RememberChernobyl.com

The Children of Chernobyl

Admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:31:08 +0000

Among the most saddening and clearly the most innocent victims of the Chernobyl accident are the children. Twenty-two years after the accident, the effects of the dangerous lingering radiation are still being observed in the children of Chernobyl and surrounding areas, and many families are rendered helpless by poverty and some even appear to be resigned to their fates.

Many children in the region are born with severe defects. Some that are born seemingly healthy end up developing serious problems down the line, such as thyroid cancer. Stunted growth seems to be commonplace, along with poor dental health. All of these problems are compounded by the extreme poverty in the area, inadequate nutrition, and the lack of proper medical care in the region.

Likely another result of the poverty in the area is an increased use of alcohol being observed in young adults, and children are often being born to very young parents who are not capable of taking proper care of them.

Fortunately, several organizations worldwide have reached out to the children of Chernobyl and the children of the other affected areas in the region. The Chernobyl Children Project USA is a non-profit organization established in 1995 that provides aid for the children of Chernobyl in the form of medical consultations, dental care, clothing, gifts, and they even organize social events for them. They also send much needed medical supplies to hospitals in the region. A similar organization called Chernobyl Children’s Project International provides a “Rest and Recuperation” program (among several other programs) that allows children and their families an opportunity to take a much needed annual vacation to the country of Ireland, and more importantly, away from their unhealthy environments. The “Rest and Recuperation” program is made possible by the host families that are kind enough to open their homes to the unfortunate families.

While the children and the families of Chernobyl face great adversity in their communities, many are given hope and inspiration by the demonstrations of sympathy and support from the around the world.

The History of Chernobyl: A Brief Introduction

Admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:30:48 +0000

The first documentation of Chernobyl dates back to a 1193 charter in which it was described as a hunting lodge of knyaz Rostislavich. A “knyaz” can be loosely translated in English to Prince, or Duke. In the 13th century, Chernobyl was a crown village of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1566 the village was granted to royal cavalry captain Filon Kmita as a fiefdom, which at the time was a common practice of liege lords granting land to a vassal in return for their allegiance. The province that contained Chernobyl became a part of the Kingdom of Poland in 1569. Over two hundred years later, in 1793, the province became annexed by the Russian Empire. Shortly before the 20th century, the population of Chernobyl was comprised of a large Jewish community as well as many Ukrainian and Polish peasants.

The religious history of Chernobyl has been very diverse. Citizens of several different denominations have inhabited the city over the years, including Hasidic and other Orthodox Jews, the Christian Eastern Orthodox Ukrainian peasantry (forced to convert to the Greek Catholic by Poland after 1596), and later Russian Orthodoxy, which came along with Russia’s unification with Ukraine.

In 1898, the population of Chernobyl was approximately 10,800, of which 7,200 were Jews. The village was later occupied during World War I, and was brutally fought for in the subsequent Civil War between Ukrainians and Bolsheviks. During the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920, Chernobyl was taken by the Polish army only to be seized by the Red Army shortly after and then incorporated into the Ukrainian USSR in 1921.

Due to Stalin implementing his farming collectivization campaign between 1929 and 1933, a great famine ensued and the population of Chernobyl suffered greatly. During the Frontier Clearances of 1936, the majority of the Polish community in Chernobyl was transported to Kazakhstan. The German occupation during World War II resulted in most of the Jewish population being killed off between 1941 and 1944. Then in 1964, Chernobyl was chosen to be the site of Ukraine’s first nuclear power station.

At the time of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in 1986, Chernobyl was part of the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Chernobyl officially became part of the independent nation of Ukraine, as it remains to this day.

Profiting from Chernobyl

Admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:24:59 +0000

The business of cleaning up and rebuilding Chernobyl is an expensive task, and many international companies have a great interest in being contracted to help. Domestically, the clean-up and rebuilding process along with handling all of the other problems caused by Chernobyl’s excess of nuclear waste potentially means thousands of jobs for Ukrainian citizens, along with considerable profits for consultants. Employment in the region could very well be bolstered by the activity of international business.

