildlife. Wolves, deer, lynx, beaver, eagles, boar, elks, bears,
and other animals populate the dense woods area around the
plant. Animals with high levels of cesium-137 in their bodies, are known to
occur. Even though animals can live in the area it is not safe to say that the
area has returned to normal, or will be at any point in the future. Because of
the long-lived radiation in that zone it could take up to 20,000 years for
humans to safely inhabit the
area. Chernobyl was not prepared for such a thing, I don't think no one could of have been prepared. Being more cautious would of have prevented the accident though. Ever since the accident here in the United States we have improved our nuclear power plants in case of an emergency and we have made sure how to act if such thing would happen. Chernobyl was vulnerable because a large amount of people were living around the plant. In the United States we have isolated our plants a bit more from civilization and have evacuation plans in place if such thing would happen.
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