March, 2008 - Nearly 22 Years Since the Accident
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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.
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