Despite its unforgettable history, Ukraine seems to believe that nuclear power can help it improve as a nation. In a controversial move under President Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine plans to build eleven new nuclear power plants. Their potentially profitable plan to import spent nuclear fuel from other countries and store it in the already severely contaminated off-limits zone of Chernobyl was paused due to massive worldwide opposition to the idea.

Many nuclear energy scientists, experts and researchers consider the 30km restricted and heavily contaminated area around the infamous reactor to be an ideal location to conduct scientific research. They hope to be able to use the area for botanical field tests, research projects on radiation, and potentially even genetic experiments. In fact, plans are underway to construct a large open-air laboratory located within a 10km perimeter of the accident site.

There are also plans to develop a tourist attraction between the research site and the checkpoint where armed police officers with Geiger counters (to measure radiation) guard the zone’s access point. These plans include a national park that will include local wild animals as well as rare plants.

While the taste in which these plans are being made is subject to debate, the fact remains that Chernobyl is in dire need of help. Whether the interest of 3rd parties and international companies will have a positive or negative effect remains to be seen, but in the mean time many citizens of Chernobyl and surrounding areas may find financial relief from the increased availability of employment opportunities.

Tourism and Travel

Admin — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:34:41 +0000

Who in their right mind would ever visit Chernobyl? You’d be surprised.

Guided tours are now available through select businesses in Kiev. For the adventurous types who want to experience a true adventure, Chernobyl represents one of the only frontiers that have been completely abandoned by man-kind.

Many people find that kind of abandon alluring.

Chernobyl is truly the only place in the world where you can “time warp” back to Soviet-era 1986. You will find vehicles, buildings, and other items representative of that era. Books remain opened to the page their former owner had left them at, toys remain strewn across the floor as their owners hastily evacuated, and apartment windows remain open since they were opened in 1986.

From a distance, Pripyat and Chernobyl look like regular towns. However, as you approach the towns, you begin to see that they are not regular towns at all, but skeletal shells of their former grandeur: veritable ghost towns. Things are left exactly as they were when the explosion occurred: dishes left on tables, toys left lying on the floor as though children will return momentarily to resume playing with them, clothes still hanging in closets—time literally frozen.

Thousands of families fled the region, leaving behind all of their possessions, as they believed they would return after a “temporary” evacuation. To date, less than 300 people live in the exclusion zone, with most of them older senior citizens.

Many people find this kind of deserted place fascinating, which is why this has become a popular tourist attraction. It is not often where you can witness a man-made desert, technology gone wrong and left to rot.

Exploring Ghost Towns of Frozen Time

The effect is haunting and multi-layered. Despite the appearance of normality, visitors know the history of what took place here, and the instant flash of how quickly a normal humming life was shattered into historical tragedy.

Stroll through the streets where people shopped for daily groceries, walked their children to school, set off for work in the morning. Witness the homes and apartment buildings where families would return at the end of each day for an evening meal, where parents would tuck their happy children into cozy beds, sending them off to dreamland without a worry in the world. Part of what is so halting about witnessing Chernobyl is the seeming normality of it all—it is easy to picture the life that once occurred here. But this place literally became poisonous, and spread that poison to surrounding areas, forever changing the face of the world.

Chernobyl is not the first place where sites terror and tragedy have become places that attract visitors. Auschwitz and other concentration camps from the reign of Nazi Germany in World War II, the Killing Fields in Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge regime practiced genocide, and the internment camps where Japanese Americans were sent after the attack on Pearl Harbor, are just a few examples of sites where human tragedies took place – and are now places that are open to the public for viewing and exploration.

Witnessing History First-Hand

People want to learn about these events and witness them firsthand, in a way to know that they are real. It is a very different experience to read about something in a history book, to see it on the news, and to witness it with your own eyes. Seeing sites like Chernobyl personally makes them more immediate, more real – not removed from reality and time and turned into a concept, which occurs frequently in history books. Viewing these tragedies brings them into the present for people who see them, marking history in a completely different way.

What happened at Chernobyl is a significant part of human history. To appropriately honor the horrors that occurred there, and to raise awareness of the impact that these events had on the world, it is important for people to be able to witness the site firsthand. This is one of the reasons why sites of human tragedy become tourist attractions—they serve to educate, but also to remind people of the fragile nature of life, and how precious it is.

