Still in hot water

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was a deadly industrial accident caused by human error during a test on the reactor’s cooling system. Safety procedures designed to ensure fuel rods would not overheat were bypassed. A power surge a hundred times the accepted upper level caused the rods to reach temperatures hot enough not only to melt but explode. The reactor’s roof ruptured in the blink of an eye, allowing air to enter the reactor, which causing further explosions. The fire that ensued pumped radioactive material into the air for nine days.

The event in the Ukrainian SSR is said to have become so serious due to its handling by the Soviet government, which attempted to downplay its severity. For three days after the initial explosion in April 1986, Moscow failed to acknowledge the situation and downplayed the extent of the damage to the reactor. Those within 60km of the site were left exposed to exorbitant levels of radiation, while those within 30km were exposed to degrees of radiation that few could survive.

The event however was too serious to be contained within such a small circumference. Following the initial explosion, radiation levels were noticeably higher globally, as radioactive particles sent into the atmosphere were carried by wind and weather systems across mainland Europe. Much of the radiation is thought to have dissipated within days as a result of the short half-life of the material. Nevertheless, checks are in still in place across farms in Europe to monitor radiation levels related to the event.

Most of the deaths relating to the Chernobyl disaster occurred within 100km of the reactor, in areas of Russia and modern day Belarus. Here, heavier radioactive elements, such as Caesium and Strontium, fell and have been absorbed into water and agricultural systems. As a result, food supplies have been contaminated by radioactive materials which have led to sustained consumption by the local population.

This is a far more serious situation; alpha and beta radiation particles have minimal penetration through clothing or the skin, yet once inside the body they can cause serious damage. The Clinical Institute of Radiation Medicine and Endocrinology Research in Minsk, found that by the turn of the millennium there had been a 40 percent increase in the instances of cancer since 1986, with the radioactive material still likely to pose a threat for another 20 years.

Chernobyl still costs the Ukraine huge sums in order to prevent further contamination and recently announced plans will see an international fund created to case the site in its own secure, protective tomb at a cost of over $600m.

While Fukushima has similarly endured explosions and fires as a result of its leaking reactors, they have been far less serious and more importantly discussed in a far more open manner. Yet the attention remains so that the world doesn’t stumble into a nuclear disaster that it hasn’t seen coming.