Chernobyl

= Chernobyl Accident of 1986 = Early morning of 1986 the Chernobyl plant had exploded, creating what has been described as the worst nuclear disaster the world has ever seen. They day before, the plant operators were preparing for a one time shutdown to do a routine maintenance check on reactor four. Operators violated many safety regulations, and disabled plant equipment including the automatic shutdown mechanisms "At 1:23 a.m. on April 26, in Pripyat Ukraine, when extremely hot nuclear fuel rods were lowered into cooling water, an immense amount of steam was created, which — because of the reactors' design flaws — created more reactivity in the nuclear core of reactor number 4. The resultant power surge caused an immense explosion that detached the 1,000-ton plate covering the reactor core, releasing radiation into the atmosphere and cutting off the flow of coolant into the reactor." (Live science)
 * What happened? **

 **Reactor #4**



 **The damaged reactor #4**

** Who was evacuated? ** The whole town of Pripyat, 49,360 people, which lay only three kilometers from the plant was evacuated 36 hours after the accident. During the subsequent weeks and months an additional 67,000 people were evacuated from their homes in contaminated areas and relocated on government order. In total 200,0000 people had to have been relocated as a result of the accident. ** Was radiation was released? ** The radiation released from the failed nuclear reactor was from iodine-131, cesium-134 and cesium-137. Iodine-131 has a relatively short half-life of eight days, but is rapidly ingested through the air and tends to localize in the thyroid gland. Cesium isotopes have longer half-lives (cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years) and are a concern for years after their release into the environment. ** The effects on the environment ** "Mutations took place in plants and animals after the plant explosion. Leaves changed shape and some animals were born with physical deformities. Despite the increased radiation levels, rare species are now returning in large numbers to the area. These animals include beavers, moose, wolves and wild boar, plus species of birds." (IAEA) ** Chernobyl Today ** Chernobyl is known as one of the world's most unique wildlife sanctuaries. They are known for their thriving populations of wolves, deer, lynx, beaver, eagles, boar, elk, bears and other animals have been documented in the dense woodlands that now surround the silent plant. Only a handful of radiation effects, such as stunted trees growing in the zone of highest radiation and animals with high levels of cesium-137 in their bodies, are known to occur. But that does not mean that it is safe for human habitation, not for at least another 20,000 years. Sources http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Chernobyl-Accident/ http://www.livescience.com/39961-chernobyl.html http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/features/chernobyl-15/cherno-faq.shtml