March, 2008 - Nearly 22 Years Since the Accident

Admin — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:31:43 +0000

I cannot help but feel a sense of loss each time my mind wanders and finds itself thinking about Chernobyl. I was not alive when the power plant exploded in 1986, having been born in October of that same year, but that does not mean that I do not mourn its loss.

Chernobyl is perhaps the best example of modern technology gone wrong. Pripyat was a model example of the ideal Soviet city: its inhabitants were happy, the city was beautiful and productive, and the neighboring power plant was an example of Soviet accomplishment and technology.

Each time I look at photos of Chernobyl, I hear the laughter of children, the sounds of cars driving on the streets, and the warning of concerned parents as they discipline their children. It’s incredible how far from that life Chernobyl has fallen.

The History of Chernobyl

Chernobyl was launched with much fanfare and the promise of hope. Its construction brought thousands of jobs to a previously economically depressed region, breathed life into a region, and created an idyllic town where people worked hard and were proud of their efforts. It was also a modern technological marvel. The factory consisted of four RBMK-1000 nuclear reactors, which collectively produced about 10% of the Ukraine’s electric power. The city was booming, the plant was humming, and life was good for most people.

This joy came crashing to a halt on April 26, 1986, when nuclear reactor number four suffered a massive catastrophic power surge, resulting in an explosion that released extensive amounts of radioactive material into the town and surrounding geographic areas.

The accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and the only nuclear accident to register at a level of 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The radioactive fallout that was released from the Chernobyl explosion was 30-40 times the radioactive material that was released in Hiroshima during the Second World War.

The effects of this disaster were far reaching and long term. The radioactive plume drifted over Eastern Europe to Western Europe and eventually to North America. Large areas in the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia were severely contaminated, with more than 300,000 people forced to evacuate and resettle.

Understanding Chernobyl Today

The long term effects of this disaster are still to some extent, unknown. But it has been 22 years since this accident, and some of the effects are clear. Exposure to radiation and radioactive material leads to severe health problems in people who inhabit the region, as well as birth defects to those children in the womb at the time of exposure.

One of the problems with radiation exposure is that it is difficult to measure. People can be evacuated from the immediate region, but because of atmospheric pressure and wind currents, it is difficult to measure exactly how far the radioactive ash travels. People who think they are safe from exposure because they are 200 miles away may develop radiation related health problems down the road, or birth defects may manifest in their offspring.

It is difficult to imagine that such a prosperous community could fall so far so quickly. There was a golden age of productivity in Chernobyl before this disaster. There were indications of things to come, and it is imperative to learn from such strong historic examples. It is natural to enjoy prosperity, but it is important to remain conscious and even cautious, and not to abuse the power and freedom that comes from such success. Chernobyl can be a learning experience and lesson to the world, and it is a disaster that need not be relived.

What Does the Future Hold for Chernobyl?

Admin — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:48:45 +0000

For those that have visited Chernobyl, the general consensus is that the silence of the deserted city is deafening. Guided tours are now being conducted through the area, and those tours may represent one of the first attempts to begin to adapt and shift life to better accommodate the ill-fated power plant.

But nature does not follow the course of action as determined by humans. Already, less than 25 years after the accident (as of March, 2008), we can see that nature has reclaimed much of “the dead zone”. Trees are growing tall, animals run free, and it becomes quite clear that the human race is not needed here.

That does not mean that humans won’t even occupy these lands again, but as any source on radioactivity will tell you, it won’t be in our generation, our children’s generation, or their children’s generation. Some estimate that it may be more than 500 years before humans can safely occupy this region again.

Redevelopment and Containment

On September 17th, 2007, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced their plan to build a new steel containment structure to replace the aging, inadequate, and hastily built sarcophagus that currently shields the damaged reactor. They plan to build a giant steel arch-shaped structure, measuring 190 meters wide and 200 meters long, and then use it to cover the existing concrete dome. They estimate it will take as much as a year to complete the design, and then another two years to have the massive structure built. It’s expected to cost 1.4 billion dollars. This update is considered long overdue, and extremely important. The rising levels of humidity inside the shelter are continuously eroding the concrete and steel that comprise the structure. If the existing sarcophagus were to collapse, it could potentially release a huge cloud of radioactive dust. There is also a deal in place with U.S. based firm Holtec to build a new storage facility within the exclusion zone to properly contain the nuclear waste produced by Chernobyl.

