The Truth About the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, The Tragedy of the Nuclear Leakage Exposure
On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine made a loud noise, but what followed was the haze of tens of thousands of years here. The Chernobyl nuclear accident is considered the most serious and tragic nuclear power accident in history, with more than two million victims, and most of those exposed to nuclear radiation was mutated. However, the former Soviet Union tried to evade responsibility and cover up the facts.
Chernobyl Nuclear Accident
At 1:23 am on April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine uttered a loud bang. This so-called "safest and most reliable" nuclear power plant exploded, causing serious nuclear leaks, raging fires, and radiation pollution all over the place. The tragedy of Chernobyl happened in the former Soviet Union where collectivism prevailed. That night, for the Chernobyl people, their national pride, life, and hope were exiled with the explosion.
A full 30 years have passed since the Chernobyl disaster, and nature has taken over the city again as the decay of the surrounding. Trees grow in broken windows, and the grass grows in cracks in roads, but even 20,000 years into the future, the city will still be uninhabitable. Although Chernobyl has become a ghost town today, there are still some people who come here to visit here. There are also creatures that have mutated due to nuclear radiation, such as the Chernobyl giant rat and the Ukrainian giant cat Angie.
8 Truths About The Chernobyl Nuclear Accident
1. The Emergency Safety System Of The Reactor Is Shut Down
Local residents who suffered from nuclear radiation and mutated their bodies
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine has four 1,000-megawatt RBMK-1000 reactors, with two more nuclear reactors under construction. On the night of April 25-26, 1986, Soviet engineers performed turbine tests on Unit Four before shutting it down for maintenance. For the test, they unwisely shut down the emergency core cooling system and other critical safety equipment. A series of operational errors ensued, producing a flood of steam that overheated the reactor. At 1:23 a.m., the explosion occurred, and the fireball burst through the reinforced concrete cover of the reactor and shot into the sky. A series of subsequent fires exacerbated the release of radioactive material. It is understood that the amount of radiation released by the Chernobyl nuclear accident is at least 100 times that of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs.
2. Cleanup Was 'More Deadly' Than Initial Explosion
Despite the magnitude of the explosion, Chernobyl killed only two plant workers and one from a heart attack, according to reports at the time. In contrast, 28 workers and firefighters died of acute radiation poisoning and dozens more became seriously ill in the first few months of the cleanup. Severe radioactive fallout even spread westward to France and the United Kingdom. Thousands of children have developed thyroid cancer and at least 15 have died from drinking radiation-contaminated milk.
3. The Soviet Government Tried To Cover Up The Truth
After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Soviet citizens were kept in the dark, and the government failed to warn neighboring countries. However, on April 28, Sweden's air monitoring agency detected significant amounts of radiation in the atmosphere that could have come from the Soviet Union. Under the pressure of public opinion, the Soviet government admitted that the Chernobyl accident had caused two deaths, but still lied that the situation was under control. Soviet authorities did not close schools in Kyiv until May 6, and residents of Ukraine's capital, which is only about 65 miles (105 kilometers) from the nuclear power plant, were asked to stay at home. Details of the accident were not revealed until years later.
4. A Large Number Of People Cannot Return Home
About 36 hours after the accident at the nuclear power plant, Soviet authorities began evacuating residents living nearby, some 115,000 people, many of whom were already vomiting and having headaches. Residents left behind their pets and valuables in the belief that they would soon be allowed to return home. However, unexpectedly, everything within 18.6 miles was cordoned off and access was restricted. Although a few hundred residents have returned to the area illegally, it remains largely uninhabited.
5. Chernobyl Has Become A "Paradise" For Animals
Forests have recovered this once industrial and agricultural area. Sparsely populated, not shot and poisoned, animals like moose, red deer, wolves, lynx, brown bears, and eagles began to take refuge in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl. Curiously, the Chernobyl zone has become a unique biodiversity reserve. While some species can thrive, the potentially deadly effects of radiation contamination, such as deformed beaks, are beginning to be felt.
6. It Took Years For The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant To Be Shut Down
Three other reactors were also shut down after unit four exploded. Despite international condemnation of design flaws and severe contamination, the reactors were restarted about a year and a half later, and thousands of plant workers continued to work. In 1991, Unit 2 was shut down due to a turbine fire hazard. In 1995, Ukraine agreed to shut down its two remaining nuclear reactors in exchange for economic aid from the G7. It is understood that Unit 1 ceased operation in 1996 and Unit 3 was shut down in 2000.
7. Chernobyl Has Become A "Terrible" Tourist Attraction
Although still inhospitable to human life, Ukrainian authorities opened the exclusion zone to tourism in 2011. Since then, guides have routinely taken tourists to spot wildlife and explore the sights of the forgotten ghost town of Pripyat, a town that once had a population of more than 45,000. To reduce the exposure time to the radiation, the tour guide will carry the tester and tell the guests not to eat or smoke outside.
8. The Cleanup Of The Accident Is Still In Progress
At great health risk, rescuers covered the reactor core with sand, lead, and borax and removed flammable debris as they dealt with the accident. After the accident, some of them made "desperate attempts" to prevent the leakage of nuclear material. Workers "buried" the reactor under a massive concrete structure known as a "sarcophagus". Over time, however, the sarcophagus began to collapse and leak after years of natural erosion. If all goes well, the "new security closure" plan will translate a vaulted building over the "sarcophagus", and then close the vaulted building. But according to the Ukrainian government, the cleanup will not be over until 2065, and radioactive particles in the natural environment will still affect generations.