Several organizations have been setup to reach out to those whose lives are still being impacted by the Chernobyl accident. Chernobyl Children’s Project International is an organization that works with families and communities of Chernobyl and surrounding areas and offers support. Many children are born with physical and psychological defects, and require extra care that usually cannot be provided to them because of the extreme poverty of the area. They are the sister organization of Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children’s Project International, an Irish organization with a similar mission.

Does Chernobyl Have a Future?

As it stands now, unless new technology is discovered concerning how to better decontaminate areas that are virtually glowing with radiation, Chernobyl has no foreseeable future in modern society. Chernobyl’s only viable purpose for humans now is to serve as a warning as to the great dangers of harnessing nuclear power and the devastating potential effects of radioactivity. Despite the destruction and the hard lessons of Chernobyl, the construction and implementation of several new nuclear power plants are being lobbied for currently. The argument is that nuclear power does not contribute to global warming therefore it’s the perfect solution. Although it may not emit greenhouse gasses like traditional coal power plants, the aftermath of Chernobyl goes to show that nuclear power is far from environmentally friendly. It’s also considerably expensive. Many are concerned that using primarily nuclear power as an alternative to traditional energy will serve as a “quick fix”, and the general public will come to depend on it and be less likely to feel a responsibility to be environmentally conscious in other areas.

In the far future, Chernobyl might once again be a thriving city, possibly with a nuclear museum to teach people the tough lessons that were learned after April 26th, 1986. However, its immediate fate is grim and uncertain. What we do know is that Chernobyl will remain a top of much debate as the global warming crisis progresses and alternative energy is brought further into the limelight.

Long-Term Consequences

Admin — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:43:37 +0000

How can we accurately measure the damage caused by the Chernobyl power plant’s meltdown? Without getting into too much detail we can simply come to the conclusion that we can’t. The true cost of the disaster may never be known, as radiation has a funny way of working in ways that can be hard to detect many generations down the line.

What we do know is that damage was indeed done, and that its long-term results are still very much in the making. The half-life of many of the radioactive particles that were released into the atmosphere can not be measured in years, or even tens of years, but in thousands and tens of thousands of years. Considering the trauma that Chernobyl has sustained along with the volatile state it has remained in, is it possible that it can ever fully recover? Will it ever again be liveable?

There have been varying reports on the casualties directly resulting from the accident. When Reactor No. 4 exploded, it spewed radiation wildly into the atmosphere. Some estimates say that within the first 10 days following the accident, the reactor released the equivalent of 400 Hiroshima-sized bombs worth of radioactivity across 150,000 square miles of Europe, and potentially beyond.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50 people have died due to the accident and as many as 9,000 may die in the future due to complications related to the accident and radiation poisoning. Many researchers refute this estimate and claim that WHO has neglected to properly take into account all of the evidence, and that they are ignoring the reports of Ukrainian and Russian physicians who say that the situation is only getting worse, particularly in the cases of the children of the people who were part of the Chernobyl liquidation team.

The Russian Academy of Medical Services recently declared that as many as 212,000 have died as a result of Chernobyl. Another major report commissioned by Greenpeace factored in the evidence of several scientists and estimated 93,000 current terminal cancers and as many as 100,000 deaths over time. An accurate number is nearly impossible to arrive at considering the wide scope of the impact of such high amounts of radiation and the inadequate reporting and record keeping in many of the affected areas.

Possible Health Implications

The situation actually appears to be worsening. A senior doctor at the Dispensary for Radiological Protection at Rivine claims that in 1985 they saw about four lymph cancers a year, whereas now they see upwards of 30. They also get patients every year with rare forms of bone cancer, which never occurred in the past. Possibly the most saddening consequence of the accident is that a reported one in three pregnancies are malformed. Varying amounts of Caesium and Strontium are found in breast milk and the placenta. Children are commonly being born with stunted growth or dwarf torsos.

Aside from the human impact, the land has suffered considerably. While some Ecologists are optimistic and say that the absence of humans has allowed nature to recover more quickly, there are several reports to the contrary. Some scientists have reported finding high amounts of Caesium-137, Strontium-90 and even radioactive fallout in mammals. Another study indicated that there have been several genetic mutations of local birds. There is also concern that contamination may be seeping into underground aquifers.

The Bottom Line: The “End” of Chernobyl

No one knows exactly how long it will take for the toxicity of Chernobyl to dissipate to a level that can be regarded as “safe”, and it is not likely to happen in the lifetimes of any of the current inhabitants. Some property owners in Chernobyl have chosen to remain there, well-aware of the health risks. While some of them simply can’t afford to move away, there are also a few who stay because they don’t want to abandon their home land. Unfortunately, the ones who do wish to leave have found it impossible to sell their property, and are resolved to their fate in Chernobyl.

Nuclear Power - A Brief, Unbiased Introduction

Admin — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:36:48 +0000

The origins of nuclear power can be traced back to the first achievement of nuclear fission in 1934 by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi. Over the years it has been refined and harnessed, and today it is a highly efficient as well as controversial method of creating energy with a demand that is steadily increasing.

Worldwide, the United States produces the most nuclear energy, comprising 19% of the total energy used. The energy system of France is by far the most dependent on nuclear energy, with 78% of its energy coming from nuclear reactors. Policies governing the usage of nuclear power differ throughout the European Union. Some countries do without nuclear energy altogether (such as Austria, Ireland, and Poland). Many military ships use nuclear marine propulsion as fuel, which essentially means that they are powered by nuclear reactors. A few Soviet/Russian ships have had accidents related to their nuclear reactors. Some of their nuclear marine propelled ships have been sunk, and their nuclear reactors still remain at the bottom of the Atlantic. Since the 1950s, there have been several civilian ships built that used nuclear technology, but most proved to be inefficient or too expensive to maintain.

Due to the dangers and negative environmental impact of nuclear power, there is much debate as to whether it should be widely used, or even used at all. However, the World Nuclear Association has stated that natural energy sources such as the sun, wind, and tides cannot independently sustain a consistent output of energy necessary to provide suitable base-load or peak-load power. Because of this problem, these types of energy can usually only be responsible for at most 10-20% of an electricity grid’s capacity. Opponents of nuclear power argue that pumped-hydro storage systems could provide an environmentally friendly alternative.

At a time when the dangers of global warming are becoming more and more apparent, supporters of nuclear power point out that it makes no contribution to global warming since it emits no carbon dioxide. While this may be true, there are several other dangers of nuclear power that should be taken into account. We are still learning about the dangers of radiation, and science has proven that its effects sometimes take many years to surface. Although accidents at nuclear plants are somewhat rare, their consequences can be catastrophic (for instance, Chernobyl). The primary waste product of nuclear power plants is spent fuel rods, which remain in a toxic state for what is estimated to be thousands of years. To date, there has not been an effective method developed to properly dispose of them.

Although reducing carbon-dioxide emissions is important now more than ever, the risks of using nuclear power may not justify the reward. A nuclear plant meltdown can have a devastating impact on its environment, rendering it unlivable. It also causes the affected area to remain in a state of toxicity for many years, and there is still new information being discovered about the effects of that toxicity, and much that we do not know.

The Likelihood of a Nuclear Meltdown

Nuclear power is something that has been used all over the world for decades. To date there are only two serious nuclear accidents- Chernobyl, and to a much lesser extent, Three Mile Island. Whether you support nuclear power or are against it there is no denying that it has proven itself to be a safe and reliable means of power generation.

That being said, no technology is without its faults (again, as Chernobyl has taught us). A nuclear meltdown is definitely something that is possible with every nuclear reactor, regardless of what safeguards are put in place. To some, the only acceptable preventative measure to ensure that there is no possibility of a meltdown is the avoidance of using nuclear power.

So, that begs the question: how likely is a reactor to meltdown, anyway?

To be blunt, it’s not. In fact, it would take a series of random and nearly impossible events to cause a meltdown. Chernobyl, for example, was caused due to the negligence and ignorance of the staff that manned it at the time. Proper training would have ensured proper responses to the various warning systems that were in place.

A nuclear reactor is regulated by several safety measures:

Reaction control rods. These rods inhibit a reaction and are inserted as required. This is the primary means by which a nuclear reactor is kept under control.

Coolant systems. These systems, which primarily use water as an inhibitor, rob the reactor of its ability to continue to sustain a reaction.

Emergency shutdown equipment. Modern reactors are constantly monitored by highly-calibrated equipment, all of which is capable of shutting down the reactor on a moments notice if need be. These systems utilize reaction-inhibiting devices to ensure that the reaction remains under control at all times.

The bottom line is that a nuclear reactor is safe. However, as Chernobyl has shown us, anything can happen.

What Happened on April 26, 1986?

Admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:05:50 +0000

Before its meltdown, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant generated approximately 10% of Ukraine’s energy supply. Each of the four RBMK-1000 reactors was capable of producing 1 gigawatt of electricity, and by the late 1970’s all four reactors were coming online. It’s interesting to note that two more RBMK-1000 reactors were under construction when the accident occurred.

At 1:23 a.m., on April 26, 1986, reactor number four experienced a nuclear meltdown as a result of a series of explosions and fires. While the exact actions that caused the accident may never be known (there are some differences among various sources about the details relating to the accident), we do know that the meltdown was the result of a botched safety test.

The meltdown caused roughly 5% of the radioactive material underneath the containment shell to be thrown into the atmosphere, and of that 5% nearly 60% of it landed in Belarus. The accident resulted in the evacuation and resettlement of over 336,000 people.

Events Leading Up to the Accident

On April 25, 1986 the reactor in question (reactor number four) was actually scheduled to be shut down for maintenance. This scheduled shut down provided a great opportunity to test the reactors ability to generate sufficient electricity to power its internal safety systems in the event of a loss of electrical power. The RBMK-1000 reactor requires that, so long as nuclear fuel is present, water must be continuously circulated through the core (via water pumps which, obviously, rely on electricity to operate).

Previous tests had failed, and the reactors had not generated enough power during shut down to power the water pumps, but since improvements had been made to the turbines the operators thought they would fare better the second time around. What’s interesting to note is that Chernobyl’s reactors had a pair of backup diesel generators, but there was a 40 second delay before they were spinning at full speed. Because of that (short) delay, the reactor was going to be used to spin the turbine.

During the day conditions were optimal, and so the reactor was gradually reduced to 50% output. However, a regional power station unexpectedly went offline, and it was requested that the reactor return to normal operational status in order to satisfy the evening demand in power. The test was postponed and scheduled to be conducted by the night crew.

Of course, the night crew had little to no experience with a nuclear power plant, as most of the crew had been brought over from coal-fired power plants. This inexperience, combined with the fact that the night crew was essentially a skeleton crew, laid the foundation for what would result in the single greatest nuclear accident in the world.

At 11:00 pm it was deemed that the power output could be reduced as the evening spike in power consumption had passed. Hence, power of reactor number four was reduced from its nominal 3.2GW thermal to 1.0GW thermal. The new crew was unaware of the proper procedure for slowdown of the reactor, however, and reduced power too quickly. This created what is called a “positive feedback situation”, and is the result of the properties of the nuclear material present in the RBMK-1000 reactor. A product of nuclear fission is the isotope iodine-135 (I-135). I-135 decays with a half life of 6.7 hours into xenon-135. Xe-135 is a potent reactor poison.

All of this means that the positive feedback situation confused the inexperienced operators who, when seeing power drop to 5% of what was expected, removed the automatic control rods from the reactor as they believed they were malfunctioning. As you can now see, this created a highly volatile situation as the reactor was now being operated far beyond its original design and allowable safety regulations.

Removing the rods increased power to approximately 33% of what was needed to conduct the experiment. However, the crew continued on with the experiment, and at 1:05 am the water pumps were turned on. At 1:19 am the water flow increased significantly. Water also absorbs neutrons, thus decreasing the power output even further, and the decision was made to remove the manual control rods as well. At this point the reactor was operating without any kind of control infrastructure in place, meaning that there was nothing to prevent the reaction from expanding beyond the control of the operators.

The only thing preventing the reactor from melting down at that point was the poisoning effect of the Xe-135.

The Reactor Melts Down

At 1:23:04 a.m. the experiment began. To the operators, everything was operating normally at this point as they were unable to see any signs of danger via their instrumentation. The steam to the turbines was shut off, reducing the amount of water being pumped into the core (the momentum of the steam turbines powered the water pumps). Since the water also acted as an inhibitor to the reaction the reaction began to increase in volatility as less water was present in the core.

With no control rods in place, and with the reaction beginning to surpass Xe-135’s ability to impede it, the stage was set for a nuclear catastrophe. All of this was going on while the operators were completely unaware. Then, at 1:23:40 a.m. the operators ordered a “SCRAM”, a complete and total shutdown of the reactor. A SCRAM fully inserts all control rods, including the manual control rods that had been removed earlier. The reason that this is significant is that inserting the rods briefly elevates the reaction on the RBMK-1000 reactor, and the resulting spike in output contributed to the end result.

By 1:23:47 the reactor had jumped to 30GW output- 10 times its design capabilities. The fuel rods melted and steam pressure increased, causing a large explosion. Steam was displaced, travelling vertically and eventually destroying the reactor lid, coolant tubes, and other pieces of equipment. The sudden influx of oxygen, combined with the obscenely high temperatures of the reaction, caused the graphite reaction moderator to catch fire. Disaster had struck. In less than a minute all hell had broken loose.

What Just Happened?

Immediately following the disaster the staff was unaware of the true radiation levels, causing them to make poor judgements and gross assessments of the actual situation. Radiation levels in some parts of the building were in excess of 20,000 roentgen per hour, causing some workers to receive fatal doses within minutes.

Low readings on measuring equipment (the proper equipment was inaccessible due to the explosion) caused operators to believe the reactor was intact. Evidence of a severe malfunction and impending crisis (reactor fuel and graphite strewn across the building, for example) was ignored. The crew operating reactor number four stayed in the building until daylight, trying to pump water into the reactor. None of them wore protective gear, and almost all of them were dead within three weeks due to radiation poisoning.

Firefighters arrived shortly after the accident in an attempt to contain the fires. None of the firefighters were informed of how lethal the radioactive smoke and debris truly was, and it is likely that they thought the fire was the result of an electrical fire. To quote Lieutenant Vladimir Pravik, who diead on May 9, 1986, “We didn’t know it was the reactor. Nobody told us.”

The fire inside reactor number four could not be extinguished by water, and it was not until helicopters dropped sand, lead, clay, and boron onto the fires that they finally extinguished.

A Brief Introduction to Radiation

Admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:41:01 +0000

Before we start talking about what actually happened to the Chernobyl power plant, it’s important that you understand how radiation works and why it was such a big deal when the power plant exploded.

Radiation is not like anything that you’ve ever experienced (or should ever have to experience) before. While it is true that the human body is constantly being bombarded with trace amounts of radiation (from neutral sources, like granite rock or x-rays), the amount of radiation that the human body will absorb “naturally” is not enough to do any significant damage to it. In other words, your body does not experience radiation in any noticeable amount.

Radiation is often compared to death, as it is something that you cannot see, cannot feel, cannot smell, and cannot consciously touch. For many people, that is the very definition of death, and being exposed to high amounts of radiation certainly yields a similar result. By definition, radiation is energy transmitted as high speed particles or electromagnetic waves (according to anawa.org.au).

Because of the properties of radiation (cannot be seen, heard, smelled, or felt), radiation poisoning is something that can happen almost totally unnoticed by someone until it is too late. In extremely high doses radiation can burn your skin or nervous system, but most people experience lower doses over prolonged periods of exposure. It is in these situations where radiation poisoning slowly onsets, gradually causing the victim to become more and more ill.

Types of Radiation

The chances are good that you are exposed to some form of radiation every day. Visible light, for example, is a form of radiation, as are television waves, microwaves, radio waves, etc. To generalize and say that all radiation is “bad” is just that- a generalization. In actuality, man-kind utilizes many forms of radiation to its advantage.

To generate nuclear power, however, requires dealing with much more sinister forms of radiation: Alpha, Beta, Neutron particles, and Gamma Radiation. These forms of radiation extend far beyond visible light or television waves, and are extremely hazardous to your health. The fact that these types of radiation are invisible and odourless only adds to their danger.

Alpha radiation is a positively charged particle emitted by radioactive material consisting of two protons and two neutrons. Alpha radiation is extremely dangerous, and is carcinogenic when inhaled or ingested. However, Alpha radiation is also easily blocked- something as small as a sheet of paper can block Alpha radiation. In the event that you were to ingest a form of Alpha radiation, it would transfer its energy over a short distance and damage surrounding body cells.

Beta radiation is a high-energy electron that carries a negative charge. It moves at high speeds and can travel approximately one meter through the air before settling in a low area on the ground. This type of radiation can cause burns, and is very carcinogenic.

Neutron radiation occurs when the nucleus of a heavy element decays into a lighter element and emits a neutron. This type of radiation is the most dangerous for living organisms, yet it is absolutely critical in a nuclear reactor. As neutrons are released from the heavy element (such as uranium), a state called critical mass is reached. Critical mass refers to the state of a reaction whereby it is now self-sufficient and self-sustaining. In the case of an atomic weapon, the reaction is uncontrolled and hence results in a violent “explosion” as tremendous amounts of energy are released. In a nuclear reactor, the reaction is controlled, allowing for the production of heat that can then be transformed into electricity.

Gamma radiation can be compared to x-rays in that they are electromagnetic waves that are emitted from the nucleus (center) of an atom. Gamma radiation carries no electrical charge and is unique when compared to other forms of “heavy” radiation (Alpha or Beta, for example) in that it can pass through living organisms. As it passes through cellular tissue it collides with atoms along its path, creating ions.

The “Half Life” of a Radioactive Element

Alpha and Beta radiation is actually a radioactive form of an element. In Chernobyl, for example, the most prominent radioactive element is Americium. These elements have what is called a “half-life”, or the amount of time (almost always measured in years) it will take for the amount of radiation emitted by these elements to halve. Though the term “half-life” applies to all types of decay, it is most commonly used when referring to radioactive decay.

It is impossible to predict when a single atom will decay, but since we never deal with a single atom (but rather large groups of similar atoms) the period by which the atoms decay is predictable.

Measuring Radiation

A device called a Geiger counter is used to measure radiation. This device measures “roentgen”, the unit by which radiation is measured by. Most North American or European cities experience 10-12 microroentgen per hour, which is roughly the radioactivity of the stone used to construct the buildings and infrastructure. Do you need to be worried that you are being bombarded with radiation? No, as the levels of radiation that the typical person will experience are not high enough to warrant any amount of concern.

That is, of course, unless you reside in a highly radioactive area (such as Pripyat). To give you an idea of what a roentgen is, one roentgen is about 100,000 times the amount of radiation in a typical city. 1,000 microroentgens is equal to one milliroentgen, and 1,000 milliroentgens is equal to one roentgen. So, with all of that in mind, you can rest easy knowing that you are completely safe in a typical urban area.

It takes a dose of 500 roentgens within 5 hours to kill a human, about 2.5 times that to kill a chicken, and about 100 times that to kill a cockroach. In the event of a nuclear war, the Earth will become the roaches.

The only real problem with a Geiger counter is that it can not tell us the extent of an areas radioactivity. It may measure a certain reading in one location, but in reality that is merely the tip of the iceberg. To quote Elena Filatova, “judging a radioactive pocket by its Geiger counter reading is like judging the roots of a tree based on its crown” (I edited the English somewhat). At best, a Geiger counter can give someone an idea of what the ground the stand on is like, but to get the whole story requires complicated testing of the area.

Radiation and Chernobyl

In the days following the explosion radiation levels as high as 30,000 roentgen were recorded in the areas surrounding Chernobyl, though the incredibly high doses of radiation were being emitted by the reactor. Radiation is also not retained by asphalt, so travelling on the established roadways is actually relatively safe. It is when you venture off of the road and onto the grass that the real danger sets in. Though radiation levels that high can not be found in Chernobyl today, the fact remains that radiation is much higher there than anywhere else in the known world (at least for now).

Elena has recorded radiation levels being exponentially higher a few feet off of the roadway than in the middle of road. Radiation is unique in that some areas can be completely radiation free, while a few feet away may be dangerous enough to cause serious illness or death. Chernobyl is now, and for the next several hundred years will be, a deceivingly dangerous place.

Those without education or the equipment to properly measure radiation may find themselves victim to an assailant that can not be seen, heard, or touched.

This is part of what makes Chernobyl what it is today: a ghost town.